Tuesday, July 16, 2013

Review - Touching The Surface by Kimberly Sabatini


Touching The Surface
by Kimberly Sabatini
352 Pages
Published Oct. 2012 by Simon Pulse
Touching the Surface

Touching the Surface, from it's original storyline to the beautiful cover was a book I loved reading. Elliot's transition into the afterlife was at times poignant and bittersweet as she tried to come to terms with her life, her death, and the value of her soul. This is a story about connection, growth, and, of course, love.

The setting was fascinating. Touching the Surface is set in a place called the Obmil where those who have died "delve" into their memories to try to understand what lessons they may need to learn in order to move on. Have you ever watched the 1991 Meryl Streep movie Defending your life? Touching the Surface reminded me of a YA version of that movie which is a GREAT thing since I love that movie.

While the concept and setting is similar to this movie, it is definitely it's own original feel. I love the way that the scenery, even their clothing, changes both by the characters will and inadvertently by their emotions, so an angry character might find themselves sitting in a stark landscape with thunderclouds above their head and getting rained on while someone happier, just feet away may be in a lush forest setting.

The only gripes I have with Touching the Surface is that it did become a bit love trianglish which, you know, is one of my pet peeves. But I was enjoying the story so much that this didn't take TOO much away from the story. Also, I wish I would have been able to connect more with Julia, Elliot's best friend and their relationship with one another. It was very much ON the surface and I would have liked it to have gone deeper making it feel more genuine.

Otherwise, Touching the Surface was a lovely story with a premise that's a refreshing departure from what's commonly found in YA recently. The writing was engaging, the dialog easy to follow, and the story had a relaxed evenly paced flow. It was an overall enjoyable and entertaining read. I look forward to enjoying future titles from this author. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys stories that take place in the afterlife and YA romance.

Rating 4 of 5 stars

4 comments:

The HoneyNerds said...

I haven't heard of this book, but what an interesting premise! I might even have to watch the Meryl Streep movie as well. I'm glad you enjoyed, I hope to check it out sometime!

April @ My Shelf Confessions said...

I've had this one on my to-read list for awhile, it looks really good!

Did you change your design? I like the new header! :D

I haven't ever seen the Meryl Streep movie either, but it sounds like it'd be up my alley!

Lizzy said...

I've been wanting to read this book ever since I first saw its cover. I'm glad to hear that it does live up to the pretty cover. :)

Donna said...

@Charlene - The Meryl Streep movie is awesome, one of my all time favorites. But I mean, really, you can't go wrong w/ Meryl Streep.

@April - I think I finally got my design the way I like it. I love the header too. I made two of them but this is the one I like best, much cleaner and simpler.

Lizzy - I think you'll like it. It's a bit different than the usual YA fare.

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