One time a boy kissed me and I almost died...

And so begins the story of Jubilee Jenkins, a 28-year-old woman with a unique and debilitating medical condition - she's allergic to other humans. After a humiliating, near-death experience in high school, Jubilee has become reclusive in her adulthood, living the past nine years in the confines of the Victorian house her unaffectionate mother deeded to her when she ran off with a wealthy businessman. But now, her mother is dead, and without her financial support, Jubilee is forced to leave home and face the world - and the people in it - she's been hiding from.

One of those people is Eric Keegan, a man who just moved into town for work. With a daughter from his failed marriage no longer speaking to him, and a brilliant, if psychologically troubled, adopted son who believes he has untapped telekinetic powers, Eric's struggling to figure out how his life got so off course, and how to be the dad - and man - he wants so desperately to be. Then, one day, he meets a mysterious woman named Jubilee...

Formerly the senior editor of
Marie Claire and editor-in-chief of
Women's Health & Fitness, Colleen Oakley's articles, essays, and interviews have been featured in
The New York Times,
Ladies' Home Journal,
Marie Claire,
Women's Health,
Redbook,
Parade, and
Martha Stewart Weddings. Her debut novel
Before I Go (2015) was part of the WHSmith Fresh Talent promotion. She lives in Smyrna, Georgia with her husband, four kids and the world's biggest lapdog, Bailey. Find out more at
colleenoakley.com