Emergency Contact = #OwnVoices Korean-American Character feat. Interesting Relationships
Book Reviews November 28, 2018
Hi guys. Welcome back to my more 'regular' reviews. I also decided to use a different style of title because my usual ones are more bland? Anyway, let's get onto the review!
Mary H.K. Choi
Romance, Contemporary, New Adult
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.
(taken from Goodreads. 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.
Okay, so this story was so character driven that even I doubted that I was going to finish it. And Contemporary is my go-to genre. That may not make sense but basically, this book has no plot whatsoever.
Emergency Contact has two main characters: Penny Lee and Sam Becker. Though Penny Lee is Korean-American, this book wasn't mainly about her experience being a minority. It featured a lot of her internal struggles with writing, friendship, romantic relationships and her mother.
"How is it possible that you're this stupid?"
Obviously, not all East Asian mothers are 'tiger moms' but it's pretty difficult to say the above quote to your mum and get away with it. Sure, Penny's mum is a bit messy but that was so harsh.
Penny and her mother Celeste are pretty much opposites: Penny's moody and (somewhat) reserved, while Celeste is bubbly, extroverted and what many would consider as hot. This causes Penny to worry about how men look at her mother.
I was warned beforehand that there would be casual racism for example,
"You're so organised. I bet you're a math genius or something. Let me guess - you're an overachieving Asian kid who skipped ten grades? Are you secretly twelve years old and a freshman in college?"
"Come on, Penny," said Mallory after a while. "I was just teasing."
I'm just glad Penny called her out for it instantly. Mallory does get better later on but I just don't like her. I can't vibe with her. Not my kind of person.
Sam had an ex-girlfriend who was older and richer than him and made him feel terrible from time to time.
I personally found Sam okay. He was a decent guy and was pretty darn smart. He could even bake as well!
The relationship between him and Penny was so slow burn, I didn't even mind. Though I don't personally think that Sam's 'boyfriend material' despite his strengths, I was surprisingly cool with everything.
The writing makes the story incredibly fast paced. I found the book funny at first but then it started to feel a little less interesting in the middle and then picked up at the end. However, that was personally my experience. I didn't read this book 'quickly enough' so that might have influenced the feelings I have towards it.
Penny was definitely one of the most relatable main characters I've ever read. She definitely isn't as nice (not that I'm a SAINT) and I'm definitely not as smart but we definitely have these high standards of ourselves and other people. We're always trying to find the perfect friend and sometimes family can disappoint as well. We often shut people out and almost try to communicate with people telepathically, whilst getting mad at why they don't know why we're mad. (Then again, sometimes people need to take a hint, you know.)
Lastly, I need to talk about the Asexual representation and after reading this book, I'm wondering where it is? Sure, at certain parts she might seem like she is but just because you're not emotionally ready for sex yet (or again), does not mean you're Asexual. Especially if you've been through what Penny's been through. She definitely does feel sexual attraction as well. JUST SAYING.
I'm intrigued with what the author is going write next.
Thanks for Reading
