An ENEMIES TO LOVERS post-apocalyptic fantasy perfect for fans of Cruel Prince, Skyward, and Hunger Games.
She should’ve died. She didn’t.
Reborn into a damaged, depraved world is nothing short of a nightmare. In an instant, every hope Hazel harbors for the future disappears along with her humanity, leaving her with overprotective guarding and a useless mutation.
With war brewing between Humans, the Tainted, and a new unknown enemy, she’s forced to pick a side before the world implodes once more and she loses everyone she loves.
Sacrifice is never painless.
It’s been awhile since I read the last book, so I liked how easily I got into this one. Hazel was bit in book two and in this book she is trying to survive the change her body is going through. Looks like she isn’t going to make it but she’s a fighter.
This book is about Hazel’s struggle to accept the new changes happening to her body and her life as a Tainted. I love that she has Noah’s grandmother, Matt and the kitsune to help her with it.
Noah ‘s POV was nice to have! He wants Hazel but he doesn’t push it which is nice. He gives her the space he needs.
World Building ~ We learn more about the Chosen’s plans to go to war with the Tainted. I always found this world in Dominion of Ash very fascinating because of the virus that changes people.
This book is too short, it’s under 300 pages! I wish there was more…
I enjoy this series a lot, I kind of wish this one was a few pages longer. But I’ll definitely be continuing with the series when the next books come out. If you aren’t the patient kind, then I suggest you wait before starting this series because they are quick reads.
Categories: New Adult, Urban Fantasy, Werewolves, Romance
The pack of lies continues.
My mother isn’t my mother. A werewolf wants me for his one-and-only baby mama Oh! And I’m the new leader of a tribe I joined weeks ago.
Messed up doesn’t begin to explain it.
I’m more desperate than ever to uncover an explanation for Mum’s mounting betrayals. Because this time, I’m not sure forgiveness is possible.
But the mating meets with Sascha must continue if I want to escape our bond for good. An entire tribe is relying on me to win a centuries-old game against freakin’ shifters. And at this point, well… I have a few secrets of my own.
Keeping them is the new game.
Would you confess the truth and risk forfeiting the one person you have left?
Andie embracing her wolf is the best part of this book, because it was inevitable and we know she’s going to end up with Sascha, it’s just too many things are so complicated. But she can’t fight it much longer.
Sascha is so patient with Andie – like seriously. He wants her but he will let her decide in the end and I’m glad. Andie has a lot of issues to work through and she has no choice but to deal with now after the ending of this sequel.
Wade is ride or die for Andie and she’s lucky to have him. He really listens and has her back.
This is supposed to be a quick read but it took me days to finish because I wasn’t feeling it, so it was more like a 2 star read for me but I know Andie needs to go through some challenges to break through her wall so she definitely grows in this one. The first book was much more intriguing, but now I don’t even care why they have to play this game. It seems pointless to me right now.
Rhona has a right to be seriously mad at Andie. Andie is lying (wayyyy to much) to protect Rhona but she just lost her dad, she’s going through a tough time on top of her sister lying to her. I just wish she confessed earlier, but the drama was dragged on until her relationship with Rhona broke. Sad. I was tired of Andie in this one.
This one made me question if I was more team vampire than team werewolves haha. Like…I don’t think I’m enjoying this wolf story as much as the vampire story she did previously. So…🤷🏻♀️.
I’m bummed this one didn’t hold my attention but I’m still going to read book three just to see how things pan out with Rhona and Andie. It’s obvious Andie and Sascha are fated mates so I’m not worried about that. But for me the story is Rhona and Andie. They are family and I hope things can be fixed between them.
Haven escaped the clutches of the new Sun Sovereign and found solace in Shadoria, but for how long?
Now that the extent of her powers is known, Solis, Noctis, and mortals all hunt her. Meanwhile, chaos reigns across the land. The immortal realm is ruled by a depraved King who will stop at nothing to reclaim Haven as a weapon, while the mortal lands must choose between serving a tyrant or following Prince Bell, the Kinslayer.
And below, in the Netherworld, a great evil awaits, amassing an army of untold powers.
Hunted, plagued by doubt, and torn between duty and love, Haven must find a way to broker peace between the nations before it’s too late.
World Building ~ we are back in the world of A Kingdom of Runes, and Haven is trying to assert her role as the Goddess born. She is trying to win allies but has to prove herself along the way.
Stolas ~ the thing I loved about this book was Stolas and Haven trying to figure out where they stand with one another. Plus things are always so heated between them, in a steamy way. For the most part, their friendship grows as he helps her control her shadow “beast”. Stolas has a vulnerable moment in the book on his mother’s death anniversary and it was so emotional. For me their relationship was the best part of the book! Give me more of Stolas and Haven.
I liked how the ending brought Stolas and Haven into a new adventure – a darker one, and yes I love that he’s this vampire, shifter, fae character – he’s pretty much everything haha. But their new adventure to make her immortal…will it happen? I’m eager to read the next book to find out.
Archeron is so evil ugh…glad Haven is finally over him!
It was nice to see Bell and the rest of Haven’s friends.
If you like fantasy romance books like ACOTAR, then you may enjoy this one because it has so many similar vibes. This is my favorite book of the series so far and I can’t wait to read the next one ~ I hope we get it soon!
Categories: Romance, New Adult, Fantasy, Stand Alone
The elves come for two things: war and wives. In both cases, they come for death.
Three-thousand years ago, humans were hunted by powerful races with wild magic until the treaty was formed. Now, for centuries, the elves have taken a young woman from Luella’s village to be their Human Queen.
To be chosen is seen as a mark of death by the townsfolk. A mark nineteen-year-old Luella is grateful to have escaped as a girl. Instead, she’s dedicated her life to studying herbology and becoming the town’s only healer.
That is, until the Elf King unexpectedly arrives… for her.
Everything Luella had thought she’d known about her life, and herself, was a lie. Taken to a land filled with wild magic, Luella is forced to be the new queen to a cold yet blisteringly handsome Elf King. Once there, she learns about a dying world that only she can save.
The magical land of Midscape pulls on one corner of her heart, her home and people tug on another… but what will truly break her is a passion she never wanted.
Luella is a healer, basically what comes close to a doctor back in her hometown. It’s part of her identity that she doesn’t want to lose just because she is chosen as the next Queen. I like that she holds onto that part of her even though it causes some complications.
Eldas the Elf King comes off like a jerk at times but we get a glimpse of him right away being himself with his best friend Rinni. I mean the guy has been basically alone in a castle with one friend all his life! There is a physical attraction between Luella and Eldas but their relationship grows with the two of them opening up to one another. It’s a slow burn romance but the heat between them is undeniable by the end of the story!
It’s a romance standalone and a quick read at that. It was straight-forward story with a happy ending. I also like that the author says this is a stand alone but more books will be introduced in this world. I’m a sucker for fantasy romances.
I enjoyed all the elements in this light romantic fantasy – it had the enemies to lovers trope, a strong female who was flaws, the friends she makes in Midscape like Willow and of course an unconventional magical wolf pet named Hook.
I can’t say there was much action, so if you are looking for that kind of book, this isn’t it. It’s more of a romance. There was a point in the book where Luella and Eldas are looking for clues to break the tradition of finding human Queens and they just do research, on their own – reading from journals. I wanted them to interact more even just to get them bickering about something.
Overall, I enjoyed this book. It was exactly what I was looking for at the moment, a romantic fantasy with a happily ever after. I look forward to reading more books told in this world.
When Mum died, I inherited a lot more than a pack of lies.
I landed a $410,000 debt. Discovered her previous surname. And her real place of birth.
Desperate to uncover the truth, I drive to a tiny dot on the map called Deception Valley.
Coincidental name? Nope.
There, I find her secret family—because she had one of those too.
How many lies are we at? Honestly, I’ve lost count, but local gossip captures my attention. Apparently, Mum’s other family play laser tag every Wednesday. Not even joking. Laser tag.
What the hell is this place?
In hindsight, the massive guy with honey irises was my first major clue. Unusual eyes for a human, right? Perfect eyes for a werewolf.
But sexy supernaturals, thongs, and mounting financial strain aside, Mum’s past is buried somewhere in this valley, and I need to dig up the truth or find a way to live with her lies.
What do you do when neither option will leave you unscathed?
World Building ~ if you read Kelly St. Clare’s previous series Vampire Towers, just know this one is similar except with werewolves and Laser Tag. I read these series because it’s so unique to base the plot around a game. It’s creative and holds my interest. The story takes place in Deception Valley but this quaint town isn’t all that it seems. The “laser tag” game between humans and werewolves are action packed.
Characters ~ Andie is struggling with her mom’s death and debt, trying to finish college and just found out she has family in Deception Valley. She isn’t quite a badass yet, as she’s learning the ropes about laser tag and the war between the two sides. Alaric/Sascha is a Sigma – he gets what he wants and yes he wants Andie. Their connection is electric but Andie fights it as long as she can, but you can’t do much when you are fated. I liked the supporting cast also in the werewolf clan and the human one.
Romance ~ Andie and Sascha are inevitable, fated mates but sort of like Vampire Towers where they had levels to achieve mate status, it happens in Shifter Wars also. But the built-up tension between them is definitely there.
Writing ~ I enjoy this author’s writing because of the humor and the stories are fast paced. I read this in one night and am ready to read book two when it publishes. It’s total escapism.
Triggers: stalking, toxic relationship, grief
It’s got a cliffhanger ending – but book two comes out in December, yay!
Solid start to a new series and I just enjoy how the author keeps things creative with throwing a game into the story. It’s creative, unique and keeps things fresh! I look forward to reading the next book in the series.
Categories: contemporary, romance, new adult, poverty, drug abuse
Life and a dismal last name are the only two things Beyah Grim’s parents ever gave her. After carving her path all on her own, Beyah is well on her way to bigger and better things, thanks to no one but herself.
With only two short months separating her from the future she’s built and the past she desperately wants to leave behind, an unexpected death leaves Beyah with no place to go during the interim. Forced to reach out to her last resort, Beyah has to spend the remainder of her summer on a peninsula in Texas with a father she barely knows. Beyah’s plan is to keep her head down and let the summer slip by seamlessly, but her new neighbor Samson throws a wrench in that plan.
Samson and Beyah have nothing in common on the surface.
She comes from a life of poverty and neglect; he comes from a family of wealth and privilege. But one thing they do have in common is that they’re both drawn to sad things. Which means they’re drawn to each other. With an almost immediate connection too intense for them to continue denying, Beyah and Samson agree to stay in the shallow end of a summer fling. What Beyah doesn’t realize is that a rip current is coming, and it’s about to drag her heart out to sea.
My Attention: read in one night
World Building: Kentucky to Texas
Writing Style: easy to read, good character development, emotional
Crazy in Love: yes
Triggers: drug abuse, child neglect, broken family, death, overdose, poverty
Beyah goes from her mom over-dosing to living with a father she hardly knows. Beyah is a strong character for someone who has been broken and damaged all her life. Her story is heart-breaking. I just wanted good things for her.
Samson is mysterious and handsome. I liked how Beyah judges and we as the readers start doing it too because we only know what they know of him. He’s hiding a lot of secrets which come out in a shocking way.
It’s all about Beyah and Samson. Beyah finds all her guards giving way the more she spends time with Samson. They are both damaged and that’s why they are drawn to each other. From the moment they met it was intense between them.
The twist in the end was heartbreaking. But I’m glad Beyah did what she did.
Some tough topics are covered in this book: poverty, drug abuse, sexual assault – this book is about survival and the kids that fall through the cracks in society. What happens to them? How does someone like Beyah who had an addict mother, take another path in life – talk about strength and determination.
The way how Beyah didn’t tell her dad that her mom died, bugged me! Like…that would be the first thing I’d say, I think. But I understand her secrecy, she was trying to protect herself the only way she knew how. But seriously…the way she tells him – I guess I wanted more of a conversation on that between her and her dad.
Heart Bones is heartbreaking. We have Beyah and Samson who has been beaten by life at such a young age, they have both done everything to survive (good and bad). They find each other in all their damaged state and fall in love. I honestly still feel bad thinking about Samson after the story – but glad it had a happy ending.
Title: The Song of the Marked (Shadows and Crowns, #1)
Author: S.M. Gaither
Format: eBook (Kindle Unlimited)
Pages: 512
Categories: Fantasy, New Adult, Magic, Gods, Enemies to Lovers
A Devastating Sickness
For decades, the Kethran Empire has been plagued by a strange illness that leaches the very life and soul from its victims.
The Girl Who Survived
Casia is one of the Fade-Marked—one of the few people who caught this sickness and lived. Why she lived is a mystery even to her and the outcast crew of mercenaries she calls her family. It also makes her an intriguing target for the young, enigmatic king-emperor, who claims he wants to work alongside her to find a cure.
Unfortunately, working alongside him also means working with the handsome but infuriating captain of one of the most prestigious branches of the Kethran Army.
A Soldier With No Past
This infuriating Captain Elander also has secrets: A past that Cas can’t seem to uncover, a powerful but strange brand of magic, and a deep distrust of the very monarch that he’s sworn to serve. She feels oddly drawn to him in spite of these things…
But can she really trust him?
The Fate of an Empire
As the bodies pile up and strange monsters begin to wreak havoc throughout the realms, Cas and Elander will have to work together to protect their world whether they trust one another or not. Because one thing is clear: Something ancient and evil is stirring in the shadows of Kethra.
And the empire will not survive its full unleashing.
But how can they save a world where nothing and no one is what they seem to be— including Cas herself?
My Attention: read in one day
World Building: epic – the Kethran Empire is ruled by a King-Emperor who wants to eradicate people with magic, and there is a Fading Sickness infecting the kingdom and they have to find out the source of the illness
Writing Style: flowed very well
Crazy in Love: enemies to lovers
Creativity: I enjoyed this world of magic and Gods
Triggers: violence, thieving, anxiety
My Takeaway: Definite Sarah J. Maas vibes and I’m here for it!
Love the cover and usually I’m wary about KU Fantasy ebooks because I find them way too short, I mean yes I love that the next installment usually comes out in 3 months but THIS one, is a nice lengthy 500+ which surprised me. I was reading it without knowing the page count and was wondering why it was taking me so long to read (not long…but usually I can devour these short book series in a few hours and usually can binge the whole series in one night). So I am impressed with this one!
There is Throne of Glass vibes all over this book BUT there are enough difference to make it exciting. Cas reminds me of Celaena (badass heroine, etc…) but I like that Cas is different enough with her bouts of severe anxiety and needing to take care of her foster mom, Asra. Cas has a fun crew of magic wielders around her, all with different personalities.
The world building is addictive: there is a Fading Sickness in the empire, and Cas is one of the few who has survived it. Why? I love the process of finding out why and that plot twist in the end. Total cliffhanger!
Enemies to lovers, which is my fave – Elander is dark, blessed by a Death God, and their banter was fun. He was mysterious and she is reckless which makes them a hot combo. And yes there is a sex scene, they need more haha but…we shall see what happens between them!
This story was a fun ride, with villains, secrets, fights, danger, Gods – so much to digest but it’s an exciting start to the series.
There are a lot of things to discover yet, like Darkhand’s role in the beginning and then he disappeared. I’m sure the story will come back to that but he kind of was introduced and then forgotten.
Varen the king-emperor…oh boy, so what will happen now that the truth has been revealed?
And Elander…just give me more of him and Cas, and I’ll be happy!
This is the first book I’ve read from S.M. Gaither and I know it won’t be the last. I’ll have to binge her previous series! If you like stories like the Throne of Glass series, you will enjoy The Song of the Marked. I know I’m ready for book two to arrive but I have to wait until January! I was craving a fantasy with an enemies to lovers romance, lots of action and detailed world building and this totally hit the spot.
After the Prince of Penryth saved her from captivity, seventeen-year-old Haven Ashwood spends her days protecting the kind prince and her nights secretly fighting the monsters outside the castle walls.
When one of those monsters kidnaps Prince Bell, Haven must ally with Archeron Halfbane and his band of immortals to rescue her friend.
Her quest takes her deep into the domain of a warped and vicious queen where the rules are simple: break her curse or die.
Lost in a land of twisted magic and fabled creatures, Haven finds herself unprepared, not just for the feelings she develops for Archeron, but for the warring powers raging inside her.
Her rare and forbidden type of magic may be their only hope . . . but mixing light and dark comes with a steep price.
Haven’s soul.
Faced with impossible love, heartbreaking betrayals, and a queen intent on destroying the realm, only one thing remains certain.
Haven must shatter the curse or it will devour everything she loves.
Author: Audrey Grey
Format: eBook (Kindle Unlimited)
Pages: 317
Categories: Fantasy, New Adult, Romance
My Review:
I love Haven and Bell’s friendship. Haven is Prince Bellamy’s guard but she is also his best friend. She’s very protective of him her sole purpose in this series is to save him. I mean, that’s devotion!
Haven is a fighter but at some points she’s so cocky around more powerful beings than her. She’s rash at times with major tunnel vision (saving Bell) but Archeron, the Sun Lord is right to be aggravated with her at times. As for her feelings about him…warning, there IS a love triangle in this series.
The world building is detailed – we have mortal kingdoms, and immortal kingdoms. There is also the Netherworld which Stolas rules. The magic system is based on rune magic. There is a quest to save Prince Bell and to break a curse so the stories moves along quickly, plus at barely over 300 pages – it’s a quick read.
Triggers: violence and self-harm (because of how the rune magic is used)
My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2
Title: Cursebreaker (Kingdom of Runes, #2)
All magic has a price.
Haven survived the Devourers, but she isn’t any closer to breaking the curse. Meanwhile, her forbidden magic rages brighter and more dangerous every day.
To control her powers and stand a chance against the Shade Queen, Haven made a bargain with two enemy immortals. Now her waking hours are spent fighting alongside the Sun Lord, but her dreams belong to the Shade Lord.
Only the closer she ventures into the wicked Shadow Kingdom the more her magic shows itself—and the more she struggles with whom to trust. The golden but wounded Sun Lord or the darkly charismatic Shade Lord.
Both are off-limits.
And both have the ability to save her . . . or destroy her.
With the Shade Queen closing in and Bell’s time nearly up, Haven will sacrifice everything to break the curse—but will it be enough to stop the mortal realm from falling into darkness forever?
Author: Audrey Grey
Format: eBook (Kindle Unlimited)
Pages: 380
Categories: Fantasy, New Adult, Romance
My Review:
Bell has always been in Haven’s protective shadow even though he is a Prince and will rule one day. He is not good at fighting and always had Haven do it for him – so in his captivity he struggles but learns he can be without Haven. Bell is learning to find his own strength which is wonderful. He also meets the person who created the curse on the land in the first place.
We learn more about how the curse was created and more about Ravenna and her evil mother.
Haven gets into more harrowing danger and her hurt people, which annoyed me at times. When will she learn?! Ugh, that was frustrating about her. Her focus is still saving Bell but Archeron and she have an attraction happening. And the others in the group are becoming her friend. She shows heart in trying to help them instead of trying to deceive them. We learn about her past with evil Daimus as her captor. And then there is Stolas…uh huh…I can kind of guess how this is going to end.
This book kept giving me ACOTAR vibes…like MAJOR ACOTAR vibes with the whole Archeron and Stolas thing (Tamlin vs Rhys) and the curse. Like I just knew, she would end up with Stolas (Rhys)…I mean, at this point it’s reading like a fan fiction ACOTAR book! It bugged me but I love ACOTAR so much that I kept reading haha.
My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2
Title: King Maker (Kingdom of Runes, #3)
They broke the curse, but at what cost?
Haven and her crew may be considered heroes, but they arrive back in Penryth harboring dangerous secrets. Plagued by nightmares, Haven struggles to control her newfound magic while Bell shrinks under the weight of their shared lie.
When an emissary from Solissia shows up in Penryth and drafts Bell in a magical tournament, Haven is once again forced to follow the prince to foreign lands, this time to the bloodthirsty court of Archeron’s mother.
Trapped in a shifting landscape of dark politics, duplicitous immortals, and cruel sovereigns, Haven fights to keep Bell alive all without revealing their secret. But a terrible evil brews on the horizon. One that threatens the very fabric of the realm.
Haven might be their only hope of stopping the impending darkness. But first she must learn to accept her own darkness and follow her heart—no matter where it leads.
Author: Audrey Grey
Format: eBook (Kindle Unlimited)
Pages: digital – ? /Amazon print version says 640
Categories: Fantasy, New Adult, Romance
My Review:
And yes…there goes the ACOTAR love triangle dilemma -Archeron becomes a villain, Stolas is now the hero. SIGH. I mean, I was loving Stolas anyway but it was just so similar. Did it really have to happen? Archeron was there for her in the beginning and he has to go out like this? Evil, broken hearted, and disfigured – damn.😔
Since the curse was broken in book two, we are now introduced to Archeron’s kingdom and his family. There is a trial, and the winner gets to rule over all nine kingdoms (and yes the Nine reminds me of LOTR! 🤦🏻♀️). This series actually reminds me a lot of other books out there.
I did love learning about Stolas’ sister who is as sassy as they come, but hey she is a Queen. Also Haven finally has more friends than just Bell now, yay – and her friendship with Bell gets tested but it needed to happen. Bell needed to come out through some struggles on his own and Haven needed to let him do it.
Despite the similarities to other books, it’s an entertaining series and I’m bummed the next book isn’t until November.
Overall, the three books in the series I read gives off major ACOTAR vibes with some differences, like this one has wyverns and rune magic. Haven does grow…slowly, she definitely learns the hard way which is so frustrating. She is not my favorite female lead, the battle in the end worked because she had help from her friends. I do enjoy the rune magic aspect of this world and how Haven has both dark and light magic. Will I read the next books, YES, I need to find out what happens with Archeron, how low will he go? There is also still a battle with Daimus coming, he definitely needs to be eliminated.
In a destroyed world plagued with pestilence, assassins, thieves, and the Tainted–mutated fae-like humans with a penchant for abduction–nothing is easy. It’s brutal, deadly, and most often, short.
My father has three rules to survive the apocalypse; keep your head down, work hard, and never leave the safety of Harbor. Following his rules isn’t as easy as it seems–especially when tricked into breaking them.
Blackmailed into attending at party outside of the walls didn’t seem so bad–until all hell broke loose and I was left in the clutches of a dragon lord. I thought I knew who my enemies were: starvation, infection, and the Tainted.
I was wrong. That’s why I never saw it coming.
The death. The lies. The complete betrayal.
No one said love wouldn’t destroy you.
The Dominion of Ash series takes on a dystopian, urban fantasy theme. Earth has been ravaged bay a virus that has mutated the DNA of humans. Hazel lives in a compound where no one has been “tainted” by the virus but outside of a world is a one where many Tainted consider their mutation a gift. So there is a VERY clear divide between the two human species. We follow Hazel who is thrown, literally, into the world of the tainted and it’s frightening. She fights for her survival as she Noah who is the leader of the tainted compound she is being held at.
I like the world building and the idea of virus mutating our DNA, I mean anything is possible! She comes across animals who are trained as well. There is a lot of action as Hazel is trying to survive the desert and trying to get back home. Hazel is a sheltered girl who gets a big wake up call when she is left to die.
A lone girl in a dangerous world shows how women are prey for predators and she comes across a few from both the Untouched she lives with and the Tainted as well. The books in this series are short, so it is a very quick read, and I found Hazel’s journey from sheltered girl to meeting a whole community of Tainted interesting because she has to self-analyze her prejudices and yet survive.
There are a bunch of triggers in this book: sexual assault and violence being the main ones.
My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ 1/2
Title: The Exiled (Dominion of Ash, Book #2)
Author: Frost Kay
Format: eBook (Kindle Unlimited)
Pages: 217
Categories: Urban Fantasy, Dystopia, YA/NA
She got caught. Again.
After a disastrous second escape attempt, Hazel finds herself blood indebted to her savior – Noah – but he’s no saint.
Desperate to repay her debt, she begrudgingly offers her skills as payment if she’s allowed to visit home one last time. Her wish is granted but at a steep cost. What is supposed to be a saving grace turns out to be a nightmare.
The monsters are right. Ignorance means death and blood ties are worthless.
Be careful what you wish for.
Okay so I read these two books in one night because like I said, they are SO short…this one being only 217 pages!
Hazel is with the Tainted and she is basically wanting to die than live with them. I’ll say one thing about her – she’s a fighter. Frustratingly so…to the point of harming herself. Hazel learns more about the tainted that have gone out of their way to keep her alive but her main goal is to escape and go back home to her family. She fights, she schemes, she get’s under Noah’s skin and finally – finally we get to see more of the attraction between them, because we know it’s gonna be good between them, right?
My favorite part of this series so far is watching Hazel have more women figures in her life, like Noah’s abuela (grandmother), she is awesome. Hazel hasn’t had a mother and was raised by men so this girl really needs a female figure in her life. When Hazel finally gets her wish and leaves the compound she finds out more hard lessons back out in the wilderness and about a new threat and new war about to start between the Untouched and Tainted. Who’s side will she be on? This one ended in a major cliffhanger and I can’t believe I have to wait to see what happens. 😫
More triggers in this one: assault, violence, self harm
Categories: Contemporary, Coming of Age, Young Adult, Romance
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.
Emergency Contact is the first book from Mary H.K. Choi. I read Permanent Record first and then saw Emergency Contact on sale and decided to buy it. Don’t be fooled by this gorgeous pink and gold cover, this story gets deep into issues I wasn’t expecting.
Penny is an antisocial, snarky, judgmental freshman in college but underneath she’s got issues. She was raised in a single parent home, with a mom who is very popular in town – which Penny despises.
Sam has a past too, with an alcoholic mom who didn’t do much mothering. He’s barely making ends me, struggling to take college classes and survive while dealing with ex-girlfriend drama.
Penny and Sam become each other’s Emergency Contact in this coming of age story.
The cover is so pretty but the story itself has more going on beneath the surface.
Penny is an interesting character and even can be described as “unlikable” – but I think that’s what I liked about her! She’s snarky, judgmental about others and herself, and antisocial. But she also judges herself due to life experiences – a few of them traumatic. Penny doesn’t even feel like there is anything about her to like and that made me sad. I LOVE that she had an emergency pack on her at all times! And she is passionate about writing. When she gets into college and lives with a roommate, we see her open up little by little – she’s awkward and fakes it sometimes but that’s real.
Sam, on the other hand, I just wanted to reach in the book and help him out. He cries a lot, but it’s because he’s not in good shape, he had a horrible childhood, he’s addicted to his ex-girlfriend and maybe he’s an alcoholic too though he’s quit since he quit her. Sam is barely making it on his own but he doesn’t give up, because he finally is texting someone, his emergency contact, Penny. Sam has panic attacks, he’s depressed, he’s stressed but texting Penny is a lifeline for him.
Like her other book, Permanent Record, anxiety is present in Emergency Contact. We see Sam go through a panic attack to the point he thinks he is dying. I love that the author brings up anxiety in young people, especially in college aged students because they are adults but learning how to adult. And for kids like Sam who totally get off track and try to get back on…it’s hard.
Penny and Sam’s relationship is a slow burn romance. Clearly she’s crushing over him badly, but he has an ex-girlfriend that he’s trying to cut off ties with so they keep it safe with the texting friendship. I liked seeing how their relationship develops in a safe space and then finally taking the next step at the end.
I wish Sam could have reached out to Jude more since they are or was, semi-related. But I get it, that’s a complicated relationship too but I definitely felt for Jude. By the end of the book, I kind of want to know more of Jude’s story and hope she gets her own book.
The mom/daughter relationship really hit me in this book. Penny comes off like a brat to her mom, but it goes way back for Penny, she has abandonment issues! Mallory of all people gives her insight into moms and the way they act. I’m a mom now, my daughter is only three but that moment Celeste (Penny’s mom) says she was dreading the day her daughter would hate her…😞. Ugh, my fear.
I love this book because I think it’s characters and situations are so realand messy. I felt like I knew these people, and in my life yes I’ve known people just like them in identical situations! It shines a light on the anxiety those eighteen and over can feel as they become “adults” but still need help from their parents and for those who have no help? 😞 It’s a hard road. On top of that dealing with family problems, self-esteem issues, trauma and everything else? We ALL need an emergency contact. I’m so glad Penny and Sam had each other, in their safe spaces on their phones, even if it was just to say hi or just nonsense. Just knowing someone is there on the other side willing to respond sometimes feels like everything at that moment. I’m definitely glad I bought this one.
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