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A review by georginap92
Out Of Touch by Michael Sarais
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
A huge thank you to @PrideBookTours and @MichaelSarais and for a gifted copy of this lovely eBook to read and review - all thoughts are my own.
Out of Touch is a real coming of age story, set in three different time periods and stages of the two MCs lives; Teddy and Vincent. Both are exchange students experiencing their own traumas and issues in foreign countries, when by pure chance Teddy adds Vincent – a stranger – on Facebook, and they quickly become more than pen pals, this story takes you on an emotional and heartfelt rollercoaster as both males remain just “out of touch”
This was a very engrossing read with quick chapters, and split into three parts; starting with both MCs as young 18y olds embarking on new adventures and heartbreaks, the story continues to alternate between both Teddy and Vincents perspectives, and each part of the book jumps in time, with part two being set around 24/25 for the MCs, and part three when they are 30. Part one for me personally felt slightly rushed in places with both MC’s suddenly going from general chats to having phone sex, especially when Vincent was unsure of his sexuality, I felt a little bit more time could have been spent with Vincent and him understanding/finding himself.
However, parts two and three were wonderful, watching both characters grow and remain a constant in each other's life was lovely, I did spend the entire of the book shipping them and just hoping for a lovely happy ending. The world building was gorgeous, and it felt so realistic flicking between Stockholm, London, Perth, Sydney and Italy, this book just made me want to go on an adventure and experience the sights myself, the London scene with Teddy, Vincent, Hazel and Laura was adorable.
Whilst talking about characters, I will say they were all written so wonderfully that these feel like they were based off real people, Teddy came across as the caring, family first gentleman, and Vincent came across as sweet and strong but with the inability to open up, and those side characters; Laura and Hazel I loved them both and how supportive they were, and I just felt a real sense of comradery when they all came together!
I will say that despite the cover looking stunning and seeming like a happy summer read, this book is quite heavy in places, there are a few triggers in this book such as rape on page, sexually graphic scenes, terminal health condition, drug use/abuse and death. But all these triggering events were written caringly and added to the characters depth and understanding their psyche.
This is a book I was grateful to read, and really does make you believe in serendipity, I just love it when fate is at play!
Out of Touch is a real coming of age story, set in three different time periods and stages of the two MCs lives; Teddy and Vincent. Both are exchange students experiencing their own traumas and issues in foreign countries, when by pure chance Teddy adds Vincent – a stranger – on Facebook, and they quickly become more than pen pals, this story takes you on an emotional and heartfelt rollercoaster as both males remain just “out of touch”
This was a very engrossing read with quick chapters, and split into three parts; starting with both MCs as young 18y olds embarking on new adventures and heartbreaks, the story continues to alternate between both Teddy and Vincents perspectives, and each part of the book jumps in time, with part two being set around 24/25 for the MCs, and part three when they are 30. Part one for me personally felt slightly rushed in places with both MC’s suddenly going from general chats to having phone sex, especially when Vincent was unsure of his sexuality, I felt a little bit more time could have been spent with Vincent and him understanding/finding himself.
However, parts two and three were wonderful, watching both characters grow and remain a constant in each other's life was lovely, I did spend the entire of the book shipping them and just hoping for a lovely happy ending. The world building was gorgeous, and it felt so realistic flicking between Stockholm, London, Perth, Sydney and Italy, this book just made me want to go on an adventure and experience the sights myself, the London scene with Teddy, Vincent, Hazel and Laura was adorable.
Whilst talking about characters, I will say they were all written so wonderfully that these feel like they were based off real people, Teddy came across as the caring, family first gentleman, and Vincent came across as sweet and strong but with the inability to open up, and those side characters; Laura and Hazel I loved them both and how supportive they were, and I just felt a real sense of comradery when they all came together!
I will say that despite the cover looking stunning and seeming like a happy summer read, this book is quite heavy in places, there are a few triggers in this book such as rape on page, sexually graphic scenes, terminal health condition, drug use/abuse and death. But all these triggering events were written caringly and added to the characters depth and understanding their psyche.
This is a book I was grateful to read, and really does make you believe in serendipity, I just love it when fate is at play!