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A review by theengineerisreading
Emergency Contact by Mary H.K. Choi
5.0
"Loving someone was traumatizing. You never knew what would happen to them out there in the world. Everything precious was also vulnerable."
For my first read this year, I chose Emergency Contact by Mary H. K. Choi because
1. The book's blurb interested me
2. Mixed review on Goodreads
3. Asian representation
4. The cover is aesthetics 💯
And honestly, the book did not disappoint. Technically, the story revolved on two teens, Penelope 'Penny' Lee, a Korean teen girl who loves writing science fiction, and Sam Becker, a young adult outcast who runs a coffee and pastry shop. The premise is simple, girl meets boy through a friend and after an unexpected meeting at the most unexpected time, Penny and Sam became unexpected friends and text pals. But the catch with the plot is how will they make their ends meet knowing how awkward she is with actual human interaction (aside from her mom and her feew friends) and how effed up his life is (after having a devastating breakup with the girl of his dreams.)
What I love about Emergency Contact is how raw the characters are. Penny and Sam are the embodiment of our fragile teenage and young adult stage when most of us choose to remain a prisoner of what the society thinks of and be paranoid on every big life-changing decisions we make. My general observation is that Mary's writing style greatly reflects with the characters because Penny and Sam felt so real and alive while I binge on their everyday struggle within the story.
Another thumbs up for the Asian representation because the world really needs a lot of diverse reads featuring our unique culture and character. (*there's a lot of Asian references in this book including Filipino and I found that Imelda Marcos fun fact hilarious*)
Moreover, I also adore the light vibe and pacing this book has. It's the kind of read that has a not-that-fast-and-not-that-slow pace but not tedious at alm because the chapters are filled with a balance of fluffy and heart-wrenching scenes.
Lastly, multiple POVs! I love stories that has multiple point of views because it allow us to explore the minds of the characters through their punto de vista so I find it great to read what Penny and Sam thought of that certain scenario and with that, another great job!
Anyway, try this feel-good, fluffy and know if your a cake or pie person. 😉
P.S. I saw that the most liked review for this book is a 1-star featuring commentaries on how the characters were written incorrectly but I think the reader did not get the point of Penny's character in the story because the author wanted to develop her as an awkward teen and knowing how disconnected Penny is with her mom, that should have been an easy feel. So, I don't want to spread hate with this message but maybe we should stop sending hate messages just because the storyline did not lined well with our taste and please read between the lines.
RATING: 4.5 stars
For my first read this year, I chose Emergency Contact by Mary H. K. Choi because
1. The book's blurb interested me
2. Mixed review on Goodreads
3. Asian representation
4. The cover is aesthetics 💯
And honestly, the book did not disappoint. Technically, the story revolved on two teens, Penelope 'Penny' Lee, a Korean teen girl who loves writing science fiction, and Sam Becker, a young adult outcast who runs a coffee and pastry shop. The premise is simple, girl meets boy through a friend and after an unexpected meeting at the most unexpected time, Penny and Sam became unexpected friends and text pals. But the catch with the plot is how will they make their ends meet knowing how awkward she is with actual human interaction (aside from her mom and her feew friends) and how effed up his life is (after having a devastating breakup with the girl of his dreams.)
What I love about Emergency Contact is how raw the characters are. Penny and Sam are the embodiment of our fragile teenage and young adult stage when most of us choose to remain a prisoner of what the society thinks of and be paranoid on every big life-changing decisions we make. My general observation is that Mary's writing style greatly reflects with the characters because Penny and Sam felt so real and alive while I binge on their everyday struggle within the story.
Another thumbs up for the Asian representation because the world really needs a lot of diverse reads featuring our unique culture and character. (*there's a lot of Asian references in this book including Filipino and I found that Imelda Marcos fun fact hilarious*)
Moreover, I also adore the light vibe and pacing this book has. It's the kind of read that has a not-that-fast-and-not-that-slow pace but not tedious at alm because the chapters are filled with a balance of fluffy and heart-wrenching scenes.
Lastly, multiple POVs! I love stories that has multiple point of views because it allow us to explore the minds of the characters through their punto de vista so I find it great to read what Penny and Sam thought of that certain scenario and with that, another great job!
Anyway, try this feel-good, fluffy and know if your a cake or pie person. 😉
P.S. I saw that the most liked review for this book is a 1-star featuring commentaries on how the characters were written incorrectly but I think the reader did not get the point of Penny's character in the story because the author wanted to develop her as an awkward teen and knowing how disconnected Penny is with her mom, that should have been an easy feel. So, I don't want to spread hate with this message but maybe we should stop sending hate messages just because the storyline did not lined well with our taste and please read between the lines.
RATING: 4.5 stars