I actually found this book super hard to get into. In fact, I couldn't. I tried so many times at first and found myself thinking of just about anything else. I knew I needed to read it for NetGalley and get a review up, so one night, I started again. Once I set my sights on actually reading it, I found that I was enjoying it! It was funny, heartfelt and I was finally looking forward to being able to read, and then it "expired" and I couldn't read my galley copy any longer!
So to be honest, I can't write a fair review. I will say I have heard amazing things about Emergency Contact and the reviews are so good. I'd love to pick up this book at some time, and give it a second chance for sure!
If you've read it, what did you think?

This was far better than I was expecting it to be. In fact, I absolutely LOVED it. I kept putting it off since I had read some pretty negative reviews. I need to learn to just ignore all that noise. This book was one of the most personal experiences I’ve had while reading YA contemporary. I immediately connected and related to Penny and Sam as characters and the dual perspective narration throughout the book was perfect. I never once felt bored with either of these characters, their feelings or their actions. There were many parallels between what happened in the book and events in my own life which made me enjoy the book even more, but it’s undeniably just a really good story. It’s not even a story necessarily though. It’s a snapshot in time of Penny and Sam’s lives and the development of an unexpected connection.

I was not expecting this book to be so funny. Like, laugh out loud, snorting funny. The writing style was so refreshing and I loved every single pop culture reference and joke. This was an absolute joy to read.

The romance was slow building, with a disappointing climax, but hey that’s the reality of life. This book was realistic and I loved the romance and I felt butterflies in my stomach. I felt smitten. The text conversations between the two characters made my heart soar and I was smiling so wide. This book captured the spirit of young love. I fell in love with Sam, right along with Penny. I was with her every step of the way, with every text message.

I think this book will be loved by many and also hated by many. If at first you don’t connect with either Sam or Penny, I think the book would be quite pointless for the reader. It would be difficult to recommend this book to people, just based on that fact it could go either way. This book was raw and captured the lives of two different people who happened to be each other’s “person”, their emergency contact, the one they depend on and it was beautiful.

Sorry could not get into this book and did not finish.

This is a character driven novel. It’s not my favourite kind of story. I prefer a strong plot. But others will probably enjoy it more than me.

I liked the quirky characters. Penny was funny, and I loved how she was always so prepared. Sam was a tragic character. They both grew up in single parent households and faced some struggles. Jude and Mallory were the opposites of them, because they seemed like they had everything together. These contrasting characters were great.

It took a long time for the story to start moving forward. For the first hundred pages or so, the characters kept reflecting on things that happened to them in the past. I kept wondering where the story was going. For me, that was too long to start the main storyline.

Unfortunately, this book wasn’t for me, but I’m sure many other readers will enjoy this style.

I loved this story.
It wasn't perfect and the beginning was a little slow, but once the two protagonists begin to text, it's all a quick read from there. The characters' journeys in their art and in their growing relationship made this an addicting read for me.

Penny has just started college and, after a brief introduction to Sam at the cafe where he works via her roommate, she’s surprised to find him having a panic attack one day out on the street. After she drives him home, they exchange phone numbers to ensure the other is okay. Taking their new roles as each other’s emergency contact seriously, the two start texting each other constantly, developing a strong online kinship, both hesitant to bring their new found friendship into the real world and see each other face-to-face.

So. Much. Swooning. I absolutely adored this book. Loved the cover, loved the story, loved the characters. The chemistry between Penny and Sam was undeniable and Choi did a great job at building that dynamic. I became so enamored with these two characters’ wit and banter that I couldn’t get enough of them!

With Penny being Korean, I found that her ethnicity did not necessarily define her in this novel. While, of course, it’s important to have Asian representation, I also really appreciated that the story didn’t focus solely around her race. Similar to how, for example, some books may have a gay character and that is what the narrative focuses on, constantly reminding readers of that fact, where I felt the storytelling has really started to shift in the last few years. People of colour, LGBTQ characters… that’s not their one defining quality in a story anymore. In this instance, Penny was just like any other young woman, starting college and meeting new people. I enjoy reading diverse books with diverse stories but I also like seeing the other side as well – where there are diverse characters having universal human experiences. Asian characters don’t always have to have exclusively “Asian experiences” – I certainly don’t! – and I loved being able to relate to Penny’s feelings towards a new school, family and friends.

I also found it interesting how Choi included as a subplot the protagonists’ relationships with their family, especially their mothers. It seems so often that the trope of traditional family roles are represented in novels but it was eye-opening and refreshing to see examples of when a mom doesn’t necessarily behave as one expects a mom to. This, too, I felt was very realistically represented. Whether it’s a mom, dad or other family member – I would believe that the majority of us know someone in our lives that may not necessarily live up to what your expectations of how that person should be. The frustrations and complicated feelings that Sam and Penny have towards their loved ones felt very real and relatable to many people, I’d bet.

This contemporary debut could likely fall under the categories of both young adult and new adult given the characters and the setting. Emergency Contact is great for fans of Jenny Han’s To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before and Ann Y.K. Choi’s Kay’s Lucky Coin Variety (both of which I also really enjoyed!)

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for providing me an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was a great contemporary read! The book was realistic and the characters were ordinary (which is not a bad thing!) Sam and Penny were flawed and awkward but it only made them more relatable and likable.

Sam and Penny's friendship grew slowly as the book went on but it was interesting to read how their relationship developed through text messages. They shared a connection over their dreams and fears and they were able to support each other by merely being the person the other could count on.

This book definitely had a slow burn romance but it was worth the read!

3.5/5 stars

: I absolutely loved this book and brace yourself for an incredibly swoony review. When I read the premise, I knew I had to have it; it was an instant add to my TBR. I've been absolutely loving all the amazing YA that has come out recently with female Asian protagonists. This makes my heart swell, because finally, I can see myself in a story. This story is particularly special to me because I empathize so much with Penny in so many ways. The way that Penny and Sam meet is quite peculiar. She finds Sam having a panic attack on the side of the road and they exchange numbers and become each others Emergency Contacts. They begin talking and while the conversation is great, it inhabits the world of the cellphone only. I love how they come to navigate seeing each other in real life again and just getting to know one another. I loved their text messages so much and I really liked that it wasn't an insta-love narrative. I love relationships that are originally built on friendship first.

Penny's relationship with her mother was one part of the story I really enjoyed. There's that moment where your parent becomes a friend, and that can always be difficult waters to navigate. I loved that their relationship wasn't perfect but they were able to find a happy compromise, and I especially liked how it wrapped up in the end with them coming to understand one another. Penny's relationship with her mother contrasts Sam's relationship with his mother, because Sam has such a difficult one with his mother. It's just bad and he comes from a terribly broken home. It was nice that despite his difficulties with his mother, he was able to find solace and an ally in Penny, and I'm so glad he was able to talk about his problems with her.

The book also takes place in college which I can definitely empathize with more. I remember being like Penny and having that weird moment of getting to know your roommate. I really liked Jude as a secondary character too. She was nice and quirky and I love just how much an effort she made constantly. I also really liked hearing about Penny's creative writing class and seeing her story unravel. The story she focused on was so strange with the Anima, but I loved how it was reflective of what she was dealing with in her own life.

The biggest takeaway for me was how to deal with toxic people in your life and this was the case for Sam. He had to learn to come to terms with how things were with Lorraine and how to deal with his mother. We often put ourselves in scenarios with people that simply aren't good for us time and time again, because of guilt, but also loneliness. I loved that this book touched on how despite being lonely, you don't have to settle. I also love that it touched on how relationships can change as well. In the beginning, I wasn't a huge fan of Mallory, but she definitely grew on me towards the end. This is by far my favorite book of this year. It had everything I love about young adult contemporary reads. It focused on family, friendship, and love, but with a heavy emphasis on loneliness. If you are a fan of Rainbow Rowell's Eleanor and Park, I definitely think you would enjoy this one! Please do yourself a favor and pick it up, you won't regret it (and also once you are done, please tweet at me so we can swoon over it).

It was an entertaining read. I definitely would recommend it to young adults. Things aren't always as they seem from a teenager's perspective. Mother-daughter relationships, mental health, and relationships are explored well.

The verdict is in after much deliberation and I've decided I like this book quite a lot. It just took me a while while reading to come around to doing so, and I hate myself for the reason why.

I found it awkward to have a male character who wore his emotions on his sleeve so much, who felt so deeply that he couldn't help but let it show. 

I want you to know, people or persons reading this, that this is not a statement of something wrong with the book but rather a statement of what I have become as a reader, and as someone who didn't even realize they bought into society's shitty ideals of what people should be. 

So thank you, author, for reminding me that there is nothing wrong at all with anyone of any gender who feels so deeply that it shows. In fact it is downright refreshing, as was much of this book. 

It's not your run of the mill oh let's meet and fall in love kind of book. It is awkward, as romance can be awkward. It is angsty, and in some ways it hurts, but when it's going good, it's going extremely well. This book felt good to read. So good in fact that I read it twice. 

Once I realized that I suck, the book got better. It's a challenge in a way, and I'm not sure the author intended that but I would like to thank Mary H.K. Choi nonetheless because she re-opened my heart in a way, and I think that's really all I can ask for.

So this cynic would like you all to read this book. Please. With an open mind.

"Emergency Contact" was one of my most anticipated reads of 2018, with its cute premise and lovely cover. I’m all about the college contemporaries with romance. With a hilarious writing style, Choi delivers a memorable book.

I will admit that I struggled to get into this book. It felt like Penny spent a lot of time judging or clashing with other women and I just find that tedious. Yes, women are still sometimes at each other’s throats in reality. But I’m tired of it. The novel also relies on common stereotypes of the catty, ‘slutty’ girl. Thankfully, Choi turns these stereotypes into fleshed out characters. And over the course of the novel Penny begins to have much healthier relationships with women. I appreciate the change, and in fact it helped save the novel for me. The female friendships are lovely, and I appreciate seeing women support women (eventually).

One relationship I wasnt quite happy with the resolution of is Penny and her mom. Her mom does some irresponsible things and somehow says Penny has always been to sensitive. I find that a load of crap. Her pain and worry is not there for nothing, despite her having anxiety. If anything, her mom made her anxiety worse. I would’ve liked to see her mom take responsibility for her actions.

But the main plotline of the book is Penny and Sam’s relationship. Both are going through tough things, and because they barely know one another, they find it easier to confide their hopes and pains. They’re also super cute with their flirting and growing attraction. Sam isn’t perfect, but neither is Penny. In an age where people often make friends online, their relationship felt very relevant. I was rooting for them, and I loved their love. My only issue is that the ending is quite open, not too disimilar to Rainbow Rowell novels.

"Emergency Contact" is a a sweet novel about finding yourself, your friends, and your love in college. I think we need more college-based YA books, because it’s a period of big change in our lives. The depiction of women was sometimes off-putting as was the girl hate. But Choi slowly turns stereotypes on their head. The romance is also adorable. If you’re looking for a cute contemporary with some heavier themes, this book is for you.

This might just be one of the cutest books I've read in a while - and it was exactly what I was looking for right now!

Thanks so much to NetGalley for providing me with an eARC for an honest review, as always, all opinions are my own.

This story follows Penny as she starts her first year of college. Her high school career had been uneventful and she is ready to make a new name for herself outside of her association with her mother. Sam is stuck. He's got no money, no future, and he lives above the cafe he works at. Caught up in a toxic relationship, a friendship with Penny was the last thing he was expecting. But when she is assigned to be his sort-of niece's roommate, their paths collide. After swapping numbers, they become inseparable - on the phone - daily texts about everything from favourite baked good to mom issues to panic attacks.

Ok, so first of all, I thought this book had a really unique premise and one that really should be used more in YA - getting to know people online. In this day and age, you're more likely to make awkward conversation online than you are in real life, that's just how teens are these days. (oh boy, that makes me sound old! "Those teens these days!" *shakes stick*) Anyway, I really enjoyed that their relationship was set in a believable and unique 'location,' if you will.

I also loved the characters on their own, and then (of course) together. I really related a lot to Penny (I'm the grandma of the group and am always prepared!) and loved her insights into writing. Sam was great too, he had a lot on his plate and even when times were desperate, he persevered. They had a lot of chemistry between them, something else I've been noticing lately in YA - you can't just stick two people in a story and assume the reader is going to be fine with their relationship, regardless of chemistry - and I think Choi did a really good job of recognizing that.

This book was super cute at times, but also really deep and emotional. There are some more serious issues that both characters have to deal with. I won't get into spoilers, but I appreciated that (for the most part), these issues were well integrated into the story. There were a couple where they felt a little bit like they were thrown in last minute but, for the most part, Choi made them a part of the character.

The diversity in this book is also something I'm noticing as a big selling feature for a lot of people, and I think Choi does a great job of addressing that in the book itself. Penny is in a writing class at college and they have a very interesting, frank discussion on voices in literature and diversity. It was really great to see the concerns of POC echoed in the novel, one of the things Penny mentions is that she wants to be a writer, but doesn't know of many Korean writers like herself, and when she pictures the character a story, she automatically pictures white characters. I know this is something that a lot of people have mentioned more recently in regards to reading more diversely, and it was really interesting to see it reflected in a fictional character.

Overall, there were a few very minor issues I had with this book, but otherwise, I thought it was adorable and thought-provoking. I would highly recommend!

I was so excited to read this, but once again NetGalley has let me down with putting up a copy that is only protected PDF (please look into putting that on the request pages). I can only read e-books on my Kindle, so this was disappointing to find. 5 stars, as that is what I hope it is.

Emergency Contact is smart, witty, and remarkably engaging once it gets rolling!

Penny is a college freshman who is studying to become a writer. Sam is struggling to finish a filmmaking course while trying to make ends meet. Bizarre serendipity throws them together after Sam has just found out that his cheating ex-girlfriend (whom he silent-nicknamed “Liar”) tells him that they are pregnant. In one of many delightfully entertaining quirky moments, Penny and Sam become each other’s “emergency contacts”. They seem to have nothing in common. But in time, you find out that they sort of do.

This is a great book for readers who love profound, well-developed characters that are entirely relatable. Sam and Penny really grow on you with their sincere introspections and secret insecurities. I really enjoyed the clever insights, ironic commentary, and precious details that were poured into this story.

While the side premise of a student writer discussing writing in class and writing a story-within-a-story as her final assignment might be a distraction to Emergency Contacts main storyline, I found it very entertaining as well. I feel this author’s love of writing. Mary H K Choi is a debut author to watch.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for giving me an advanced eARC in exchange for my honest review. Amazing read. This book was absolutely up my alley. The characters were engaging and captivating. Will definitely be buying this to add to my collection and will be keeping my eye out for future works from this author

Eighteen-year-old Penny Lee happily escapes life with her mother to head off to university in Austin, Texas to study creative writing. Sam Becker is the twenty-two year old employee at House Coffee, living in a room upstairs from the café, baking tasty treats in the early morning hours, and struggling to find the means and the inspiration to continue his film studies and make a documentary. They meet one day at the café when Penny’s roommate, Jude – who happens, in a complicated, blended family sort of way to be Sam’s niece (well, ex-niece, since the marriage between Sam’s mother and Jude’s grandfather didn’t stick) – insists that she, Penny, and another friend, Mallory, go for coffee.

If this all sounds complicated, well, it is. Both Penny and Sam have complicated, messy lives, and they’re doing their best to muddle through and make something of those lives. When Sam’s toxic now-ex-girlfriend announces she’s pregnant, Sam finds himself so stressed that he has a massive panic attack (which he, understandably, mistakes for a heart attack) right on the street. Penny just happens to be there, and helps him through it – leading the two to exchange phone numbers and become each other’s “emergency contact’. Though it’s meant to be only for emergencies, Sam and Penny begin messaging each other, staying in touch via their phones, sharing both the mundane details of their lives, and asking each other questions they might not have had the courage to ask if they were face to face.

Emergency Contact is Mary H.K. Choi’s first novel, but she brings a wealth of experience as a writer for such publications as The New York Times, GQ, Wired, and The Atlantic to the table. Choi’s prose is sharp and witty, and she manages to explore themes and issues that are relevant to the generation she’s writing about. Penny experiences casual racism, which she counters with logic, never brushing it off. That said, she’s also ambivalent about her Korean-American identity – she’s frustrated that she can’t seem to write characters like herself, but she’s also aware that she’s never actually encountered them in the books she likes to read, either.

Choi manages to capture the relationship between Penny and her mother, Celeste, in the course of a few short paragraphs. Penny feels she needs to protect her mother, who she sees as air-headed and flirty. It’s clear, though, that Penny sees only the “mother” – Celeste is in her late 30s, but her daughter can’t see that her mother is still quite young, and she doesn’t see the “woman” in her mother (understandably so, though a photo of Rain in Celeste’s “Korean corner” of their home might have given her daughter a clue), which leaves Penny feeling she has no option but to protect her mother, adding a stress to her plans for leaving for college.

Choi explores, to some extent, the ways in which we communicate and connect using technology, contrasted with the ways we do that without the use of our various devices. Penny finally finds a story subject that allows her to present a Korean protagonist and combine it with her love of science fiction and gaming; she realizes, eventually, that her story parallels what is happening to her and Sam as they take their relationship off their phones and into “real” life.

If there’s any downside to Choi’s work, it’s that I found the story’s resolution a little bit abrupt – but perhaps, too, that’s a reflection of the fact that I was so invested in these characters and their stories that I just wanted to keep on learning more about them and their relationship. Penny and Sam are terrific characters, both vulnerable, both misfits on some level, yet intelligent, funny, and caring in equal measure. I liked them so much that in the end, I don’t think I was ready to let them go.

Thank you to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book - all thoughts and opinions are my own.

I had absolutely no idea what to expect going into this story - and it completely stole my heart.

Penny Lee has never fit in anywhere in her life, and she cannot wait to get to college, far away from all the things she is dying to leave behind. Sam is a local barista whose life seems stuck in a holding pattern that he can't break out of, trapping him and holding him back from being the adult he thinks he should be. When their paths cross in completely unexpected ways, they find themselves connecting beyond anything they ever thought possible.

This story has two of the most awkward, strange, flawed and completely lovable lead characters I have ever read. I became so quickly invested in both Penny and Sam's lives, that it felt like having them as friends of my own.

That being said, I can genuinely say that every main character was remarkably likable, even when they were doing unlikable things. Mary H.K. Choi writes such humanity in her characters, making the reader intimately connect with each one time and time again.

I fell so deeply in love with this story, rooting along for Penny and Sam and the absolute magnificent awkwardness of their quietly budding friendship. I would happily read volumes of stories about these two and where life takes each of them.

Mary H.K. Choi has written something truly magical with this tale of the perfect imperfection that is life and growing up. This is an incredible debut, and should without question, be on your to-read list this spring.

I received a copy of this to read from netgalley in exchange for an honest review. When I read the description of this book, i was excited because it sounded like a story I would love, but as I read it, I had a different reaction. I almost DNF the book, it was so slow, and the writing was annoying me and the characters were not drawing me in. I stepped away from the book, read something else, and then gave this one another go. Still didn’t like the characters and all the text slang was annoying, but I made it to the end.

"Emergency Contact" is a witty and real romance. Penny has just started college and feels the weight of everything. She is searching for perfection, but finds reality. Sam is living paycheque to paycheque in the back room of the coffee shop he works at. He is recently out of a relationship, but that's been as hard on him as the relationship was. Penny and Sam's worlds collide and they find themselves increasingly entangled with each other. Their text relationship is endearing. They are quirky, real, and sweet.

While perhaps not the next "Eleanor and Park", "Emergency Contact" is a great read. It is a messy, but sweet romance; an enjoyable YA novel.

3.5/5 stars

Thank you, NetGalley, for a free preview of Emergency Contact in exchange for an honest review.

In Penny and Sam, I found a lot to like. They've both been through some crap, they both have their own stuff going on, and they seem to find in each other a safe harbour where they can be themselves and not worry about judgement. I felt like maybe Penny drove the story more than Sam did. I didn't mind that, as I didn't like Sam as much as Penny. Some of the interactions didn't go as I expected them to, which I appreciated, though there were a couple of niggling details that I never got all the way over.

All in all, the hours I spent reading Emergency Contact was time well-spent. I'd recommend the book to anyone who likes coming-of-age stories, romantic stories with protagonists who have struggled and look at the world with harder eyes, though there is description of a rape, so I would qualify my recommendation with that warning.