I'm not really sure how I feel about this book. I felt such contradictory feelings reading this. At times I adored the witty banter between our main characters Penny and Sam, but other times the story felt unnatural and jilted if that make sense. I loved them when they interacted with each other but less so when they interacted with other characters. Their relationship was awkward but at times adorable. The way Penny felt towards her mom was understandable looking through Penny's eyes, but not so much looking in as a reader. I wish we got more Jude because I really liked her as a character. The writing style was a little messy and left me a little confused at parts (especially introducing certain plot devices that didn't really add anything to the story) but overall it kept my interest. I wanted to see where these characters ended up.

I received an ARC of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I send this book to myself to test compatibility. N/A

Because this was not offered in Kindle format, I was not able to read the selection. Sorry for the inconvenience! I gave it three stars as a neutral review.

This definitely has a hipster-esque feel to it that didn't capture my attention. Lovely cover, but possibly too heavy for every reader.

Arc provided by NetGalley!

So this was definitely a roller coaster of a book, and that’s pretty much how I feel about it. It had its ups and downs, and while I ended up liking it in the end, it still felt lacking. Also for a 400-some page book it felt surprisingly short.

So, I did like the characters, Sam and Penny. Their lives developed outside of their relationship with each other (though I felt Sam’s had a little more depth), and though their origin was a little weird (he has a panic attack and she discovers him and helps him recover, and from that point on they are each other’s “emergency contacts”), it fits. I thought the side characters, like the friends, were decently developed.

The writing I’m kind of hit or miss on. The reason the book is so long is because it’s written like this:

Here’s a sentence.
And another one!
Sentence!

Text from one person

Text from another

And so on. I can see the author has a background in comic books and this writing does feel pretty pop-y. I enjoyed it at times, while other times it was distracting. Sometimes they spoke realistically and other times I was like Lolololol no. Also sometimes the dialogue makes it sound like Sam is wayyyyyy older than Penny when in reality there is only like a 2 year difference. Sometimes the characters are incredibly snobby and then back to relatable. There’s also a surprisingly amount of dark stuff for a novel that at its core seems to want to be fluffy. The author handles it well, though.

I enjoyed reading this, though. There was enough stuff in it that I liked, and I was interested by the characters. Definitely flawed, though.

I read this because it was blurbed by Rainbow Rowell, which makes sense, because it has a very Fangirl vibe. And not just because the protagonist is just starting college and wants to be a writer! But because it is about insecurity and vulnerability and learning to make friends and learning to make peace with your family and learning your craft and learning to open up to a cute boy (who is also a compelling POV character in his own right). GREAT stuff. A/A-.

I absolutely loved this book. It made me nostalgic even though it is set in the present.

I would described Emergency Contact as the “h” in the word “hipster.” It is a hit or miss book and I would only recommend it to a specific niche of readers. Emergency Contact isn't a light, fluffy rom-com. There are pretty intense elements of the story that gives it an almost bittersweet vibe to it. It's an epitome of a slice-of-life drama: conversations and relationships explored realistically and quick, sharp dialogue. It's not a book for everyone. It's essentially a snapshot of human habits and feelings - the lives lived - through the third person POV's of Penny and Sam. There is not exactly a focus on one thing, but important discussion is seen throughout.

The story is based on the concept of an "emergency contact," an almost-stranger that the main characters can text for solace and peace in the midst of their otherwise complicated lives. Sam is Penny’s rommate’s ex-step-uncle. So it’s a loose connection, but they meet and Penny saves Sam after a particularly stressful panic attack on the streets. After the exchange of numbers, they find themselves in a habit of texting the other - about their problems, everyday lives, random facts about the other. It’s a very freeing space for two souls that are trying to find their paths in life.

I thought the author instilled very lovely descriptions of the futures the main characters are pursuing: film for Sam, writing for Penny. Penny is a Korean-American teen (#ownvoices read!) who is starting her first semester in University of Texas at Austin. Penny comes off as quiet at first, but she’s actually quite passionate, just extremely selective with what she chooses to reveal to people. She had to learn to grow up fast as a child as her mother Celeste is rather irresponsible and acts more like a BFF than a mom. Sam is a half-Polish, half-German (so he’s white) college drop-out who has financial troubles, as he’s poor and does not speak to his alcoholic mother who blames him for her failed marriage. He recently got out of a really bad break-up with a girl he is hung-up over. He is also a really good baker! The whole book is essentially their super slow-to-develop romance, with life bits coming in.

“I’m grateful that you’re my emergency contact. Even if you’re super intense and talking to you late at night is as constructive as Web MDing a bunch of symptoms in the sense that I’m almost always convinced all roads lead to death, but I mean that in a good way. I hope you know that it’s my favorite.”

There is also important dialogue about racism and accepting yourself that I enjoyed. The dialogue was down-to-earth and very fast to read. (Which is apt, as I have read that Choi wrote an article about teens and social media behaviors that this may be considered an extension of.) There is discussion on being poor and the socioeconomic imbalance, rape and consent, and finding an individual’s worth.

“I haven't ever seen a writer
A big deal writer
who looks like me
And sometimes when I write
I imagine the hero as white
Like automatically
How fucked is that”

Some of the jokes didn't really capture me. There were parts when I really appreciated the dialogue, and parts that I couldn't find as charming. Penny and Sam are both flawed but certain parts of their characters remained unlikable in a way that I couldn't appreciate, even at the end. Now looking back, I kind of appreciate that part to show their imperfections? They still should have been called out quite a few times. Some lines of dialogue or thought went towards dark humor, which I personally am not a fan of. I think the main thing to remember is that these lines are written in a truthful way that reflects reality.

Is there much of a story? Not really, besides the "emergency contact" element. Many things are left unresolved, as life often tends to do. Other important issues are given a page or less of a discussion and I'm not sure how I feel that. I guess ultimately, it fits the atmosphere of the book as a whole. I was not quite on-board with the romance itself. Both characters are immature at times, adding to the realistic elements of the story (as a college freshman, I see much of their behaviors in my acquaintances and I). The basis of the romance comes from the fact that they weren’t scared to be honest through text, since they hardly knew one another and didn’t have to meet in real life. Sam spent the majority of the book half in-love with his ex-girlfriend and that always puts me off in a romance book.

It’s hard for me to rate Emergency Contact. On one hand, it’s a refreshing slice-of-life story that captures a distinct atmosphere. The characters are flawed and brutally honest and down-to-earth. I think this story may have made a good film. On the other hand, some parts of the characters grated at me and I wasn’t quite onboard with the romance. Like I said, I would only recommend it to certain readers - especially readers who are okay with loose resolutions and unfinished plot elements. The slice-of-life genre specifically targets the more mundane aspects of reality and oftentimes doesn’t even have a conflict or exposition. This book encompasses all of these details. While the ending is open though, I found it quite satisfying. I wouldn’t deter readers from reading this, but they should be aware of these things before going into the book looking for something else.

Content Warning: rape, panic attack, racism