A review by smontgomery
Emergency Contact by Mary H.K. Choi

adventurous dark emotional medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

I love it when my YA books challenge me or bring up tough topics. Dealing with an unsatisfactory relationship with a mother is super interesting and I enjoyed it. However, there were parts of this boon that sort of automatically earned this books a quick thumbs down from me. For one, a baby who dies as a literal plot device in the book-within-a-book was not great. Especially when it was talked about over and over! Was not a fan of reading about parental neglect, even if it was to work through some issues with a mother character. I also did not appreciate a casual swastika reference/joke. I also thought that the concept of
Spoiler chemical pregnancies and the timeline of a miscarriage was not accurate, in my experience. Obviously, mensuration and fertility have a wide range of normal, but if someone is 5 weeks late in their period, they’re 7 weeks pregnant, and a chemical pregnancy happens in the first 5 weeks of pregnancy!
Spoiler I did really appreciate the author’s treatment of sexual assault and consent.