Emergency Contact

"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.

I received a copy of this novel via NetGalley by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

When Penny heads to college she's looking forward to a change of scenery, looking forward to the chance to get away from her sweet but full-on boyfriend and her embarrassing mother. It's there that she meets Sam, a baker and film student who is also desperate to escape, struggling under the weight of a recent breakup with his longtime girlfriend and a falling out with his alcoholic mother. Penny and Sam seek comfort in each other, slowly becoming more dependant on one another.

Okay, so I'll start out by saying I've seen a lot of mixed reviews on this one and I can see where people are coming from. HOWEVER, I loved it. It was cheesy, it was light, it was fun and I had a blast reading it. I loved that it delved into some heavier topics, without getting too deep. I also loved that it was quirky, with little details that made the character's so relatable. I did not appreciate the few lines of text where the main character refers to Australian's as 'off-brand, bizarro British people', as an Australian reading that, I was strangely offended, but that was really one of my only qualms

I have read a few mixed reviews on this one, and having now read it I can see both sides of the discussion. I myself enjoyed it. I enjoy most YA novels and especially now as a woman in my thirties I tend to take a different perspective whilst reading, can draw parallels to my nature during my teens and find myself less quick to judge a character as I know how much growth and change happens over these specific years. Hence characters don't tend to grate me as other readers have mentioned as I'm inclined to give the benefit of doubt during formative years. Hell, there's still so much I have to learn about myself!

The premise of the book is good. We all spend so much time on our phones now that I can understand why kids as well as people of all ages communicate within this certain medium. You can basically put yourself "out there" without losing face and that appeals to many people in this day and age. I just wish it ended a little stronger.

Look at this damn cover people. Its pinkish and the cursive is to die for. I am a sucker for those ‘so close they could touch but don’t’ moments. I squee’d and died a little when I was granted early access to this beauty. It draws the attention of the reader and every time I look, I notice another detail. Kudos Mr (or Ms) cover designer!



So, the nitty gritty. In the first few pages, I felt a little ho hum and put it down after the first chapter, filing it for later, knowing it wasn’t out until January. I was wrong. Very wrong. After a few chapters and realising that everything and everyone is connected, I was enthralled. So much so that I sat up until 2am this morning, determined to finish, all the while knowing I had an 8am start on one of the busiest weekends of the year (#retailatchristmas). Had I not, this review would have been frantically typed out in the early hours of this morning.



Choi expertly weaves the narrative of Penny and Sam, when apart the reader can feel their isolation, cutting themselves off from the world which has shunned them for so long. When together or texting each other, one can only feel a sense of belonging from both parties. Penny is an Asian-American, awkward and just a little eccentric having lived in the shadow of her glamorous mother, Celeste. Feeling like an outcast even in her youth, Penny is used to relying on only herself, frequently pushing away those who endeavour to close. Sam is the son of a shopping channel addict, born into a family full of affluence and good standing within society. He is a 21 year old college dropout who had high hopes for a life of Hollywood fame. As a unit, they shouldn’t make sense but kind of do.



While the setting is that of a college town, with students galore, a kitschy coffee shop and various popular destinations for being seen in all the right places, the surroundings of Sam and Penny’s lives have a gritty undertone reminiscent of their upbringings. While Penny was brought up in a blue-collar home yet felt like an underdog, Sam was raised in relative poverty and tried to make the most of his life. These senses of self are portrayed in the barren and poorly decorated abodes of each main character.



I found myself feeling an emotional connection to not only the protagonists of the novel but also to the secondary characters, especially Jude the intermediary and common link between all other personalities. I felt this aspect was genius and reminiscent of Cheyanne Young’s character Sasha Cade in The Last Wish of Sasha Cade. While Jude was not a large entity within Emergency Contact, had she not existed neither would the novel (yes this is me saying I freaking loved her as a character).



As mentioned earlier in this piece, initially the pacing of this was a little off for me BUT it could definitely be due to me reading far too many fantasy and sci fi novels recently. Once I was a few chapters in and realised how everyone was connected, I felt much more comfortable with the whole thing. The slow burn of Sam and Penny getting to know each other through texting was interesting and enjoyable. The major thing I really enjoyed however was the fact that there was no ‘Boy meets Girl. Girl and Boy instantly fall in love. Boy and Girl split. But they love each other. Happy ending!’. Instead they gradually got to know and trust each other before finally realising just how much they liked each other. I’m a softy for a slow burn oblivious romance – its kind of how I met my partner soooo (stop judging my usually stone cold heart people! I like love sometimes!).



Although this novel wasn’t perfect, I quite enjoyed it with the main exception being the abundance of Penny listing things. Had it been single sentence lists, then it would have been ok. It wasn’t though, it was 1., 2., 3. Etc. I don’t list things in my life and do not know of anyone who does it. If I did, I may think they were slightly insane… That aside, I felt profoundly touched by the nuances of Choi’s artistry. It’s an almost perfect 4.5/5 stars

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book!

So I always go into contemporary YA/NA with this weird hesitation I can't explain- I almost always love them, but it's like I forget that fact in between books. This one fully stole my heart almost from the beginning because I saw so much of my awkward self in Penny- both at that age and now still at age 30. She struggles to make friends, sees herself as boring/plain etc, and probably reads too much (if that's even a thing. OK, it's not a thing) Sam was the love interest I didn't even know I wanted, cute and geeky but still so damn GOOD. I shipped them so hard.

I also love that this is a book about friendship, and how odd relationships can be. Some of the friendships grow out of no where, and everything that gets resolved has my tick of approval for the different handlings.

Basically if this is on your radar, then take it off and start reading it! It's fluffy fun but it also has a few darker moments. Five stars!

Wow! This was a standout Young Adult contemporary. I loved how the story was told, the writing style was beautiful. This book made me smile, laugh and tear up. I highly recommend it.

What a cute contemporary! I loved how the first 30% was the two perspectives alternating chapters and I was unsure how they were going to intertwine. Then they came together and the two characters became each other’s emergency contacts. They helped each other deal with family issues, past relationships and traumatic experiences that had happened to them. I really liked how this was a subtle way to deal with a multitude of problems. I found the writing was enjoyable and the author used a lot of sarcasm and dry humour throughout, particularly when in Penny’s perspective. This was very enjoyable, with a cute ending!

I finally got around to reading this book, and I really enjoyed it! I have no idea why the general population seems to dislike Penny as a character. I really liked her, I found her relatable, and realistic, and actually a typical girl. She's not one of these prissy happy perfect contemporary characters with only a little flaw that they get over throughout the novel. Penny has more than her share of flaws, and they make her up, rather than things she has to work through. I really appreciated her character.
This is one of my favourite romances in a novel! The way Sam and Penny depended on each other as friends, the way they were always texting back and forth as part of daily routine, it's all so this century, and it's so real!
Also the friendships were great, but could have been developed more I thought.
I need more books like this.