I really enjoyed this book. The characters were a little bit different but still relatable and engaging.
Eric and Jubilee are characters who perhaps have learnt to hold back and say too little when there is much to be said in all areas of their life; the difficulties they face with their relationships are sensitively portrayed and it is often their understatement that makes them so beautifully crafted. The character of Aja was also really interesting and I would have liked to explore him a bit more - maybe another book?!
I was really rooting for Jubilee in this book and whilst the epilogue did seem a little rushed, I was so glad that there was one!
This was my first Colleen Oakley but it certainly won't be my last - a lovely, heartwarming read.

I'm very excited about this title and can't wait to hand it to patrons. Awesome, plot with great characters that kept me hooked!

Wonderful, wonderful book. The characters were so believable and the story so well written. Could not put it down until I finished it.

Who would imagine that you could be allergic to the skin cells of other humans? Colleen Oakley did, and she did it with excellent results. Jubilee Jenkins is the protagonist in this novel, and she is one to love - despite 9 years locked in her mother's home, after the horrible incident in high school where she was kissed by a boy, who was doing it on a dare. Because of her allergy, Jubilee almost died. Thus her living behind the walls of her mother's house, where her mother abandons her for a rich man on the other side of the country. Jubilee feels betrayed by her Mom, but she also believes that she is not lovable. Her Mom stopped hugging her after her diagnosis. She was not allowed to have any skin to skin contact, as she would break out in a rash, or worse. 9 years into her recluse behavior, when she has developed full blown agoraphobia, her Mother's husband calls to tell her that Mom has died. This is a huge blow of its own, can Jubilee make it out of the house to attend her Mother's funeral? Worse, he tells her that he will no longer be sending the checks along, that Mom was sending for all these years, which allowed her to stay at home and read her books, purchase her food, and keep the house running. He was nice enough to sign off on the mortgage and she thus has the house free and clear, but she still needs to pay the bills. Here is where the read journey begins, as Jubilee works to re-enter the world she voluntarily left years earlier, reacquaint herself with some people and meet new ones, secure a job and figure out how to get around town, and start to live again. I really liked this book, despite other people looking at me like I was a bit nuts as I tried to explain the premise to them. At times the book is a bit nuts, but I think that is part of what endeared it to me. Ms. Oakley's character development was excellent, and she provided people who appeared real, multi-dimensional, and hard to resist. Try to put this book down. Let me know how that goes for you!!

A fascinating story of a woman who is allergic to other people. The other characters are equally fascinating with their own quirks.

Title: Close Enough to Touch
Author: Colleen Oakley
Publisher: Art to Artist, LLC.
Reviewed By: Arlena Dean
Rating: Four
Review:

"Close Enough to Touch" by Colleen Oakley

My Thoughts....

What a unique story this was of a Jubilee Jenkins being allergic to actual human contact and not leaving her home for nine years [living like a hermit]. However, after the death of her mother Jubilee will be forced to the outside world to get a job. It was quite interesting as she will meet old and new people and also develop a romance, however Jubilee will not be able to touch. What will happen when she meets this 'precocious little boy Aja [saving him and almost dying herself] and his father Eric? It was quite interesting how this author brings Eric into the picture being a divorced father who was dealing with a lot of his own issues. My, how I liked how Jubilee who had cut herself off from the world could be there to help Eric especially in that part of being able to help him connect with his children. I found this author really works her magic with some of those sensual scenes of how these two were able to show their love for each other. But is this to be for these two? I will say the ending wasn't what I would have expected, however it did fit this story completion giving the reader a good read of 'depth, humor, tension, warmth, romance, parental guilt, development, fear and emotion.' How will this story end? Will there be a HEA? Well, this is where I say you will have to pick up the good read to see how this author brings its all out so very well to the readers. Was this story a little predictable at times? Yes, but it still was a good interesting warm intriguing read.

This has an interesting premise - the main character is allergic to people. While she's spent most of her time indoors, when her mother dies she's forced to go out in the world and get a job. Naturally, she meets old friends and new people and a romance develops even though she can't touch him. While slightly predictable (except for a last minute love triangle), it was a book with a lot of heart and the chiclit crowd will enjoy it.

Jubilee Jenkins has a very rare allergy. She is allergic to human skin. More specifically, one of many of the proteins in human skin is absent in her own, therefore, her body reacts to the unknown with rashes, hives and worse, anaphylactic shock. Like the first kiss she ever got, which almost killed her as her throat swelled shut in her last weeks of high school.

I understand the allergy, as I have a missing protein in my blood. If I am given whole "normal" blood in an emergency, I could die from the same kind of reaction. That's where my alert bracelet comes in.

.She is so embarrassed, she stays home the rest of the year. Her mother moves out of the house to marry a guy, and sends Jubilee money. Jubilee then becomes dedicated to being a recluse, finding every possible way to stay inside, unseen. Grocery delivery, special trash pickup, etc. Then her mother dies and Jubilee knows she will have to go outside -- and find a job.

She finds a chance opportunity at the Library. She wears gloves and keeps apart from others and mostly manages the reaction. Until an emergency happens, a small boy could die, and she saves him, almost dying from it, herself. Her life will never be the same!

When Jubilee is six years old, she's diagnosed with something that changes her life. An allergy; to other people. When Jubilee is forced to get a job, she is pushed to experience the world she kept herself shut away from.

I'm a librarian with social anxiety, reading the description for this book on Netgalley? I was completely sold on it.

Before I started reading this book, I was a little worried that Jubilee's character, with a fictitious and extreme disease, would be unrelatable and unbelievable.

But then I read it and those fears slipped away quickly. Instead of focusing solely on Jubilee's allergy, the book was more about anxiety and pushing yourself to go outside your limits.

Every character, not just Jubilee's was believable and Aja's character was pretty extensive. I was especially impressed with the way grief that isn't dealt with in a child was handled. This book was funny and cute, but it also dealt with some larger topics.

You know how sometimes, you get to the ending of a book and if it doesn't end how you thought it should, you get disappointed?

The ending of this book didn't end how I had expected, or if I'm being honest, had hoped it would, but I wasn't disappointed in the least.

This book came together as a heartwarming, "make you think long after you've read it," book. Colleen did a marvelous job and I can't wait to read more of her work in the future. Hopefully the near future.

Thank You to Gallery Books for providing me with an advanced copy of Colleen Oakley's novel, Close Enough to Touch, in exchange for an honest review.

PLOT- Just a few months before her high school graduation, Jubilee Jenkins received her first kiss, and it nearly killed her. Jubilee has a rare allergy; she is allergic to other people. If she touches another person, she breaks out into a blistering rash, and doctor's fear that it could also send her into anaphylactic shock leading to death.

After her brush with death, she becomes a recluse. Soon, her mother moves to another state, allowing Jubilee to stay in their home and mailing her monthly support checks. Jubilee takes college courses online and has all of her shopping delivered, so that she never has a need to leave the safety of her home.

Fast forward nine years; Jubilee gets a phone call that her mother has died. The house has been paid off and the deed is transferred to Jubilee's name, however without the monthly checks, Jubilee must venture out of her home and find a job. She runs into a former classmate, who recommends her for a job at the local library. One night, on her bike ride home from work, Jubilee notices a little boy drowning in a river, and without thinking of her own safety, she rescues him. The little boy, Ajah and his father, Eric, befriend Jubilee and she begins to realize the impact of human connection, something that she had closed-off for so many years.

LIKE- Close Enough to Touch is a beautiful and imaginative story. Oakley has a keen sense of empathy and is able to create characters with deep emotional lives. I didn't realize until I had finished the story, that an allergy to humans doesn't exist, at least not in the way that Jubilee experiences her affliction. This is where I felt Oakley brought her story-world to life, giving Jubilee a substantial fear in her life threatening situation, and also inflicting her with abandonment issues. Jubilee's stakes are high. Since she cannot allow people to come near her, she creates what she thinks is a good life, filled with her books and communicating online with her college courses. She's not simply sitting in her home, depressed, or at least she doesn't realize that she might be depressed, because in her eyes, she has purpose and fulfillment. It's not until she is forced out of her home, that she realizes that her life can be bigger, that she can dare to dream bigger.

This scenario rattled me on a personal level. Although I don't have an allergy to people and I've never spent years without leaving my home, I do get into ruts, where I stay inside. Currently this is happening due to our relocation to Portland. I feel somewhat unsafe in my downtown neighborhood, so I rarely leave our apartment building. I have groceries delivered, and unless I'm going out with my husband, I generally stay inside. On this small level, I could understand Jubilee's anxiety and wanting to stay in her comfort zone. It made me realize that I should try harder to do things outside of that comfort zone.

With the addition of Eric and Ajah, Oakley has brought together an unlikely trio. Eric is recently divorced and desperate to reconnect with his teenage daughter. Eric is a bit awkward and has a tendency to be attracted to unavailable women. He has adopted his best friend's son, Ajah, who is a bright, inquisitive kid, but having trouble coping with his parent's death. In his mourning, Ajah becomes fixated on the X-Men comics and with the idea that he might have super powers. The growing romance between Eric and Jubilee is beautiful and complicated. It's filled with devastating blows, cringe-worthy missteps, and moments that will make your heart explode with the warm fuzzies. It's also really sexy. This isn't at all erotica, but Close Enough to Touch, has some very erotic scenes.

DISLIKE- What about Michael, a man that enters Jubilee's life at the very end of the story. Michael seems like a really great guy, who loves Jubilee, but he gets screwed over. I wish the little bit about Michael at the end had been left out, it cast a shadow over the last few pages of the story, which I otherwise loved.

RECOMMEND- Yes! Close Enough to Touch is a beautiful, affecting story with memorable characters. I enjoyed it so much, that I immediately purchased Oakley's first novel, Before I Go. I needed more Oakley!

A heart-warming, unconventional story of love you will not be able to put down. Oakley has superbly weaved the stories of Jubilee and and Eric together causing a lot of laughs and even some tears. Inventive and bittersweet, Close Enough to Touch is a witty tale that will take the reader on a journey of discovering ones desires while dealing with unimaginable issues. A must read!

One time a boy kissed me and I almost died...

So right away… relatable. Until you figure out that the first sentence of this book is literal. Jubilee Jenkins is allergic to people. Literally allergic to other human beings, and cannot come in contact with them physically. Her (fictitious, I checked) condition is very rare and there is no cure, and after a childhood spent in fear and disappointment, she has become a recluse. When the story starts, she has been living alone inside her house for nine years, since she left high school and her mother left her to remarry and she declined to move along with her. Now her mother has passed away and she has to figure out how to support herself by going out into that terrifying world.

Can you imagine how handy this condition would be? Can’t go out tonight, you know, allergic to people! Gotta stay home and read! It’s not my fault that I’m single and no one loves me; remember the allergy! Geez, that would really be something. I’m allergic to rice wine vinegar but that only gets me out of going to eat sushi.

Close Enough to Touch was definitely interesting and I enjoyed reading it a lot. A lot of things happen for Jubilee in a convenient and quick way, which was somewhat unbelievable – it’s hard to find a job, make a friend and meet a man all in a very short period of time, but she manages it. I didn’t mind this expedience; there is enough complexity in each of the story lines to keep things interesting.

This book will be released in March – thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy – and I think it will do well. Colleen Oakley also wrote Before I Go which I also enjoyed.
Grade – B+

Loved this book! Loved the pace, and the characters, and how would it resolve, oh how could it be resolved?! I've already told people about it, can't wait to buy it for the library and for friends.

Definitely pick up this novel to read this year as it is one that should not be overlooked. Colleen Oakley’s writing was spectacular as I was completely immersed into the character of Jubilee and her “condition.” Avoiding contact with other humans, Jubilee remained housebound for years, one close encounter with death was all that she needed to realize that isolation was the best option that she had. Jubilee did not waste this time while she was alone, she saw options and took advantage of them. Jubilee was a bright, young woman with a “condition.”

Her life changes when her mother passes away and Jubilee realizes that she cannot hide in the house any longer. This woman, who was resourceful, will now have to venture outside the threshold of her doorway. I walked the walk with Jubilee as she saw the vast blue sky up above her, as she saw the crowds of people and mapped her way around them and how she tried to hide amongst the many who she thought were staring at her yet she could not get close to them. Her world which was once limited to the walls inside her mother’s house has now increased and the people, the opportunities and the obstacles are limitless. I laughed as she made her way into her new surroundings, I cried (actually, I bawled a few times) as I was so overcome with emotions and I cheered for her as she finally became the person she was hiding in the house. This was definitely one of my hair-dryer novels, one that I just couldn’t put down and one, that I hope you will enjoy also.

“I am going to suffocate you.” (I don’t like to quote ARC’s but this line……marvelous, simply marvelous!)
I received a copy of this novel from Gallery Books and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Interesting, fast paced and enjoyable, heartwarming story.

Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for the opportunity to preview the book.

Thank you to Netgalley and the author Colleen Oakley for giving me a chance to read this book in advance! I really enjoyed the story. To me it was a really intense love story that I really wanted to happen but because of the main characters issues it just wasn't possible. It also had that aspect of a psychological thriller because of the different thoughts that some of the characters have throughout the book. I am a big Jodi Picoult fan and this book had parts that reminded me of her writing which probably helped me enjoy it even more. The ending took me by surprise. I thought it was going to end up one way, then it went another way and just at the end it took another twist. I think it's a great book if you love JoJo Moyes and Jodi Picoult!

You know how sometimes a book will come along and be so unexpectedly wonderful that it blows you away? I read this authors debut novel and really enjoyed it. But this book puts her on my list of authors to watch out for. She outdid herself with this exceptional and unique story.

I adored Eric and Jubilee, and pretty much all the other characters in this book. It was such an interesting concept, with the perfect blend of humor and emotion. The author writes in beautiful prose that had me glued to the pages. Once you pick up this book you will find it incredibly hard to put down.

BOTTOM LINE

A delightfully wonderful surprise – this is a must read book.

First off, I should start by thanking the publisher (and my co-worker) for the ARC of this book so that I could read it, in exchange for an honest review.

Now, for that honest review.

This was....okay.

I started this book almost immediately after finishing Highly Illogical Behavior, which is about a boy who hadn't left his house in years due to an anxiety disorder. So, when I started this one, Jubilee had some remarkable similarities to the main character in that book, though for very different reasons. All I could think about was how unusual it was for me to read two books in a row with main characters that never leave their homes.

Anyway...Jubilee begins to get over her self-imposed exile/agoraphobia relatively quickly within the context of the book, and is a likable enough character. Her allergy to human contact makes for an interesting storyline, obviously. The alternating between her and Eric as narrators was interesting, even if it did take a bit of time for their paths to cross, and to figure out how each might be significant to the other. They didn't really have anything obvious in common, aside from each feeling like they were failing at adulting in their own ways, which I think pretty much any adult can actually relate to.

I think my issue was that, while I liked Eric and Jubilee both as characters, I just didn't find myself feeling much for either of them. I feel like, as a reader, I was allowed to get a little closer to Jubilee, while Eric always felt more at arm's distance. I think this was at least partly because Eric was sort of clueless to the feelings of others in general, so things were not at all obvious to him, which made them not necessarily as obvious as they should have been to the reader. I know I struggled a bit to understand exactly what was going on with Aja, even while I felt like it should somehow be clear to me, even though it wasn't to Eric. Maybe it was more clear than it seemed to me and it was my fault as a reader for not catching the nuances, or maybe it was just that Eric was written in such a way that his blindness also caused blindness for the reader. I'm not sure.

That being said, Jubilee had her own blind spots as well, particularly when it came to her mother. And while the issue of her mother's abandonment was addressed, it felt like there should have somehow been more. The revelation that Jubilee makes towards the end of the story, too, didn't have the impact I feel like it should have, because nothing was going to come from it. Jubilee finding that artifact of her mother's life earlier could have changed the entire course of the story, or created a different novel entirely, so it felt like a big bomb to drop at the end and then have nothing come of it.

I really enjoyed Aja as a character, partially because I didn't understand him, and partially because I loved how different and precocious he was. I could understand Eric's frustrations in trying to communicate with him, but I loved how smart Aja was, and yet how that intelligence hid the fact that emotionally he was a wreck and wasn't processing things in an emotionally healthy way. I loved the connection that he had with Jubilee, and wish we had gotten to see more of that.

One of my biggest frustrations with this book (and with a lot of books, actually) was that so much could have been solved by the characters speaking to one another, and being honest about how they felt. Instead, a lot of Eric and Jubilee's relationship was based on misunderstanding and a lack of clear communication. Her hiding things, and him not just saying what he meant or asking the right questions. I recognize that stories need conflict and that sometimes misunderstanding occurs, but there was just a lot of that here that I felt could be avoided.

More minor gripe about the story? It drove me absolutely crazy that Jubilee called tears "water." Can we just call them tears? Because, honestly, truthfully, they are not just water coming from your eyes.

Librarian side note: I loved the backdrop of the library as a setting when Jubilee began working there. There were so many little references and details that felt so true and accurate in terms of what working in a library is like. And while this next comment isn't library-specific, I did appreciate the message that Oakley tries to get across about everyone having their own story. I think that is very true--we all do have our own stories, and you don't know what someone has been through just by looking at them, or even by observing them at a very specific time in their life. While that message felt a bit heavy-handed at the end of the book, I still think it was a good reminder, especially when life feels especially tough.

I know there will be readers out there who will probably love this book and feel more connected to the characters than I did. There is a lot of good here, it just fell short for me overall.

Heartwarming, adorable and emotional! Jubilee has a rare allergy, an allergy to contact with other humans. She lives alone almost a recluse, her mother recently died, she runs out of money and has to go out to get a job. The story is about her day to day struggles, her regrets, her dreams to be normal. She starts work in a library, meets Eric and his son 8 year old Aja and struggles through being attracted to Eric and also becoming close to Aja. After years of struggling with the allergy, she finally has a chance of a possible cure but is not sure if she should risk it, as it could take years to work. A beautiful story.

I would like to thank Colleen Oakley, Gallery and Netgalley for giving me this book for my honest review.

Review by Stephanie


I wasn't sure what to expect with this book, when I read the description on Netgalley I was intrigued. The premise was something I haven't seen before. So of course I had to request it.... and I am glad I did.

Once I started this wonderful story I was not able to put it down, and if by chance I put it down I would think about it. I didn't think I would love this story as much as I did. The ending was WOW! I totally did not see that but Colleen wrote it so organically because it fit so perfectly.

I look forward to read more from Colleen!