Oct 24, 20233 min read

Emergency Contact by Lauren Layne and Anthony Ledonne

Emergency Contact

by Lauren Layne & Anthony Ledonne

Published by Blackstone Publishing

Katherine, an ambitious NYC attorney, gets diagnosed with a concussion and must be monitored for 48 hours to make sure it doesn't get worse.

Unfortunately, she forgot to update her emergency contact so the person they call is her ex-husband, Tom. Unable to be left alone, Katherine reluctantly agrees to travel to Chicago with Tom for the holidays. But thanks to a blizzard, what should have been a quick plane ride turns into an antagonistic overnight misadventure that stirs up old feelings even as Tom prepares to propose to his girlfriend on Christmas Eve.

A delightful meet-cute between The Proposal and Planes, Trains, and Automobiles, Emergency Contact is perfect for fans of Christina Lauren and Sally Thorne.

Genre:

#HolidayRomance

#RomCom

Triggers:

Pain from loss of parent, Divorce

Before I begin, I would like to thank Blackstone Publishing, Lauren Layne & Anthony Ledonne for sending me an arc of Emergency Contact via Netgalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I. Loved. This. Book.

I literally finished it in a day.

I love Lauren Layne's older books, and enjoy her newer ones, but I've noticed that the last few releases of hers have just seemed like she's lost her spark. That she didn't seem invested in her writing like she used to.

Emergency Contact has that spark.

Plus so much more.

With the overall story, the emotional arc these characters go through, and the chemistry, you definitely can feel this is a Lauren Layne romance.

The humor, the banter, and the ridiculous situations they find themselves in their travels - that must have been heavily influenced by her husband and co-writer, Anthony. Not to say that Lauren Layne didn't have good banter or humor in her other books. She did!

Just not to this level.

These two characters - Katherine and Tom - are brutal to one another. The back and forth insults are absolutely hilarious.

I was laughing out loud.

Not mentally chuckling.

Laughing. Out. Loud.

The things Tom and Katherine have to go through to reach Tom's parent's house just add another layer of humor to this wonderful story.

Don't let me forget - this is also a really great story.

Behind the humor, behind the barbs they throw back and forth to one another, it all stems from the emotional trauma they put one another through in the past. Which adds such a layer of beauty to this book I was not expecting. To laugh at these two, while also connecting with them because of their very valid feelings towards one another.

The book doesn't shy away from the fact that both of these characters are flawed.

Tom is a touch obsessive with the life he has planned out for himself. While generally an optimistic and extroverted guy, he is under a near constant amount of stress trying to live up to his goals.

Katherine is a workaholic, and a bit of a loner. She is also obsessed with living up to a dream her father had of her making partner before he died, and she is so laser focused on achieving that, she forgets everything else.

All of this combines into one, beautiful romance.

I insist you read Emergency Contact. It has everything you want in a romantic comedy. It will make you laugh. It will make you teary-eyed. You will fall for these characters, flaws and all. Lauren Layne and Anthony Ledonne need to collaborate more in my opinion, because this was a hit!