This book was so good and refreshing. It was nice to read a book based solely on friendship, and that only had a bit of romance near the end.

Both Penny and Sam are intelligent and accepting of others and each other. They also learned lessons about honesty and keeping secrets. It was also nice that the main protagonist were a minority group and not one of the majority groups in society. I enjoyed that the main character Penny did not always get along with her mother, and sometimes had to be a mother to her mother. It was also a good depiction of anxiety and how different people deal with this as a mental illness. Sam is very supportive of her, but does not come across a person who is going to swoon any time she looks at him or vice versa. The book covers many modern topics in a realistic fashion without coming on to strong or preachy. I also enjoyed how the chapters switch between both Sam and Penny's viewpoints.

I think fans of John Green and Turtles All the Way Down would enjoy this book. I think this book would also appeal to fans of David Levithan and Rachel Cohn. I also really love the cover and think it would make a great print. As people are saying now, this book provides all the feels!

The concept behind Emergency Contact is pretty cute: Sam and Penny meet at a coffee shop and after Sam has a bad night and Penny is the one who gets him home safely, they agree to be each other's 'emergency contact,' the person the other can text for help at any time. Over time, their texts become less about actual emergencies and more about flirting through emojis. The book isn't a romcom, however, and Sam and Penny end up helping each other through some difficult times.

Mostly, Emergency Contact made me feel old. There was a time I may have been totally caught up in Sam and Penny's drama, and may very well have found this a very deep and emotionally moving tale of friendship and love. As it was, I was mostly unmoved.

Part of it is that both characters felt quirky hipsterish in a way that reminded me of so many other main characters in teen dramas. Penny is an aspiring fiction writer who studies English at university. Sam is an aspiring documentary filmmaker who works at a coffee shop to make ends meet and doesn't even have enough money to buy a laptop for making his films. Penny's main project is a short story inspired by a news item from Korea, and a breakthrough about the perspective that tells the story elevates her work to brilliance in her teacher's eyes. It was a good idea, and certainly unusual, but I thought the story ended up feeling pretty flat. Sam's main project is a documentary about neighbourhood kids, which isn't super groundbreaking in terms of documentary ideas, though I do like a decision he made about how best to respect the best interests of his subjects.

A lot of Penny's problems also had to do with her mother. I liked the cultural aspect of it, where Penny's non-Korean roommate complains that Penny's mother is too involved in her life considering she's now in university, and Penny explains that that's just how their relationship is. I thought that felt very realistic, and I thought the roommate's reaction was also very true-to-life. But overall, I felt bad for Penny's mother, with Penny being so judgemental of her romantic life and her love for trendy, youthful clothes. I can understand where Penny is coming from, and perhaps if I had read this when I was Penny's age, I may have even sympathized, but as it is, I felt sorrier for the mother.

Still, the story got better the further it developed, and I especially liked how the friendship between Sam and Penny evolved over time. I think younger readers or at least more angsty or less jaded ones, may enjoy this book more than I did, but this simply wasn't for me. One thing I did absolutely love is the cover art: the illustrations and cover design are gorgeous!

+

Thank you to Simon and Schuster Canada for an e-galley of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The review will go live on my blog on March 26.

I loved this book! I loved the characters and the plot. I loved how awkward both Penny and Sam were. The characters were so delightfully real both in their struggle to keep it to "just friends" and in their eventual relationship. Everything these characters had to deal with resonates: dysfunctional parents, switching from high school to college, fitting in with a new peer group, being an adult....the story flowed, I had to keep reading.

Highly recommend!!

This is a very charming story about two oddballs who find each other. I enjoyed how Choi wove texting into the story—normally this is so awkward in fiction, but here it really serves to help illustrate both characters and how they interact with the world (and each other). The story is entertaining and well-paced, although I found that it glossed over some serious subject matter that could have benefitted from more careful consideration (Penny's relationship with her mom was both relatable and a little puzzling, and I wish it had been explored in more depth). But overall, a fun and entertaining read with very likeable main characters.

When I saw this on NetGalley, the first thing that drew me in were the Rainbow Rowell references. What can I say? I really liked both Eleanor & Park and Fangirl that those comparisons get me every time! But the second thing that made me really want to read this book was the texting bit! I really like the idea of people getting to know each other more through text, opening themselves up when they wouldn’t have otherwise. So, needless to say, I’m really grateful that my request was approved by NetGalley and the publisher!

Firstly, I really want to say that these characters were great! They really popped in this story, every single one of them! Sometimes, I find that while the main characters are really developed within a story, the secondary characters are either flat or aren’t seen as much, and thus become flatter characters in comparison. And yes, while Penny and Sam take center-stage in this novel, the other characters are given such detailed description that I feel as if I know every character within the book!

But honestly, I did love the dual POVs alternating between Penny and Sam! I think it was seeing how they saw themselves versus how the other person saw themselves that made it really worthwhile! If it was just one POV though, I probably wouldn’t have liked it as much. Especially with Penny constantly berating her looks and personality. It just rubbed me the wrong way. It wouldn’t be once in a while; instead, it would occur in every other chapter. I get the fact that she has such a beautiful mother as well as the fact that girls are taught to monitor their appearance and find themselves lacking is a part of it. But seriously, I wish I could read about a character who was mostly confident in their appearance. They don’t have to be Mary Sue confident about it – I just would love for it not to be a main hang-up sometimes. Sam’s also insecure about his appearance, being really skinny and covering himself with tattoos to compensate, which helps. The great thing, though, about their inner thoughts is that you see that the things that bugged them are loved by the other person. It was the balm that soothed my soul!

I did enjoy reading about Penny’s journey as a writer in school as well as Sam going to community college to study film. Penny’s experience did remind me a lot of Cath’s in Fangirl, so the comparison to it was pretty accurate! I loved seeing her written story develop within the main story, and kind of want to read it in its entirety now! Likewise, it was interesting to see Sam’s process on how he filmed his documentary and I wish that I got to know more about what happens afterwards, in terms what he does with it later…

Well, that’s all I have to say about Emergency Contact by Mary H.K. Choi! For now, at least (I honestly have a whole lot more good things to say 🙂 )! I would definitely recommend this to anyone who’s a fan of Rainbow Rowell or contemporary novels in general! Especially if they’re looking for YA novels with a post-secondary setting!

4.5/5
I received a free e-arc in exchange of an honest review.

The First thing I’m going to say is that I want more. Way more. I want to read about Sam and Penny for the rest of my life. I want to know everything about them. I fell in love with the characters the minute I started reading.
The author created amazing, diverse, and strong characters. They are humans, with flaws, and weakness, but they are also so real and raw. I enjoyed the awkwardness their relationship brought up. I love the fact that neither of them had to change for the other. They both did a personal search to be a better person without even realizing it.

I enjoyed the writing style, I will definitely read more from this author. I can say that Emergency Contact is a new favorite. This book gave me so much feels.

**Spoilers**
The only negative point I have is the rape story. It didn’t bring anything more to the character of the story, and it was unnecessary. I understand why the author wrote that part, but Penny had enough background story and complexity, it didn’t bring more to who she was already.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for the e-arc.

An interesting and sweet story. I enjoyed reading it.

What a pleasant surprise. I went into this book with no expectations, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The characters were relatable and easy to feel for. I only could partially relate to some events, but I could easily sympathize with the characters since they were well-written. I grew to really like Penny throughout the book and further felt for her and her flaws.

Emergency Contact follows Penny and Sam at pivotal moments in their life and how their lives become intertwined. They develop a relationship through texting and we explore each character as they go through big life events and how they connect with each other as "emergency contacts."

The story was slower moving, but it worked. You get invested in the thoughts and feelings of Sam and Penny and go through their life with them. It somewhat reads like a lighter contemporary, meanwhile you're being hit with heavy and real things. There's a lot of issues hit on in Emergency Contact, and it gives you a glimpse into the harsh realities that some people face daily.

What I felt was lacking, however, was some more plot. There were ongoing issues that were eventually resolved but an overarching plot was on the weaker side. The story was still enjoyable, as the writing and characters are well-done. The book remains more character-driven than plot-driven, and just a bit more to the story would bump this up to a 5-star.

PS: This is a really great #ownvoices book.

A sweet book that will make you smile, laugh, cringe, and sigh with utter contentment. Young love is a great thing, and this book captures it really well.

I thought this was a very cute YA read. The protagonists were likeable and well developed, and the (written) chemistry between the two of them was lovely. A fast, entertaining read.

** spoiler alert ** I had to immediately request this book from NetGalley when I saw that it was recommended for fans of "Eleanor & Park". Much to my excited glee, my request was accepted!

While I really enjoyed this book, I wouldn't necessarily plunk it down in the same grouping as "Eleanor and Park".

I loved the characterization in this novel. The witty banter between Penny and Sam was my jam. I loved that they were two normal humans. With regular human problems and feelings, as well as the regular drama that pops up like it does for us non-fictionalized characters.

I didn't mind that there wasn't much plot, but I do wish that some of the YA cliches weren't thrown in. Not every young adult needs to have been raped - stories can still have gravitas without that happening.

Overall, it was a well-written book, with characters that I fell in love with. I would read more from this author! Recommended for anyone who likes smart and witty YAs.

Thanks to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster Canada for the eARC!

I went into this expecting a light fluffy romance and came away with so much more. The characters are well developed and have a lot going on in their lives. They are so complicated and human that you really feel for them as you follow their story.

Penny and Sam's interactions are delightful, and I loved how they helped each other through their hard times. Well written, definitely more to it than a cute romance!

As noted in the reviewer opinions, I cannot access the book as it is a protected PDF, not a Kindle file. However, you can mail a physical copy to me at:

Zachary Houle
Apt. 805
420 Gilmour St.
Ottawa, ON, Canada
K2P 0R9

Thank you to netgalley for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I'm just going to start this off by saying that I DNFed this book. Now going into it I definitely didn't think that that would be the case. I saw that it was perfect for fans of To All The Boys I've Loved Before and since I read that last year and loved it I was really eager to start reading this one.

The characters to me fell flat and I wasn't able to connect to them at all. I really didn't like the writing style and I often found myself cringing at what the characters said or thought. I also found that there was a lot of slang that just kind of stuck out like a sore thumb and I didn't really find that it was necessary. It just felt like the author put it there to make the writing more relatable to a younger audience, which honestly didn't work since I'm a teen and I had to look up what half of it meant.

Overall, definitely not one of my favourites.

Rating: 4.5 stars.

I love this new wave of YA books set in college, mostly because I'm currently in university.

Emergency Contact is about these two college students who are each other's go-to person for random or deep conversation (i.e. Emergency Contact). Penny is just starting university and is distancing herself from her trying-to-be-cool mom. Sam just found out that his love-hate ex-girlfriend is pregnant. Penny and Sam meet when Sam has a panic attack and they both realize that they need a friend they can tell anything to.

I think my favourite character in the book was Sam. He felt very genuine to me and his life was interesting: he likes to bake, he wants to make documentaries, and he is dealing with feeling like he loved his ex more than she loved him. Penny, while her life story was unique, I didn't really like her. Penny's studying writing in university and had to break up with her younger boyfriend so some of that was kind of interesting but Penny does come off sometimes a bit cold. You sort of find out why she's so closed off later in the book but as a person who is really close with her mom, it was hard to relate to and like Penny.

Overall, I liked the concept of this book and felt like the characters really fit with the story. The story felt so current as well. There are discussions of rape, alcohol addiction, young adult pregnancy, cell phones, etc.

I would highly recommend Emergency Contact if you're looking for a different YA book set in college.

Goodreads Synopsis:
For Penny Lee high school was a total nonevent. Her friends were okay, her grades were fine, and while she somehow managed to land a boyfriend, he doesn’t actually know anything about her. When Penny heads to college in Austin, Texas, to learn how to become a writer, it’s seventy-nine miles and a zillion light years away from everything she can’t wait to leave behind.

Sam’s stuck. Literally, figuratively, emotionally, financially. He works at a café and sleeps there too, on a mattress on the floor of an empty storage room upstairs. He knows that this is the god-awful chapter of his life that will serve as inspiration for when he’s a famous movie director but right this second the seventeen bucks in his checking account and his dying laptop are really testing him.

When Sam and Penny cross paths it’s less meet-cute and more a collision of unbearable awkwardness. Still, they swap numbers and stay in touch—via text—and soon become digitally inseparable, sharing their deepest anxieties and secret dreams without the humiliating weirdness of having to see each other.

My Review:
I received a copy of Emergency Contact from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I love the cover for this book. It's really what drew me to it in the first place, and after reading the description I knew I wanted to read it. It starts off with a girl named Madison asking one of the main viewpoints, Penny, why her mom's a slut. Even though she isn't, she just likes to wear crop tops. That's high school for you, right? Obviously this shocks Penny, and she scrambles to figure out the best possible way to deal with this. She tends to make lists in her head, which is super relatable for me, and although I wasn't too sure about it in the beginning, I actually really like the way that two characters text each other in their separate chapters. This book is exactly what I needed to read, even if I didn't know that coming into it.

The story switches viewpoints from Penny to Sam by chapter. Usually I don't like viewpoint changes, but it's refreshing and helps the story progress in this case. The characters are lifelike, and have problems like you or I would. Penny is dating a boy she doesn't like and heading off to college. Sam is a baker and he's still hung up on his ex. They meet and something happens, and they deal with life. That's what Emergency Contact is about. I love the characters, and just the way the story is written, It's just an enjoyable smooth read and I'm glad I got the chance to check it out. This is a wholesome book and honestly it's probably one of my favourites. You should definitely give it a chance if you haven't already.

Here's a link to the book on Amazon, and another link to the authors Twitter.

https://www.amazon.ca/Emergency-Contact-Mary-H-Choi/dp/1534408967/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1515796674&sr=8-1&keywords=emergency+contact

https://twitter.com/choitotheworld

Thanks for reading! Check out this review and more at my blog.
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Finished this book hours ago and I'm still thinking about it. The best part of Emergency Contact was the characters (major and minor) and their distinctive, well-rounded voices. Penny and Sam were so relatable, endearing and flawed and you just can't help but to root for them. It was the perfect, millennial-esque love story, but I also loved the focus on friendship - both between Sam and Penny, but also Sam and Penny and the supporting characters.
I found the pacing at the start to be a little bit slow and the ending felt slightly rushed. Nonetheless, I will definitely be recommending this to contemporary loving friends. A confident, engaging debut.

This book gave me ALL. THE. FEELS. I loved it right from the swoon-worthy cover to the forgivably cheesy final scene. What I loved most about Penny and Sam is that they're so perfectly millennials, just trying to figure out who they are and what they want. And, plus, the fact that most of their relationship takes place over text message.

I'd recommend this new adult read to anyone who savours a slow burn kind of quiet love story.