Close Enough to Touch

November 28, 2016
Heart wrenching and humorous, Oakley (Before I Go) delivers an out-of-the-ordinary love story with steady quips and endearing characters. Jubilee Jenkins has a rare malady—she’s allergic to human touch. After a kiss leaves her near death in anaphylaxis, Jubilee retreats to her home and doesn’t leave for nine years. When her mother dies, Jubilee’s only source of income dies with her, and she is forced to face her fears head-on. In her new position at the library, she meets handsome Eric and his troubled young son, Aja. Immediately taken with Jubilee, Eric longs to get closer to her, emotionally and physically, but Jubilee keeps him at arm’s length. She’s attracted to him, but she also knows her condition would make a romantic relationship impossible. Jubilee struggles with new opportunities, possibilities, and chances for an ordinary, allergy-controlled existence, and her journey from recluse to recovery is fascinating, aided by supportive and supporting characters.

December 1, 2016
A woman with a rare allergy--to other people--is forced to step outside her house and open herself up to the world. Jubilee Jenkins is allergic to humans--simply touching another person's skin causes her to break out in welts. The one time a boy kisses her, on a dare, she nearly dies from anaphylaxis. After that horrifying and embarrassing incident, she holes up in her house for nine long years and fears she's "become the Boo Radley of [her] neighborhood." But then Jubilee's mother (and her only source of income) dies, and she's forced to leave the confines of her home to get a job. A former classmate helps her find work at the library, where she meets Eric, a divorced dad who's trying desperately to connect with both his estranged teenage daughter and his adopted son, Aja. Aja's preoccupation with telekinetic destruction doesn't exactly help him fit in at school, but Jubilee appreciates his outsider spirit. Eric and Jubilee are drawn to each other, but her condition means they can never touch. As Jubilee pushes herself out into the real world, she's forced to accept that she will never be able to have a normal human relationship--that is, unless she tries an experimental treatment. But is she willing to take the risk? Oakley (Before I Go, 2015) masterfully creates a high-stakes story that still feels solidly real. All of her characters are well-rounded and charming, especially Jubilee. Readers will cheer each time she takes a risk and delight in her triumphs. A romantic, sweet story about taking chances and living life fully.

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June 1, 2017

Jubilee is deathly allergic to other people, a detail Oakley skillfully reveals through the inclusion of fictional New York Times articles reporting on the protagonist's health issues. For Jubilee, skin-to-skin contact with anyone else could lead to horrific reactions, even death (the proteins in her skin trigger an extreme intruder alert in her immune system). Unfailing vigilance, ever-present gloves, and self-imposed isolation help Jubilee survive her allergy and school until just before high school graduation. One kiss with a popular guy puts her into anaphylactic shock and results in nine years of seclusion after her mother marries a rich man and moves away. But when Jubilee's mom dies, the checks she's been sending stop, and a life of books and delivery is over. Self-help for agoraphobia and an old bike bring the protagonist into the orbit of Madison, a high school classmate, and then lead to a job as a library assistant. Taking baby steps out of her head and into the real world, Jubilee comes into contact with Eric, a recently divorced man who has moved with his traumatized and introverted adopted son to Jubilee's New Jersey community. Eric's first-person chapters are interspersed with Jubilee's to personalize all the quirks and hurdles of this most impossible, charming romance. VERDICT For YA readers who can't get enough of John Green or Nicola Yoon, suggest this quirky "new adult" love story with lovable and well-rendered characters.-Suzanne Gordon, Lanier High School, Gwinnett County, GA

Copyright 2017 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 1, 2016

Long a recluse in her New Jersey home, deathly allergic Jubilee Jenkins must finally venture forth and meets troubled, new-in-town Eric. You can't go wrong; Oakley's debut novel, Before I Go, was a People Best New Book Pick, a US Weekly "Must" Pick, and a Publishers Lunch Buzz Book.

Copyright 2016 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 1, 2017

Born with a rare and severe (and potentially deadly) allergy to human skin cells, Jubilee lives the life of a shut-in. She has avoided human contact for the last nine years since she experienced a traumatic event in high school. It doesn't help that around that time her mother moved away to live with her new husband and never came back to visit. When Jubilee gets word that her mother has passed away and she will no longer receive a monthly stipend, her way of life is changed. Even though Jubilee's existence outside her home becomes richer, with a new job, new friends, and even a tentative romance, it's still a constant struggle for her to avoid being touched. But getting a taste of all that she's been missing could be the impetus she needs to seek treatment and possibly be cured. VERDICT It is easy to get lost in this vividly told story with characters and a fictional malady that are utterly believable. Oakley's second novel (Before I Go) should build on the author's popularity and continue comparisons to popular authors such as Jojo Moyes.--Karen Core, Detroit P.L.

Copyright 2017 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.