Waiting on Wednesday: By Your Side

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking The Spine and is a fun way to see what books other bloggers just can't wait to get their hands on!

BY YOUR SIDE

Kasie West

Contemporary YA

Releases February 2017 from HarperTeen

From Goodreads:)

When Autumn Collins finds herself accidentally locked in the library for an entire weekend, she doesn’t think things could get any worse. But that’s before she realizes that Dax Miller is locked in with her. Autumn doesn’t know much about Dax except that he’s trouble. Between the rumors about the fight he was in (and that brief stint in juvie that followed it) and his reputation as a loner, he’s not exactly the ideal person to be stuck with. Still, she just keeps reminding herself that it is only a matter of time before Jeff, her almost-boyfriend, realizes he left her in the library and comes to rescue her.

Only he doesn’t come. No one does.

Instead it becomes clear that Autumn is going to have to spend the next couple of days living off vending-machine food and making conversation with a boy who clearly wants nothing to do with her. Except there is more to Dax than meets the eye. As he and Autumn first grudgingly, and then not so grudgingly, open up to each other, Autumn is struck by their surprising connection. But can their feelings for each other survive once the weekend is over and Autumn’s old life, and old love interest, threaten to pull her from Dax’s side?

Kasie West! Her contemporary books always make me smile, and the setup for this one has me especially excited. Sort of a mini Breakfast Club-style feel. I love a relationship that starts with a whole lot of antagonism before turning into something more, and it seems like Autumn and Dax are going to have to wade through quite a few differences before that surprising connection forms, which means this has earned itself a place at the top of my must-have 2017 list:)

Goodreads • Amazon 

Review: On the Fence

ON THE FENCE
Kasie West
Contemporary Young Adult
320 pages
HarperTeen
Available July 1st
Source: ARC from publisher for review

THE STORY (from Goodreads)
She's a tomboy. He's the boy next door…

Charlie Reynolds can outrun, outscore, and outwit every boy she knows. But when it comes to being a girl, Charlie doesn't know the first thing about anything. So when she starts working at a chichi boutique to pay off a speeding ticket, she finds herself in a strange new world. To cope with the stress of her new reality, Charlie takes to spending nights chatting with her neighbor Braden through the fence between their yards. As she grows to depend on their nightly Fence Chats, she realizes she's got a bigger problem than speeding tickets-she's falling for Braden. She knows what it means to go for the win, but if spilling her secret means losing him for good, the stakes just got too high.

MY THOUGHTS
On the Fence is a story as cute as they come, a lovable and endearing tomboy of a heroine charming us instantly as she tries to find a place for herself amidst the testosterone of her all-male family. As is commonplace for a Kasie West novel, humor and witty banter abound, adding new creases to our cheeks from smiling so frequently even as our heartstrings are tugged repeatedly when growing pains force Charlie into a sweet and poignant journey of self-reflection. As was the case with The Distance Between Us, there are a number of facets to Charlie’s life and her relationship with her family that could have been explored with more depth, but that mild complaint doesn’t detract from a hugely satisfying story overall.

Charlie has known nothing but contact sports and brotherly teasing her entire life, her hugely athletic and hilariously mischievous older brothers keeping her on her toes at all times lest she find herself on the losing end of a dare she didn’t know they’d issued. She has no concept of her appearance in terms of how physically attractive she might be to the opposite sex, but its refreshingly clear that she’s neither the falsely modest type nor the frustratingly self-deprecating type, her observations of her brother’s preferences in girls simply give her no reason to think she might be appealing to guys in all her sports-loving athletic glory.

Her changing relationship with next door neighbor–and brother Gage’s best friend–Braden is the kind that makes us suck in a breath and hold it whenever they’re together, hoping that if we don’t so much as breathe these two will find fewer obstacles blocking their path to happiness. That way of thinking of course fails spectacularly, and Braden and Charlie quickly discover that knowing one another as well as they do can cause as many problems to a fledgling relationship as not knowing someone at all. While there are a couple of miscommunications between them, they’re not of the overly irritating variety, rather they feel genuine in nature, the complications of a friendship as close as theirs something we can all relate to in one way or another.

The only other very small complaint aside from the aforementioned lack of exploration in certain areas is the brevity of our time with Charlie and Braden once they finally do get together. Majority of the book is the humorously tense (and sometimes adorably mortifying) progression of their friendship to something more, and while we can’t help but love all the build up, their time together is our reward and it’s cut just a touch short with the last page finding us long before we wish it to. Overall though, On the Fence is cute and flirty and pure fun, a story destined for the rereads shelf so we can experience Charlie and Braden again and again.

Rating: 4/5

Find Kasie

Website • Facebook • Twitter • Goodreads • Amazon

 

This book was sent to me by the publisher free of charge for the purpose of a review. 

I received no other compensation and the above is my honest opinion.

Review: Split Second

SPLIT SECOND
Pivot Point #2
Kasie West
Paranormal Young Adult
360 pages
HarperTeen
Available Now
Source: ARC from publisher for review

THE STORY (from Goodreads)
Life can change in a split second.

Addie hardly recognizes her life since her parents divorced. Her boyfriend used her. Her best friend betrayed her. She can’t believe this is the future she chose. On top of that, her ability is acting up. She’s always been able to Search the future when presented with a choice. Now she can manipulate and slow down time, too . . . but not without a price.

When Addie’s dad invites her to spend her winter break with him, she jumps at the chance to escape into the Norm world of Dallas, Texas. There she meets the handsome and achingly familiar Trevor. He’s a virtual stranger to her, so why does her heart do a funny flip every time she sees him? But after witnessing secrets that were supposed to stay hidden, Trevor quickly seems more suspicious of Addie than interested in her. And she has an inexplicable desire to change that.

Meanwhile, her best friend, Laila, has a secret of her own: she can restore Addie’s memories . . . once she learns how. But there are powerful people who don’t want to see this happen. Desperate, Laila tries to manipulate Connor, a brooding bad boy from school—but he seems to be the only boy in the Compound immune to her charms. And the only one who can help her.

As Addie and Laila frantically attempt to retrieve the lost memories, Addie must piece together a world she thought she knew before she loses the love she nearly forgot . . . and a future that could change everything.

MY THOUGHTS
Split Second is a breezy sequel, one that flies by at a speed that will by no means be surprising for those who loved Pivot Point, giving us just enough tension to ensure we’re riveted without weighing our hearts down with an abundance of pain and tears. Though not quite as emotionally gripping as its predecessor, this sequel still manages to make the butterflies in our stomachs feel as though they have razor-tipped wings, every flutter we experience as Addie is forced back to square one with Trevor seeming to leave a trickle of blood in its wake, our desire to see them returned to the couple we know they’re capable of being an unrelenting throb of need as we read. What keeps us from being as fully immersed in this sequel as we were in the first book is the addition of Laila as a narrator, her point of view alternating with Addie’s and forcing us to make an unavoidable comparison between the two, one after which Laila is found a touch wanting.

Addie is as much a joy in this book as she was in Pivot Point, her sweet demeanor and her desire to be honest with Trevor despite what’s at stake for her if she is something that makes us want to wrap our arms around her and hold tight. Her first instinct is always to tell Trevor exactly who she is, and even though her memories of the Search path that included him in book one are still Erased (thus leaving him somewhat of a stranger to her once again), she still wants the communication between them to be free and flowing. When their worlds collide for a second time she’s upfront with how she feels, never resorting to game playing or speaking in riddles, providing us as readers with the comfort of knowing the two of them absolutely belong together and will do what it takes to find a way to make it happen.

Laila, unlike Addie, is very much a game player, a young woman who exerts the control she lacks in her home life through the emotional and mental manipulation (thanks to her ability to Erase memories) of those from whom she needs something. We get glimpses of a horribly poor excuse for a father, and while his treatment of her and her brothers causes both anger and sympathy to flare in our chests simultaneously, the fact that she in turn seeks to take back the control her father robs her of by robbing others of their own has us sometimes hurrying through her chapters to return to Addie. She uses her good looks to attempt to influence Connor (who thankfully doesn’t buy what she’s selling and gives as good as he gets), and when a moment arises where she has the chance to let him in the tiniest bit, she instead slams the door in his face with an intentionally provocative remark that’s often the exact opposite of what she actually wants to say. As the story progresses though, she does begin to grow on us, and her unwavering loyalty to Addie as well as her gradual thaw toward Connor brings a smile to our faces in the end.

Despite the fact that Laila isn’t quite as strong a character or narrator as Addie, Split Second is still a strong and hugely entertaining sequel, Ms. West’s writing style warm, flowing and oh-so easy to simply sink into and get lost.

Rating: 4/5 

Find Kasie

Website • Facebook • Twitter • Goodreads • Amazon

 

This book was sent to me by the publisher free of charge for the purpose of a review. 

I received no other compensation and the above is my honest opinion.

The Big Love Letter Event + Giveaway: Kasie West + Tiffany Schmidt

Today marks week two of The Big Love Letter Event, a joint month-long feature hosted by Danny from Bewitched Bookworms and myself, and I hope you guys are having as much fun with these letters as we are. If you didn't get a chance, be sure and check out last week's love song from Kaidan Rowe and Wendy Higgins!

First of all, I want to wish everyone a Happy Valentine's Day! Valentine's Day is a bit of a polarizing holiday, with some people expressing enthusiasm for a day celebrating love in all its various forms and others not feeling it so much, but for me any holiday that encourages the consumption of large quantities of chocolate is epic and earns my wholehearted approval. I'm looking at you too, Halloween ;-)

As a result of the aforementioned polarizing effect Valentine's Day has on the masses, I thought it might be fun to acknowledge the myriad of emotional reactions to this holiday with not just one love letter today, but two. The first is from Kasie West, an author who rocketed onto my radar with last year's Pivot Point (I LOVE YOU TREVOR!) and has continued to impress me with her extraordinary sense of humor and her engaging, witty characters. She was nice enough to share a letter from Caymen from The Distance Between Us to her boyfriend Xander, giving all of us a sweet look at their relationship.

• • • • • CAYMEN'S LOVE LETTER • • • • •

Dearest Dollface,

This being our very first Valentine’s Day together, I expect a big gift. Maybe a small jet or a tropical island. See, doesn’t it sound ridiculous when you read it? So please don’t buy me a gift that you know I can’t come anywhere close to reciprocating. I’m thinking something like a pre-sipped beverage or a movie in your fancy theater room will be perfect. As for my gift to you, I was thinking of buying you a porcelain doll. I know how much you love them. I found one that looks a lot like you, well, I might have to add a pinky ring, but then it will be spot on.
 
But in all seriousness (because I can hear you saying, ‘now your real answer’), I adore you, Xander. The last few months have been the best of my life. It’s been amazing touring some of your hotels with you and I can’t wait to see more. Mainly because I like hanging out with you, not necessarily because your hotels are all that interesting. And thank you for pretending that hanging out in my tiny apartment is the highlight of your day. It makes my mom feel good. Okay, it makes me happy too.
 
Don’t ever leave me or I’ll have to kill you. And I don’t want to dig your grave alone. It would be very very shallow. Oh wait…they have machines for that. Never mind. I love you, babe. Happy Valentine’s Day. Now look up from this letter, give me one of your heart-stopping smiles, and kiss me.

- Caymen 

• • • • • • • • • • • 

THE DISTANCE BETWEEN US

(Available Now)

Seventeen-year-old Caymen Meyers studies the rich like her own personal science experiment, and after years of observation she’s pretty sure they’re only good for one thing—spending money on useless stuff, like the porcelain dolls in her mother’s shop.

So when Xander Spence walks into the store to pick up a doll for his grandmother, it only takes one glance for Caymen to figure out he’s oozing rich. Despite his charming ways and that he’s one of the first people who actually gets her, she’s smart enough to know his interest won’t last. Because if there’s one thing she’s learned from her mother’s warnings, it’s that the rich have a short attention span. But Xander keeps coming around, despite her best efforts to scare him off. And much to her dismay, she's beginning to enjoy his company.

She knows her mom can’t find out—she wouldn’t approve. She’d much rather Caymen hang out with the local rocker who hasn’t been raised by money. But just when Xander’s attention and loyalty are about to convince Caymen that being rich isn’t a character flaw, she finds out that money is a much bigger part of their relationship than she’d ever realized. And that Xander’s not the only one she should’ve been worried about.

Find Kasie

Website • Facebook • Twitter • Goodreads • Amazon

• • • • • JONAH'S ANTI-LOVE LETTER • • • • •

The second letter today is a bit of an anti-love letter written by Jonah from Tiffany Schmidt's upcoming contemporary young adult release, Bright Before Sunrise. In her email to me, Tiffany wrote "...my characters don't like each other that much early in the book"; a statement that had me pre-ordering it immediately because I'm a MASSIVE sucker for antagonistic relationships. Yes, please and thank you! I thought it was the perfect addition to this event and today's post in particular, so I hope you all enjoy reading it as much as I did!

From Tiffany:

This letter is written from Jonah’s point of view and takes place during chapter five (“How Do You Say ’50 Minutes of Torture’ in Spanish”) of BRIGHT BEFORE SUNRISE. If anyone wants to read those chapters (and a few beyond) they’re available on Wattpad.

Brighton-

I slash her name across the top of the back of an extra worksheet then glance around and fold that part under. I know what I’m doing is ridiculous, and it’s not like I’d ever actually give this to her, but maybe if I write it out, I’ll be a little less pissed.

And the only other thing I have to do until the bell rings is check my phone under my desk and wonder why Carly’s not texting back.
 
Get a clue. The fact that you’re hot doesn’t mean you get whatever you want. And I guess I’m a minority of one, because I don’t want you.
 
Not that I think you want me. I’d probably have to go through a 50-step background check before I was allowed to kiss you. And I’d never pass.
 
But I need you to leave me alone. I don’t want to volunteer on any of your stupid projects. I don’t want you to fix my locker. I don’t want you to say hi to me in the hallway and flash me that smile. The one that—for just a second—makes me forget why I hate you.
    
Everyone else ignores me. Why can’t you?

- Jonah

• • • • • • • • • • • 

BRIGHT BEFORE SUNRISE

(releases February 18th from Walker Children's

When Jonah is forced to move from Hamilton to Cross Pointe for the second half of his senior year, "miserable" doesn't even begin to cover it. He feels like the doggy-bag from his mother's first marriage and everything else about her new life—with a new husband, new home and a new baby—is an upgrade. The people at Cross Pointe High School are pretentious and privileged—and worst of all is Brighton Waterford, the embodiment of all things superficial and popular. Jonah’s girlfriend, Carly, is his last tie to what feels real... until she breaks up with him.

For Brighton, every day is a gauntlet of demands and expectations. Since her father died, she’s relied on one coping method: smile big and pretend to be fine. It may have kept her family together, but she has no clue how to handle how she's really feeling. Today is the anniversary of his death and cracks are beginning to show. The last thing she needs is the new kid telling her how much he dislikes her for no reason she can understand. She's determined to change his mind, and when they're stuck together for the night, she finally gets her chance.

Jonah hates her at 3p.m., but how will he feel at 3 a.m.?

One night can change how you see the world. One night can change how you see yourself.

Find Tiffany

Website • Facebook • Twitter • Goodreads • Amazon

• • • • • • • • • • • 

GIVEAWAY

Danny and I have an amazing giveaway to share with you all, one that will have 14 winners in total!

• Winners 1 and 2: Each will get a book of their choice from one of the authors featured during the event (open internationally as long as Book Depository ships to you!)
• Winner 3 : Signed Copy of Crash Into You by Katie McGarry (open US/CAN only) – Prize is provided by the author – A huge thank you to Katie!
• Winners 4- 14: Sweet Trilogy swag packs from Wendy Higgins (open internationally) - Prize is provided by the author – Thank you so much Wendy!

The giveaway will run until March 7th and you can enter via the Rafflecopter form below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Don't forget to check back both here and at Bewitched Bookworms every Friday in February for more letters and a whole lot more love from these fantastic authors:

•      Wendy Higgins (Sweet Reckoning)

•      Katie McGarry (Crash Into You)

•      Kasie West (Split Second)

•      Sara B. Larson (Defy)

•      A.C. Gaughen (Lady Thief)

•      Tiffany Schmidt (Bright Before Sunrise)

•      Gena Showalter (The Queen of Zombie Hearts)

•      Nichole Chase (Recklessly Royal)

•      Lorraine Heath (When the Duke Was Wicked)

•      Lynne Matson (Nil)

The Big Love Letter Event

Today I'm absurdly excited to announce an upcoming event taking place here on Supernatural Snark as well as over at Bewitched Bookworms. Danny and I are what some might called mildly obsessed with romance. Or hugely obsessed. Whichever. Given our let's-call-it-moderate love of all things romance-related we thought good times might be had by all if we tied that love in with a certain upcoming holiday.

In celebration of Valentine's Day (but really, more in celebration of how much Danny and I love to swoon over sexy bad boys and adorable good guys), we've asked some of our very favorite authors to write love letters that will appear on our blogs every Friday during the month of February. We proposed letters written from one character to another, from author to character, character to readers, or anything else the authors might be inspired to write that would help us honor our love of love, and the result is something truly fantastic.

Be sure and check both here and Bewitched Bookworms every Friday as we'll be featuring letters from different authors on each blog, and throughout the event we'll also be hosting a fabulous giveaway, so I hope you guys are as excited about this as we are!

I'm sure you would like a sneak peek at some of the authors who have so generously given their time and their beautiful words to help us put together what should be a really fun event. You can expect to hear from the following authors or their characters:

•      Wendy Higgins (Sweet Reckoning)

•      Katie McGarry (Crash Into You)

•      Kasie West (Split Second)

•      Sara B. Larson (Defy)

•      A.C. Gaughen (Lady Thief)

•      Tiffany Schmidt (Bright Before Sunrise)

•      Gena Showalter (The Queen of Zombie Hearts)

•      Nichole Chase (Recklessly Royal)

•      Lorraine Heath (When the Duke Was Wicked)

•      Lynne Matson (Nil)

Wendy Higgins will be kicking things off here next Friday the 7th with a VERY special something from one Kaidan Rowe, and I absolutely cannot wait to share what's he's put together. *fans self* Danny and I hope you guys will join us for lots of fun, flirting, maybe crying, and most definitely swooning!

End of Year Survey: Part 2

Today is part two of the End of Year Survey put together by Jamie at The Perpetual Page Turner, you can check out part one in yesterday's post if you missed it! There was a lot of gushing over my favorite books. Gushing that will only continue today. Win.

• • • • • • • • • • 

PART TWO

Favorite Relationship From A Book You Read In 2013 (be it romantic, friendship, etc).

I went with romance. Of course ;-)

Warden and Paige from The Bone Season

Isaiah and Rachel from Crash Into You

Janelle and Ben from Unbreakable

Kaidan and Anna from Sweet Peril

Lela and Malachi from Sanctum

Favorite Book You Read in 2013 From An Author You’ve Read Previously.

I’m going to change this question just a touch to be “authors read in 2013 that never disappoint”.

Karen Marie Moning, Jennifer Estep, Katie McGarry, Ann Aguirre, Elizabeth Norris, Wendy Higgins, Chloe Neill, Thea Harrison, and Nalini Singh.

Best Book You Read In 2013 That You Read Based SOLELY On A Recommendation From Somebody Else:

Sanctum by Sarah Fine. I’d seen it around a lot when it first came out and made note of it, but then more and more of the bloggers whom I love and whose opinions I trust implicitly started talking about it and I knew I had to pick it up.

Genre You Read The Most From in 2013?

Paranormal YA! Try not to be so surprised, everyone ;-)

Newest fictional crush from a book you read in 2013?

This question is torture! There are so many I could list, but several of them are on this list multiple times already, so to shake things up I’m going with the oh-so swoon-worthy Trevor from Pivot Point. I loved him so much!

Best 2013 debut you read?

Pivot Point by Kasie West, Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea by April Genevieve Tucholke, and All our Yesterdays by Cristin Terrill.

Book That Was The Most Fun To Read in 2013?

Poison by Bridget Zinn. This was a light and cute fantasy story complete with an adorable pet pig, and I just smiled the whole way through. A close runner-up would be The Nightmare Affair by Mindee Arnett. Main character Dusty wielded her snark like a boss and I adored her.

Book That Made You Cry Or Nearly Cry in 2013?

Endless by Jessica Shirvington and Fractured by Sarah Fine. Months later, my heart hurts still.

Book You Read in 2013 That You Think Got Overlooked This Year Or When It Came Out?

Impostor by Susanne Winnacker. There didn’t seem to be a ton of hype surrounding this book before or after it came out and I didn’t see too many reviews for it (though that could entirely be my fault and I just never ran across them), but I so enjoyed this book. I would say the same for Scarlet by A.C. Gaughen. Both are books I would strongly recommend to anyone.

One Book You Didn’t Get To In 2013 But Will Be Your Number 1 Priority in 2014?

The Coldest Girl in Coldtown. This was one of my must-haves at BEA this year, but I came home, got distracted, and then never got to it. *hangs head in shame*

Book You Are Most Anticipating For 2014 (non-debut)?

Burned by Karen Marie Moning (I know you’re all shocked by this given the prevalence of Iced in all my answers yesterday)

2014 Debut You Are Most Anticipating?

Half Bad by Sally Green and Dorothy Must Die by Danielle Paige

Series Ending You Are Most Anticipating in 2014?

Sweet Reckoning by Wendy Higgins, The Retribution of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin, and Up from the Grave by Jeaniene Frost.

One Thing You Hope To Accomplish Or Do In Your Reading/Blogging In 2014?

This might seem like a strange or lame answer, but this year with my blogging I really want to just be content. It’s so easy to get caught up in the sometimes-competitive nature of book blogging (especially YA book blogging), feeling compelled to compare page views, comments, number of ARCs received, etc., and I fully admit to focusing on the wrong things numerous times in my almost 4 years doing this.

With each year I’ve been blogging though, the exhausting need to make the blog bigger and better (in terms of statistics and popularity) has waned, and as 2013 draws to a close I’m finally finding that I’m happy with things just as they are. My blog will never be the biggest, best, or brightest stat-wise, but I have an AMAZING group of readers and followers, and a core group of blogging friends that I simply can’t imagine my life without, so 2014 is a year that's going to be all about being satisfied with what I have. I’m still going to strive to improve the quality of my content of course and make the blog better in that way, but I’m going to try and rein in my competitive nature and just be happy with Supernatural Snark as it is moving forward ;-)

• • • • • • • • • • 

Finally, just as a little extra addition to this survey, I thought I would list the books that received a rating of 4.5 or 5 stars this year since it's a fairly rare occurrence. After looking through all my reviews for this survey, I've found that I'm fairly critical in terms of rating assignments and I'm a bit stingy with those upper numbers O.o

Out of 150 or so books read and reviewed this year, I gave exactly 5 the highest rating I have. That's not very many at all. Apparently I'm hard to impress :-) Here are the best of the best for me in 2013:

The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon
Dare You To by Katie McGarry
Thistle & Thorne by Ann Aguirre (part of the 'Til the World Ends Anthology)
Iced by Karen Marie Moning
Days of Blood and Starlight by Laini Taylor

I was a tiny bit more generous with the 4.5 rating, and had a whopping 19 of those this year:

House Rules by Chloe Neill
Pivot Point by Kasie West
Emblaze by Jessica Shirvington
Breaking Point by Kristen Simmons
The Rules by Stacey Kade
True by Erin McCarthy
Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo
Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea by April Genevieve Tucholke
Heart of Venom by Jennifer Estep
Pretty Girl-13 by Liz Coley
Through the Zombie Glass by Gena Showalter
All Our Yesterdays by Cristin Terrill
Endless by Jessica Shirvington
The Burning Sky by Sherry Thomas
Finding It by Cora Carmack
Sanctum/Fractured by Sarah Fine
Kinked by Thea Harrison
Crash Into You by Katie McGarry
These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner

Any books I haven't listed above that I absolutely should not miss out on? I'm always looking for recommendations! *makes grabby hand motions*

Review: The Distance Between Us

THE DISTANCE BETWEEN US
Kasie West
Contemporary Young Adult
320 pages
HarperTeen
Available now
Source: Borrowed from The Irish Banana Review

THE STORY (from Goodreads)
Seventeen-year-old Caymen Meyers studies the rich like her own personal science experiment, and after years of observation she’s pretty sure they’re only good for one thing—spending money on useless stuff, like the porcelain dolls in her mother’s shop.

So when Xander Spence walks into the store to pick up a doll for his grandmother, it only takes one glance for Caymen to figure out he’s oozing rich. Despite his charming ways and that he’s one of the first people who actually gets her, she’s smart enough to know his interest won’t last. Because if there’s one thing she’s learned from her mother’s warnings, it’s that the rich have a short attention span. But Xander keeps coming around, despite her best efforts to scare him off. And much to her dismay, she's beginning to enjoy his company.

She knows her mom can’t find out—she wouldn’t approve. She’d much rather Caymen hang out with the local rocker who hasn’t been raised by money. But just when Xander’s attention and loyalty are about to convince Caymen that being rich isn’t a character flaw, she finds out that money is a much bigger part of their relationship than she’d ever realized. And that Xander’s not the only one she should’ve been worried about.

MY THOUGHTS
The Distance Between Us proves yet again what a gifted storyteller Ms. West really is when we enter into this tale with the desire to read just a few chapters, but before long find ourselves hundreds of pages in and fair to snarling at anyone who dares interrupt us. While there are some situations and issues that could be pulled apart and examined far more closely, Ms. West is more content to stay on the lighter side of things with this book, clearly never intending it to be a hard-hitting exploration of modern social structures and class distinctions. Instead, it’s a quick and endlessly amusing read, with a few dramas here and there and certainly many a thing to think about, but for the most part she allows the entertainment value to shine through in all its humorous glory, leaving us smiling, content and warm.

Caymen is a young woman those of us with a sarcastic streak a mile wide fall in love with nearly instantly, the dry quips lost on so many of her store’s customers like cupid’s arrows for us, hitting center mass one after another until we’re full to bursting with amusement and affection. She certainly won’t be a character for everyone as a result though, a dry sense of humor not always something that comes across well without facial expressions or intonation to accompany it, but Ms. West handles it expertly, balancing Caymen’s one-liners with just enough seriousness to keep her from being over the top.

Caymen, while hilarious, is certainly not without her flaws, the largest of which is a prejudice against the wealthy she seems to have inherited rather than formed through any direct experience of her own. She’s quick to look for an interpretation of Xander’s words or actions that fits the negative picture of him to which she's desperately trying to cling despite his increasingly successful assaults on her defenses, proceeding to hold him to a higher standard just as she perceives everyone of his ilk holds her to a lower. Though we might wish for her to give Xander the benefit of the doubt and be as honest with him as he appears to be with her, she’s never cruel and she doesn’t play games, instead she slowly tests the waters with him, her hesitation and her anti-wealth flare-ups borne of a very real fear given the precarious situation with her mother and her mother’s painful past.

Those who enjoy young adult romances (like me) will likely thoroughly enjoy this contemporary stand-alone, things progressing with Xander slowly; a speed that fits Caymen’s distrust and dislike of all Xander represents to her and her mother. There is another boy in the picture briefly, but he remains far in the background and removes himself from any triangle situation with thankfully little drama, leaving us able to focus on Caymen and Xander the way we want to. As mentioned previously, the gap between the two of them in terms of economic class could have been explored with more depth, but the story Ms. West gives us keeps to the flirtatious fun of being seventeen and finding someone who causes dormant butterflies in our stomachs to spring to vibrant life, something that never once fails to satisfy in the end.

Rating: 4/5

Find Kasie

Website • Facebook • Twitter • Goodreads • Amazon

This book was sent to me by the publisher free of charge for the purpose of a review. 

I received no other compensation and the above is my honest opinion.

Waiting on Wednesday: The Distance Between Us

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking The Spine and is a fun way to see what books other bloggers just can't wait to get their hands on!

THE DISTANCE BETWEEN US

Kasie West

Contemporary Young Adult

Releases July 2nd from HarperTeen

THE STORY (from Goodreads)

Seventeen-year-old Caymen Meyers studies the rich like her own personal science experiment, and after years of observation she’s pretty sure they’re only good for one thing—spending money on useless stuff, like the porcelain dolls in her mother’s shop.

So when Xander Spence walks into the store to pick up a doll for his grandmother, it only takes one glance for Caymen to figure out he’s oozing rich. Despite his charming ways and that he’s one of the first people who actually gets her, she’s smart enough to know his interest won’t last. Because if there’s one thing she’s learned from her mother’s warnings, it’s that the rich have a short attention span. But Xander keeps coming around, despite her best efforts to scare him off. And much to her dismay, she's beginning to enjoy his company.

She knows her mom can’t find out—she wouldn’t approve. She’d much rather Caymen hang out with the local rocker who hasn’t been raised by money. But just when Xander’s attention and loyalty are about to convince Caymen that being rich isn’t a character flaw, she finds out that money is a much bigger part of their relationship than she’d ever realized. And that Xander’s not the only one she should’ve been worried about.

First, I feel it necessary to confess that I am a Kasie West fangirl. Utterly and completely. I read Pivot Point earlier this year and fell madly in love with it, immediately adding Kasie to my list of auto-buy authors. While I initially despaired over the fact that I have to wait a full year (really, I should be used to this wait by now given practically every book I pick up is part of a series, but it kills me every time) for book two, I soon learned that Kasie was releasing The Distance Between Us in July. Cue insta-happiness. 

Second, I can't wait to get my lips hands on Xander this book!

Interview: Kasie West + Pivot Point

 

I'm hugely excited today to welcome young adult author Kasie West to the blog to answer a few questions about her recent release, Pivot Point. I'll be honest. Pivot Point was originally not high on my "must have" list for this year, but my good friend and fellow blogger Danny from Bewitched Bookworms told me I had to read it, and as usual, she did not lead me astray. This book sucked me in immediately and I die a little inside at the thought that I almost missed out on such a gem (you can read my full review here). If you haven't had a chance to read it yet, I honestly can't recommend you buy it fast enough!

If you could have the ability of anyone in the Compound aside from Addie and Laila, which one would you most want and what's the first thing you would do with it?

The answer to this question changes on a daily basis depending on the week and my needs. Today I would’ve wanted the Lie Detector ability because my 14 year old daughter was trying to get out of going to school by claiming sick and I couldn’t tell if she was faking or not. And speaking of sick, a few weeks ago, my whole family got sick, so I would’ve loved the ability to Heal that week. 

Let's say you are temporarily gifted Addie's ability as a Searcher in order to help you make a choice between living with the knowledge that people with supernatural gifts exist and continuing on blissfully ignorant. When conducting your Search, what might you find to be the benefits of each option?

Hmm, interesting question. I think the benefit of living in ignorance to supernatural abilities would be that I wouldn’t feel sub-par. I mean if all these people had abilities and I didn’t, that would not be cool. I’d be jealous. Plus, I wouldn’t have to worry that people were manipulating me in some way. It would probably make me a lot less trusting.

On the other side, maybe it would actually make me feel better about myself because I’d know that I accomplished things without the added help of a mental ability. And knowing people with mental abilities exist might make me safer from those with bad intentions.

In Pivot Point, we explore Addie's life both living with her mother in the Compound and her father in the real world through alternating chapters. Did you actually write Addie's two separate lives in alternating order, or did you write one of her stories in its entirety before going back to the second one?

I wrote about half of each story without alternating. But once I realized the stories were going to need to overlap, I put them back together and started writing them exactly like you read them. It let me know exactly what the reader knew and exactly what Addie knew at any given point. The hard part came though in working with my editor. Because there were certain chapters she wanted me to combine and certain things she wanted me to cut. So then what would happen was a whole chapter would be eliminated (making the alternating chapters not so alternating anymore) and I had to figure out how to make it still work by rearranging or cutting a bit from the other side. It was like a huge puzzle at times.

What one fictional character do you think might wish they had Addie's ability as a Searcher given the way their story turned out?

I do use a few quotes in the book from A Tale of Two Cities. I’m a huge Charles Dickens fan. So I would think, that given the outcome, Sydney Carton, from A Tale of Two Cities might have liked to see the future. Although, he is very much at peace when he is executed at the end. He made the choice willingly. So even if he had seen the future, I’m sure for the sake of friendship and what he felt was redemption, he would’ve made the same choice. 

Though Addie has two very swoon-worthy romantic options in Duke and Trevor in this tale, let's just pretend for a moment that she doesn't want to limit herself to the boys of Pivot Point. What other YA character might she have a romantic interest in?

My list of swoon-worthy YA boys that Addie might like (and by Addie, in this case, I mean me)?? Is that what you’re asking me to compile?? Oh, this is a very extensive list. For the sake of time though, I’ll limit it to three. Perry from Under the Never Sky. Yes, please. Jace from the Mortal Instrument series. And, gah, how can I limit it to three?! Okay, okay, last (for today) how about a “Norm” boy with no extra powers—Wes from The Truth About Forever. (That was really hard to limit)

Is there any other character in Pivot Point whose point of view you're itching to write from, or are you content to stay in Addie's head?

Funny you should ask. Book two actually does have another POV character. So the chapters alternate between Addie and this other person (it may or may not be a certain outspoken best friend). So yes! I was definitely itching to write from another character’s point of view. And I’m also contemplating writing a book 3 that would be from totally different POVs but still in the Pivot Point world……we’ll see. 

If you had a friend like Laila with the ability to Erase, do you think you would ever be tempted to have her use it on you?

All the time. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I’m so glad I don’t have abilities because I’d totally abuse them. I’d be using them every other second. I’d be like, Laila, ew, I just saw a dead dog on the side of the road. That was very disturbing, can you please Erase that from my mind. Ha. This is why Laila wouldn’t be my friend. I’d annoy her too much. :-)

Thanks so much for taking the time to answer my questions Kasie! 

• • • • • • • • • •

KASIE WEST

photo by Stephanie Ryan Photography

I write YA. I eat Junior Mints. Sometimes I go crazy and do both at the same time. My debut novel, Pivot Point, will be published by HarperTeen on February 12, 2013, followed by its sequel in 2014. I also have a contemporary, The Distance Between Us, coming out in the Fall of 2013 with HarperTeen. My agent is the talented and funny Michelle Wolfson.

More information on Kasie and her books can be found here:

Website • Facebook • Twitter • Goodreads • Amazon

• • • • • • • • • •

PIVOT POINT

Addison Coleman’s life is one big “What if?” As a Searcher, whenever Addie is faced with a choice, she can look into the future and see both outcomes. It’s the ultimate insurance plan against disaster. Or so she thought. When Addie’s parents ambush her with the news of their divorce, she has to pick who she wants to live with—her father, who is leaving the paranormal compound to live among the “Norms,” or her mother, who is staying in the life Addie has always known. Addie loves her life just as it is, so her answer should be easy. One Search six weeks into the future proves it’s not.

In one potential future, Addie is adjusting to life outside the Compound as the new girl in a Norm high school where she meets Trevor, a cute, sensitive artist who understands her. In the other path, Addie is being pursued by the hottest guy in school—but she never wanted to be a quarterback’s girlfriend. When Addie’s father is asked to consult on a murder in the Compound, she’s unwittingly drawn into a dangerous game that threatens everything she holds dear. With love and loss in both lives, it all comes down to which reality she’s willing to live through . . . and who she can’t live without.

Review: Pivot Point

PIVOT POINT
Pivot Point #1
Kasie West
Paranormal Young Adult
352 pages
HarperTeen
Available February 12th
Received from publisher for review

THE STORY (from Goodreads)
Addison Coleman’s life is one big “What if?” As a Searcher, whenever Addie is faced with a choice, she can look into the future and see both outcomes. It’s the ultimate insurance plan against disaster. Or so she thought. When Addie’s parents ambush her with the news of their divorce, she has to pick who she wants to live with—her father, who is leaving the paranormal compound to live among the “Norms,” or her mother, who is staying in the life Addie has always known. Addie loves her life just as it is, so her answer should be easy. One Search six weeks into the future proves it’s not.

In one potential future, Addie is adjusting to life outside the Compound as the new girl in a Norm high school where she meets Trevor, a cute, sensitive artist who understands her. In the other path, Addie is being pursued by the hottest guy in school—but she never wanted to be a quarterback’s girlfriend. When Addie’s father is asked to consult on a murder in the Compound, she’s unwittingly drawn into a dangerous game that threatens everything she holds dear. With love and loss in both lives, it all comes down to which reality she’s willing to live through . . . and who she can’t live without.

MY THOUGHTS 
Pivot Point gains our interest initially with an intriguing premise, the idea of being able to see what lies at the end of both offshoots of a fork in our life’s road something we find fascinating and in many ways enviable, but once we settle into the story we find it’s the characters and the ease with which the story is told that holds us captivated. Ms. West's writing style is one that makes us feel as though Addie’s story is being read aloud rather than printed in ink, the natural fluidity of the dialogue granting us the ability to practically hear the tone of each character’s voice, ensuring we experience them not simply with our eyes as they scan sentence after sentence, but with our ears, minds and hearts as well.

Addie is a gem of a character, positively overflowing with personality from the very first page and continuing to be a young woman who makes us laugh with her smart mouth throughout. Many times characters in possession of a great deal of snark can be overdone, their witticisms sometimes taking on a forced quality that makes us laugh even as we acknowledge their remark as something that could really only exist in fictional dialogue. Addie’s sense of humor though is both bold and understated at the same time, her banter not only with best friend Laila, but also love interests Trevor and Duke as well, humorous in an effortless way that has us falling a little more in love with her every time she opens her mouth.

The mention of love interests, plural, above may have some readers immediately balking, but fear not, though Duke and Trevor are both romantic interests for Addie in this story, only one truly exists in each of her realities. One path leads her to a relationship with Duke and the other to Trevor, but at no point are both boys competing for her affections at the same time. Instead, we get to enjoy the slow build of two tension-filled relationships, both young men charming in their own ways to ensure our hearts beat at above average speeds chapter after chapter. By the time we reach the concluding pages though, one path and one boy earn the definitive honor and distinction of our preference, and we can’t help but want to go back and reread all the chapters that depict his possibility in Addie’s Search.

Though the idea of two separate and complete storylines playing out in alternating chapters sounds like it might be a touch confusing and even frustrating at times, Ms. West does an exceptional job of holding our interest through both eventualities, emotionally invested in each equally up until the final chapters when a clear winner emerges. She expertly links together the two outcomes of Addie’s choice of living arrangement, tying pieces of them together through a shared mystery to beautifully blur what was previously a clearly delineated line between paths one and two. Ms. West is most certainly an auto-buy author for me now and I cannot wait to see what she delights us with next.

Rating: 4.5/5