Touched by Cyn Balog

Book:  Touched

Author:  Cyn Balog

Publisher:  Random House Children’s Books

Date:  August 14, 2012

Source:  Publisher via Netgalley

My grade:  A+

Nick Cross always listens to the voice in his head. Because if he doesn't? Things can go really, really wrong. Like the day he decided to go off script and saved a girl from being run over . . . and let another one drown. Trying to change the future doesn't work.

But this summer at the Jersey Shore, something's about to happen that Nick never could have predicted. He meets a girl named Taryn and finds out about the Book of Touch. Now the path that he thought he was on begins to shift . . . and there's no way to stop things from happening. Or is there?

In a life where there are no surprises, nothing has prepared Nick for what he's about to discover--or the choice he will be forced to make. . . . (cover and description from www.goodreads.com)

MY REVIEW 

Initial reaction

::stunned silence::

Secondary reaction

::sputters like Kristen Stewart in every movie she’s done::

Tertiary reaction

I think that I have been stunned speechless by the beauty of this book.

Title and cover

Both of them were perfect.  I love the picture on the cover and the font they used for the title.  Also, the title goes perfectly with the story.  They could not have done any better.

All About the Book

You know when you read one of those books and the plot is so profound and mind-boggling that you finish the book and just sit there wondering how you will ever see things the same way?

This is one of those books.

The premise is so different from any other paranormal book out there right now.  And it was a beautifully woven tale.

First of all, the way she started this book was super cool.  It starts with the reader in Nick’s head trying to follow what he calls his “script”.  This is where he sees everything just moments before it happens and he has to copy it.  It’s disconcerting at first, but stick with it because it really helps you to understand what he is going through.  I’m sure it’s disconcerting for him as well!

Then, the book dives right in to the story.  Nick sees the future and if he veers off the prescribed course, it can change EVERYTHING.  Yes, everything.  He is constantly seeing various futures for himself that involve many different spouses, career and living situations.  Which must be just…..overwhelming.  So, one day, he veers off-script because he sees a girl about to get hit by a truck in the road.  He gets her out of the way, but in doing so, he’s late to his lifeguarding post and a 6 year old girl drowns.  Heavy, right?

And things don’t really look up from there.  But this book is all about controlling your future and your destiny.  It questions what the repercussions of one small decision might be.  And it speaks to the reader and makes you ponder those essential life questions.  It was engaging, at times overwhelming, but always thought-provoking.

I loved Nick Cross, the main character.  It was painful to live in his head, but he tries to bear his burden as best he can.  I really admired this young man for his perseverance and his struggle to overcome the adversity in his life.  I felt so much for him and his family as I was reading.  The story itself is so full of emotion.

Then, just when I thought that there was no way to save the ending of this book and that I was going to have to throw it across the room (like I did with New Moon when Edward left!), Cyn Balog pulls out all the stops and comes up with this amazing, if bittersweet, resolution.  I breathed a huge sigh of relief that this was not going to have a Nicholas Sparks ending and reached the last paragraph with a total feeling of contentment and satisfaction.  And then I just sat there for a few moments and reflected on just how awesome it is to read a book like this one.

Songs

Matchbox 20 – How Far We’ve Come

For some reason, there were a ton of songs from A Fine Frenzy that seemed to fit this novel.  I finally narrowed it down to three!

Hope for the Hopeless

The World Without

                               

Borrowed Time

The Final Grade

My final grade for this book is an A+.  Not only is it a breath of fresh air in a genre that is full of the same, but it pulls off a unique and creative storyline in a way that made me feel overcome with emotion and empathy for the characters and had me turning the pages until about 3 a.m.  This is one of those books that pulls you into its pages and when you finish reading it, you have to re-orient yourself to the real world.  In other words, the best sort of book.

Special thanks to Delacorte Books and Netgalley for allowing me to read and review this book.  I received nothing in exchange for my honest review, especially not a Touch, for which I am eternally grateful.