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lovelymisanthrope's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I stumbled across a copy of this book at a library book sale and knew I had to pick it up.
"Permanent Record" follows Pablo, a young adult who is currently working at his local 24-hour deli and drowning in debt. He is getting endless calls about who he owes money to, and he sees no way out of his life. One late night, Leanna Smart, a widely successful and known celebrity, walks into the shop and Pablo and Leanna strike up a friendship. They decide to keep their relationship on the downlow, but it does not take long for the entire world to find out.
This book was so relatable, and I think most people in their early twenties can see at least part of themselves in Pablo. Pablo is struggling because he does not know what to do with his life, and his previous decisions all seem so terrible now that he is in so much debt he does not know what to do. He has a strained relationship with his family, and he finds it difficult to be happy for his friends around him who are actually making something of their lives. All of this is compounded when Leanna, with all of her seemingly effortless success, takes an interest in him.
Pablo and Leanna are not a super great couple, but I think they represent an important relationship everyone goes through in their early twenties. They are ill-matched and do not really have a lot in common, but Leanna teaches Pablo how to reframe his world and see the possibilities in it again. He is way too young to just entirely give up, he has so much more life to live, and he has so much to offer the world. The only problem was that Pablo could no longer see that for himself.
This is a novel about self-discovery, and I really enjoyed watching Pablo find himself and finally take charge of his life again. We cannot always change what happens to us, but we can certainly change how we react to it.
This is a highly bingeable book. The pacing is perfect, and it felt like the perfect length.
Mary H.K. Choi is so talented at writing young adult characters. Her novels are poetic, beautiful, and really capture the struggles people face. I have enjoyed both books from her that I have read, and I cannot wait to pick up more in the future.
"Permanent Record" follows Pablo, a young adult who is currently working at his local 24-hour deli and drowning in debt. He is getting endless calls about who he owes money to, and he sees no way out of his life. One late night, Leanna Smart, a widely successful and known celebrity, walks into the shop and Pablo and Leanna strike up a friendship. They decide to keep their relationship on the downlow, but it does not take long for the entire world to find out.
This book was so relatable, and I think most people in their early twenties can see at least part of themselves in Pablo. Pablo is struggling because he does not know what to do with his life, and his previous decisions all seem so terrible now that he is in so much debt he does not know what to do. He has a strained relationship with his family, and he finds it difficult to be happy for his friends around him who are actually making something of their lives. All of this is compounded when Leanna, with all of her seemingly effortless success, takes an interest in him.
Pablo and Leanna are not a super great couple, but I think they represent an important relationship everyone goes through in their early twenties. They are ill-matched and do not really have a lot in common, but Leanna teaches Pablo how to reframe his world and see the possibilities in it again. He is way too young to just entirely give up, he has so much more life to live, and he has so much to offer the world. The only problem was that Pablo could no longer see that for himself.
This is a novel about self-discovery, and I really enjoyed watching Pablo find himself and finally take charge of his life again. We cannot always change what happens to us, but we can certainly change how we react to it.
This is a highly bingeable book. The pacing is perfect, and it felt like the perfect length.
Mary H.K. Choi is so talented at writing young adult characters. Her novels are poetic, beautiful, and really capture the struggles people face. I have enjoyed both books from her that I have read, and I cannot wait to pick up more in the future.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Toxic relationship, and Grief
Moderate: Racism, Sexism, and Sexual content
brookey8888's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
reflective
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
I really enjoyed this! I found it so relatable not really knowing what you want to do with your life and how massive life can seem at times. I loved that this followed characters in their early twenties. I found the main character funny as well. I literally did not care about the romance in the slightest. I found the family and friend relationships and growth great as well. Im really not sure why this has such a low rating?
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness and Classism
epeolatrist's review against another edition
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Drug use and Sexual assault
Minor: Bullying, Cancer, Eating disorder, and Stalking
dairyfreemozzarella's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
“It took me so much searching to stop searching.” Bilal Rind, page 408
This book was very complicated for me to take in and process. Mainly because… there’s is no escapism. It was like stepping out of my own mind into a mirrored version of it. The depth in which we fall into Pablo’s depression was hard for me to deal with, but the “reckoning”/recovery section that followed was my favorite part of the entire book.
In the beginning, all the introspection was annoying to me, as I was marketed this book as a full blown romance (it was not). But when we got to the romance… I couldn’t bring myself to care too much. Lee was not really a character I could get behind until her final monologue in Seoul, and by then…she was on her way out of Pablo’s life anyway. I would’ve liked more about Lee but I know her story was not this story.
In conclusion, I liked this. A bit too heavy for me, well written, marketed oddly, and not my favorite of Chois books.
This book was very complicated for me to take in and process. Mainly because… there’s is no escapism. It was like stepping out of my own mind into a mirrored version of it. The depth in which we fall into Pablo’s depression was hard for me to deal with, but the “reckoning”/recovery section that followed was my favorite part of the entire book.
In the beginning, all the introspection was annoying to me, as I was marketed this book as a full blown romance (it was not). But when we got to the romance… I couldn’t bring myself to care too much. Lee was not really a character I could get behind until her final monologue in Seoul, and by then…
In conclusion, I liked this. A bit too heavy for me, well written, marketed oddly, and not my favorite of Chois books.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness
Minor: Racism and Xenophobia
anniefwrites's review
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
I've loved Mary H.K. Choi's writing since I read Emergency Contact and Yolk and was happy to read her second of the three YA novels. She created such a strong voice for Pablo, and he and his friends and family feel so real, you could touch them. I have to say that the central tension is caused by something that causes me personally a lot of distress, so the reading experience itself was maybe a bit too stressful for me. I really like how the story ends up, but I sort of wish it didn't wrap up quite so quickly and neatly. But in general, I'll always be ready to read another book by Mary H.K. Choi because her style is so distinctive and makes you feel like a smarter, wiser, more thoughtful person for reading it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Cursing, Drug use, and Alcohol
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Stalking, and Abandonment
lovleephtogrl's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Mental illness
whatellisreadnext's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
sad
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness
alimoo511's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-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
I loved this book. I went into it expecting Emergency Contact and instead got something else entirely.
DO NOT GO INTO THIS WITH EMERGENCY CONTACT ON YOUR MIND.
I loved Pablo I loved how selfish and negative he could be and I loved how completely insane he is about being that careless with himself.
Rain is the best heads down
I loved Lee the little I felt we saw her. She reminds me a lot of myself someone who feels like they can't escape the box of those controlling but more like too scared to take the plunge.
Of course Mary H.K. Choi is the best at writing flaw real characters and I cannot wait to read Yolk whenever I can.
Ranking though Emergency Contact is my everything.
DO NOT GO INTO THIS WITH EMERGENCY CONTACT ON YOUR MIND.
I loved Pablo I loved how selfish and negative he could be and I loved how completely insane he is about being that careless with himself.
Rain is the best heads down
I loved Lee the little I felt we saw her. She reminds me a lot of myself someone who feels like they can't escape the box of those controlling but more like too scared to take the plunge.
Of course Mary H.K. Choi is the best at writing flaw real characters and I cannot wait to read Yolk whenever I can.
Ranking though Emergency Contact is my everything.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault
Moderate: Mental illness
Minor: Eating disorder
They go into diet culture a lot and there is mentions of grooming.invaderlinz's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying and Drug use
Minor: Cancer, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Stalking, and Death of parent
sarah_d's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
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
4.0
I was expecting a romance but the romance was only a vehicle for the rest of the plot. While I do like romances, that was even better.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Mental illness
Minor: Drug use