The Distance from A to Z

by Natalie Blitt

This full-length novel by debut author Natalie Blitt is a pitch-perfect blend of Stephanie Perkins and Miranda Kenneally that proves the age-old adage: opposites attract.

Seventeen-year-old Abby has only one goal for her summer: to make sure she is fluent in French—well, that, and to get as far away from baseball and her Cubs-obsessed family as possible. A summer of culture and language, with no sports in sight.

That turns out to be impossible, though, because her French partner is the exact kind of boy she was hoping to avoid. Eight weeks. 120 hours of class. 80 hours of conversation practice with someone who seems to wear baseball caps and jerseys every day.

But Zeke in French is a different person than Zeke in English. And Abby can’t help but fall for him, hard. As Abby begins to suspect that Zeke is hiding something, she has to decide if bridging the gap between who she is and who he is is worth the risk.

Epic Reads Impulse is a digital imprint with new releases each month.

Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult Contemporary, Sports, Young Adult Romance, Fiction

316 pages, Unknown Binding

First published January 12, 2016

About the author

Originally from Canada, Natalie Blitt grew up on a steady diet of loyalist adventure stories. It wasn’t until she moved to Chicago after graduating from McGill and receiving a journalism degree from the University of King’s College, that she learned that not everybody sees the loyalists as the heroes. Now living in the Chicago-area, she dreams up young adult novels of a different sort: more kissing, less guns, but always a lot of loyalty. Natalie works at an education think tank and lives with her husband and their three sons. She knows a lot about baseball. She has no choice.

Natalie is represented by Rena Rossner at the Deborah Harris Agency.

Reviews

[Alienor ✘ French Frowner ✘ · Rating 1 out of 5]

So, I didn't like this book. Part of the reason of my dislike is solely my fault, because I'm French, and wouldn't, I think, bother a non-French speaker. However, even without the oh-so-annoying experience of reading a book in which sentences are repeated twice - in French and in English - I must address the other issues I have with The Distance from A to Z, which are the slut-shaming, the unbearable and judgmental heroine and the boring plot.



In all honesty, I would have overlooked my annoyance with the writing if I had loved following Ally and Zeke, but given the fact that I didn't, I had a hard time standing the endless translations. J'ai eu beaucoup de mal à supporter les traductions incessantes. Because the repetitions - les répétitions (oh! this is almost the same word, see? ← Here's the kind of monologues and comments I had to bear), if fun at first (alright, I just enjoyed correcting them if needed, because apparently my job rubs off on me, oops), became so tiring after 100 pages. C'est vraiment devenu super fatiguant. Nevertheless, as I said, I believe that my aggravation went from the fact that I speak French and that for me, it was like reading twice the same old sentences over and over again. Not to mention that for me, the French sentences used here are so fucking cheesy, I can't even. If they were part of a French book, I would roll my eyes so much, yet I can't deny that I am not objective and that I have to take into account the fact that it is not a French book. I can't help my brain, though.

Oh, and the way she "forgot" how to speak English when she was drunk? Bahahaha. There is no way you would forget how to speak your mother tongue because you're high. Just NO WAY that you'd magically start speaking another language you're not fluent in instead. What a joke, really.



But what destroyed forever my interest is Ally, the MC. God, that girl. If there's something I really don't like, it's when we're obviously meant to like a female-lead and find her interesting when really, she's just an arrogant, slut-shamer, judgmental and needy asshole.

So, who's Ally? Ally is the kind of girl who puts people in categories, especially women, and thinks that she's above all of them (because she speaks French, which is so very hilarious to me). You're a woman? It's simple in Ally's world really : either you write poetry, you speak French or you wear small skirts. If the former, you're interesting and clever and NOT a slut. If the latter, you're most likely a vapid slut. Now tell me, because I'm confused : if I am French and wear short skirts, what am I? No REALLY. I'm just dying to know where I stand. GIRL?

Just meet her talking about a girl she doesn't know :

"Her smile is wide, her chin coming down almost to her shoulder as she plays shy. I'm sorry, but nobody whose behind is sticking that far out from their shorts, whose tank top is that low-cut, is shy."

Isn't she wonderful?

Granted, she develops a girl friendship with Alice, her roommate. I mean, okay, this is good. Yet I can't forget that the only reason she gives Alice the time of a day is because the girl writes poetry, and that EVERY OTHER GIRL is portrayed by the way she dresses or acts when Zeke, the love-interest, is present. Because if there's something that annoys me, it's when a girl is shamed for something that involves two people : see, these vapid, short-skirted girls (her words, obviously NOT mines) who dare to touch Zeke take all the blame, while Zeke obviously seeks their attention out. I mean sorry? Double-standard much? What the book is telling us is that these girls mean nothing, and actually they disappear from the story once Zeke starts dating Ally as if they weren't real persons. Alright, Ally does acknowledge that her thoughts are plain awful later in the book, but it was too little, too late in my opinion.

Ally doesn't stop her stereotypes at women, though. Men are also put in little boxes (whether they're athletes or artist), damn, WHOLE COUNTRIES are put in little boxes. Really, I feel like I should be flattered by the way she sees my country, but mostly I'm appalled and spent the book thinking, OH PLEASE DON'T. What? It's like we French are pompous assholes by association. Yikes. The way she analyzes people and traditions is so immature and condescending - I know that she's a teenager, and I would accept it if she wasn't so arrogant and meant to be cute. She isn't cute, but unbearable with her fake assumptions.

Also, when you ask people to NOT tell you something, I think it's pretty unfair to be upset when you discover that - shocking - there were things you didn't know. I mean for fuck sake! What did she expect?!



Indeed it didn't help that I didn't feel anything towards their romance. If it wasn't rushed per se (because they spend most of the book separated), I still felt very annoyed by Ally's constant moping because Zeke-she-doesn't-like-because-he-is-an-athlete-spends-too-much-time-with-other-girls-(aka sluts). As Zeke never won me (because let's face it, if his only appeal comes from the fact that he speaks French, I'm not going to fall heads over heels over the guy), their Iloveyous let me completely cold (and rolling my eyes when they were blurted in French).

So, we have :
80% of the plot devoted to a romance I didn't care about.
50% of the sentences that actually learn me something, as the other 50% are only translations into French.
100% of the story related by a female-lead I pretty much hated.

= A very displeased Anna.

For more of my reviews, please visit:

[Danielle (Love at First Page) · Rating 4 out of 5]

4-4.5 stars

This book surprised me! I knew friends were loving it, which made me nervous, but still I didn't expect the writing to be this lovely. I mean, there was a rhythm to this story that was just so beautiful and so completely unique. I haven't read a romance styled quite like this, dripping with French and an almost unbearable sweetness. Can you say, Oh là là?

The Distance from A to Z is about Abby, a girl who loves the French language and longs for nothing more than to leave behind her baseball-obsessed family. She wants culture, she wants to push herself, she wants to walk the streets of Paris and finally feel like she belongs somewhere. Her summer at a French-intensive college program is the start of just that, but she doesn't count on falling for her French partner, Zeke, the type of guy she swore she'd never date again. But not even his excessive amount of baseball t-shirts or casual flirtations can compete with their daily talks in French or the way feelings slowly develop between them.

The development of Abby and Zeke's relationship was so beautifully told! There's a whimsy to it, it felt fresh and exciting and gave me so many butterflies. I hate to say you won't understand unless you read it for yourself, but... well. They have a tangible chemistry from the beginning, but it takes a while for them to open up to their feelings. In the meantime, though, my heart was alternately fluttering and full to bursting because there just so many sweet scenes between them. My favorite part is undoubtedly that they spoke to each other in French and how author Natalie Britt wove in the French language followed by an English translation. It was so, so, sooooo romantic. While I did have some minor annoyances - a couple of things I would have changed or left out - I absolutely loved Abby and Zeke's romance.

There are other things explored as well, including a strong friendship, social anxiety, and a slight sports angle. Basically, I think this is a book for everyone, especially if you're a fan of Stephanie Perkins and Rainbow Rowell. Natalie Blitt has written such a charming romance, and I can't wait for more from her!

This review can also be found at Love at First Page.

Lastly, don't forget::

Author Natalie Blitt has struck a deal with her readers.

If The Distance from A to Z gets 30 reviews on Amazon Natalie will release a deleted scene on her website

If The Distance from A to Z gets 50 reviews on Amazon Natalie will write a short scene that takes place within six months of the last scene of A to Z and post it on her website.

If The Distance from A to Z gets 100 reviews on Amazon Natalie will write a real epilogue that... doesn't take place in the United States.

Get those reviews posted, lovelies! <3

[Alyssa · Rating 4 out of 5]

06/20/2016 EDIT:This book is one SALE! Only $0.99! And for a limited time only. Go go go!

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4.5 stars.

***Review posted on The Eater of Books! blog***

The Distance from A to Z by Natalie Blitt
Publisher: HarperCollins
Publication Date: January 12, 2016
Rating: 4 stars
Source: eARC from Edelweiss

Summary (from Goodreads):

This full-length novel by debut author Natalie Blitt is a pitch-perfect blend of Stephanie Perkins and Miranda Kenneally that proves the age-old adage: opposites attract.

Seventeen-year old Abby has only one goal for her summer: to make sure she is fluent in French—well, that, and to get as far away from baseball and her Cubs-obsessed family as possible. A summer of culture and language, with no sports in sight.

That turns out to be impossible, though, because her French partner is the exact kind of boy she was hoping to avoid. Eight weeks. 120 hours of class. 80 hours of conversation practice with someone who seems to exclusively wear baseball caps and jerseys.

But Zeke in French is a different person than Zeke in English. And Abby can’t help but fall for him, hard. As Abby begins to suspect that Zeke is hiding something, she has to decide if bridging the gap between the distance between who she is and who he is, is worth the risk.

What I Liked:

Oh my goodness, this book! That isn't usually how I start my reviews, but this book deserves every reaction I had while reading and upon finishing - joy, heartbreak, mirth, embarrassment, glee, and the warm and fuzzies. I am not usually a YA contemporary fan - I rarely like the tough-issue ones especially - but I adored this book!

Abby comes from a family that is obsessed with baseball, especially the Chicago Cubs. She wants to get away from baseball, and so she's doing an eight-week class in French over the summer, in New Hampshire. As it would turn out, the only other high school student taking the French class is Zeke Martin, a huge baseball fan. They're paired as partners in the class for the eight weeks, which means speaking, writing, watching movies in French with Zeke. Zeke may love baseball, but he has a passion for French and speak the language beautifully. Even though she swears he's not for her, she falls for him. But there is something about him that doesn't add up, and Abby doesn't know if she wants to take the risk and open herself to heartbreak.

I feel like one of the biggest reasons why I love this book is because it mirrors my love life in the past - to a point. Abby is a smart, hard-working girl who wants (needs) to do well in this summer course so that she'll be able to apply to the Paris School. Zeke is an athlete, charming and handsome too, with an almost exotic air to him, with his love for French, his cultured mind, and his athletic jock-ness - it confuses Abby that he is all of these things. They are partners in the class, and must meet up outside of class to do the work. This story isn't new to me; replace baseball with soccer and French with Spanish and you have me and my gilipollas boy. I didn't get a nice ending though. *shrugs*

Anyway. Abby And Zeke don't get a good start, because Abby sees Zeke's baseball shirts and his athleticism and doesn't want anything to do with him - she's done with baseball, and athletes. But his love for French surprises her, and slowly, she falls for Zeke. She sees him with different girls but she still falls for him. (Girl. I know this struggle.)

I honestly LOVE how this story is written, the cadence of the story. I love how Abby and Zeke fall for each other. It's written in Abby's POV, but we can see how Zeke is falling for Abby. I love experiencing Abby's side though - the way it's written, readers can totally relate. We've all fallen in like/love with someone before (right? hopefully! It's a lovely thing, even if it goes nowhere or ends badly.), and the author captures this beautifully.

I love Abby and her strength. She IS courageous, even if she doesn't think the word fits her. She is determined and hard-working and kind (sometimes she's mean to Zeke though!). Abby's roommate Alice is such a sweetie. I love how well-written she is; she struggles with anxiety especially in large groups of people. The author captured Alice perfectly!

And then there's Zeke, lovely handsome charming French-speaking smooth-talking Zeke. I admit, bilingual athletes are my type... sign me up for one of him! I love how multi-layered he is - he's so much more than an athlete who, on the surface, seems like a player. He's a nice guy! Also super swoony. SWOOOOON.

I love the pacing of the romance. Honestly I wish I could read this book again for the first time, to experience Abby and Zeke falling in love all over again. It takes about half of the course, and I LOVE the weeks leading up to their change in relationship status. The "before" part, in which they are falling for each other, is so fun and swoony! There are so many swoony scenes in this book. And some steamy ones too. And some sweet ones.

And heartbreaking ones. I love how perfectly Blitt captures a relationship, before, during, and after. The mixed signals, the confessions, the honeymoon period. I also love how this book was very romance-focused, but so much more than the romance. There was Alice's part of the story. And Abby's struggle with her love/hate relationship with baseball. And then there was Zeke's story and secret.

I had a feeling about what Zeke's secret was. I'll say no more - but I adored the ending of this book! I loved how the author ended it; she could have chosen a dozen different was, but this one really fit. All the feels!

What I Did Not Like:

I joked with the author, telling her that there was one line that I didn't like, and that was the only thing. Literally the only thing I didn't like about the book! I won't say one line but I will say that as a former top-seeded badminton player in my county, I didn't take that line well. LOL. No hard feelings though.

Would I Recommend It:

I highly HIGHLY recommend this book! And hey, that's coming from me, who generally stays away from YA contemporary because she doesn't always like them. If you like books by authors like Kasie West, you NEED to read this book. Kasie West, guys. I haven't read any Stephanie Perkins but I am sure that comparison is spot on!

Rating:

4.5 stars. I'm rounding down to 4 stars but it's a 4.5-star-rating! I need to stop reading all of these lovely books that are definitely favorites at the wee end of the year (like Unhooked by Lisa Maxwell). I already did all of my top ten lists for 2015! This book would have made it. It is that good! Definitely worth more than the two dollars it costs.

[Sarah Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

(Source: I received a digital copy of this book for free on a read-to-review basis. Thanks to HarperCollins and Edelweiss.)

“My name starts with the first letter in the alphabet and yours is the last one.”

This was an okay YA contemporary romance, but it took a long while to really get going for me.

Abby really irritated me at the start of this book, because she seemed to think that if someone liked baseball then she shouldn’t like them, which for me was a bit narrow-minded. I know that she didn’t like baseball, but that shouldn’t mean that she should be rude to people who did like it.

The storyline in this was all about waiting for the romance to happen, and the wait was a bit too long for me. I liked the way that Abby and Zeke spoke French to each other, but that was pretty much the only thing that kept me reading.
When the romance did eventually happen, it was good, and it did save this book for me, it was just such a long time coming!

The ending to this had a bit of a twist. I did see it coming, but that didn’t ruin it for me.



6.5 out of 10

[Rachel007 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dear Bloggers Who May Read This Review:
This book is MORE than the fluffy romance the blurb makes it seem to be. It deals with secrets, lies, anxiety, taking medication for your problems and being A-OK and proud of it, kissing, flirting/banter, and realizing you judge people even when you don't mean to.

I was lucky enough to read an early copy of Natalie's THE DISTANCE FROM A TO Z and I couldn't put it down. The voice and story and setting were so different. I grew up going to gifted & talented camps, which while this is not exactly the same, had a similar feel here. Abby distrusts baseball players because of a family drama. She has two older brothers who are goofy and silly and let her be a little tomboy-ish and also girly. She has a roommate at this camp, Alice, who is great. Man, I love Alice. And Zeke? What can I say about Zeke? I think that we often judge people on what we think we know of them, but it's when we learn who they really are = what matters.

Trust me when I say you want this book.

Love,

Rachel

[Marla Mei · Rating 3 out of 5]

3-3.5 stars

I'm not in love with this book as much as everyone else seems to be but it's still good nonetheless.

The MC, Abby, is a bit judgmental so I had a hard time liking her. There were times when I thought I finally liked her and then she would go back to being annoying so of course we're back to square one. Also, I'm glad that her aversion to baseball was addressed because it really grated on my nerves and part of me actually thought she was overreacting about it.

The love interest, Zeke, wasn't as swoon worthy as I hoped he would be. I don't know. Maybe because like Abby, I had a hard time liking him too? He was okay at first but then he kept some things that bothered me as much as Abby did but for a whole lot of different reasons. It was because it's like I never saw the real him. The whole book is on Abby's POV so it was harder for me to connect with him, I guess. He has these two separate versions of himself--Zeke in English and Zeke in French. The Zeke in English who parties and hooks up with other girls and has all these secrets as opposed to Zeke in French who's just so utterly adorable and nice. It made me really wonder how Abby and Zeke could ever work out once their summer program is over but maybe it's just the cynic in me talking.

I do love how amazing the friendship is here though. I just wanted to scream 'forget the romance, here is a friendship I've been dying to read and have for myself in ages!' Alice wasn't treated as a mere plot device but her friendship with Abby played a big role in Abby's growth as much as Alice's. It's real and it's strong and I want it for myself. It's one of my favorite things about this whole book actually. Along with the French language and how it was incorporated in the story. I took a French class sophomore year and needless to say, I learned more here than I ever did in that class.

Overall, The Distance from A to Z is a nice and heartwarming book that's not all about the romance but also about friendship, growth and taking chances.

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quote
""Tell me," he whispers. He takes another step forward, and I take one back, and we continue until I can't go any further, until I'm up against the wall. I feel his breath against my lips and even if nothing happens tonight, even if this is all a wash, this is enough."
Review
I wasn't quite sure how to feel when I first dove into this one--it was at the beginning of the year when I was dying for something to kill the sudden reading slump I'd developed. I had heard about The Distance from A to Z of course, but to be frank...it wasn't my type of book. My contemporaries are gritty tear jerkers. Ones that hit hard topics. Ones filled with grief stricken characters. I'm not sure why--lighter contemps just rarely appealed to me. And then a blogger I trusted and loved declared this book a story fit for fans of Anna and the French Kiss. I looked at it on Goodreads, and realized another blogger had already recommended it to me.
The universe was practically begging me to read it, light contemporary or not. Plus Anna and the French Kiss? Yeah, I was sold. So I read it.

And guys. Here's the thing. I started this on January 4 at about 3:30 AM. I was supposed to be sleeping early so that my sleeping schedule would be semi normal so that I could wake up at 6:00 am on January 5 for school. Yeah, that did not happen. I read this book until 7:15 am, barely even realizing how much time had passed. Because this story is that lovely.

This is a romance through and through--filled with drama and the overthinking of every little action that's pretty much trademark crushing syndrome. It was absolutely adorable (and a little painful, because oof my heart) seeing Abby and Zeke slowly come together, falling head over heels for each other against their better judgement (or, at the very least, against Abby's better judgement). After all, Abby knows to ignore the athletes. She knows how they play. She knows how to avoid them. Except, when it comes to Zeke, she doesn't really want to.

Abby is such a character. And I adore it. She's headstrong and witty and in love with a culture that illustrates who she is in perfect clarity. She's filled with a quiet strength that amazed me sometimes and a loyalty that doesn't know when to stop.
As for her counterpart...I don't even know. But God, Zeke is possibly one of the most perfect book boyfriends I could imagine--though no one can take Etienne away from me. Etienne St. Claire will always be my one true love. He's a complex character, despite Abby's initial misgivings about him being an airheaded jock. He's sweet and snarky--an athlete with the heart of a poet at times. And I absolutely adored him.

I'm 15 years old. I know next-to-nothing about relationships. But I can't help but feel as though Britt perfectly captures a teen romance from the falling to the fall out and to all the little messes and make ups in-between. God, it was heart pounding to watch them fall in love. It was adorable whenever Zeke got protective or jealous or worried about her. It physically hurt when they both turned away from each other (no matter how fruitless that was, at first). The way they interacted with each other was a heady mix of flirty banter and a kind of possessive worry. it was a little hard to see them pull apart every time one of them reached out, but it made them finally getting together so much sweeter.

But the romance, of course, is not the only noteworthy relationship in the story. From the very beginning, we're introduced to Abby's roommate, Alice. And I adored him just as much as Abby did from the very beginning. In fact, I want an entire book about Alice. Please?
Alice is a poet. A wonderful, amazing poet, who has written three poems every day for the past seven years. And she has anxiety. Throughout the story, we see her struggling to rise above her anxiety and brave what she's so terrified to do, and I applauded it for her every time. She tried--sometimes she failed, sometimes she didn't, but it was a victory either way for her, and I simply loved that. We need a book on her. Honestly.

And God, can we talk about the French aspect? As someone currently in French class, I absolutely adored it (and learned a few things, to be honest). It was beautifully incorporated and never redundant or cheesy, despite how easily it is to lean too much in that direction. The language is weaved into Abby's very core, and seeing her love for a culture and language that isn't biologically hers--but hers in every other way--was absolutely fantastic. If I'm being honest, it pushed me to study French a little harder. (And I kind of hate my French class, so that tells you a lot.)

Beyond that, I only had one small minuscule complaint; the baseball. I understood how big a deal getting away from baseball was to Abby. But I didn't. It was the one detail that kept nagging at me and at the end, when baseball threw a wrench in the romance, I was completely frustrated because just...was not reasonable. If we had maybe spent a few more chapters with her interacting with her brothers, it'd be easy to see how alienated she felt from her family now that she wasn't an obsessive fan. But as it was, it was difficult to empathize, making almost the entire plot completely avoidable had she been only a little less narrow minded.

But I digress.

Because The Distance Between You and Me is absolutely fabulous. Truly, Truly, for fans of Stephanie Perkins this book has everything that a YA romance has and Blitt managed to hit everything right on the head. This is 100% one of those books that need more attention--because it is wonderful, and it hurt my heart, and it made the breath whoosh out of my body with every chapter. Most definitely a must-read of 2016.

 This review was originally posted on Fiction Freak

[Megan Erickson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had the opportunity to read this book in multiple forms as it was being written and revised. And let me just say -- I fell harder for Abby and Zeke each time. Yes, Natalie is my critique partner and yes, I consider her a friend and yes, I've read everything she's ever written. But I fell in love with her writing and her stories before I got to know her. So, this comes from the writer in me, to rate this book epically high and tell you that it's a lovely, smart, fun, and romantic debut.

Abby is funny and charming and smart. She's ambitious and such a strong, relatable heroine. Zeke is amazing and swoon-y and I adore him.

This book is delightful. So you should add it to your shelves and rush to get it when it comes out. :)

[Tiff · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars.

Review originally posted on Mostly YA Lit:
REVIEW: The Distance from A to Z by Natalie Blitt
SWOONS. BOOK BOYFRIENDS. What else can I say to get your attention? Because The Distance from A to Z by Natalie Blitt has both of those things in epic amounts. We're talking full-on butterflies in your stomach, tears in your eyes, Anna and the French Kiss levels of swoons.

When I first heard about The Distance from A to Z by Natalie Blitt, I really liked the idea of a girl being in an intensive language course over the summer and falling for her language partner. I thought that The Distance from A to Z would be a cute, fluffy romance that I could read quickly and move on from.

Guys, I was wrong.

Natalie has elevated this book from a cute romance to a character-driven novel with, yes, a romance, but also with real issues. It's not just fluff, it's a book that deals with fear, anxiety, trust, friendship and family in a realistic way for teens. And it's a romance created through language and imagination that pulls you into the world of the characters.

Every character is fully realized, with quirks and flaws and loveable moments:

Abby is a nerd and proud of it, full of dreams and fantasies about Paris, and a lot of judgment about athletes, but someone who knows what she wants and goes for it.
Zeke is snarky and funny and creative, elevating his and Abby's French conversation sessions to fun outings that become a world where they can flirt and yes, fall in love.
Abby's roommate, Alice, is a phenomenal poet who is dealing with serious anxiety, but also a friend who supports and tells it like it is to Abby.

If I have any qualms about this book, it's that there was a bit too much description of what was happening/time passing. It's an author trick to move things along in time, but I felt taken out of the book because I wanted to SEE those moments. Also, I felt that the book may have spelled out too many of the revelations for me. Basically, the issue was that I felt a touch too much telling rather than showing here and there.

But, look...there is so much to love about this book. It's funny, it's full of banter and jokes and baseball trivia. And it's a fantastic story of self-discovery for all of the characters. I came out exhilarated and desperate for more.
Bonuses:
Heart-Squeezing Romance: Holy hell, not only is this romance heart-squeezing, but it's also sexy and full of anticipation and longing. If you like slow-burn and intense moments...READ THIS BOOK.

Book Boyfriend Alert: I have a giant, insane crush on Zeke and I'm not afraid to admit it. Not only is the dude adorable physically, but he's funny, caring, attentive, respectful of women, and willing to sacrifice his baseball shirts to satisfy Abby. I could go on and on about his awesomeness, but I don't want to spoil the Zeke goodness for you. JUST READ IT.

Wanderlust: There's actual travel in this book, but what I loved most about it was that a lot of the travel was in the characters' imagination - making places on campus come alive by talking about them like they were places in Paris. I LOVED this. The characters have rich stories and imaginary lives and that just made them feel real to me.
Book Theme Song:

La Vie En Rose performed by Louis Armstrong


I know there's the Edith Piaf version, but I feel like this one really says what this book is about - the magic of love, and how Abby and Zeke create their own world through language.

Hold me close and hold me fast
The magic spell you cast
This is la vie en rose
When you press me to your heart
I'm in a world apart
A world where roses bloom

And when you speak
Angels sing from above
Everyday words seems
To turn into love song

The Final Word:
If you like swoony, character-driven romances and book boyfriends, The Distance from A to Z is for you. It's an incredible, unique romance that will WRECK you. There's angst and longing and fantastic build-up, and the payoff is so, so worth it. Highly recommended to contemporary romance lovers.

Want to know more about The Distance from A to Z? Check out author Natalie Blitt's list of Abby's Top-Must Sees in Paris!

THE DISTANCE FROM A TO Z is available now on most ebook retailers, and it's only $1.99! Have you read it? Are you in love? If not, are you putting this on your to-read list right now? Because you really, really should...and if you do read and review it, please post a review to Amazon because Natalie will give us extra scenes if we get enough reviews! And believe me, you want these extra scenes: 

30 Amazon reviews: Natalie will release a deleted scene on her website. <-- Earned! 

50 Amazon reviews: Natalie will write a short scene that takes place within six months of the last scene of A to Z.

100 Amazon reviews: Natalie will write a real epilogue that… doesn’t take place in the United States.

Go. Now. Go.

[Melanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm thinking 3.5 stars for now. BUT I DUNNO. I must spend some time sorting out my feelings. But a basic rundown:

+ i didn't like abby at the start because she was awfully judgemental and rude towards people who play baseball. it was addressed in the book later on, but it still bothered me for a while there
+ abby and alice's friendship is GOALS. also yay for bff not just being around as a plot device. alice had a life of her own, too.
+ diversity!
+ the romance is kind of a slow burn, which is my favourite kind. but i didn't exactly have a lot of feels and this is probably because i wasn't a huge fan of abby and zeke as individuals in the first third of the book. regardless, the romance was uber adorable and i'm sure others will love it more than i did
+ this isn't just a romance (though it is romance-centric) - it also deals with anxiety, lies and secrets

I would recommend this for people who want a lovely contemporary that's light but also has some substance!

FULL REVIEW TO COME

[Brooke · Rating 5 out of 5]

I want to thank Harper Collins for providing me with a copy of this book to read and review. Receiving this book for free has in no way altered my opinion or review.

I absolutely adored this story. I am a big fan of the usual tropes: friends to lovers, love that is forbidden, and especially "enemies" to lovers. And this book covers that last one. Ok, so the main characters aren't "enemies", perse, but they are two pretty different people. At least that's what it seems like on the surface. But what you see is not always what you get!

Abby has a plan and she's sticking to it: immerse herself in French, get a recommendation from her professor and go abroad to France for her last semester of school. She's in love with anything French. And she will let nothing stand in her way. So when she enrolls in a course to help this dream along, she's happy to be distanced from her sports loving family and not have anything to do with them. What's she's not expecting is Zeke. He's definitely a jock, into the baseball she's trying so hard to escape. But she's stuck with him as a partner. And Zeke turns out to be nothing like she expected.

I really like Abby. She's determined with goals. She's extremely smart and is willing to work hard for what she wants. I love that she pushes herself. I also love that, even though she's against being anything more than partners with Zeke, she doesn't actually let his jock status completely cloud her ability to become friends with him. Yes, he's what she's been avoiding, but she allows herself to see other sides of him. Of course she's not expecting to have any feelings for him, or be attracted to him in any way. She's outright determined to keep things simple and make sure her life goes as planned. I love how the wrenches that are thrown her way make her think and act in ways she was not expecting. And I love how much she enjoys learning. Definitely a girl after my own heart.

Zeke is not what I expected at all. He's a jock, but he's soft underneath. Full of culture and language and things I wasn't expecting. Talk about stereotyping, I didn't expect this baseball loving guy to so charming with such a love of culture. And Abby wasn't expecting it either. I love that it takes her by surprise. But Zeke keeps secrets. Abby doesn't feel she has a right to ask him about them, but that doesn't stop her from being curious. He opens up to her a bit, but he's tight lipped for the most part. And he should be. His secret will scare Abby away, and he doesn't want that because he's definitely falling for this girl.

The plot of this story is perfect. I will say, I had a feeling about where it would go with Zeke's secret, but it didn't stop me from wanting to get to the meat of the matter. I loved watching him and Abby grow and change and experience all things French together. It definitely had that Anna and the French Kiss vibe going on with it, and I really enjoyed that book. Opposites attracting is always a fun scenario. I loved watching each character discover that they had more in common than they could have possibly thought.

The romance was really well done in this book. The characters took their time getting to know one another. No insta-love at all. I was glad for this. I like to watch the growth and feel the tension mounting before things burst. For me, this makes a good romance worth the wait.

And I love the supporting characters, mostly Alice. She's just perfect for Abby and their friendship mimics what I've seen between best friends all my life. They are truly friend soul mates. It's fantastic how they immediately connect and both look out for each other.

Overall this was a perfect, fast and fun read. I loved the writing and the plot. I would definitely read more from this author! Fans of Stephanie Perkins and Jennifer Smith will fall head over heals for Abby and Zeke and their story!

[Sophie · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I discovered I could request my library purchase ebooks I wanted, and a lot of them were US editions too, this was the first I ordered. I read this book in its entirety last night, in about three hours. I knew I was in the mood for a nice, cutesy contemporary, and thought this would hit the spot, and boy, was I right. I'd heard wonderful things about it, it wasn't expecting it to be just as enjoyable as it was.

In The Distance from A to Z, Abby is spending her summer at college to become fluent in French. It's her wish to be able to study in Paris, and to be accepted for either senior year, or for university, she has to be certified as fluent in the language. Her plan is simple: spend these 8 weeks completely immersed in the language, and not let anything else get in her way. And to get over her hatred for all things baseball. Unfortunately, she meets Zeke, who seems as much of a baseball loving jock as you can get, and they end up being partnered together, with them both being high school students. Zeke in English is annoying, but when they're speaking French, something is different, and Abby soon finds herself falling for him. But, obviously, we can't have a nice YA contemporary without a bit of angst thrown into the mix, so there are a few issues.

I loved Abby! Her whole family is obsessed with baseball, and so was she, when she was younger. Once she realised how much it was taking over her life, she needed a new hobby, and taught herself French. I wish I had that ability - I have a Spanish GCSE, but still don't really know the language. Abby knows what she wants in her life, and I really connected with that. Quite often, teenagers in books don't have a clue what they want - and I know that happens a lot in reality too - but since I was young, I had my plan. Seeing that in someone else was wonderful. Just because Abby was studious, doesn't mean she was a total geek, who did nothing else. The friends she made in the book seemed perfect for her, and I wish Alice was my best friend.

Zeke was a swoony SoB. I loved him at times, but also hated him at others - just like Abby did. It was obvious that he was keeping something a secret from Abby, and I knew that would come back to bite him on the bum, and that's exactly what happened. I can understand why he didn't want to tell her, though. I liked the resolution, and how it came about - I'm just hoping that we get the epilogue, as I need to see more from Zeke and Abby.

Basically, this was a really wonderful contemporary debut. I loved Blitt's writing style, and am looking forward to reading more from her in the future. I would recommend all YA contemporary lovers to buy/request this book, as it will definitely be one for you!

[Jaime Arkin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Are you looking for a cute contemporary romance? A sweet story filled with fun and sweet friendships, lots and lots of French and eventually all the kissing you could ask for? Well look no further because The Distance from A to Z is going to be exactly what need.

I had been hearing quite a few people raving about this story so I decided I’d grab it and give it a try. Initially I’m always a little reticent to do that because I’m almost always the black sheep, especially when it comes to light-hearted and fun YA, but I have to give all those people (cough Andi cough) raving about it that it really lived up to the hype for me! I was a little worried because initially I found Abby’s attitude a bit much and I was prepared to not like her, but to be honest, she grew on me! Abby has spent her life surrounded by baseball… from her parents to her brothers, they live and breathe it… and she’s sick and tired of it. All things French and France are her thing and she’s taught herself the language on her own and now she’s spending the summer taking part in a French Language intensive program that will help her get the experience she needs to get into a French school and out of Chicago.

She doesn’t count on meeting Zeke, and despite how cute he is or how much she’s attracted to him, she is holding the baseball comments and t-shirts against him. Since Zeke and Abby are the only high school students in the program they are assigned to work together and she’s finding it really hard to resist the Zeke who she spends hours talking in French with … that is until he stops talking French and becomes someone completely different in English.

I think that Blitt did a really amazing job of developing the friendships between all the characters. I loved the connection that Abby had with her roommate first and foremost and I thought it was adorable how enthralled Abby was with Alice. I also loved that while this is very much Abby’s story, we learned quite a bit about Alice and what she had going on. It would be lovely to see her full story some point in the future!

Zeke… gah. How adorable is he? Very is the answer. A boy who speaks French fluently….



Where were boys like this, filled with sweetness and charm, when I was in high school?? But seriously, you know from the get go that he’s quite obviously hiding something, but just like Abby, I didn’t even care about it once the kissing started. I waited for it… I cheered for it… I needed it… and when they finally gave in to the attraction…



So obviously I loved the relationships, but there were a few things that didn’t always work for me… I sometimes thought the way the French was presented with the English was a bit repetitive and since I don’t know French all that well (I took 4 years of it waaaay back when in high school) I found myself skimming over the French sentences.

Also at times, I think I forgot that these kids were in high school, and maybe that was more my fault than anything, but the setting of the college campus and very little parental interaction I think made me forget that they were younger than they seemed. Which then had me confused on the ages of some of the randoms that were hanging around Zeke Lol.

Overall a super fun read, full of swoons that fans of Kasie West and the suggested Stephanie Perkins, are going to love. I’ll definitely be looking for more from Natalie Blitt in the future!

[Laurie Flynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was the first book I finished in 2016, and it really set the bar high. There are so many reasons why I love THE DISTANCE FROM A TO Z. It was love, or should I say amour, at first sight with Abby, who is spending her summer on campus away from home to perfect her French language skills. Her ultimate goal is to attend the Paris School and get away from her baseball-obsessed family. When she starts falling for Zeke, who is unabashedly a jock, Abby has doubts—but Zeke is a different person in French, weaving the kind of romance Abby can’t stop thinking about. But when Abby finds out what Zeke has been hiding from her, she has to figure out whether they could ever work in any language.

This story has layers, people. The relationship between Abby and Zeke is complex and beautiful and sad and hopeful and just so real. Abby is exactly the kind of main character I want to spend a book with. She’s smart and hilarious and vulnerable… and just as addicted to coffee as I am. In fact, I want to spend more than a book with Abby. I want to go back in time and make her my high school BFF.

Speaking of BFFs… I also adored Alice, Abby’s roommate. She’s such a wonderfully drawn character. Alice deals with anxiety, and I think Natalie Blitt handled that so well. The friendship between Abby and Alice—how they support each other and want the best for one another—made my heart truly happy.

The French phrases in this book were woven beautifully, and I loved being in Abby’s head as she thought about different things in both French and English. It was so unique having both languages in the story. I don’t think I’ve ever read a book where the main character was so interested in becoming bilingual, and it felt so fresh and authentic and original. I really gravitated toward the relationship Abby has with the French language. It’s so special to her, something that’s just hers.

The writing in this book is everything. It’s humorous and heartbreaking, and at different points, I was laughing out loud or on the verge of tearing up. There were so many quotes I wanted to frame and put on the wall, because they’re as beautiful and inspiring as any artwork.

THE DISTANCE FROM A TO Z is a book everyone should read. It’s about learning who you are, about reconciling the person you want to become with the place you came from. It’s about distance, both physical and metaphorical. And the distance from the first page to the last page is a journey I’ll definitely be making again.

[Glire · Rating 4 out of 5]

2016 Reading Challenge #25: A book that take place during summer.

“Sometimes in my head, I picture France like some combination of Hogwarts and Narnia and The Secret Garden. And I know it's ridiculous, that France is a real place with real people who are sometimes kind and sometimes shitty, but I just... ”

Pensé que jamás ocurriría, pero lo he encontrado: un libro que te hace sentir all the feelings de Anna and the French Kiss.



Abby y Zeke no tienen nada en común:
⚫Ella odia el béisbol. Él lo ama.
⚫Ella es de Chicago. Él de San Diego.
⚫Ella sueña con poetas. Él es un atleta.
⚫El nombre de ella comienza con A. El de él con Z.

Pero cuando ambos se conocen en un curso intensivo de francés, poco a poco, las diferencias dejan de importar.

Amor, amistad, Amélie, béisbol, referencias parisinas y mucho francés; conforman esta historia donde los opuestos se atraen.

Una perfecta lectura de verano: dulce y entretenida. Recomendada para cuando quieras leer algo ligero pero con un poco de sustancia.

“Sometimes, even with the whole alphabet at your disposal, the better thing to do is meet in the middle.”

[Christina (A Reader of Fictions) · Rating 1 out of 5]

1.5 stars

The tragic thing about The Distance from A to Z is that, in theory, this book is so completely a Christina book. It’s a fluffy contemporary novel set in an intensive foreign language program about a judgmental girl falling in love with a guy who is not her type, aka a jock. In reality, though, The Distance from A to Z really didn’t work for me; it was more like the disappointment from A to Z.

It definitely did not help that I just happened to read it right after Shuffle, Repeat, which has the same romantic arc but does everything better. Even so, I don’t think I would have liked this book much more even without that stark contrast.

I think that, ultimately, where this book fails for me is that I’m just not sold on the characterization. Like Shuffle, Repeat, it’s all about that character arc where the heroine learns that she’s been judging people too harshly and opens up to enjoy life more. Only in The Distance from A to Z, I’m really not convinced that this happens.

At the start, Abby’s very judgmental of baseball to the degree that mentioning anything baseball-related or wearing baseball tees or caps makes her swear or growl at people. At the end, she’s grudgingly willing to date a baseball player. She hasn’t learned anything, nor are any differences made to her strained relationship with her baseball-obsessed family.

The Distance from A to Z doesn’t even really sell why Abby hates baseball so much that she sat in her room and taught herself French. The closest the book comes to an explanation from why she went from baseball fanatic to baseball hater is that she felt her family put baseball above her, which doesn’t really make sense since for all of her childhood baseball was a thing the family did TOGETHER. There wasn’t anything that really explained how she got here emotionally, and it meant that anytime Abby went off about baseball, I didn’t sympathize at all, even though I’m not a sports person myself.

At the start of the novel, Abby slut shames other girls for being interested in her love interest. At some point in the middle, she’s shocked to wonder if she judged them too harshly when she realizes they’re at this program for economics. At the end, she’s back to slut-shaming them. This is not how character arcs are done.

Abby doesn’t hate all girls, though, because she instafriends hard on her roommate, Alice. I wish the book had been about Alice, who’s working on her poetry and her anxiety this summer. Though I like the idea of this friendship, I never felt it. Abby declares her love of Alice the moment Alice turns out to be a fellow introvert and they are besties for life from that moment. They never engaged in any of the banter I expect from good friends and didn’t really seem to have many shared interests. She showed up to things to help Alice with her anxiety, and Alice gave advice about Zeke, and that’s about it for them.

The romance with Zeke is similarly off. Abby is completely awful to Zeke the first few times they meet and Zeke seems to be having a thing with another girl there at the start, so I really don’t get why he was so persistent in pursuing Abby. They become friends sort of, but Abby only likes Zeke when they’re talking in French and hates him when he speaks in English. That’s not something they ever deal with either; they just only speak to each other in French pretty much.

One of the things that bothers me most about them is that very early on, she basically tells him that if he wants her to be nice to him, he needs to not wear any baseball shirts. HE BUYS A NEW WARDROBE FOR HER, which she helps select and fills with the nerd joke shirts she likes. It’s like he’s fucking Pygmalion, and it’s really just not healthy. They are in no way dating at this point; they’re just class partners. The worst thing is that at no point does Abby ever apologize for being the worst and tell him he can wear whatever he wants.

The kissing scenes and some of Zeke’s romantic speeches are pretty good, but I really never came around on this couple. Abby is generally awful to him, and, because most of their actual hang out time gets recapped rather than experienced as it happens, I really don’t see much of an actual bond. Way more telling than showing on these feelings. I give this couple less than a month once the program is over, considering that she only likes him if he doesn’t dress like himself and they live really far apart. I mean, obviously she’s hot enough he’s willing to overlook the bullshit when they’re together but I’m betting he gets sick of her really fast over the phone. Especially since she’s massively jealous and he’s a popular baseball player. She’s totally going to be accusing him of cheating constantly.

Aside from all of that, The Distance from A to Z has some generally clunky construction. Zeke and Abby are in an intensive college level French course, so obviously most of the actual talking in this book would really be in French. Blitt handles that fairly well most of the time, since Abby does seem the type to translate everything in her head immediately. However, there are sometimes sentences in French that are not translate or explained by the context. Sometimes I used Google Translate and sometimes I just moved on. Obviously, I have no idea if the French is good because I super do not speak it.

On top of that, lots of characters are introduced for one scene. The narration is like “oh look, it’s Mel and blah and blah,” but the reader has no fucking clue who these people are and really doesn’t need to know who the people are because they will never show up again. The secondary characters who do actually matter somewhat do not get arcs of their own. Alice makes progress with her anxiety and that’s about it. Gay best friend is just there to be supportive. Abby’s family only exists to love baseball and annoy her. There are so many completely wasted characters.

The Distance from A to Z will likely work for readers who can bond with Abby, but I mostly found it frustrating and would recommend Shuffle, Repeat for the romance arc. If you’re interested in the baseball/romance angle, I’d recommend Stealing Parker, Whatever Life Throws at You or Play On.

[Booknut 101 · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Distance from A to Z explores how love can come from language and how love is a language of its own.

Book cover: The only downside? I am not the one holding hands with that guy on the cover!

Thoughts: It doesn't matter if you're not a fan of Stephanie Perkin-esque romances, or romance in general. Because, for me, the highlight of this book isn't the romance - it's how brilliantly and poetically the romance is expressed.

Natalie Blitt romanticises language, using French to tie characters together, break them apart, and remake them again. This book takes you on a literary and linguistic journey. The Distance from A to Z teaches us how although language can help us express love and can help to ignite and nurture love, love itself is a new language full of possibilities.

The characters are flawed - beautifully so - and it's nice to encounter characters who fumble with love and its complications and who don't always get it right the first time.

Favourite quote:

'This is a new language all together. It’s English words in the world we built out of French, and it means so much more than stop. It means that even though the distance from A to Z is the entire alphabet, even though Chicago is half a country away from San Diego (...) it means that we’re going to work it out. It means the distance from A to Z is really just an alphabet of possibilities.
And that sometimes, even with the whole alphabet at your disposal, the better thing to do is meet in the middle (...) and close the distance completely.'

**To see the original review click here**

[Laura Shovan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't review books, but I do blog about them.

You'll find my post about THE DISTANCE FROM A TO Z here: http://laurashovan.com/2016/01/lauras...

[Andi (Andi's ABCs) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This review was originally posted on Andi's ABCs
I have been waiting a really really long time for The Distance from A to Z to come out. I'm a huge sucker for cute contemporary romances and I was told that this was a mere book by someone that read an early copy. But as excited I was for reading it I was weary when I saw it billed as a book for Stephanie Perkins and Miranda Kenneally lovers. To me those are hard shoes to fill. Stephanie and Miranda are two of my favorite YA contemporary authors and people so I did take pause. I knew I was going to read it but I did so with lower expectations. Now I can tell you I was wrong to do that because if you love Perkins and Kenneally you really will love The Distance from A to Z. So fun and fantastic.

Action:
I will admit if I was going to mark this book down for anything it was the French. There was a lot but the translations were always there so I couldn't even fault the story for that. I mean French was a huge 'character' in the book so it made sense it was in there. Now the baseball thing in the other hand...give me all the baseball. I'm a huge huge fan on baseball so I loved that that was the thread through the story.

Background:
I loved the setting being on a college campus in New Hampshire. There is something about putting high school kids in a setting with less supervision that helps to make stories like The Distance from A to Z work for me. These kids were good and didn't get into too much trouble so it made it make more sense that they had the amount of freedom they had. Plus I loved the trip that was thrown in. That really added to the story. It all was just written really well and just worked.

Characters:
Zeke and Abby. Abby and Zeke. I flipping loved these two. They had that kind of friendship/relationship that I love reading about and watching in TV and movies. There was a natural chemistry and push pull. They had things in common but were so different in so many ways. Because of those differences I fell in love with them. I constantly found myself wanting more of them and when I finished I wanted to know more of their story.

And then there was Alice and Abby's brothers. They were all parts of the story but in the sidelines. We got to know a lot about them through Abby but I wanted more of all of them. Abby's family sounded like so much fun (especially as the baseball fan I am) and Alice has a story that needs to be told. I loved her relationship with Abby. As people say soul mates don't have to be romantic and Abby and Alice proved that.

Final Thoughts:
This book was just what I needed. Actually I have said more than once that I feel like it was written for me. It had everything I love in a book and it left me wanting more. After 300ish pages, which I read 97% in a sitting, I ended just wanting more words. It was fun and emotional and just really well written. I had high hopes when I heard about this one and Natalie Blitt did not let me down. Don't miss this really great book.

[nick (the infinite limits of love) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was so unexpected. I picked it up because of Megan Erickson's tweets but I loved it so much more than I thought I would. It was not only adorable, but also explored some serious themes, including social anxiety. Basically, it was pretty much a perfect read for me.

Abby was such a lovely character.  What truly appealed to me about her character was her passion for French. You could tell that it was a part of her soul and I loved that she was so devoted and passionate about it. She wasn't all perfect, which was realistic. She had her flaws, her insecurities and her grievances. The character development in The Distance from A to Z was fantastic. Zeke was also pretty great - charming, funny and utterly adorable. I'll admit that his secret keeping was a bit frustrating at times, but overall I thought he was a swoony boy. Plus, his reasons for keeping his secrets were understandable. Not to mention he redeemed himself with some his speeches that had my heart fluttering!

The chemistry between Abby and Zeke was off-the-charts. I loved their banter and their emotional connection was raw and beautifully written. Together, they were adorable beyond words and I couldn't get enough of them. Even more than the romance between Abby and Zeke, I loved the new found friendship between Abby and Alice. These two defined what I look for in female friendships. The two of them were friendship goals, ya'll! They talked, were supportive and give each other great advice. I was also intrigued by Alice's character because she suffered from social anxiety. The author has plans for an Alice story and I sincerely can't wait.

The Distance from A to Z is a must-read for fans of Kasie West, Huntley Fitzpatrick and Stephanie Perkins because it had the perfect balance of cute and serious. I can't recommend this one enough! It was truly a delightful, romantic and lovely book.

[ambsreads · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF @ 5%.

The Distance from A to Z was a book I knew almost instantly I would have a problem with, straight off the bat (pun intended since our protagonist has a great problem with baseball). I don't enjoy DNF'ing a book, but more so lately I can not force myself to push through a book I do not enjoy and have the ability to collect ridiculous quotes for. The Distance from A to Z is a book like that. I liked the idea mostly, but mostly I needed a contemporary. This obviously isn't the contemporary for me. I mean, I read 5% of this book and my best friend, Kyle, got copious amounts of texts because I just couldn't handle this book in the slightest.

Maybe it gets better, I will never know. I don't want to know. I don't ever want to think about this dialogue again because the whole time I was like



Now? Why did I believe I would have such a problem with this book? Well, within the first chapter alone (which is all I read) I collected a bunch of quotes that had me hating life itself from our protagonist Abby herself. I mean, I usually wouldn't write a review for a book I chose to DNF but I can't help it. I probably shouldn't rate it either, but hey, my account. So, onto the quotes.

“The truth is, I don’t really blame my brothers. They were raised this way.
I blame my parents.
I blame my grandparents and their parents before them. My great-grandparents, who I bet got off the boat at Ellis Island, took the train to Chicago, and stood in line for season tickets for the Cubs.
I am the lone sane person in my family, going back generations.”

Now, we have all in our lives felt like we were the only sane person in our families I'm sure. I know I have, and probably will again. However, I have never once though I was the only sane person in my family because I don't like sports or because I read. That is ridiculous and completely unnessarcy. Abby seems to think she's a special little snowflake becuase of it though and exaggerates the whole thing. She hates the Cubs (which I presume is an actual baseball team?), and she hates people who loves the Cubs.

This leads to my next quote I have from the book:

“Eff off,” I shout.
Hello, first impression.”

Is this weird? Yes. Why? For so many damn reasons. One being that she just told a stranger to "eff off". Two being she is basically 18 but not going to say the word fuck? I'm sorry, but that's ridiculous. I can understand a young child but someone about to start their senior year of high school or whatever would not do that. But telling a stranger to "eff" off because they mentioned the Cubs, since your car is decked out in Cubs memorbilia, isn't any reason to yell that at him. Now because this is a YA contemporary, who do you think the love interest is going to be? If you guessed boy she told to eff off, you're 110% right, have a cookie.

“I love Chucks.
I love Chucks unadorned, none of those foofy colors, plaids and stripes and patterns. I like pure, simple Chucks.
Boys who wear red Chucks? My kind of boys.”

Now, this was a quote Kyle and I had a good laugh over. Chucks? Red Chucks? Foofy colours? I couldn't even deal with this quote. It was ridiculous. I have nothing to say apart from - guess who was wearing those Chucks? If you guessed the boy from the previous quote have another cookie.

“She laughs and everyone laughs along. Apparently we’re that kind of crowd. But given that I’m doing it too, I’m not judging. Especially since I have these fluttery feelings inside me listening to baseball-cap boy beside me guffaw. Sorry. Zeke. Zeke Martin.”

I couldn't even deal with this. She's yelled at this boy and then tears him down while he tries to have a nice conversation with her all because he likes both baseball and the Cubs. A massive problem for her apparently. Then there's the fact that she's getting fluttery feelings that were never mentioned previously? God, I couldn't. I couldn't do it. Though, this wasn't the quote that made me stop reading. That's coming next.

“She doesn’t look up when I enter; her hand is furiously writing in what appears to be a black Moleskine notebook. She’s using a fountain pen.
I think I’m in love.”

I couldn't after this quote on chapter 2. I couldn't put myself through the pain that is this book. I'm glad though since I just read a review that said slut-shaming was sure to follow all this ridiculousness. There was so much more but these were the stand out quotes, I could have probably quoted the entire first chapter as a reason why I will not be finishing this.

[starryeyedjen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Comparing this novel to the works of Stephanie Perkins and Miranda Kenneally is very apropos. The protagonist is quirky and romantic, is a Francophile and feels things very intensely, reminiscent of Perkins' main characters. And with her strong, strong dislike of all things baseball and how big a part of her life it is, you can see why comparisons to a Kenneally novel, with foundations in sports of all kinds, might be apt.

I'll admit it: this book was ridiculously cute at times. And while my initial reaction was to downplay that because of the miscommunications and misunderstandings in the book, I realize now that nothing was ever really a mis-anything. It was a matter of things never being put out in the open, period.

And that's always been my biggest problem with contemporary novels. I wish most authors would end them at the 75-80% mark…before the big dramatic thing that inevitably breaks up the happy couple. You don't need a big misunderstanding or lie to come in between them in order for them to achieve that happily ever after.

I'm venting here because this is the second book this week that I've read that employed this tactic but they are not the first by a long shot. I remember being young and in love and making things more than they were. But I also remember relationships where we were honest with each other and talked about things rather than letting them fester. I've always hated drama in my real life and find it even less desirable when I'm reading and it's thrown in for more of an emotional impact.

Also, why does the guy always get off so easy in these situations? Zeke deceived Abby, knowing how she felt. He also hooked up with other girls, while claiming to have felt more for Abby. I get that she was playing hot and cold with him because she was confused by her own feelings, but he should have to answer for his behavior. And all he says is that he never liked Chloe as much as he likes Abby. Lame. And it's all just so predictable, down to the what and why of the lies.

I'm also kind of sad that because of the bubble Abby and Zeke have been living in while in the summer program, we never get to see them together outside of it, not really. Especially with Abby's fixation on the separate Zekes: the French one whom she adored and the English one who was so closed off. Would they really work outside of the program, especially once certain things are revealed?

Okay, I went off and I didn't mean to. Because I did enjoy this novel. It was fun. It had a great friendship that kind of gets side-lined by the romance at times, but it was healthy and encouraging and I adored it. These girls built each other up and helped each other faces their fears, and that's what I like to see.

Though, I really could have used an epilogue because that ending did nothing for me.

[Rachel Solomon · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you're a fan of contemporary YA romance, you will fall hard for this book. THE DISTANCE FROM A TO Z made me feel warm and fuzzy, and the comparisons to Stephanie Perkins and Miranda Kenneally are absolutely spot-on.

The protagonist Abby's relationship with the French language (and the way author Natalie Blitt describes it) is truly beautiful. So, too, is her relationship with Zeke, the guy she meets during a summer French intensive program. This book (and all the French woven into it) makes first love feel magical.

There are some great minor characters, including Abby's roommate Alice, who has social anxiety, which is great to see represented respectfully and honestly.

A charming debut.

[Everly Frost · Rating 5 out of 5]

*I received a review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.*

Reading The Distance from A to Z was like hugging a hot chocolate while chatting with a dear friend.

I loved Abby and even her brothers right from the first page. Somehow, she reached in and squeezed my heart. She’s entirely relatable, genuine, and imperfect. She doesn’t always make perfect choices or react in perfect ways, but she is so human in her reactions. Some of the things she did made me laugh out loud. Others made me cry. Yep, I’m going to admit that I needed tissues at one point.

This book is beautifully written and has all the feels. It was bliss from start to finish and I didn’t want to reach the last page.

[Ashley Blake · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was completely adorable and sweet. I absolutely loved the French atmosphere--right in new Hampshire--and Abby and Zeke completely transfixed me. I finished this in a day and barely breathed the last half. Fun, sexy, with a lovely friendship side story, this book was right up my contemporary romance loving alley.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some distances and dreams appear and feel insurmountable--the distance between A and Z, Chicago to Paris, and from first base to home in the bottom of the ninth. Goals, dreams and distances can feel so far away, but not impossible. The distance between Abby Berman and Zeke Martin might just be impossible to gap though.

Abby wants a summer away from Chicago, her family, and baseball. Especially baseball! Eight weeks away at an intensive French language program on a University campus in New Hampshire is just what she needs to get away! Abby adores any and all things French, but the language is her passion and “happy place”. French is her “Hogwarts and Narnia and The Secret Garden" all rolled into one! After working and studying French on her own for years, Abby longs to speak and learn the language with others. She wants to get lost in a world of sounds and words for the summer. This program is her opportunity to push herself closer to fluency in the language and her dreams. BUT will getting paired up with Zeke Martin in class bring her dream summer to a crashing halt? Will Zeke distract her from her goals? Or will he become part of her dream?

Ms. Blitt creates a magical mix of English and French worlds and words on the page. A magical swirl and mood on the page and in the air that you will get so caught up in! Abby and Zeke’s time together speaking and learning French are intoxicating and romantic. The tours around town, picnics, sharing, shopping, words and more! I got so lost in their words and feelings. I truly believed the translations and switching back and forth between English and French would get old, but it only upped the pull, the magic, the light, the tension, the oooo-la-la-ness between Zeke and Abby! Well—Abby’s overuse of “Merde” got on my nerves, but other than that—the beauty and grace of the French language highlighted the romance and glow of this story perfectly. Abby and Zeke’s passion and spark gave me goosebumps (chair de poule). Goosebumps!

”No verb aptly describes the feeling that your skin is alive, that your heart won’t stop racing, that you long to roll around in your bed and remember what it felt like. That you feel real and powerful and out of control and maybe like you want to cry a little. Okay, a lot.”

Now. All that love said. Confession time—I did not like Abby. She was a young woman completely wrapped up in her own world, which she admitted several times in this story. But you’re not in your own world! Come on, Girl! Show some emotional maturity! FYI, changing your hair style is not a sign of emotional growth or change. Ugh! Abby came off as blunt (not in a good way), judgmental, and selfish. It was…I am tired, I am happy, I want to do this or that. Even her apologies and declarations had to be on her terms. *deep breath* All of those complaints though, make Abby Berman one of the most realistic characters I’ve read in a while. I did love her spirt though. Her drive and love was an inspiration. I mean listen to how she describes the French language….

”It feels like poetry, like a special secret.” I like that. :)

And Zeke. *sigh* Zeke was a doll! This French speaking hottie with an easy smile, Clark Kent glasses, and perfect Red Chucks had the biggest, sweetest, most patient heart in all of New Hampshire! And for some darn reason he fit oh-so perfectly with Abby. Their chemistry was fun, sharp, and sexy! I adored watching them listen, talk, fall, and maneuver their way through their attraction, French, being away from home and secrets. They might have a few issues to deal with before the summer is over, but here’s hoping they can bridge the distance between them in any language—English, French, or love!

The Distance from A to Z is a sweet, romantic read. And when I say romantic—I mean long talks that you never want to end and hand holding and longing and….*sigh* Let’s just say the romance butterflies (papillons) flutter, swirl, swarm, and swoooon from beginning to end! My heart just wanted more, more, more. I’ve been watching Amelie nonstop all week. :D

Highly recommended.

[Sarah Alexander · Rating 5 out of 5]

Warm, funny and totally swoony! THE DISTANCE FROM A to Z had me fall in love over and over again – with the characters, with language, and with the writing! BLITT has totally nailed falling in love – the good and the bad. But this novel is about more than romantic love. The family relationships are real and play a huge part in Abby’s attitudes and ambitions. Even though, the family isn’t present, I felt like I knew them. The friendship with Alice is beautiful and moving, with the issue of anxiety and medication handled brilliantly. My favourite aspect of this novel was the relationship with French – it perfectly captured the anxieties, and triumphs, of learning a language, and the power of the language itself. I highly recommend this book!

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Alexa (Alexa Loves Books) · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a delightful read! Perfect contemporary romance, with a charming guy, an excellent set of friendships and a main character who learns a little something. Plus, the French bits were simply wonderful (and made me want to pick it up again)!

[Jen Malone · Rating 5 out of 5]

Liked this one so much I blurbed it:)

[Jenna · Rating 3 out of 5]

This novel was quite average for me. It had some cute moments but I had too many issues with the characters and the plot to enjoy it.

Abby's character frustrated me so much. She was a bit too obsessed with appearances and constantly judged people by how they presented themselves. She was rude to Zeke because he looked like a jock, but called her roommate her spirit animal just because she looked artsy and hipster. Then she found another spirit animal in her French teacher because she looked like Audrey Tautou in Amelie... I was kind of sick of Abby before the book had even truly started. There was also nothing remarkable about Zeke and he was kind of an average love interest. The romance was cute but I didn't care enough about the characters to be invested in their relationship.

I had a hard time with the writing and the French in this book. A lot of the dialogue is in French and translations are then provided at the end of every line. I studied 3.5 years of French in high school, so I could understand what the characters were saying... and having the English at the end just felt very repetitive. It stopped the flow of the dialogue and the writing for me, so I just couldn't really get into the book. There were some words that were overused like "merde". It probably appeared 30+ times in the novel and it felt a little bit pretentious. Like... why can't you just swear in English? There was one point where even her roommate (who isn't studying French) says "merde", which had me completely confused about why she was swearing in French all of a sudden.

I also didn't think the plot was anything special. There wasn't actually that much that happened in the book and the climax felt forced and overly dramatic. I wasn't a fan of the ending and how everything was resolved, so I was left feeling very dissatisfied with The Distance from A to Z.