Touching the Surface

Nov 19, 2012 Erica rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012-debut-author-challenge

Touching the Surface by Kimberly Sabatini was one of the most touching, beautiful books I have ever had the chance to read. It was marvelous in just about every way, and was a perfect debut from Kimberly Sabatini.

I loved Kimberly Sabatini's take on the afterlife. It was refreshing and new. Kimberly Sabatini managed to create this perfect balance in Touching the Surface - there were just the right amount of funny scenes to balance out the more serious, and it was such a treat to read. Kimberly S...more Touching the Surface by Kimberly Sabatini was one of the most touching, beautiful books I have ever had the chance to read. It was marvelous in just about every way, and was a perfect debut from Kimberly Sabatini.

I loved Kimberly Sabatini's take on the afterlife. It was refreshing and new. Kimberly Sabatini managed to create this perfect balance in Touching the Surface - there were just the right amount of funny scenes to balance out the more serious, and it was such a treat to read. Kimberly Sabatini addresses so many issues in Touching the Surfance - the idea of death and the afterlife, love, what the true meaning of friendship is and much more. I really loved the message she was sending.

Trevor's t-shirts were so funny. He had a different phrase on them in every scene ranging from things like "I reject your reality and substitute my own" to "I don't discriminate. I hate everyone". Touching the Surface had some of the most adorable scenes I have read in a very long time. I seriously had to reread some of them, while I sat there smiling to myself.

Kimberly Sabatini's prose is gorgeous. I sat there staring at the words on the page in awe, and felt the urge to write down so many phrases as the entire book was so quotable.

The characters were all so diverse from one another, and I just loved them all. Oliver, Trevor, Elliot, Mel, the whole gang was just great. I loved watching them all grow throughout the book, as they worked to find their paths. Trevor and Elliot were so interesting - as they started out as slightly unlikable characters. By the end, I adored both of them so much, and was sad to see their story end. Freddie and Mel were my other favorite characters of the book. Something about them was just so warm and nice.

Touching the Surface is the kind of book I can press into everyone's hands, and regardless of their genre preference, know they will enjoy. While it has fantastical elements, it reads like a contemporary, and the characters create some of the most touching bonds of friendship throughout the course of the novel. Beautiful and enchanting, Touching the Surface by Kimberly Sabatini is a book that will charm its way into your life and you won’t be able to put it down. I really cannot wait for another book from Kimberly Sabatini.

Also, can I please just say that Touching the Surface's cover is just about my favorite cover ever. It is so pretty AND I was so happy to discover it ties in really well with the book :)(less)

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Jan 16, 2012 Gina rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: paranormal, romance, ya

TOUCHING THE SURFACE by Kimberly Sabatini (Simon Pulse - 9/4/12)

I am the lucky first from the Class of 2k12 debut writers group to read this beautifully written, highly anticipated ARC of Kimberly Sabatini’s TOUCHING THE SURFACE, about a teenage girl named Elliot’s death and her experience in the afterlife. Anyone’s death gives us cause to think about life, but the death of a teenager is especially tragic. I got this ARC in the mail a week ago, one day after I learned of the sudden death of an...more

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Dec 14, 2012 Christina (A Reader of Fictions) rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: those interested in the afterlife

Shelves: favorites-fantasy, needs-more-hype, top-ships

One of my very favorite subgenres of fiction deals with stories about the afterlife. I spend a rather indecent amount of time considering what life after death might consist of and my only completed work of fiction dealt with that topic. Touching the Surface has been on my radar because of its subject matter, its beautiful cover (which looks like the work of my friend Annie and fits the book perfectly), and the author's participation in the Apocalypsies. As ever when embarking upon a book with h...more One of my very favorite subgenres of fiction deals with stories about the afterlife. I spend a rather indecent amount of time considering what life after death might consist of and my only completed work of fiction dealt with that topic. Touching the Surface has been on my radar because of its subject matter, its beautiful cover (which looks like the work of my friend Annie and fits the book perfectly), and the author's participation in the Apocalypsies. As ever when embarking upon a book with high hopes, I dreaded disappointment, but instead found a beautiful, quirky, emotional, clever, sweet, dark, magical read.

Sabatini's vision of the afterlife enthralled my imagination completely. She combines familiar concepts into something fresh and compelling. The concept of reincarnation has always called to me far more than most religious ideas, so I loved that Sabatini included that. She also put her own spin on it with the idea that, on a soul's third failure to reach some sort of enlightenment and whatever next step that brings, the soul's memories are wiped. This forces delving, a slow recapturing of the previous life's memories that allows for deeper reflection and analysis, removing preconceptions and errors kept in ordinary memory. Delving is also a group experience, not just a personal one, so that others can try to help the Third Timers figure out what has kept them from moving on.

Another fascinating element of this is the bodiless nature of the characters. They are all technically embodied throughout the book, but they have not always worn that body. In her first life, Elliot and her best friend Julia were twin brothers named Arty and Jim. The souls simply continue to wear the body and use the name of their last life until they reenter the stream to a new one. The souls can idenitfy one another by their scent that remains constant from body to body. Though she occasionally comments on appearances, the personality obviously factors in much more in how others seem to her.

The other main delightful quirk about the afterlife is the ability to manifest the mind's landscape physically. Thoughts can be created, from a lake to a mountain to a book the soul wants to read. Within the Obmil, this afterlife, the body cannot be injured and seems to have so much power. Not gonna lie, I would want to stay there and would try to get my friends to stay too. Of course, when you have a bad day, you literally will be stuck in a storm cloud of your own devising, but that's a small price to pay for the perks.

Alright, now that I'm done fangirling over the world building, I should probably discuss the plot a bit, shouldn't I? At the outset, I was a bit concerned that the book was heading for a stereotypical romance plot line: a rift between two best friends, a beautiful boy she feels inextricably drawn to (Oliver), a hot, angry boy who also seems to be part of her past (Trevor), and a love square between the four. Thankfully, this got cleared up pretty quickly and the characters did what was right for them, rather than conforming to tropes. Though the emotions become intense alarmingly quickly, it helped set the scene and conveyed the confusion Elliot felt being confronted with people who remembered her that she could not yet recall.

Elliot is a great character. She doesn't kick butt. She's sometimes weak. She's selfish, and sometimes a bully. All of that makes her who she is, and, even at her worst, I still felt for her and got her motivations. She manages to feel utterly real, especially in her struggle to find a sense of self, and her blithe unawareness of how she can steamroll others. Elliot wants to move on, hates having come back as a Third Timer, but she fears delving into her memories. Obviously, death in one's teen years doesn't signify a happy story.

The book alternates between the fantasy lanscape of Obmil and flashbacks to the characters' memories of their previous lives. This allows Sabatini to confront both gritty real life issues and psychological struggles. The flashbacks also explain why the characters feel the way they do about one another in the beginning, often for reasons even they don't know. This storytelling method adds a lot of tension to the tale and kept me flipping pages.

I dearly love Trevor. Oliver may be the nice one, though he shows some darker moods too (which I like), but I always have been drawn to the moody ones. Watching Trevor open up is delightful and he definitely puts hummingbirds in my stomach, let me tell you. What I love best is the way he changes the slogan on his t-shirt to match his emotions, generally with a smartass comment.

Ending books about the afterlife is generally pretty tricky, more so than with other genres perhaps. Sabatini's ending worked perfectly, I felt. I didn't anticipate quite the direction it would go in, and I really appreciated that. Nothing's wrapped up exactly, but it feels complete.

Kimberly Sabatini's debut blew me away and I know Touching the Surface is a book that I will be rereading. For a book with similar themes that does some wholly different things, check out Level 2 by fellow Apocalypsie Lenore Appelhans.

Read more of my reviews at A Reader of Fictions.(less)

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Dec 07, 2012 Elizabeth M rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites-3

This book was incredible! I loved it! Congratulations Kim on getting published! I am so glad to finally have gotten to read this, since my sister stole it from me... LOL. I loved nearly every aspect of the novel, from the writing to the setting- I mean, who couldn't be interested by the Obmil?- to the CHARACTERS to the plot as a whole. I actually wasn't sure how much I liked Elliot at first, and I definitely wasn't sure about puppy-dog Oliver, but as the book progressed I grew to love and unders...more

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Oct 28, 2012 Tara rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012debut, challenge-dac2012, released-wishlist

Review originally posted on my blog http://hobbitsies.net/2012/10/touchin...

Touching the Surface by Kimberly Sabatini blew my freaking mind. Touching the Surface is one of those books where I was going “what the effffff” all the way through and still found myself sobbing at the end.

I’m at a loss to describe my feelings for Touching the Surface. It was just unbelievably beautiful and freaking confusing and just one of those books that is going to stick with me.

I loved that Touching the Surface wa...more

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Nov 14, 2012 Amanda rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: contemporary, reviewed-books

3 stars.
Delving into your memories is more painful than it sounds.

Elliot Turner has died...again. When she finds herself in the afterlife for the third time, she knows she has to up her game as this is her last chance to reach enlightenment. Elliot must 'Delve' into the memories of her past life, the ones full of hurt, pain and sorrow. As Elliot starts to put the puzzle together, she realises that she and her friends might have a connection that could make or break their chance to move on.

Touchi...more

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Sep 21, 2012 Paul rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: supernatural-paranormal

The idea about a girl caught in limbo and having to break down walls, she built in her former life, while in a world where she could create anything in her imagination is what first attracted me to the book. Only now I'm not entirely sure how I feel/felt about this book. I definitely think it was written really well, and the themes of the book were definitely thought provoking. But I think I definitely needed more. The ending with Julia gone I was unsure whether she left Obmil (limbo) like Ellio...more

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May 17, 2013 Traci (The Reading Geek) rated it 4 of 5 stars

I always love when I find a book that is completely different from the other Young Adult books that I have been reading lately and Touching the Surface was just that kind of book. It was a beautifully written and refreshing story.

Elliot is dead for the third time and she has no idea how it happened. All she knows is that she did something bad and she is forced to face the memories before moving on. Elliot was a strongly developed character. She's just simply realistic. She's made some huge mista...more

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Jan 11, 2013 Kim Smiley rated it 3 of 5 stars

This was a strange book from the beginning, but in a good way. Ever wonder what happens to you when you die? Well, this book has a strange take on that subject.

Elliot, (weird name for a girl) had now died for the third time. She finds herself back at the Obmil, where 1st through 3rd timers go once they die. There she meets up with Mel, the woman who is a kind of therapist for those returning to the Obmil, and Freddie, who is the "front desk" guy, giving the newcomers their rooms and such.

Elliot...more

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Dec 10, 2012 Kelly rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: teen-fiction, afterlife

I give this book a 3.5 stars.

Upon reading the synopsis for this book I initially thought that it would be similar to Before I fall by Lauren Oliver, where the protagonist relives days of her life to figure out why she is stuck in limbo. However,this book revolves around the struggles of a soul that has found its way back to purgatory for a third time. Instead of returning to the world of the living, the soul stays in limbo, but travels through memories to learn the lesson that is supposed to hel...more

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Sep 20, 2012 A.C. Gaughen rated it 5 of 5 stars

There are books that I enjoy profoundly as an adult, and then there are books that give me this yawning ache in my chest because I wish, I wish they had been around when I was a teenager, and hurting, and lonely, and thinking about all these questions of life, love, death, forgiveness, and this strange notion of forgiving yourself.

TOUCHING THE SURFACE is both of those books. I loved it--a lush fantasy (seems like the wrong word for it, but still) world of ever changing dimensions, Elliot finds...more

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Oct 08, 2012 Liviania rated it 4 of 5 stars

There's something particularly fascinating about books set in the afterlife. It's a purely unknowable world, yet at the same time one that might actually exist. In Kimberly Sabatini's afterlife - the Obmil - you get three chances to examine your past and complete your life's journey next time. Elliot Turner is a Third Timer and knows this is her last chance to get it right. It's time to go past the surface.

Elliot's journey to self-discovery is complicated by two things. One, her best friend (who...more There's something particularly fascinating about books set in the afterlife. It's a purely unknowable world, yet at the same time one that might actually exist. In Kimberly Sabatini's afterlife - the Obmil - you get three chances to examine your past and complete your life's journey next time. Elliot Turner is a Third Timer and knows this is her last chance to get it right. It's time to go past the surface.

Elliot's journey to self-discovery is complicated by two things. One, her best friend (who she's shared every life with) has suddenly decided to stay away from her. Two, there are two guys with whom she feels an instant connection - one intense and broody, the other cheerful and loving. As it turns out, both boys were pivotal to Elliot's most recent life.

I found the beginning of TOUCHING THE SURFACE somewhat confusing. The characters Delve into their memories and the first several Delves were rather abrupt. The content of the Delves was supposed to be somewhat mysterious, considering Elliot doesn't entirely remember what happened, but it took me awhile to get into the rhythm of when she'd switch between past and present.

But once I got into TOUCHING THE SURFACE, I loved it. Sabatini sets up some predictable elements, but she managed to make them play out in an unpredictable way. I particularly enjoyed TOUCHING THE SURFACE's treatment of love. Sabatini doesn't give short shrift to any of its forms. It can be romantic, platonic, familial, or friendly. And love in all its forms is important to living.

TOUCHING THE SURFACE is a terrific debut. Sabatini has shown that she can handle big ideas in an individual, human manner. I also liked the little glimpses into the journeys other people are making at the Obmil. This is Elliot's story, but she's in a world where everyone is struggling with their own story. It's an intriguing take on life after death. TOUCHING THE SURFACE might be a good novel to introduce contemporary fans to something more fantastical. It's also a good choice for speculative fiction fans tired of monsters and dystopias and looking for something a little quieter, if no less dramatic.(less)

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Mar 05, 2013 Danny rated it 4 of 5 stars

Read Review at Bewitched Bookworms

What can we learn from Life?
That is one of the most basic questions and Kimberly Sabatani beautifully addressed this in a paranormal after-life setting. Each Soul goes to an after life place to examine what they learned and maybe also buried in their previous life span. Elliot already had the chance to live 3 times and should have already managed to learn from her mistakes and examine carefully her soul. But, it’s not as easy as it seems and Elliot struggles...more Read Review at Bewitched Bookworms

What can we learn from Life?
That is one of the most basic questions and Kimberly Sabatani beautifully addressed this in a paranormal after-life setting. Each Soul goes to an after life place to examine what they learned and maybe also buried in their previous life span. Elliot already had the chance to live 3 times and should have already managed to learn from her mistakes and examine carefully her soul. But, it’s not as easy as it seems and Elliot struggles hard. Especially considering that this is her very last try. Each Soul has 3 chances and this is her last!

Elliot – lost soul with deep buried secrets
Needless to say Elliott is confused and scared when she comes to the after life again. And I must say that she’s not the easiest character to love and connect to. But, this is part of the allure of the story. We need to go deeper into the emotions and depth of her soul to understand and finally love her. I found it a fascinating development to see Eliot grow during the process and it was easy to develop our opinion of her along with her own understandings. Eliot is not without fault, but that makes her even more genuine and real.

Colorful Cast of Characters and deep connections
What I loved most about the story, apart from it’s beautiful setting was the connection and growth between the characters. We have a great cast of supporting characters both male and female that all had their share of secrets that made them just more intriguing. Their is a lot of love between the characters and not only the romantic one, but also the love between friends that runs deeper than normal friendship. I especially loved and cherished these moments as they were filled with tender emotions. Also the romance is rather slowly building up, but the pace was perfect for the story. My only concern was that the ending came rather rushed and especially Julia (Eliot’s Best Friend) disappeared a little too fast. Also, it took me some time to grasps the basics of the after-life.

Touching the Surface by Kimberly Sabatini was a touching and wonderful deep debut, which goes deep into the basics of human relations and the growth of a soul during a life span. Especially the tender, loving portrayed relationships between friends, soul mates and lovers was beautifully implemented.(less)

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Apr 17, 2013 Jacquie rated it 4 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Touching The Surface was a great book. Although the beginning was a little rocky while I tried to understand everything, as I continued reading it mostly clicked.

The main character, Elliot, is a lost soul who is trying to learn a lesson from her past life so she can move on. This lesson isn't brought up in the text until the end of the book, but the entire story is a wonderful reminder about how we must forgive, forget, and move on.

I loved Trevor and Elliot together. At first I didn't like Tre...more

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Mar 11, 2013 Stephanie Ziegler rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Young Adults

Shelves: autographed, author-sent, first-reads, giveaway-win, favorites

I believe we are on this Earth to learn something. If we learned it, your next life would be better. If you didn't, you would have to learn that lesson plus another lesson in your next life until you succeeded in achieving all life lessons. With that being said, this book follows along the similar values that I have when it comes to spirituality so this book captivated me. Plus the story line was fantastic.

This author writes a story with so many sub-stories, I cannot even count. Somehow she wra...more

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Feb 05, 2013 Lucia The Loyal Book rated it 4 of 5 stars

Originally posted here (scroll down for Italiani): http://theloyalbook.blogspot.it/2013/...

Touching the surface by Kimberly Sabatini has one of those settings which fascinates me, a compelling plot and a wonderful message. It's a novel where memories, death, life, sorrow, pain, forgiveness and love all come together in order to create a sweet and lovely story that had me up at night.

The book is set in the Ombil, a kind of limbo where souls go after they die when they haven't figured out their ow...more

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Dec 04, 2012 Heather andrews rated it 5 of 5 stars

Landing in the afterlife for a third time Elliot knows she's messed up, before she can move on she has to figure out how she landed dead again. As she digs deeper she learns of the people she's hurt, betrayed, and even killed. It's not just her who needs to figure out the pieces but other rely on her as well, Trevor, Julia, and Oliver. They also must convince Elliot that in order to truly move on she must forgive herself and let the past be the past. All of their lives are somehow entwined and...more

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Apr 07, 2013 Queena rated it 2 of 5 stars

This book is about a girl who is dead and in this place where she stays and remember her past in order to go on to the next life. However, remembering her past is not as easy as it seems when there are two brothers and she like one of them and the other brother likes her. Also in this life, her best friend in the world turns her back on her. Now she is in this place to figure out what is going on.
I thought that this book was very confusing since they were a lot of past names going on. The girl...more

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Jan 03, 2013 Manami Suenaga rated it 3 of 5 stars

The novel did deliver in the aspects of various concepts of afterlife. And that was about all that interested me in this book. Fortunately, that was the most discussed topic in this novel and what made me finish this book. I loved the idea of "delving" and how we looked back on our past lives and learned from them. What also fascinated me was the concept that we decide as humans to put ourselves in either personal hell or heaven. I never thought about how we had the choice of being happy or sad...more

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Aug 22, 2012 Andrea rated it 4 of 5 stars

3.5 out of 5 rating

I had been in a little bit of a reading slump so this was a nice change. I easily fell into reading the story--the words just flowed so well for me and I found myself halfway through the book quicker than I imagined.

I do have to admit that I found myself rolling my eyes a couple of times, especially at the way the word "love" was thrown around. But that didn't diminish from my enjoyment.

I enjoyed reading this version of the afterlife. The idea of souls going into humans sever...more

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Jan 25, 2013 Mackenzie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: first-reads-and-arcs

I received this book in a giveaway and I honestly expected another cookie cutter YA novel. Let me tell you, this is not cookie cutter in the least. The whole book was deep, meaningful, and lacked the "so romantic I could vomit" aspect of most YA debut novels.

The story itself is about life, death, and what comes in between. I'll admit that I had a little trouble picturing an afterlife that reminded me of a cross between rehab and a resort, but after the plot really picked up, everything was crys...more I received this book in a giveaway and I honestly expected another cookie cutter YA novel. Let me tell you, this is not cookie cutter in the least. The whole book was deep, meaningful, and lacked the "so romantic I could vomit" aspect of most YA debut novels.

The story itself is about life, death, and what comes in between. I'll admit that I had a little trouble picturing an afterlife that reminded me of a cross between rehab and a resort, but after the plot really picked up, everything was crystal clear.

Throughout the story, these souls who have died and moved on to the afterlife are trying to remember their pasts. They literally have no idea what they were about before they died. The flashbacks that take them back in time to relive the most crucial moments in their lives are called Delves. (I would like to take a moment to point out that delve is now on my list of favorite words). As the delves happen, its like reading a story backwards. With each one, you get a new piece of the puzzle, a new hint in the mystery. Then all of the sudden, at the end it just clicks into place. This aspect of the story was probably my favorite part and it was what really separated this story from others. Totally unique and beautifully written.

Then there's the characters. Ohmigawd. These characters were absolutely amazing. The four main characters had four different stories that completely interwove into a flawless pile of plot. Even the minor characters got a few plot twists. I truly did not expect their stories to come together that perfectly. Their past lives and afterlife (afterlives?) led to a well written romance that wasn't ridiculously corny, but instead was really touching. I guess you could say it was a love triangle that became a love quadrilateral, went back to a triangle, and then ended in a pair.

This was an amazing debut from Kimberly Sabatini. The story was unique, deep, and her characters were very well thought out. Definitely recommend this to any YA fan and I'm looking forward to seeing more of Kimberly's writing. (less)

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Jul 31, 2012 Susan rated it 5 of 5 stars

I have had the pleasure of watching this book grow! I have read her manuscripts three different times and can not wait until I have the publish copy in my hand! Thank you Kim for allowing me to be part of this journey with you!

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Jan 19, 2013 Lisa rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2013-read

When I found out that I won a hardcover copy of this book, I was ecstatic! When it finally came in the mail, I was eager to start. And when I started, I cannot put it down!

I've never read books with afterlife themes before, so this is a new experience. And it's great! Kimberly Sabatini is definitely my kind of author. I fell in love with her writing, the plot, the characters...everything.

I think the world of Obmill is very interesting. I like how the surroundings change to reflect your mind and...more

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Mar 14, 2013 Cathy rated it 5 of 5 stars

I took waaaaaay to long to read this- I had to wait a while for it since it kept getting checked out of the library by teens (a VERY good sign)- but it was worth the wait. After a year of assault by zombie books and dystopian violence, here was a thoughtful, beautiful, lush story of the afterlife, relationships, and the power of love. The Obmil was described so well I could picture it- the characters well fleshed out I can picture them. While the (gorgeous) cover may appeal to girls, this is a s...more

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May 18, 2013 Allison L rated it 5 of 5 stars

Touching The Surface honestly blew me away. At first I didn’t really know what to expect of it, or really how to take it because there were quite a few twists and turns. But once everything started gelling together, I was literally like “AHH! Must. Read More.” I had to know what happened to each of the characters, and I wanted to know where each of them wound up. I found myself connected to them in ways that I didn’t really expect. At I sit here typing up this review, I find myself truly reflect...more

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May 09, 2013 Kimba (Caffeinated Book Reviewer) rated it 5 of 5 stars

The tale begins when Elliot bursts from the surface into the Obmil or afterlife. She discovers she has died again and is now a third timer to the Obmil. Here she will need to gain perspective and delve into her past life in search of answers and acceptance. Only when she reaches enlightenment will she moves on to her next life. The tale that unfolds was filled with mystery, painful memories, happy memories and characters that kept me enthralled.

I adored and appreciated the diverse and fleshed ou...more The tale begins when Elliot bursts from the surface into the Obmil or afterlife. She discovers she has died again and is now a third timer to the Obmil. Here she will need to gain perspective and delve into her past life in search of answers and acceptance. Only when she reaches enlightenment will she moves on to her next life. The tale that unfolds was filled with mystery, painful memories, happy memories and characters that kept me enthralled.

I adored and appreciated the diverse and fleshed out characters Sabatini presented us with. On the surface Elliot can appear selfish but as we delve we see a complex soul in search of happiness, riddled with guilt, and in seeking forgiveness and understanding. I came to adore her, and loved the growth we see in her character as she interaction with the others. Her best friend through her past two lives is Julia and she chooses to delve in a separate group from Elliot. We get a fresh look at how a person’s life can be overshadowed by another. Oliver and Trevor are the two boys in Elliot’s life and I loved them each. Their relationship to her was fascinating. At first Oliver was the carefree boy, whom she seems to love and who makes her feel safe. Trevor is angry and lasses out. I loved his t-shirt as the slogans on it changed with his mood. Through delving their personalities unfold and we learn about their past connection to Elliot. It was completely fascinating and felt so genuine it left me breathless. Mel and David are counselors or guides and Freddie seems to help everyone. Each character impacts the tale and we learn something from them. I found myself emotionally connected with them and was so pleased the author did not include a love triangle but tied them all together. Their emotions felt raw and genuine.

Not only do we get original and unique characters but then Sabatini builds a world in the afterlife that is absolutely breathtaking and completely original. Think of a camp set deep in the woods by an enormous peaceful lake, but the setting changes for each person’s moods and needs.(rain, winter, fall, summer, landscape) So as a soul walks the world builds around them from lakes, to windmills to soaring mountain views. The whole concept of the Obmil and what it represents to souls was a fascinating look at reincarnation. This subject has always interested me, and I have often wondered if people who just seem to have all their shit together are really old souls, while numbskulls are just floundering newbies. Delving is an interesting aspect where souls fall back and view moments in their previous life. These delves are done as a group and the hope is that the others will help the soul reach enlightenment. When that is achieved the soul can move forward into a new life. I loved how all of the souls tied together from the experiences they shared in their previous lives and in the Obmil. This was a spectacular tale that followed seamlessly and I literally consumed it in two sittings. The scenes go between time in the Obmil and the characters previous lives and I liked how we experienced it along with the characters. We both emerged from each delve with more understanding regarding each character and their journey. The author used this landscape to address issues regarding suicide, the afterlife, child abuse, forgiveness, carelessness, love and friendship. As we gain understanding of their initial responses to each other we watch the characters grow, recognize that their attitudes and actions are really just protective mechanisms and as readers we can see how people in our daily lives uses these crutches. I truly believe people act like asshats because they have issues they need to address. It’s a cry for help and I try to look at their perspective of things to gain insight into what drives them. The author brilliantly reveals this. Am I rambling? Gads, just trust me, this book will make you think, and entertain you all at the same time. It’s a book you will think about long after you have closed it.
Arc provided in exchange for unbiased review
See more of my review @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer (less)

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Mar 24, 2013 Jeanbooknerd rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: reviews

Kimberly Sabatini’s Touching the Surface is the intriguing story of Elliot who finds herself dead for the third time. Some would say that third time is the charm but for Elliot, being dead for the third time means she has messed up really bad. She has no recollection as to how she ended up here again and all she wants is to move on. But she knows that the afterlife will force her to relive painful memories of her life. She realizes that she needs to make things right especially with the people t...more

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Feb 10, 2013 Veronica rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: goodreads-first-reads

I won a copy of this as a GoodReads First Reads.
The story is intriguing. What would you do if you realized you had died for a third time and were back in Obmil, which meant that you had to figure out something about your live(s) and change that to try and move "on"?

I really enjoyed this story. Getting to be with Elliot as she tried to discover and resolve what it was that needed to be changed was incredibly interesting. The characters perform "delving", which involves delving into your past life...more

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Feb 14, 2013 The Twins Read rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: michelle-s-shelf, nicole-s-shelf, sent-for-review-by-author

This review can originally be found at The Twins Read .

"...Over and over, we die so we can start again. What's the point of the pain - of the missing?" -p. 267

Elliot is dead. Again. And she's back in the Afterlife trying to find out why she can't seem to move on. She must unravel her past mistakes and the secrets that keep her stranded in this afterlife alone and confused. But that isn't exactly easy when you have two familiar boys, tugging you in different directions. Add to that her feelings...more

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May 11, 2013 Lili rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: signed

Ladies and gentlemen, buckle up because this is going to be one long review. Why, you may ask, is this going to be an exceptionally long review? Well, the answer is actually quite simple. This book made me feel so many different emotions. I loved it, then I hated it, then I loved it even more, but I went back to hating it. It's so wonderfully complex that I didn't know what to feel. And it took an insane amount of deliberation for me to decide on a rating that I think it rightfully deserves. But...more Ladies and gentlemen, buckle up because this is going to be one long review. Why, you may ask, is this going to be an exceptionally long review? Well, the answer is actually quite simple. This book made me feel so many different emotions. I loved it, then I hated it, then I loved it even more, but I went back to hating it. It's so wonderfully complex that I didn't know what to feel. And it took an insane amount of deliberation for me to decide on a rating that I think it rightfully deserves. But to write a normal length review explaining my journey with this novel would not suffice. It would not help to detail why I came to love it so much despite the rocky path we traveled together. And, in the end, I think a more detailed review will help make you understand why this book is such a hidden gem in young adult literature. I was not expecting it to hit me just as hard as it did.

The novel started off with Elliot emerging in the Ombil. The Ombil is a type of limbo--har, har, see the spelling?--where souls go when they haven't quite figured out how to grow from their experiences and where to continue on in life. So, pretty much, the book starts immediately after Elliot dies for the third time, but we don't know how she died. And it's not like some weird resurrection thing where she dies, this is more or less a cycle of reincarnation. When you complete your journey in the Ombil and learn how you can improve yourself and learn from the mistakes of your past life, you go and you're reincarnated into a life, and when you die in that life you head back to the Ombil where you have to work to regain your memories again to learn once more, but the people most important to you in the Ombil will always be known to you upon your return. You learn about yourself in a process called Delving where you open up your memories to the people around you in order to remember your past repressed life and learn from your mistakes. Complicated, but really easy to pick up on and certainly a unique and fascinating concept. It's made all the more better by the fact that this is the first afterlife book I have ever come across that excluded religion entirely. There was a conversation questioning the existence of Heaven and Hell, but there was not one religious reference, and I loved that. I praise Sabatini for giving us not only a really unique interpretation of the afterlife, but one that does not use such a novel as a way to force religion down ones throat. Such a thing is my biggest worry whenever I delve into a novel pertaining to the afterlife, and this is one of the many reasons that I think this book stands out.

But, back to the point, my biggest issue with the beginning of this story was that I really didn't like any of the characters, especially Elliot. Elliot was extremely self-serving and selfish. I have no other way to describe it. Someone tells her she needs space because Elliott is really controlling and it's all about her, only for Elliott to go off and rant about something inconsequential but it has to be super important because it's Elliott's belief. Oh, and at least twice in the novel, she literally said "Grrrrrr." I can't comment about that.Yeah, she's one of those. But as the book progressed, it became obvious to me that such characterization was entirely intentional. The purpose of this novel is to accept ones flaws and ones past mistakes and to grow with them. She wasn't mean to be likable in the beginning because she has yet to grow and as she grew, I really began to like her. This aspect of the story was meant to illustrate the point that if people let their flaws flourish, it makes them ugly. Elliott's disregard for others, her controlling nature, and her desire to always fish for pity and sympathies painted a really ugly portrait in the very beginning of the novel, but by the end of the book we went from seeing a ton of red dots across our vision to a beautiful storyline that had our hearts beating fast.

It did not help that the beginning of the novel was basically controlled by extreme emotions. These people just died. Trevor died minutes after Elliott did and he hated her upon his immediate arrival. These two went at it in the way that kindergarteners trapped in seventeen year old bodies only could. And it was slightly annoying because I felt there was no justification for any of it. It was all ruled by immediate emotional connections. And then, as I thought about it, I realized that these people just died. All they can do is operate off of first impressions and gut feelings. If these people had strong connections in their past lives, then they're going to feel strong connections in their afterlife's. However, the line between love and hate is thin when one can remember absolutely nothing about their past--so those two passionate emotions can be skewed and misinterpreted because of how powerful they are. Once I had this epiphany and realized that the emotional outbursts were attributed to unknown connections from the past being re-forged, I became really curious. But prior to that epiphany, I found myself gritting my teeth once or twice. In truth, I think that what the beginning of this novel is lacking is more of a back-plot. They died, I know, and I think that's a great place to start off, but I think more or less a back-plot to forging relationships in the Obmil and how the past can haunt you there instead of a variety of explanations about the Obmil itself would have been more interesting for me as a reader in the beginning of the novel. It would have given me a sense of clarity and an easier launching point for this story.

But, as I said before in my quick character analysis of Elliott, the story was very easy to adapt to once all the irrationality was thrown out of the window and bonds began to be forged correctly. Luckily, it did not take long for such a thing to happen, but if you ask me it took long enough. For example, I began liking Trevor long before I began liking our main character, Elliott. I'll go as far to say that I love Trevor's complexity and huge heart and just like Elliott because her emotions are still a bit too easily provoked for me. Trevor's one of the love interests in the story. He knew that he was connected to Elliott because they entered the Obmil so close to each other. They're both third-timers trying to get their lives in check. While he is admittedly frustrating, he's very charming as well. I found it easy to warm up to him for reasons that are still unknown to me. We'll put it this way, while he can flip from serious and angry to light and serene within a nanosecond, he always went back to his humble roots. He provided some form of comic relief via the sayings that would appear on his t-shirts, often there to antagonize Elliott, and this sort of playful-bullying made me like him even more. He reminds me greatly of the way I would interact with my male friends. Except, well, he's a love interest and I wouldn't kiss any of my guy friends. Ever.

With that in mind, I also want to point something out. From the synopsis above, I was under the impression that this story may have a love triangle in it. And everyone reading this knows how much I struggle with those unless they're done right. I'm happy to report that there isn't really a love triangle. There's a complicated web of love that allows us to explore familial love, friendly love, brotherly love, and true love. And while Elliott struggles to decipher this plethora of relationships and clearly identify the emotions that come hand-in-hand with each new form of love, there is only one true love. And while their story is definitely unconventional, I was rooting for these two so hard. So, so hard. Sabatini found a way to capture my attention and hold it until the very last page when the first hints of this romance began to crop up. While deliciously complicated and unique, it fits the complexity of both respective characters perfectly. The exploration of new forms of love was a nice touch, in my opinion.

The fact that there's symbolism everywhere in this novel was rather superb as well. Magnificent, really, the amount of symbolism that can be found with birds. I can't say I will ever look at an eagle or a crane (even one made out of paper) as if it was just a bird ever again. These two creatures symbolize so much more than I would have originally imagined, and they're used in ways to dictate ideals about life to us that can continue on into the real world once we leave the Obmil that Sabatini created with us in mind.

But what truly made this novel was so worthwhile is that it makes you think. You are constantly questioning things about the afterlife, about love, about living, about making mistakes. Literally, everything you can possibly think of questioning that'll leave you staring up at your ceiling contemplating life and your very existence into the late hours of the night are in this novel. They're obvious, they're hidden, but they're there. And they sneak up on you so quickly that you're easily overwhelmed with the expertise necessary to pull it all together. I never expected this novel to make me feel as much as it did, and while it did not drag tears out of me, it sure as hell made me feel. Sorrow, victory, redemption, anger, disappointment, loneliness, happiness, and most of all, it taught me that there's always hope for everyone. It made me realize that everyone, no matter how lowly they think of themselves, deserves to have hope.

With that being said, I have to say that I loved this novel. Once I began to like the characters because they got past the overemotional stage of death, I really started kicking myself for all of my feelings from the beginning. I went from wondering how I was going to write this review positively to realizing that I have to explain the torturous emotional process this book took me on to properly show how much the redemption of these characters eventually meant to me--including my misguided thoughts around the odd behavioral patterns in the beginning of the novel. While I'll openly admit it was not my favorite part, I will also admit that I understand the behaviors necessity now. For those of you wanting to read this, I'd recommend going in with an open attitude to emotional people instead of having them turn you off the way I did. If you do, this could seriously turn out to be a five star book for you.

I strongly urge many to check this out. If you like books that make you think and question a lot of things, read this book. If you like unique interpreations of the afterlife that aren't that religious, read this book. If you like a romance that is quirky and strange, but beautifully written and emotional, read this book. And if you like to be taken on an unbelievable journey of self-discovery, read this book. However, know that there is mentions of suicide and the occasional cuss word in here.

This book is just...so, so worth it.(less)

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title link	preview: Touching the Surface
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