I’m not gonna lie, the only reason I originally picked up this book is because of the aesthetically pleasing cover. It wasn’t until later when I found that it was a romance book, that I read it. Especially since I’ve always found myself drawn to romance books and their usually optimistic endings. Since most of them end with the couple finally getting together despite all the small road bumps, it gives you a sense of hope. Or maybe it’s just because I’m not romantic at all, and have to live my life through books and their stories. 

This novel follows the story of Penny Lee and Sam, the latter being a broken-hearted boy who just wants to be a movie director. Penny is a college student trying to make up for the fact that she had a non-existent life in high school. When she leaves for college in Austen, Texas she meets Sam and almost immediately seems pulled to him. After a certain event, the two swap phone numbers and become each other’s Emergency Contact. After this, the two constantly text each other. 

If that seems like an extremely short summary, that’s because I truly couldn’t think of anything else that I could put without spoiling the whole book while also not completely plagiarizing the author’s summary. It’s not that the book doesn’t have a plot, it’s more like the plot itself seems like a spoiler. It could also be the fact that the characters just annoyed me. Penny is a judgy, know-it-all who doesn’t seem to care about the others around her. I genuinely feel bad for those who have to be around her, especially her roommate and her mother. She constantly treats them badly and then gets annoyed when they try to be there for her. On the other side, Sam is slightly better and more likable. He also tends to get annoyed at people who try to support him just because he can. But, he’s also nicer seems more reliable than Penny. Sam seems more like an actual human being, while Penny is more like a character that was thrown together with a bunch of stereotypes. 

Other than that, I can’t think of anything wrong with the book. It has a decent enough plot that I was able to read it all in one day without getting bored. Mary H.K. Choi’s writing still impresses me, you could tell how much effort she put into this book. The other characters, outside of the main, aren’t horrible, but there’s nothing special about any of them. The novel changes POV between Penny and Sam, which always adds extra to the book. It was nice to be able to see what both of them were thinking, though some chapters felt like it should’ve been in the other person’s view. Throughout the book, Penny makes lists in her head of optional actions to take and I think this simple characteristic was my favorite. The romance was cute at points, despite that it seemed forced a lot. I loved that the story was mostly shown through texts and that we were able to watch their relationship grow through them.

Nevertheless, I would still recommend this book to anyone who enjoys romance. If not for the plot and characters, then I suggest that you at least look at Choi’s writing. The characters, mostly Sam, are extremely relatable and that’s always a huge factor in liking a book. It’s a reasonable length book, so if you ever get a chance I would tell you to check it out.