Touch

by Courtney Maum

From the author of the acclaimed I Am Having So Much Fun Here Without You, a satirical and moving novel in the spirit of Maria Semple and Jess Walter about a New York City trend forecaster who finds herself wanting to overturn her own predictions, move away from technology, and reclaim her heart.

Sloane Jacobsen is the most powerful trend forecaster in the world (she was the foreseer of the swipe), and global fashion, lifestyle, and tech companies pay to hear her opinions about the future. Her recent forecasts on the family are unwavering: the world is over-populated, and with unemployment, college costs, and food prices all on the rise, having children is an extravagant indulgence.

So it's no surprise when the tech giant Mammoth hires Sloane to lead their groundbreaking annual conference, celebrating the voluntarily childless. But not far into her contract, Sloane begins to sense the undeniable signs of a movement against electronics that will see people embracing compassion, empathy, and in-personism again. She's struggling with the fact that her predictions are hopelessly out of sync with her employer's mission and that her closest personal relationship is with her self-driving car when her partner, the French neo-sensualist Roman Bellard, reveals that he is about to publish an op-ed on the death of penetrative sex a post-sexual treatise that instantly goes viral. Despite the risks to her professional reputation, Sloane is nevertheless convinced that her instincts are the right ones, and goes on a quest to defend real life human interaction, while finally allowing in the love and connectedness she's long been denying herself.

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary, Romance, Book Club, Audiobook, Novels, Literary Fiction

320 pages, Hardcover

First published May 30, 2017

About the author

Courtney Maum is the author of the novels Costalegre (a GOOP book club pick and one of Glamour Magazine’s top books of the decade), I Am Having So Much Fun Here Without You and Touch (a New York Times Editor’s Choice and NPR Best Book of the Year selection), and the handbook Before and After the Book Deal: A writer’s guide to finishing, publishing, promoting, and surviving your first book, out now from Catapult. Her writing has been widely published in such outlets as the New York Times, O, the Oprah Magazine, and Poets & Writers. She is the founder of the collaborative retreat program, The Cabins, and she also has a writing-advice newsletter, “Get Published, Stay Published,” that you can sign up for at CourtneyMaum.com

Reviews

[Courtney Maum · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've heard that this is GREAT.

[Caro · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sloane, the main character in the book, is a trend-forecaster and the best one in the world. The revelations come to her in the form of glimpses, images, emotions and she translates them into predictions. She lives with Roman, her romantic partner of over 10 years but their relationship is deprived of touch, they haven't even had sex in the past 18 months.

When a new prediction comes to her -the return of empathy, touch, and profound human interaction- her long-held beliefs are shaken as well as her personal and business relationships.

This book is relevant in the sense that the use of electronics have shifted the way we communicate and interact with other people and it examines and questions these behaviors in a fictional setting. The novel is told from the point of view of Sloane and Roman, her partner, is funny and brings a comedic touch to this story. 

At some points I felt that the book was repetitive and that some section could have been excluded but overall I liked it and recommend it to all those who like books with social commentary but that are engaging and funny at the same time.

Review posted on blog.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

“One of the real problems with the breakdown of interpersonal relations in the digital age is that people don't know how to be intimate anymore.”

Courtney Maum takes this unfortunate truth and multiplies it by ten in her satirical novel: Touch. With humor, drama, and emotion, our present-day is restructured into a setting with self-driving cars, emotional bonding with computers and smart phones versus other humans, and people who seek out physical contact by scheduling extended massages and unneeded hair appointments. Basically, people are flying solo in every sense of the word.

The characters in Touch are perfection. Sloane: the female lead is a trend forecaster and her next prediction is a return of intimacy via the outsourcing of affection. Intimacy-starved people will be paying for companionship. Not sex...just a friend. Paying for hugs, renting friends for a day, renting pets to play with and care for. Yeah. Her romantic (or not so romantic) partner of ten years: Roman is a French, neo-sensualist intellectual who is making his own predictions, specifically about post-sexual sex. “Masturbation, of both the cerebral and the physical sort, is the preferred release of the digitally experienced” and he is living proof of this. Roman takes his thoughts and runs with them while Sloane becomes more reflective about what this all means.

This book was a lot of fun but also thought-provoking about what our own future may look like if we continue looking at our electronics instead of each other. Professional cuddlers are already a reality and there are existing rent-a-pet businesses that advertise “pet benefits, with none of the fuss”. Seriously, just google it! Novelty or not, it made me think. So after I finished this book, my family and I took a trip to the mall to surround ourselves with people. Some were sitting glued to their phones and tablets but most weren't. As is typical in the mall, one guy was sleeping, groups of people were walking, talking, and laughing, there were some solo shoppers who decided to not shop online that day, and we even found some real-life cash on the ground. One point scored for humanity!

My favorite quote:
"It's incredible how much people want to believe you when you say something is fine."

[Jessica Sullivan · Rating 3 out of 5]

You know those condescending articles that Baby Boomers write about how Millennials needs to get their heads out of their phones and enjoy the world around them—as if it's utterly impossible for people to simultaneously adapt to modern technology and live a fulfilling life?

I don't think Courtney Maum was trying to come across like one of those articles, but what she was going for just wasn't strong or compelling enough to resonate.

Touch's main character, Sloane Jacobsen, is a world-renowned trend forecaster and self-proclaimed "anti-breeder" whose edgy opinions and savvy predictions have landed her a consulting gig at the NYC-based tech giant Mammoth. Hired to lead their annual conference celebrating a future in which technology replaces genuine human interaction, Sloane soon finds herself veering away from her long-held positions on both. To the CEO's dismay, she predicts that empathy and touch will soon make a comeback, pitting her at odds with the company's mission.

To Maum's credit, the characters she has created are hilarious and spot-on, such as Sloane's ex-boyfriend, Roman, a French intellectual who has recently declared the death of penetrative sex; and the CEO of Mammoth, Daxter, a smarmy caricature of very young white male tech entrepreneur.

Maum is a sharp, observational writer, but her ideas are earnest and over-simplified to the point of triteness. It's clear that she was going for satire, but even that fails to resonate as strongly as it could have: it's like she got stuck between satire and sincerity and didn't fully realize either. In one notably corny scene, an exasperated Mammoth employee exclaims, "I want to play with my kids again, but I can't put down my phone!" Ironically, this kind of commentary just doesn't feel revelatory at this point.

I'll end on a positive note: One thing Touch made me think about is the frankly alarming nature of trend forecasting. Maum subtly and smartly suggests that it's a chicken-and-egg scenario: do collective human desires evolve naturally, or do they simply adapt to whichever new commodities are placed in front of them? If the latter, then the implications of this are pretty terrifying.

[Gretchen Rubin]

A thought-provoking novel about the power of the senses in human connection.

[Jerrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was an engaging social commentary on the digital age and constant need for connection via electronic means. An aging trend forecaster becomes disillusioned with the constant distraction of cell phones and tablets and advocates for more face-to-face interactions. Her boss, the CEO of an electronics company, and her partner, who famously wears a Zentai suit, disagree. Really, the suit should have been enough reason to dump that guy.

[Kasa Cotugno · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book belongs on the shelf next to The Circle by Dave Eggars. Taking place the day after tomorrow, when the irresistible lure of the screen is more and more replacing that of human interaction, trend spotter Sloane finds herself more and more disenchanted with the current world until like Snow White, she is revitalized. Roman, her partner of 10 years, is the character that made me laugh out loud -- his becoming an internet sensation as he clads himself in Spiderman-like onesies, making his way around first Paris then New York.

[Briar's Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[Kristen Beverly · Rating 4 out of 5]

As someone who has been wifi & cable free at my home since July, I really enjoyed this satire on the role that technology has taken in our lives.

And yes, I have survived going wifi free, and you can too.

[Sarah Swann · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was so interesting! It really challenges the mindset of how depend we are on our cell phones and electronics. I loved the drama and the over-the-top side characters. I really enjoyed this!

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Summary: This didn't feel very unique, but the career-focused part of the plot was fascinating and the whole thing was thought-provoking.

"Sloane Jacobsen is the most powerful trend forecaster in the world (she was the foreseer of the swipe ), and global fashion, lifestyle, and tech companies pay to hear her opinions about the future. Her recent forecasts on the family are unwavering: the world is over-populated, and with unemployment, college costs, and food prices all on the rise, having children is an extravagant indulgence." (source) However, when she predicts that people will rebound from their tech-obsession and want more human interaction, both her employer and her partner get all sexist about things and accuse her of confusing her personal desires with her professional predictions.

I have to be honest - this book didn't feel very unique to me. I'm surprised by that, because there are some things I loved about it. Although Sloane's personal life is a strong secondary plot, a lot of the focus is on her career. I loved the insight we got into her process and the snippets of the future she predicts. These were especially fun when they included things that have really come to pass, such as the free hug movement and the fact that people do now use technology to pay people to be their friend for an hour (example). These true 'predictions' made Sloane's predictions far more believable to me than if she'd simply predicted everyone swearing off tech forever. I also appreciated that while the message of the book clearly promoted human connection, it didn't demonize technology.

I think part of the reason this book felt kind of average and like something I'd seen before is because of Sloane's personal life. It's immediately obvious that we're supposed to want her to get out of her relationship. It's immediately obvious when she meets the guy we're supposed to root for her to be with. If you've read this and want to talk about the ending, I'd love to chat in the comments. Here, I'll just say that the ending felt very gendered - stereotypical for female characters and never seen for a male character. I'd much rather have seen the book ending focused more exclusively on Sloane's career successes.

I do have to give the author a lot of credit for not making people who don't want children the bad guys. Although Sloane does start to long for more human connection in her own life, I think the sexism that greets her change of heart is a great example of how women's personal choices are viewed differently because they're women. Even when Sloane makes more traditional decisions, she's judged harshly because she's a woman. I think this could make for some great book club discussion about how the goal of feminism is to allow women to do whatever they want without judgement, not just things that aren't considered feminine by sexist stereotypers. So, even though this read like a lot of other contemporary novels about women with careers, I would recommend it as a book club read that could be both fun and thought provoking.This review was originally posted on Doing Dewey

[Alexandria Marzano-Lesnevich · Rating 5 out of 5]

On page 114 of Courtney Maum's new novel TOUCH, I realized I was thoroughly, irrevocably hooked. The protagonist, Sloane, is a trend forecaster who finds herself in a bind. Does she hail the next hot thing in tech, or find the strength to say what she's slowly realizing is in her heart – the need to return to the world of human touch? Throw in family trouble and an appealing love interest, and in lesser hands than Maum's we might find ourselves in an overly earnest book. But not here. Instead, Maum's wit is well on display, dry and crackling, in a very smart and sometimes sardonic send-up of our times. That page 114 mark was a couple of hours ago. To my partner's consternation, I've done nothing since but read this book to its end, engrossed in each sentence. Maum's imagination is so fun to watch, the details so unexpected, but at this book's heart is a perceptive take on a culture in crisis. I'll be thinking about this one for a long time.

[Marcia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Echte liefde is een hilarische parodie op onze digitale maatschappij. Het verhaal gaat over een wereld waarin mensen meer om hun smartphone geven dan om elkaar. Waarin aanrakingen schaars zijn geworden. Ondanks de felroze ‘Chic-lit’ cover heeft dit verhaal een diepere laag. Courtney Marum heeft een maatschappijkritische feelgood roman geschreven, die je laat lachen én aan het denken zet over onze huidige maatschappij.
Mijn complete recensie lees je op Oog op de Toekomst.

[Rachel Smalter Hall · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was not for me. I loved I Am Having So Much Fun Here Without You for being so funny, sharp, and sarcastic, and Touch did not work for me in the same way.

This is an "issues" book in the same way that The Circle by Dave Eggers is an "issues" book. They use fiction to look at a particular issue — in both cases the prevalence of technology in modern culture — and otherwise there isn't much going on. The themes are blunt and everything in the book is in service to that theme, with little subtlety or nuance. If you agree with the author's views on the issue, there's a good chance you'll love the book. And if you don't, you won't.

On the surface, Touch seems to offer good ideas — we are too addicted to our cell phones, we're not getting enough physical contact, we're not paying enough attention to our families and loved ones, etc. But when you drill down further into the book's claims, I just wasn't on board.

In one very important scene, a character reveals that he's decided to give up physical sex, and another character responds by saying "This makes me sad for you. It makes me totally sick." But this situation is presented with zero nuance and doesn't take into consideration the myriad legitimate reasons someone would choose not to have sex. We're supposed to blindly agree with the character who says "It makes me totally sick." This scene sets up the core of what the book is trying to say about technology vs. touch, and the rest of the book unfolds from this central premise — no turning back. So if the author loses you here (as she did me), there's a good chance the rest of the book will not work for you, either.

Lastly, the book tackles the question of women who decide not to have children, which can be a very interesting question, but it was handled really inelegantly and the outcome of the book's exploration was just... odd. And honestly kind of offensive? Again, I think because it was missing that key nuance.

[Katy O. · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite books of the year. This is a short and rambling review based on the fact that I was traveling, and doesn't fully reflect my admiration for the story!

I LOVED this book. It is an incredibly provocative look at our need for human touch and intimacy and scarily true condemnation of current and future tech. Maum manages to create a wonderfully lovable character in Sloane while simultaneously presenting her as in dire need of human touch and intimacy while also being aloof and omniscient. R is rightly depicted as ridiculous and I didn't even attempt to decipher the virtual sex stuff he was spewing in the midst of the rest of his nonsense - Maim did an excellent job wth this character portrayal. The parts of the book that will stick with me are these:

- social interaction will replace social media
- paying for hugs
- employees pleading for help because they can't stop looking at their phones
- the horrifying thought of all interactions being online

I could go on and on........

Thanks to the publisher and Edelweiss for the digital ARC of this title for review.

[Melissa · Rating 1 out of 5]

I guess this is going to be one of those books that everyone else loves and I don't get. But not only did I not get it, I actually kind of hated it. I did not connect with, like, or believe a single character in the book. I should have given up after page 20 like I wanted to. I will not ignore my gut instincts like that ever again.

[Kristy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sloane Jacobsen is the most famous and sought after trends forecaster in the world. Companies across the globe seek Sloane's knowledge about the "next big thing." Sloane may be confident in her work life, but her personal life is a mess. She's not happy with her boyfriend, Roman, and she's basically estranged from her family--all since she fled to Paris shortly after her father's death. But now Sloane is working for six months in New York: she's back near her family, and Roman is accompanying her on the trip.

This book immediately got off on the wrong foot with me as the main character ranted against how society has changed--using peanut allergies and the horror of having to avoid her favorite peanut-filled treats on a plane as proof. As someone with a kid with a peanut allergy (who has met these lovely people on planes in real life), I was already turned off by Sloane. It never really got any better.

Sloane is supposedly a trend forecaster. Her entire life she's been able to "see" things and predict where society is going with certain trends. She is credited with foreseeing the famous "swipe" action. The problem Sloane faces now is that she thinks society is going to turn against the technology it has come to hold so dear: something that doesn't sit well with the technology-focused firm, Mammoth, who has hired her. After all, Mammoth uses a driverless car to transport Sloane while she works for them. They want her to present at a convention that aims to showcase technology for the childless set.

On the surface, this doesn't sound so bad. Consider parts of it satire and a critique on our tech-obsessed society, and it has real promise. Unfortunately, for me, the premise fell flat. My favorite character wound up being Anastasia, the driverless car. Sloane's boyfriend, Roman, wears a Zentai suit (imagine a full-length wet-suit that covers his entire body) and preaches an anti-touch, pro-cybersex agenda. He's strange. That whole part of the plot is weird, albeit one that offers the occasional comic moment. Maybe my sense of humor is not finely developed enough?

The book nails a lot of the corporate world (you can certainly picture Dax, the head of Mammoth, and many of his worker bees). Other parts of the plot are harder to swallow. Sloane waffles. Roman irritates. The dialogue is oddly written at times. Large pieces of the plot didn't really seem necessary. Other pieces were interesting, but felt like reading a research paper (and I found myself skimming).

So while there were certainly funny moments (and it picked up a bit as it neared the end), overall I just found myself cringing. I didn't like the plot, I never warmed up to Sloane, and I wanted to hit Roman and Dax. Maybe I missed a higher meaning to this novel, as it seems to be getting a lot of better reviews, so take mine with a grain of salt. For me, I just didn't enjoy reading it, and that's why (and I debated this a while), I'm going with 2.5 stars.

I received a copy of this novel from the publisher and Netgalley (thank you!) in return for an unbiased review. It is available everywhere as of 05/30/2017.

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[Abby · Rating 2 out of 5]

I, like a few other reviewers of this book, compared Touch to Eggers’ The Circle in terms of both content and quality as I read it. Both authors kind of hit you across the head with the whole “screens are destroying our capability to relate to one another and everyone’s falling for it” thing that we’ve all heard before. In both books, I was disappointed that the author chose to treat the potentially intriguing and very culturally relevant topic of the state of intimacy in our connected, tech-heavy world without any nuance.

I also felt that Maum missed opportunity after opportunity to touch further upon topics that the book includes — mariage, the choice to have children, sexism in the workplace, healthy/unhealthy relationship behaviors, consent, etc. On the other hand, I found the dialogue to be so unrealistic and the characters to be so thinly and inconsistently characterized that I couldn’t imagine insightful treatment of these topics coming from this book, especially after Maum’s insensitive reference to those traumatized by the 9/11 attacks as “September Eleventhers” and her mentions of terrorism in Paris that to me seemed too uncomfortably casual.

I laughed out loud at Sloane’s final standoff with Dax and Team Tech because of the unrealisticness of other employees’ sudden ability to speak up for themselves and the hilariously dramatic way in which they do it.

Although it wasn’t an absolutely horrid read, this book taught me to trust my gut when it tells me to put down a book instead of soldiering on.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved Courtney Maum's first novel, I Am Having So Much Fun Here Without You, so my hopes were quite high for this new book, for which I received an advance copy. I'm thrilled that my expectations were exceeded by this moving, smart, funny and wise story about a trend forecaster looking at a future she doesn't quite believe in--for humanity and for herself--and what she does with her predictions. From its subtle sendup of New York silliness in tech, cuisine, and business, to its really empathetic look at a fractured family, Maum's novel is full of wit and heart and extremely sharp observations about the way we live today. I recommend this SO highly!!

[Samaire · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fascinating look at where our first world lives are going, based on our obsession with technology, screen time, and social media mania. It made me as the reader think hard about what (and who!) is most important and how I should be spending my time. In this novel, I finally feel that I have a protagonist who changed for the better, finding her best self. My only criticism is that it wrapped up a bit too neatly at the end - a bit of a Hallmark ending. But overall, excellent thought project about human connection, loss and grief, loneliness, and repairing broken relationships.

[Jennifer · Rating 2 out of 5]

At first I thought this would be a cool book but it lost me along the way. I liked the tech angle, the future thinking, the trend setting were all interesting and the P-Line app was genius! And then it shifted and what I was left with was - to be truly happy you should find a (younger if possible) super soulful man who can give you an orgasm and get you pregnant. *eye roll* meh.

[Jamie E · Rating 1 out of 5]

Didn't finish. Bored bored bored.

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just such a fresh and fun read. It had that indescribable quality that we all search for in a book that made me so excited to keep turning the pages. It's always a little harder for me to express why I like a book than the ones I don't so I'll rely on some great passages from the book.

"The environment was shit, people's ability to empathize with others was going to hell in a fair-trade handbasket, politics around the world had become a poisoned farce. It felt like the only thing people wanted was to stay alive and order takeout and play quietly with their phones." pg 73

"She took out another note, the squirming handwriting on this one like a squeal of worms:

'I am seriously worried about the condition of my brain. I can't spell. I can't remember things anymore. I just keep checking my phone.'

Sloane knew this feeling, of course she did. The almost biological certainty that the more often you checked your cell phone, the more likely you were to find that one message or notification that would improve your entire life. Oh, but it didn't happen. Like it didn't for those men in ragged t-shirts, scudding metal detectors along the grey beach sand. Astonishing. The world was filled with so many modest hopes." pg 130


Also, starting to realize I really have a thing for this sub genre of "help! technology is crazy and fun but also too much and we better watch out!" Loved this, loved The Circle, love The Start-Up. I can't stress enough how I believe society needs to continually evaluate the slow creeping of tech and convenience into every aspect of our lives. The only small complaint I could say about this book is it is very much hitting you over the head with that belief and I could see some readers disliking the lack of subtlety. I can totally overlook that because it is a point I agree with. Also, its billed as satire which by nature is generally over-exaggerated and dramatic.

[Nineveh · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ok normally I would think it unfair to summarize a book in one weird, but this one just so perfectly fits this word that I almost don't feel bad about it.

Ready? Here it is: Puke

Absolutely disgusting, I only finished it because by the time I really realized just how selfish and inane that main character was I was already almost half way through, so what the hell. Incredibly repetitive, obnoxious, and just plain old ridiculous.

Maybe it's because I'm not to that mid-life crisis point yet in my life, but really???

[SusanJ]

At the start of the book, I didn't think I would like the book. As the book progressed, I found myself relating more to Sloane. The book encompasses family, technology and a feeling of disconnectedness.

I finished the last two thirds of the book in one day. It pulls you in and you start to root for Sloane hoping that the trends she sees will come to fruition.

The title of the is "Touch" and it certainly touched me.

[Kristen Lemaster · Rating 3 out of 5]

The satire is heavy-handed and feels more like a lecture at times, but there are some real moments of tenderness and vulnerability that rescue this novel's main intent: leaving us to question our relationships with tech and with touch.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 rounded up

[Ajia McAferty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating read - thought provoking about the role technology in our relationships as well as on ode to how we are allowed to change as women.

[Alaina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Touch has been collecting dust on my TBR shelf since 2017. June to be exact. I honestly forgot it was there until a certain challenge came my way. Which, in a weird way, I'm happy for because I'm knocking a book off of that shelf. At the same time, I feel really bad since I totally don't remember adding it in the first place.

Now in this, you will meet Sloane. She's a trend-forecaster and a really good one too. Some would say she's the best of the best. The way she can see or feel something and then make a prediction was fascinating. I know that some people can do this, and I just think it's completely wild on how it all happens. Definitely blows my mind.

When a new prediction comes, it definitely does the unexpected: It shakes her up. With empathy, touch, and human interaction coming back into the world, I couldn't wait to see how relationships personal or not would adapt and change. Especially when it comes to Sloane's relationship with Roman.

Honestly, I really enjoyed Sloane and Roman being together. They just put a smile on my face. I also liked how realistic things got throughout this as well. We are basically living within this prediction now due to covid and the pandemic. It was also eye opening to see how electronics were used in it as well. Since we really do rely on it for communication and other things in our lives.

Other than that, I do think things were slightly repetitive from time to time. Which could work if you don't read this within one sitting. In the end, I liked it and it was definitely something different and refreshing to read.

[Olga Lukinskaya · Rating 5 out of 5]

Идеально!
Героиня — форкастер трендов, Нью-Йорк, корпорация, беспилотный автомобиль, pro-touch vs pro-tech, секс vs пост-секс. Немного слащаво в финале, но книга всё равно прекрасная!