*I received this ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

I LOVED THIS good god this was super cute, I loved the two mains, I loved the story line, this was a super quick and adorable read and I enjoyed the discussions brought up in it- race and class predominantly. Great stuff.

Emergency Contact was one of those books that bought an interesting array of mixed reviews upon its release. Despite the fact that I’m not a huge contemporary reader, picking up a YA contemporary every now and again for a lighter read feels very homey.

I can happily say, Emergency Contact does just the trick. But it’s accompanied with important elements that heighten this story from your average fluffy YA contemporary to an honest young adult story about flawed characters.

Penny is a quirky and independent young woman heading off to college with aspirations of becoming an author. Penny was raised by her mother Celeste, a perfectly loving and affectionate single mum doing her best to raise her daughter on her own. Despite this, Penny holds slight contempt towards her mom for not being more like her idea of what a traditional Korean-American mother is.

Penny’s view of her mother seems to be quite… confrontational amongst readers and understandably. I can really see it as the difference in whether you like this book or not. In fact, I think the opening scene will help you decide this. Personally despite being hesitant, I continued with the novel and found myself really satisfied with how the author challenges Penny’s flaws.

Sam has dreams of being a film director, but has since dropped out of college because of financial issues. He’s currently keeping himself afloat from living at the coffee shop he also happens to be working at. Sam is also such a gentle soul and I loved that. He also is an AMAZING baker, like what a dream?! More so, Sam with issues his terrible mother causes and an ex-girlfriend he is still really in love with.

I felt this story was really well balanced between being hilariously relatable and tackling sensitive issues such as rape, racism, anxiety and poverty. All of which are engaged with so well and elevate the characters and story. I would definitely trust Mary H.K. Choi to tackle touch issues in future novels.

I'd highly recommend this if you enjoy slow-burn romances, and not so fluffy contemporary books. Despite the tough issues here, this book has a gentleness that warmed my heart and I hope this wonderful #ownvoices work finds its audience.

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.

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 really did not enjoy this, and I feel sort of... ashamed? I was looking forward to this book so much, yet, it disappointed me immensely.

I feel like the characters are what made the book so dislikable.
- I hated Penny. As a female, I feel the need to say that females should stick up for one another, otherwise it makes men feel like they can put us down too! (Not to generalise men, of course, because there are so many amazing males out there). My point is: Penny is sexist. Now, I'd understand if the author was trying to make her flawed through creating a complex character. But our protagonist is a one-dimensional brat - she did not have any character development at all. Complex characters develop throughout a book. One-dimensional brats don't. She was also homophobic, calling individuals gay and feeding into the stereotypes. Why? Same, I don't get it either.
- Sam was also sexist. Double standards? Check. He calls women attention seekers for being confident in their sexuality. He's creepy and just... eh.

Now, obviously, there are factors other than characters that make up a book. However, those things are horrible in this novel too.

The writing was annoying. It tried too hard to appeal to teenagers, yet did not achieve it. Choi probably felt as though she needed to go over the top in order to be liked by young adults, but that's definitely not true. Not at all.

The plot was basic. It was boring. When reading the book, I thought it sounded cute - I was looking for a book that had awkward characters who develop a sweet romance together. I guess not. Things happened for no reason. So much happened that did not even contribute to the book. It felt long and boring and just plain irritating.

Yeah, I did not enjoy it. The reviews for this book are quite divided anyway, so my opinion isn't that unpopular. Still, I feel as though Choi could've done so much better.

First up, Emergency Contact was one of the books of 2019 I was greatly anticipating. Unfortunately, although it was a solid read, it was a bit disappointing for me.

My biggest problem with this book was the pacing. It was quite slow throughout the whole book and this affected how I liked the book the most. There were moments where I really liked a scene or laughed and felt engaged, but those were rare. The story only picked up in the last quarter or so but that was already towards the end.

The number one thing I liked about the book, however, was the character development and the growing friendship and romance between the two main characters. The characters were very flawed and it felt well-written and realistic. Nothing much happens plot-wise/action-wise (thus the slow pacing) but if you're really into well-developed characters going about their everyday life, then you'll probably like this more than I did.

I think that the author balanced the two perspectives very well. Every chapter alternates between the two characters and it was never confusing. I also appreciated all of the different representations that were present in the story. Penny is Korean American, Sam is poor, both experience anxiety (in particular panic attacks) and both have complex relationships with their mothers. All of these aspects are explored in the story in authentic ways.

Lastly, I want to touch on the whole 'Emergency Contact' thing. I think it was a great idea and I loved all of the text messages dispersed throughout the novel. They were always interesting to read and it was another way to learn things about both of the main characters.

Overall, a slow read with great character development and a satisfying ending.

3.5 stars rounded down

I can't believe it's over! It was too quick!!!!!

Not a lot of substance to this book, but it was quick, it was cute, it had drama, and I loved it!!!

Sam was by far my favourite character, and I really felt like he should have been the sole main character.

Jude deserved so much better. I really loved her!

There were some weird bits though:

"To Penny, Australians felt like off-brand, bizarro British people." <<< I mean, what???

But other than these random weird bits, I really loved it!

I received an arc of Emergency Contact by Mary H.K. Choi from Simon and Shuster Australia as apart of the blog tour in exchange for an honest review. This has in no way influenced my thoughts and feelings about the book.

I was really excited when I first heard about this one. It seemed exactly like the book that I would love and easily be able to fall in love with. However, it really didn’t go that way.

Emergency Contact by Mary H.K. Choi follows protagonists Penny and Sam as life throws all it’s curve balls. Penny is just starting college in a new town away from her mother and the life she went along with. She’s studying writing, has a roommate that might end up her friend and then she meets Sam.

Sam is a little complicated. He has dropped out of college, working at a cafe and living in the spare room upstairs and sleeping on a mattress on the floor. And then he meets Penny. When the two find out they have more in common then they thought, they become each other’s emergency contacts. They will be there for each other via text when every they need someone.

From the beginning of the novel, Penny really rubbed me the wrong way. At first, I couldn’t figure out why, but as the novel went on I found that it was how she treated and thought about people. Penny was very judgemental especially through the first half of the novel. It was just so hard to get into Emergency Contact when you don’t like the protagonist. Her thoughts on people also hinder her from making friends, there were people there wanting to be here friends.

In saying this, I felt that Penny and her group of friends acted much younger than they were. I don’t know if it was just me, but I don’t think I acted the way that Penny and friends did when I was 18. I felt that they were more around the ages of 14/15, then 17/18. Don’t get me wrong, if I know that characters are going to be younger I go in knowing that. But I just felt that they acted so much younger for their age.

Sam was much easier to get along with. I felt that I was able to connect with him more, and throughout the novel, I grew to like him more and more. He felt more real than Penny. He made mistakes, but he was able to stand up to his problems and he was prepared for his life to change.

It also took me a long time to get into the novel, I felt that the first half was really slow and nothing really motivated me to continue reading. When reading I felt that there was nothing really that motivated the characters. Nevertheless, as soon as I hit the second half of the I really go into it.

The second half I was able to connect more with both Penny and Sam and the plot was able really moved the story along. Penny was able to really find herself in this second half and it was really nice to see her characterization and character arc. While it didn’t redeem all the things that made me dislike her in the first half, it did make me like her in the second half.

I really liked Penny and Sam together, I liked that they were friends first and they took the time connecting with one another before anything more happened. I really enjoyed the concept of an “emergency contact.” Someone being there when you need them most. And both Sam and Penny were great to each other for that. I do the romance was present a little more. But I still really enjoyed being about to see Sam and Penny become friends and then slowly fall for each other.

Penny relationship with her mother is also really strained throughout the whole novel. There were times where I understood Penny’s hostility, but there were also times where I didn’t. She didn’t even give her mum a chance to change things. While yes her mother was free-spirited, it felt that Penny couldn’t care less and that was really hard to read. The reader is able to see that her mum was trying to be there for Penny and be a better mother, but Penny wouldn’t give her a chance.

Overall, I liked Emergency Contact by Mary H.K. Choi for the most part. While I did struggle a lot reading the first half, I really enjoyed the second half. The protagonist becomes more real and I was able to connect with them a lot. The plot also started to move forward in the second half and things started to come together. I also really enjoy the slow-burning relationship of Penny and Sam. Throughout the whole novel, Sam and Penny were able to confide in each other and as the novel goes on their relationship changes. Emergency Contact explores the notion of finding yourself and those around it. It’s about family, friends and finding new paths.

I missed reading the eArc of this so ended up purchasing it for myself. And boy, am I glad I did. Sure the blurb screams 'angsty millennial characters' and 'tropey, cliched plot' but in reality, the story carries a certain richness, which likely stems from its relatable characters and comfortable setting. It may not be a life-changingly-important-this-book-will-destroy-your-soul kind of read, but with one (Korean-American) main character who has a complex maternal relationship and another who's recovering from alcoholism (and also has a complicated family setting), the book really doesn't need to be 'inspirational' to be beautifully written and thoroughly engaging.

Overall, a fabulous modern love story about trust, secrecy and technology's role in romance. A solid 5/5 read.

I am absolutely wholly and messily in love with this book. It totally caught my heart and I turned into an invertible bucket of soapy emotions. I just loved everything about it. The anxiety rep was so good. Not to mention I am half in love with Penny and Sam and by the end I just wanted to tuck this book to my chest and hold it forever.

It’s a story of college and the awkwardness of growing up and anxiety. I really like books about upper-teens, early-20s, because there’s so much to unpack with those first feels of being out of home and discovering who you are as a person when no one else knows you. Both Sam and Penny have messy relationships with their parents and both are stuck. Penny feels like a veritable blob that no one cares about or finds interesting and she’s scared to be open or get close to people (with good reason but…spoilers shh). Sam is crushingly in love with his ex who does NOT love him back and he’s got about $17 bucks to his name and can’t even pay for college. He literally lives in the coffee shop where he works and he’s spiralling into an anxious depressed heap.

I found them both SO relatable. They both narrate and maybe I liked Sam’s chapters a little more. He is a soft boy™ and he bakes (HE BAKES!!!) and if his hair is fluffy, he’s feeling the softest (I was WAITING for his hair to get fluffy for Penny afjdkslad). Penny wants to be, to actually exist, after a life of non-existing. She’s Korean-American and tired of casual racism and being the tagalong friend. They meet because of a mutual friend, but then Sam basically has a panic attack AND FAINTS OF HEAT EXHAUSTION and Penny scrapes him off the ground and they become “emergency contacts”. Aka they text. All the time.

IT IS SO ADORABLE. I DIE. Their relationship was SO well built up that I rooted for them as friends, and then…just kiss, you little onions. Just kiss.

I loved all the diversity in the book too! From the #ownvoices Korean-American representation (there is an EXCELLENT dialogue in Penny’s writing class about writing diversity that was just…so important) to the anxiety rep (they both struggle with it for different reasons and it was wholly relatable to me). It also was about being poor and had body-acceptance messages. AND IT HAD A+ BAKED GOODS REP. What we all deserve.

Basically what I want from a book? MAKE ME FEEL.
And I felt all the things for these two. The book is basically: “NOBODY has their shit together, it’s ok to lean on your friends.” And I love that??? There is no “their love cures them!” but instead it’s about how you do. not. have. to. be. alone when you’re going through stuff. It is full of little everyday emergencies and twisty complex feelings and the slowest gentlest romance that was just so frikkin’ sweet, my heart melted. It made me care about Sam and Penny. 10/10 would do anything for them.

~ARC (ebook) from Simon and Schuster (Australia) through NetGalley

Within the first chapter of the novel, Mary H. K. Choi delivers an amazing protagonist who is instantly someone I wanted to call a friend. Wit is sometimes a hard thing to write into a character but Choi depicts the main character Penny with such a quick wit that within seconds I knew exactly who she was and this set up an expectation for a clear path of which direction the novel was bound to head in. A girl in a world she detested surrounded by people she didn't understand (or more like who didn't understand her), herself a diamond in the rough which is fact to the reader but to the protagonist is very much fiction. I often find myself grinning quietly at her vivid descriptions with obscure references. "The lurid hues reminded Penny of kicky animal-print scrubs favored by pediatric oncologists. It was the upbeatness that made the whole thing depressing." Her unique view on the world was not lost on me and I definitely enjoyed reading Penny's thoughts.

What was lost on me was the other protagonist Sam. Sam's narration was not only stark and boring in comparison to Penny, but was mostly hard to follow. The chop and change of the perspectives was messy and unclear for the most part. In the first half of the book I found it hard to follow who said what and which character was which and how is this person that persons uncle? It was messy.

Although what was a some great initial characterisation the plot has little substance and direction. I found myself asking the question, "why am I continuing to read this?" quite often to the point where each chapter was an increasingly larger mountain to climb. A quite idea for what is assumingly an attempt at making a book that targets the millennials was without reason, I didn't care what happened to these characters cause not a lot was actually happening.

I will say this, if Choi was to release a book maybe in a different genre, I would read it purely for the characterisation (assuming she keeps it to one perspective). This author has a talent for giving youthful voices personality, and for that I can not rate this book too low.

I wanted to enjoy this novel so much, but sadly the poor execution of the differing voices and perspectives was lost. The other characters blurred into one and it was hard to distinguish each from the other.

I can safely say I adored this book. It's such a cute read.

I loved the growth of the relationship of Penny and Sam. From strangers to each others emergency contacts to proper friends. In saying that, I did feel awkward with them trusting each other so quickly in the beginning, especially Sam and his background. The more I thought about it, the more I realised it is similar to the way that internet friendships begin and this initial thought subsided. I did love the awkwardness that came between them from the beginning and right until the end.

I absolutely loved Sam. Easily my favourite character and such a wonderful soft boy. Although I do have a soft spot for Jude and Mallory too. However, Penny, not one of my favourites. I did find that Penny was incredibly judgmental throughout the book and not just on irrelevant things as well. In saying that, I will admit I also found Sam to be judgmental as well, but not to the same extent.

I loved Sam and how he's dealt with his backstory and how that has shaped him until this moment meeting Penny. His actions, which are not always great choices, are understandable due to what has previously happened in his life. Penny is a character that I did have a love hate relationship with right until the end of the book. However, she did end on a high for me with her growth through her relationship with Celeste and Jude by the end of the book.

I loved the texting dialogue between Penny and Sam. I think I would like to get my hands on a physical copy of this book as through the ARC, I did somewhat struggle to figure out which messages were from who. I did my best though!

I do have very mixed feelings with the ending. I'm happy because of how much this book was a slow burn, and I love a good slow burn. In saying that, the ending just didn't suffice for me, although it was cute. I think I just wanted more, especially for my soft boy Sam.

Thank you very much to the Simon & Schuster Australia for providing me with a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

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.

We received a free copy of 'Emergency Contact' via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I've heard a lot of hype around ‘Emergency Contact’ and in my mind, I compare it to John Green's ‘Turtles all the Way Down’ in the way that I expected a lot because of hype (either around the title or the author) and was pleasantly surprised. Although I found that ‘Emergency Contact’ did not make me implode with newfound realization, I did really really enjoy this novel!

I encountered a few formatting problems on my kindle trying to read this, but have absolute faith that this will be ironed out when the official copy comes out. I found it rather difficult to empathize with the characters as I personally need to see or hear people to gauge reactions even somewhat accurately, but ai was really entertained with the way that Sam and Penny interacted.

I found that perhaps there were a few things I would have found difficult but this novel was most definitely a pleasure to read, one I can easily see myself rereading in the future. A read-a-long anyone?

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!

TW: Sexual Assault/Rape

Contemporary isn't my usual genre of choice, but the premise of this book interested me enough to make me branch out and give it a try. I think I will start adding more contemporary titles to my list from now on as I really appreciate the daily nuances that the characters go through - it makes it a lot more realistic and you really get a sense of the daily struggles.


I'm not entirely sure I was a fan of the writing style being in third person. It felt a little detached to me, like I was being told what the character was doing and feeling rather than experiencing it through their eyes.

I struggled to connect with Penny. She was just wasn't likeable to me, and this isn't one of those if she was written as a boy you'd choose him as a fixer-upper. No, the character just didn't have any redeeming qualities that made me want to connect with her. She was rude, abrasive, judgmental, lacking in empathy and personal responsibility (the part where she talked about stealing Maus from a Jewish person???).
Sam definitely is stuck and I get what it feels like but c'mon - actively make an effort in your life.

I don't think this book was for me, unfortunately. Others may enjoy it, I just didn't connect.

*thank you to  Simon & Schuster (Australia) and NetGalley for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I found this hard to get into and my mind wandering a bit during Penny’s sections.

Overall I liked the premise and some of the subplots but I found Penny herself somewhat frustrating. While her character did develop throughout the book, she was so judgemental but was quick to get upset if anyone judged her. I think she was unfair on her mum she didn’t really think it was really resolved by the end.

Sam was an interesting character.

Thanks for the opportunity to review!

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

Penny is leaving home to go to college - only an hour away - where she dreams of having a break from her mum, oh, and also become a writer.
Sam is living about the coffee shop where he works - not only as a barista but making the baked goods the store sells.
After an unlikely meeting the two become each other's "emergency contact", the person they can call in the event of needing help, or even just someone to chat to. And it turns out, both Penny and Sam need someone to talk to, and so a friendship develops between the two via text.

This is a sweet little story, reminiscent of Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell, but perhaps not as polished. Penny and Sam are fairly likeable characters, but for me the story just wasn't as addictive and engrossing as I would have liked.

I did find the text conversations hard to follow at times, I'm not sure if it was the formatting of the ebook or not, but the lines seemed to blur into each other so it was hard to tell who was texting and when the other person was talking.

I would've loved more on the Anima, and I know it was meant to be a student's work but those portions just weren't as well written as the rest of the book, and it definitely could have strengthened things.

Overall though, an enjoyable little read, and I'd still be keen to try something else by this author.

**I received a copy of this ebook via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review**

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.