Sunday, November 5, 2017

Close Enough To Touch by Colleen Oakley

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

And so begins the story of Jubilee Jenkins, a young woman with a rare and debilitating medical condition: she’s allergic to other humans. After a humiliating near-death experience in high school, Jubilee has become a recluse, living the past nine years in the confines of the small town New Jersey house her unaffectionate mother left to her when she ran off with a Long Island businessman. But now, her mother is dead, and without her financial support, Jubilee is forced to leave home and face the world—and the people in it—that she’s been hiding from.

One of those people is Eric Keegan, a man who just moved into town for work. With a daughter from his failed marriage who is no longer speaking to him, and a brilliant, if psychologically troubled, adopted son, Eric’s struggling to figure out how his life got so off-course, and how to be the dad—and man—he wants so desperately to be. Then, one day, he meets a mysterious woman named Jubilee, with a unique condition...

Close Enough to Touch is an evocative, poignant, and heartrending exploration of the power and possibilities of the human heart.

My Review
I fell in love with this sweet obscure love story from page one.
To begin, when your little to almost die by a single kiss, then to find out that you are allergic to humans, what in the world?  You don't realize how much of our lives are dictated by some sort of human touch till you can no longer experience it.
To think about being confined to my home for 9 years and not having any contact with the outside world seems truly terrifying.
But then one day Jubilee receives devastating news - her mother passed away.  If that wasn't enough, her stepfather cut her off financially.  She was going to have to leave the confines of her home.  Where in the world would she go?  She lands a job where I would love to work one day, three guesses where that would be - a library!
She develops a connection with this single father but how close can they truly get without touching?
Take a trip through this enchanting read of overcoming obstacles, love and finding yourself in the world when you are all alone.


Drink Selection
I would pair this read with a delish Pumpkin Pie Sangria!  Doesn't that sound amazing?

Rating  
I loved this sweet story from beginning to end, five wine glasses all the way!
 

About the Author 

Colleen Oakley’s debut novel BEFORE I GO was a People Magazine Best New Book Pick in January 2015, an Us Weekly “Must” Pick, a Publisher’s Lunch Buzz Book, a January 2015 Indie Next List Pick and deemed “an impressive feat…an immensely entertaining, moving, and believable read” by the Atlanta Journal Constitution. Formerly the senior editor of Marie Claire and editor-in-chief of Women’s Health & Fitness, Colleen’s articles, essays, and interviews have been featured in The New York Times, Ladies’ Home Journal, Marie Claire, Women’s Health, Redbook, Parade, and Martha Stewart Weddings. She lives in Atlanta with her husband, four kids and the world's biggest lapdog, Bailey. Her second novel CLOSE ENOUGH TO TOUCH will be published by Simon & Schuster in April 2017.

Link to Purchase
 


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