Reviews

Connexion immédiate by Mary H.K. Choi

sofia_santana's review against another edition

emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

withlovenour's review against another edition

3.0

That's it? That ending was seriously abrupt. There was way too much begging and too much middle but the conclusion was so rushed and incomplete. It was a nice concept and a light read but it just leaves you wanting more. More insight into the relationships, more plot, more of the Penny-Sam relationship as a couple, more of Penny and her mom, just all round more. We basically get one significant interaction between Penny and the people in her life. It was still enjoyable though and it was a 4 stars for most of the book but the abrupt cut-off to the story definitely brings it down to a 3.

oliviagagne's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

dembury's review against another edition

4.0

5/24/2018 Update: As promised, here's the link to my full blog review! :) https://thedeborahembury.wordpress.com/2018/05/23/emergency-contact-by-mary-h-k-choi-book-review/

I'll be posting a full review for this one on my blog, but I will say that I was pleasantly surprised by "Emergency Contact". After reading the first couple chapters I almost put it down because it seemed annoying and pretentious, but I gave it a chance. There are definitely a few flaws (glamorization of depression, unadressed girl-to-girl hate), plus one of the major plot points just completely vanishes?? But somehow...I liked it. I ended up liking the main characters much more than I thought I would, too. I enjoyed how they each had passions and projects they actually pursued.
I'll dig into these thoughts more in my blog review!

heathernielsen's review against another edition

dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

darthmolls's review against another edition

challenging emotional tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

lbarsk's review against another edition

5.0

Oh, this was lovely! A completely different tone than most of the YA books I read, and so very refreshing. Mary H.K. Choi absolutely NAILS what it feels like to be 17/18 and absolutely in your own head; she also NAILS the unique oddities of relationships carried out nearly entirely digitally. Penny and Sam made me ache in the best way -- I just wanted to give both of them huge hugs and try to fix all of their problems -- and each of Choi's side characters felt fleshed out and fun. I can't wait for whatever Choi writes next!

tatyanavogt's review against another edition

4.0

I enjoyed the romance more than I thought I would. In the beginning I was hesitant to see how the two characters would collide and it it was interesting to see how it did happen. I thought the concept was sweet and I liked learning more and more about the characters. I could both relate, and not relate, to penny which was interesting. In general I was pretty into the book the whole way through... until the end. I didn't hate the ending or anything, it just felt a little rushed.

Also, keep in mind that I have a soft spot for romances and am more forgiving of them in general. I think if this wasn't a romance I'd probably only give it a s 3 or 3.5, but since it is a romance and I DID enjoy the romance part of it, i'm giving it a solid 4.

Spoiler thoughts:

Spoiler

First let's talk about the ending. There was nothing actually wrong with the ending. It just felt like it didn't actually end. Like it was just cut off a few paragraphs early instead. It also felt a little rushed compared to the rest of the book. And didn't match the "penny speak" tone that their conversations had so it didn't feel intentional. But perhaps its just me.

Trigger warning: Rape

I don't know how I feel about the rape scene. Part of me feels like it was unnecessary since it isn't what the story was about and there seemed to be no closure around it. And then for the exact same reason part of me feels like it WAS necessary. Unfortunately this kind of stuff is common and not a lot of women say anything about it. It's not their story, it's just a traumatic thing that happened to them and what ever the scum bag does after is not the victims fault, it's the person who raped them.

I think it might be nice for people who experienced a similar thing as her to know that how ever they deal with it is okay. And that whatever happens after, isn't their fault. It's not the victims job to be a hero, the world already puts too much blame on the victims as if they aren't victims.

Anyway, I don't know why THATS the thing that I am focused on, since like I said it was a really small part of the book.

gracepizza40's review against another edition

DNF at page 61/394
boring.. Before I borrowed the book, I read the reviews. Mostly the negative ones. They made me hesitate on borrowing the book, but I did it anyway. The cover seemed promising at first, but after I read/skimmed the first few pages, I was like, the reviews were right... but I kept reading until I was too bored. I did like that Sam bakes though.

lostkairos's review against another edition

emotional

2.25

some of the writing was almost painful to read, and it felt like it was wandering around what could have been a plot line? very meh