A novel containing the angst of young adults meeting, and getting to know each other. Penny and Sam meet at the cafe where he works, introduced by a mutual acquaintance. Through a quirk of circumstance, Penny finds and helps Sam in a moment of crisis, sparking a connection that they build through the medium of their phones.

I enjoyed Emergency Contact, though it was not a book that I was desperate to get back to when life invariably made me put it down. There were a few things that I disliked about the actions of the characters, the volatility of anger, the pretentious dreams of their future careers (though that feels true to life for the age bracket), and the way the leads tend to treat other people.

I was curious to see where the story went, but I was not compelled.

"I received this copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review"

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.

I will start off this review saying I was so excited for this book because I kept seeing everyone unboxing it on YouTube (I am a booktube junkie), but then when they read it they didn't seem to get into it. So after my excitement I have to admit I was a little worried and almost decided not to read it, BUT I am so glad I did because I really enjoyed this book.

Yes the characters are hard to relate to but I think that was the point. These two main characters are different in the way they socialise and handle issues but I liked that, it was realistic and it wasn't the typical take on a romance/teen story.

In saying that Penny at times did make me want to rip my hair out with how she was behaving but I could also understand her frustration when it comes to her family life. Sam was also a little frustrating but I loved him flaws and all.

I gave this book 4 out of 5 stars. I enjoyed it and flew through the whole thing because I had to keep reading. I will be keeping an eye out for more books from this author in the future.