Close enough to Touch is the perfect women's fiction novel - one with heart, interesting quirky characters and true complicated and hard feelings. Loved Jubilee and Eric but I had some frustrations with Aja. I tend to find children characters a little annoying at times. But, still would recommend to women's fiction readers.

I loved the story of Jubilee Jenkins and her impossible allergy! I was caught straight from the beginning, and couldn't wait to see what happened! I loved getting to know Eric and Aja's story, and how they all helped each other!

Wouldn't download to my kindle. I tried locating it in several folders. Tried multiple times.

Jubilee Jenkins has lived for twenty-seven years with a rare medical condition that keeps her from touching other people. Her symptoms are severe and she had an embarrassing incident in high school which forced her to become a recluse. For nine years she did not leave the house and was dependent on her mother for financial support. When her mom dies, Jubilee find herself needing money and is forced to venture outside for employment.

Jubilee finds a job at the local library where she meets Eric Keegan and his son Aja. Recently divorced and new to town, Eric is struggling to connect to his young adopted son who has psychological issues. Jubilee and Eric connect over a shared love for reading and slowly a friendship develops between them. There is an attraction between them but Jubilee remains guarded knowing that her condition prevents a physical romance. She is coming to terms with the reality that she may never have a normal life unless she seeks experimental treatment.

This a unique novel about stepping out of your comfort zone and taking chances. It is about learning to persevere by trying new experiences and not solving problems by hiding from them. This was a thought provoking book by Colleen Oakley.

I really enjoyed this book! My favorite character was definitely Jubilee. I loved that she worked in a library! I thought the author beautifully captured Jubilee and Eric's personalities in her writing, and the perspective change between chapters worked so well for me, and that's usually something I don't like. I thought the ending was wrapped up a little too neatly--but if that's my only complaint then this book is definitely a winner. I definitely recommend this wonderful book!

Sweet and touching without feeling too tokenish. Ignore the terrible romance novel title and enjoy this new adult joy

I don't even know where to start. This is the first book I'd give five stars to (I don't rate books on my blog, but I do on Goodreads). I enjoyed this book immensely. I loved Jubilee's character from the beginning and Aja as well. Eric, I was a little slower to warm up to, but he wormed his way into my heart.

From the start, I thought that this book would be interesting as it's dealing with the life of a woman who is allergic to human touch. I figured Jubilee would be reclusive, somewhat, considering her illness and just loved how she pushed herself to get back into the world to survive the changes happening in her life. No longer can she hide behind the safe walls of her home and not interact directly with people. She's standoffish and aloof, yet direct and at times harsh. I think that's part of why I enjoyed her character so much - I wanted to befriend her. I love that she got a job in a library as it suits her.

Now, Eric, try as he might, can't seem to catch a break. First, divorce. Then teenage daughter not talking to him. Now, adopted son hiding things from him and not being able to connect with him. So many curveballs. And then when he finally meets someone that interests him and seems to get his son to open up a bit, another gets tossed his way. It must be hard to start falling in love with someone you cannot even touch for fear of actually killing them. The thing I liked about Eric was his persistence. He never really gave up on anyone. He kept texting his daughter even when she didn't reply. He made effort with Aja in different ways to try and reach him. And he teaches Jubilee that baby steps can help you on your way to fulfilling your dreams.

Eric brings Jubilee out of her shell and Jubilee helps Eric to connect with his kids in different ways. I love how she connects with Aja and their random tidbits of info and that Aja warms up to her. And the element of Eric using books to reach his daughter was wonderful. Jubilee helps him with that too as she deciphers the different meanings to the books his daughter loved when he can't seem to figure it out. They just worked! I loved what they had in this story - no matter how fleeting it felt at times.

I love how it was the library that brought Jubilee, Eric and Aja together. How books bonded them. How just being at the library seemed to help them each work their way through some of the toughest issues. Much love for the library!

This is a book filled with hope. And did it ever deliver.

I really enjoyed this book, and definitely will be recommending it. I can see this would appeal to readers of Nicholas Sparks, Jojo Moyes, Beatrix Williams, and similar authors, all of whom are very popular at my library. I am looking forward to sharing this book with our patrons.

More specifically, the pacing of this book was perfect, the characters were really well-developed and I really cared about them. The main character did seem to adapt somewhat quickly to being in the outside world, but I was willing to overlook that because it helped the story move along. There was a great touch of humor at just the right times. All in all, I really enjoyed it.

Close Enough to Touch is an extraordinary book about courage, hope, acceptance and heartbreak. I loved it and absolutely inhaled! I found myself tearing up then laughing out loud seconds later, at the pain, the tenderness , the humor and the depth of Colleen's brilliant writing. The mystery of wanting to know how this book turns out has many surprises, the characters you fall in love with, will stay with you long after you finish. This book is one I highly recommend and worth more than 5 stars!

I was honestly a little worried to read Close Enough to Touch because I thought the plot sounded similar to Everything, Everything, and I loved that book and didn't think anything would compare. Thankfully, the books turned out to be really different. This book was a lot more grown up (not in a good or bad way) and made me really think about Jubilee's circumstances. The love story was also done well and didn't feel forced. I would definitely recommend this book!

It has been nine years since Jubilee Jenkins kissed a boy and almost died. It has been nine years since Jubilee's mother left her behind to marry her boyfriend. It has been nine years since Jubilee Jenkins left her house. Her mother just passed away and her stepfather has told her that the monthly checks will stop, forcing Jubilee to leave her house to find a job. She is buying gas for the car that hasn't moved in nine years when Jubilee runs into a girl from high school. In fact, it was Madison's boyfriend that Jubilee kissed when she went into anaphylactic shock. You see Jubilee has a rare allergy where she is allergic to the touch of another human. A kiss could kill her. With Madison's help, Jubilee gets a job at the local library. She is on her way home from work when she sees a young boy drowning and risks her own life to save his by performing CPR. And that is how Jubilee meets Aja and his father, Eric. For the first time in a very long time, Jubilee feels welcomed and enjoys the company of another human. For the first time, she truly regrets her allergy. Eric has his own issues to deal with - a teen daughter who won't speak to him, an adopted son who believes he has x-men like superpowers, and now is falling for a woman he can never have. Will Eric and Jubilee ever find happiness?

Jubilee Jenkins is the kind of heroine that I could call my friend. She is an avid reader and is comfortable with her self-imposed solitude. I found my heart aching for a few times - like when she explained why she didn't care for Christmas. And then I found myself despising her mother, I mean, who just leaves their kid like that, especially a child with a life-threatening condition? Ugh. I liked Eric, too. He had his flaws, but the steps he was taking to rectify his mistakes made it hard not to like him. The two of them have one thing in common - an intense need to connect. I think we all have been able to relate to that desire at one time or another. The author leads us down a path thinking that things were going to turn out one way, but then takes a sharp turn in the other direction and I found myself cheering. It was exciting and the perfect way to end the book.

Bottom line - While the premise of Close Enough to Touch may not seem plausible, Colleen Oakley makes it work in a way that touches your heart. You find yourself connecting to these characters in a way that is rare to find in a book these days. You will find it unforgettable.

Details:

She can be out in the world-she just can't connect with anyone in it". Connect in the physical sense of course, but one has to wonder if it's a Freudian slip. After all, if you can't touch, hug, kiss anyone-how much connecting are you doing. All she can do is dwell in the possibility.

Since Jubilee was very young girl, she developed an allergy that can kill her. She cannot have contact of skin to skin with anyone. It makes for a difficult relationship. Her first relationship with her mother of course- (her father is not in the picture) and the pain that it caused both of them while Jubilee was growing up and going to school. It became so bad that she became isolated in her home. Jubilee's mother had moved on and when Jubilee became of age, she had left Jubilee to her own. Because of her isolation, Jubilee turned to books. What makes Jubilee such an interesting character that she has wit and a vulnerability that attracts.

Jubilee is now in her 30's, her mother has passed away and left the house to her and now she must find a job. An old school friend helps her with getting a job at the library and brings back memories of all that Jubilee cannot have. At the library, Jubilee meets a Eric and his adopted son Aja and develops a yearning for something she can only hope for. Eric and Jubilee come together at a time that is redemptive and painful as they both have suffered great losses. Beauty always comes from the pain when redeemed.

A Special Thank You to Gallery Books and Netgalley for the ARC and the opportunity to post an honest review.

3.5 --rounding down since not a four n comparison to others read.

I read and enjoyed Oakley's Before I Go so was curious to read her latest book.

Another fast read/page turner with some predictability--but... still I liked the journey very much.

Jubilee Jenkins is allergic to people! How does this book begin? "One time, A boy kissed me and I almost died." Ok then. Jubilee is in high school. Some background then fast forward 7 years -- shen she has been living as a hermit. Circumstances force her outside her comfort zone [i.e., her house]. And so it begins.

Sadness, poignancy, but also humor. Witness: "... he had a mustache and pet it often, as if it were a loyal dog attached to his face."

I figured out some of the intersections but was caught up in the book so didnt care. Well written save for a few hokey parts [a detractor for me].

Loved Jubilee but particularly Aja--the adopted son of Eric [a divorced mess of a man--but Jubilee also flawed]--whom Jubilee meets and... And the relationship with Madison, Jubilee's "friend" from high school, provided numerous chuckles.

There are also a few quirky [and enjoyable] character in this novel. We meet them when Jubilee takes a job at her local library.

Not deep, but layered and worth the ride.

I really wanted to like this book, much more than I did. The premise is fascinating and though I’m not usually drawn to romance, this intrigued me. I’m always on the search for new themes in the romantic genre that I can latch onto. Sadly, this wasn’t my cup of tea for a number of reasons.

Characters
Jubilee drove me absolutely crazy through the entire book. I wanted to shake, lecture, and just generally shove her out of her own head. In many ways, I understood why she acted the way she did, and even could sometimes relate to her reactions to others. That said, the repetition of it was frustrating. I wanted more growth from her through the entire story but instead, it seemed to happen almost entirely toward the end. Eric didn’t bother me as much as Jubilee but he was still annoying in numerous ways. A lot of the story revolving around him felt drawn out, details given in tiny crumbs which made plot progress slow. My favorite character was Aja, Eric’s adopted son. I think I would have found a story revolving around him far more interesting.

Romance
Admittedly, I’m not a huge fan of romance in general though I can get into some. I was hoping, with fingers crossed, that this would be one of those romances that I could get behind. I knew it would have a few cliches, and it did. Eric and Jubilee experience ‘insta-love’ but because of Jubilee’s condition, it’s in slow motion. I wished over and over again that the two of them could just talk to each other like adults instead of the mind games that ensued. I didn’t mind this that much, though, I actually enjoyed the romance right up until the end. The tension and up and down roller coaster kept the book enjoyable even when I was super frustrated with the characters.

The End
This is the biggest reason I’m rating this book the way I am. I really disliked the way the story was wrapped up. First, it didn’t show a lot of emotional growth in Jubilee which I found frustrating. It hinted that she was ‘better’ but she was still making choices that reflected a low self-esteem. I especially didn’t like the turn the romantic aspect of the story took, it just didn’t make sense to me at all.

While there were many aspects of this novel I didn’t like, I appreciated the exceptional portrayal of mental illness in this book. Jubilee struggles with depression, anxiety, and agoraphobia – all of which are caused by her chronic illness and the way it dominoes in her life. Even though this wasn’t for me, I still recommend this book to others. Fans of romance will probably enjoy this book, especially if you think you can look past some of the things that bothered me.

This book had a really interesting premise but it took me two-thirds of the book before I truly got invested in the characters. It was written well but there just wasn’t a connection with the main characters for most of the book.

As a three year old toddler, Jubilee Jenkins developed a rare skin allergy that made touching other humans deadly. Her mother went to specialist after specialist before abandoning her to marry some rich guy in another city. After a kiss in high school almost killed her, Jubilee grudgingly acknowledged that her life was meant to be different from others and without skin to skin contact.

When her mother died and her step father withdrew financial support, Jubilee was forced to find a job to pay for her own bills. She got hired at the library which placed her around people. Once Jubilee saved a little boy Aja from drowning, Jubilee was introduced to Eric Keegan, Aja’s father who slowly opened Jubilee’s heart to a future of happier possibilities.

I like that Eric Keegan wasn’t this hero that made everything better. He had his own messed up situation and was trying to figure out his own life. Eric’s drama made everyone including Jubilee made her face some things from her past as well as make some decisions about her future.

I like how the author used the library and reading as vehicle of communication to allow the characters to understand each other. I felt the most for the young boy Aja. He was clearly in pain and I just wanted to hold him so tight. It was after Aja and his X-men comments that I truly plugged into this story.

Colleen Oakley didn’t write a clean, smooth, cheesy story. It was a slow burner where the individual journey overshadowed the romance, which was okay with me. The writing in the first half dragged but the second half was more touching (pun intended). Overall, it was a good read.

Oakley’s storytelling drew me in early on, in fact from the very first sentence:“ One time a boy kissed me and I almost died.”

A wonderfully complex story involving three main characters who I cared about, admired their courage and rooted for them as they managed to push through difficult situations, often with humor. There is Jubilee, a young woman severely allergic to human touch. “One day it’s a severe rash and then the next it’s anaphylaxis - life or death.” Then there is Eric, a divorced man trying to mend his relationship with estranged daughter Ellie, and also be a substitute father to a psychologically disturbed 10 year-old adopted son Aja. Aja’s parents died in a horrific accident and Aja is convinced he is telekinetic, putting himself into dangerous situations including almost burning his home down. Jubilee finds herself falling in love with Eric but how can she possibly grow a relationship? Quite a dilemma for these kindred spirits.

I especially loved the insight into this book's well-rounded character’s their struggles, blossoming inter-relationships and the feeling that love can change everything. Thanks so much for the galley.