Oof. Contacts has such an incredibly interesting premise: A man (James) decides he's going go end his life and writes a "Send to All" text to his contact list letting them know that he's planning on doing so before putting his phone on Airplane Mode. The book follows a group of those contacts, including friends, family and relative strangers, and documents the mixed responses and reactions they have to the text. It also follows James as he makes his final journey to Edinburgh where he plans to take his life. There is so much scope for story there, with James and the people he has texted.

Unfortunately, my praise pretty much ends with the premise. The plot and pacing itself felt extremely disjointed and didn't serve to build up any tension. I get some people could say building up tension when discussing this subject matter may be crass but... you're writing a novel at the end of the day, I still want to see some story progression that pulls me to root for people, especially the main character. It's not enough to write the story as though your reader will want the character to live because of course they will. The premise has us rooting for James straight off the bat but how you then build that into love/empathy/compassion for the character beyond that is something that really lacked.

It didn't help that the "contacts" we spend chapters with are also written to be rather flat. There's a strange lack of urgency (despite what the plot says is happening) to everything they are saying and doing. A story where the characters treated the stakes as highly as the reader does, would have served both the characters themselves and the reader far better. I don't need every single character to start screaming and hitting panic-mode but I do need to feel, rather than be told, that these characters truly care about what they're doing to try and save James. All too often the "contacts" seem apathetic to the circumstances. No amount of being told that James' message has caused a social media storm can make me understand how these characters actually feel.

I feel like I'm being harsh here but it's only because topics like this hit hard and I have struggled to find books that I personally find deal with it well or give it the depth and emotion it really needs. In a nutshell, while I appreciate that this is a book that could reach out to men struggling with their mental health, I don't know what it's trying to tell them, apart from the very obvious.

Perhaps I'm an outlier, after all I found the ending to The Midnight Library by Matt Haig to be infuriating yet it continues to be a mammoth bestseller so, by all means, don't take my word for it.

I think with a tighter plot and some pacing changes this could have been higher for me but as is, I didn't love it.

Not my usual book but I enjoyed the plot. It intrigued me until the end and I would recomend this book though I possibly would not read it again.

My first audiobook to review on netgalley and it was definately not the worse thing in the world to listen to while doing a bit of tidying. Though it did fall a bit flat for me at times it was a good story to pass the time

Contacts by Mark Watson had me hooked from the start. It was thought provoking and emotional throughout. It really brought home the message of how you never know what is going on in someone's life behind closed doors, so be kind always! Contacts deals with the very difficult, often taboo subject of suicide and the waves it creates for everyone involved.
I do recommend reading this, but only if you are strong enough emotionally yourself.

Mark Watson is a talented writer, comedian, all rounder. And I loved the concept of this audiobook, however, although I enjoyed listening to this, I wasn't quite captivated enough by the characters to completely finish it. I'm not sure whether it was just a touch too long because after a while with the back and forth, I started to lose interest. It's a great concept, and I wonder if I'd read the novel whether I'd have a more positive experience, but after a while, I just lost interest.

I loved this book. It was warm and presented the characters in a human warts and all but nonjudgmental way. The ending was just so honest and will ring true for anyone who has experience of the issues it tackles

A man on his way to Edinburgh on the overnight train from London sends a message to all his contacts to let them know he is going to kill himself, he then switches off his phone. What follows are the details of the relationships he had with many of the people he contacted, how they met and how their relationship deteriorated. Interesting and touching story.

Suicide is the leading cause of death for men under 50 in this country so Mark Watson's "Contacts" is timely and necessary. I thought the premise was interesting and the book was far less depressing than I expected. I listened to the audiobook narrated by Watson himself and felt this added an authenticity to the novel. Themes include family, friendship, the lives we touch and the cumulative effect of problems. I think there are lessons for all of us in this book and if it helps someone, so much the better. Watson's writing is accessible and engaging so "Contacts" would also appeal to reluctant readers.

Fabulous book, makes you think about life and what matters. I adored this and think it's a fantastic story which opens up your mind and think about how social media and technology can be so powerful- in a good and bad way, be careful how you use it.

I got to about 40% of this audio and there were some funny parts but overall it just didnt make me want to come back and listen to it so I switched to another audio.

May come back and try again in the future as it could be the serious subject matter is too much for me right now, even with the humour.

I really enjoyed this audiobook, and as a fan of Mark Watson it was nice also to hear it read by the author himself. I think it is always nice when the author performs their work as they can really tell it the way they want it to be told.
As for the concept of the story, it's an unusual one. James has had a run of bad luck, enough so that he feels he has nothing left going for him and decides it's time to end it all. He takes the sleeper train from London to Edinburgh - a journey he's done many times before, with his dad, his ex, and his best mate - but this time is going to be the last, and he's going alone. Or at least that's what he thinks.

He sends a text to all his contacts telling them he intends to commit suicide, his mind is made up, and he turns his phone to flight mode.
But of course his band of dispersed contacts don't let him go that easily.

This is a story that explores the idea of the unseen links between people, the power of community and the domino effect of good or bad things that make up the fabric of our lives.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for letting me access an advance copy of this audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

I was intrigued to listen to this audio book and it was my first by Mark Watson. It was an emotional, yet funny story of James Chiltern: who has decided to end his life. The story focuses on the relationship James has with his friends and family and how this has affected his life.

While I enjoyed this book I did find it a little confusing at times. I'm not sure if it was due to it being an audio book but I sometimes got lost and unsure of which character's story I was listening to.

Overall a good read that I'd recommend.

I would firstly like to thank Harper Collins and NetGalley for the early copy of this book, in exchange for an open and honest review.
So here it is, the plot and overall premise of the book was a strange and not a topic that is really broached in books normally. For this I would give a star entirely for bringing suicide ideation into the public mind.
There were moments of comedy and a wealth of backstory for all the individual ‘contacts’ involved in the narrative. Some of that backstory or tangents were a bit unnecessary but they brought added detail to the book.
Not the sort of read I usually go for, but I’m glad that I did. Mark Watson’s narration in the audiobook version added a new dimension too.
All in all, a very gritty realistic account of a guy down on his luck, which filtered down through to his relationships and their dynamics. Made me think.

This is a beautifully written novel that despite the subject matter is gentle, warm and touching. I loved the characterisation, the study of relationships and the way author sensitively and perceptively portrayed loneliness. The audio version is well narrated by the author.

I would highly recommend listening to this book.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital audiobook.

Contacts written and read by Mark Watson, an adventure to find your place in life. James decides he has had enough of life and is going to commit suicide. He messages all of his contacts to say goodbye then switches his phone on to flight mode, boards a train to Scotland and awaits for the world to need him and therefore stop the inevitable.
Surely enough, his friend, ex girlfriend, flatmate and sister along with a few others panicked into building/rebuilding the relationship they had with James to prevent his death.
The narrative is comedic, flashbacks of how his life has come to this point help us understand why he feels this way as the people important in his life try to rectify the situation.
It's a interesting plot some may have difficulty with but it's discussed with humour and sensitivity rather than morbidity so easier to relate to.
The characters are described by their actions which creates vivid images of them, being able to knock a bottle of pop out of a vending machine with a bang of the elbow, has diet coke ad imageary all over it!
Overall an enjoyable listen, funny charaters but a little too predictable for my preference.

This was a story taking place all in one day from multiple different perspectives. We meet lots of variously flawed characters in James' life, all reacting in different ways to his message. In tone, it feels like a cross between Eleanor Oliphant and Reservoir 13, with similar humour and observation of human behaviour.
The audiobook was great, really well performed by the author and gets across how he feels about all of the characters. Definitely an easy listen despite the subject matter, recommended

I really enjoyed listening to this audiobook and as Watson narrates it you really get the tone in which he has written the book. I felt that the story was very real as were the characters. It's an audiobook I'd listen to repeatedly because it is so good.

I very much enjoyed this book, which is an odd thing to say considering the subject matter of it.

I enjoyed the slow reveal of James' life and worries, the build up added quite a lot to the book and made for gripping reading. It was also particularly heartwarming to see just how much of an impact James had on the people he knew, and their scramble to get in touch with him after he powered his phone off is really nice to see, even if some of these people may have added to James' stress.

I enjoyed Mark as an author, but I unfortunately don't think he was the right narrator for this book. His voice and cadence didn't often match with the mood of passages he read.

⭐⭐⭐💫
I enjoyed  90% of this book but I found the ending disappointing. It felt a bit rushed in the end. Everything built up nicely to a great climax but then it fizzled out for me. We got to know all the different people in James's life and how his message affected them but I wanted a bit more. I wanted to know how they dealt with the conclusion. With a tweak here and there it can be a great read. I also wanted to know a bit more about Gina and about why she made the choices she did. It was interesting to get to know all the different characters in the book and to see the different way people deal with stressful situations.

I can understand that some authors like to read their own books but I wasn't sold on Mark Watson reading his book. All the right emotions were there but I did find he swallowed some of his words. Maybe it's just my drama background kicking in!

Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Collins audio UK for the chance to listen to this book in exchange for my honest opinion

Thank you to the publishers for sending me a copy of this book.

I really enjoyed this book however I will say it may contain triggers for some people.

A truly honest look at suicide, mental health and the what ifs. I loved how this story unfurled not only from James point of view but from all the characters.

Without giving too much away the side stories with two specific characters very vitally important in showing James’ downward spiral.

I thought this was a fantastic read, and touched on very strong issues also given the author there was of course a smattering of humour but it was done in a very tasteful way.