Touch by Courtney Maum is one of my fave reads of 2020. Seriously, this book is ridiculously good.

I was shocked by how much I loved this book. The plot sounds super intriguing, but the content just blows it out of the water. Let me explain:

Sloane is a trend forecaster, and she's really good at it. She sees trends coming from a mile away, almost like clairvoyance. She gets hired by a tech firm because she's so good, and they want her to help develop products for them relating to the population enjoying being childless. Sloane is married to Roman, a social media influencer obsessed with Zentai (look it up, seriously). Their relationship is rocky since he believes real, penetrative sex is a thing of the past and cyber sex is the real deal. Sloane, on the other hand, wants a physical relationship and sees the trend of real, physical social interaction to be coming back.

Things get messy when their relationship fumbles, she reaches back out to her family and she rocks the boat in her office. Especially when other people seem to be agreeing with her...

Within the pages of this book, there are so many great quotable lines and paragraphs. Courtney speaks a lot of truths within this book, and it's super haunting. A woman being described as a port for a journeyman or the description of how a woman feels when she's finally touched after years of not being touched... It was so beautiful. Courtney has a way with words. To top it all, she used a lot of big words I hadn't heard before, and I love searching up new words to use in my everyday life. Frangipane is a unique word, let me tell ya. It's a dessert!

The one sentence that summed this novel up for me was "The twenty-first century was over taking risks", and I'd have to agree. Yet, this book argues that it's possible to change and take those risks again... Geez Louise, this book could have been taken apart in an English class by a pro! It's that packed full of themes and wonderful quotes!

My biggest fault of this book was the driver-less car. I totally saw some weird sci-fi plot since this car talked about different scenarios as if they were real and talked to her. I swore up and down as I was reading it that there was going to be some wild and wacky twist about this car, but there wasn't. It was just a car. Thank you for the writing ideas Courtney, because man... my imagination went WILD.

That being said, it's hardly a fault. I was blown away by this book and couldn't put it down. I need to read more by Courtney in the future because her writing style and ideas totally work for me.

I highly recommend this book. I cannot say that enough. If you love dystopian fiction, contemporary drama, a pinch of romance, and a wee bit of satire on today's society then this book will be for you! Honestly, it's probably one of my top recommendations for my 2020 reads. It's just so darn good!

Five out of five stars.

I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads. ( )

Not terrific. Too much telling, not enough showing; it’s meant to be a novel of ideas, but it doesn’t effectively use the story or characters to make the philosophical points about modern life that seem to be desired. Wouldn’t recommend. ( )

I generally don't make Top 10 lists, except in my head and on long car rides, but if I had a Top 10 books that came out in 2017, this would sit at number 7 or 8. It wasn't my top top, but it was such a good read that had a great commentary on the current state of the world.

The book takes place in the near future. Technology has advanced just a bit more. Individuals are still connected via social media sources and dating apps, but the next level has happened- the post penetration intercourse movement. Individuals no longer touch one another even if they are in a relationship as most relationships happen through the phone or computer, even if the people are in the same room.

Sloane has predicted this will happen, as she is a trends predictor. She has been on top of all the technology trends and has now been hired by one of the top companies to help them create a technology for the next big trend.

As the book moves on, Sloane comes to a realization after being stuck somewhere and after an installed suggestion box- Sloane realizes the world will need touch again. As she talks to her employees through anonymous suggestions, she realizes individuals are doing things, such as renting people to hold them, and this is the trend of the future. The problem is there is no tech for this AND she is the forerunner for the non-penetration movement. Will Sloane go against her own ideals and promote this new trend? What will it cost her?

As I read this book, I knew I was reading a great, great book. The writing had a style, some sentences just blew me out of the water, and the book had a major point to make and made it without beating one over the head. Setting it in the just near future was also perfect timing as Maum herself is noticing a trend happening in the world.

When I finished the book, about two days later, my wife showed me an article about Japanese men marrying their sex dolls. (Link may be considered NSFW) This was happening! What Maum wrote about was actually happening. Her idea we are so connected virtually that we are disconnecting in real life is so true! I think this is also why I loved the book.

I will say there are a few dips in the book, but I didn't mind them as Maum got right back into the story pretty quickly. I am not going to say much more because I think individuals should read it as I did- fairly cold with just a bit of knowing what it is about and let it surprise you.

I gave this one a definite 5 stars. It isn't a perfect book though, but I loved it.
( )

Mostly enjoyable, with some clever insights and observations, but I was hoping it wouldn't end with a pregnancy. ( )

Using intellect, wit, and some spectacular writing skills, Courtney Maum had me hooked in Touch. Trend forecaster Sloane Jacobsen is one of the most badass, real characters that I've read in a long time. I was invested in her life and couldn't wait to hear more and more. I particularly enjoyed the audio version, and I could listen to Kristen Sieh read literally anything.

Sloane Jacobsen is one of the most sought-out trend forecasters in the world. She's hired by mega-corporation Mammoth to consult for their upcoming conference that targets the voluntarily childless population. She moves from her Paris apartment to New York for the job, bring her Neo-Sensualist partner Roman with you. Roman has an affinity for wearing skin-tight lycra body suits that cover him from head to toe, an affinity Sloane does not share. When their visions for what the next trend will be are completely opposite, Sloane is at a crossroads.

I so loved the writing in this novel. In particular, the last sentence in each chapter was so powerful, it would often make me laugh or feel like a punch to the gut. It felt so special and important, and I just couldn't get enough. ( )