It was an easy listen

I like Jae’s stories as they are easy to listen to and not a lot of boring descriptions on what everything looks, smells, etc. I guess now I know why…

One thing is starting to get on my nerves is how completely sex positive and confident evey character is. After a while it gets a bit boring to read/listen to the same type of characters who want it and take it. Almost every single sex scene is about one teasing and the other aggressively demanding to ‘do it now, and stop teasing’ this is fun occasionally, but after a while it feels forced.

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This book is a warm hug!

I read the print version of “Just a Touch Away” when it was first published and my first impressions were mixed. I really struggled reading the word “cuddle” so often and just didn’t quite get the two main characters. I wanted to love it, but I couldn’t get beyond like! Having listened to Abby Craden’s rendering on audiobook I totally fell in love with both Hannah and Winter, separately and as a couple. Craden vividly brings Jae’s words to life. It’s funny, touching and informative - I really enjoyed it.

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Learning something new + romance

Aphantasia and the ethics of the cuddle profession were new to me and I really enjoyed learning about them within the context of this novel.

I do like the way Jae includes cameo roles for characters from other of her novels though a bit more from Heather and Dawn would have been good.

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Amazing book and great narrator

One of my favourites Jae's book. Just amazing and the narrator, what a beautiful voice. congratulations to you all.
I can easily listen it over and over again. i read the book but I can say I do prefer the audiobook.😉💜🌈

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So beautiful

A lovely story from the first to last word. I will certainly listen to this again.
Beautifully written and beautifully read.

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Great 5 stars

Afantasia character trait for Hannah
was a breath of fresh air. Loved learning about their experiences and how their brain works when it comes to relationships and life. Loved Winters character as well, and seeing her growth, not the usual plots twists either. Would very much recommend!

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New to me but lovely romance

Not heard of aphantasia before or professional cuddlers. Amazing author and have enjoyed other audio books by Jae. Will read/listen to more.

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Great book

Very well written, interesting and balanced story. My first book for 2024 and I couldn't be happier. Abby Craden did her magic again. I can't wait for another story from Jae narrated by Abby

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Enjoyed it.

This is a nice enemies to lovers romance which Abby Craden narrated expertly and effortlessly.

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A fascinating tale full of heart warming moments!

I absolutely loved this audiobook, it was brilliant. It made my ice queen, age gap, forced proximity, slow burn loving heart soar. This is the 2nd book from Jae I’ve encountered and just like the first time, she knocked my socks off with her fantastic characterisation, comedic timing, interesting storyline, and descriptive imagery.

The story centres around Winter and Hannah, two people who are as opposite as chalk and cheese. Despite that, they almost seem made for each other. All characters felt well rounded and 3 dimensional, but the leading ladies were in a different stratosphere. To me, the best romantic stories occur when both leading ladies not only complement each other, but also have distinctive personalities. Hannah and Winter are an exceptional example of that. They both felt like a “whole person” separately, but in falling in love with each other, they experienced new and wonderous things life could offer them. Plus, their chemistry was next level. Both were engaging, interesting, realistic, and overall, well rounded.

I love ice queens and workaholic Winter is no exception. Although, I would actually argue that she isn’t a “proper” ice queen. Yes, she’s rude and cold and like most ice queens slowly starts to show her tender side, but she’s also hilarious and secretly awkward. Her humour made me laugh out loud multiple times and her awkward cluelessness legit gave me life. Granted, most ice queens are a bit clueless on how to show love and affection, but Winter genuinely had no idea what to do because she’d never experienced that kind of affection. Which made watching her fall in love and, for want of a better word, melt, with the help of Hannah so exciting to behold. Speaking of Hannah, she was one of the most fascinating characters I’ve encountered. She is so unlike your average “melter” and quite frankly it’s a good job she’s fictional, as she would be too precious for this world. As a professional cuddler, which was an of itself is fascinating to learn about, she’s naturally kind, caring and tactile, but more importantly she isn’t a pushover. She knows herself and stands up for herself, those she loves, and her beliefs. If one were to look at Winter and Hannah’s personalities as bullet point facts, it would be easy to believe that Winter would crush Hannah within minutes, but Hannah was more than a match for Winter’s “frosty fire”. I loved how open she was and unashamed of who she was, but the cherry on top of those ‘emergency sprinkles’ is I loved how Jae described her aesthetically. Plus size or realistic looking protagonists are still few and far between in sapphic novels, at least the ones I’ve read so far, so to have Hannah described as someone who looked “normal” was amazing! There was a part of Hannah that immediately gripped me and that was that she had aphantasia, which I had never heard of before this book.

The simplest way to describe aphantasia is someone who doesn’t have a “mind’s eye”. Like everything, it’s on a spectrum and learning the basic facts in this book was extremely interesting. As a very visual person, I found learning about this condition after finishing the book utterly fascinating. Something that completely blew my mind, was learning that Jae, like Hannah, has aphantasia. Everyone who knows me, knows I adore descriptive imagery. So, learning that Jae doesn’t see the images she describes legit melted my brain. Her descriptive imagery is sublime, I could see and feel everything she described so clearly, I actually felt like I was there.

I don’t know what to say about the narration other than Abby Craden once again knocked her portrayal of this wonderful story out of the park. I highly recommend this brilliant story, it’s amazing. So, if you’re looking for a fascinating tale full of ice queen sass, humour and heart-warming moments and so much more, then this book is for you.

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1 person found this helpful