You’ve Reached Sam by Dustin Thao is a poignant debut that explores the complexities of grief, love, and the struggle to let go. The story follows Julie, a seventeen-year-old girl who finds herself lost after the sudden death of her boyfriend, Sam. When she unexpectedly reconnects with him through a mysterious phone call, Julie gets a second chance to say goodbye, but as she clings to their fleeting connection, she must decide whether holding on is helping her heal or preventing her from moving forward.

Julie is a deeply flawed and often unlikeable protagonist, which makes her journey through grief both relatable and frustrating. Her anger and selfishness, both in the present and in flashbacks, paint a picture of a girl struggling to cope with an unimaginable loss. I found her portrayal to be realistic – grief isn’t always pretty or noble, and Julie’s messy emotions reflect that. However, her behaviour can be off-putting, making it challenging to fully connect with her at times. Despite this, watching her slowly transform and come to terms with her grief made me root for her. Her journey felt raw and honest, and while she may not be the most sympathetic character, her struggle to let go of Sam is something many can relate to.

Sam is the heart of the story, even in his absence. His kindness and love for Julie shine through their calls, making the grief of his loss palpable. Sam’s presence as a loving, supportive boyfriend makes the pain of their separation all the more heart-wrenching. Though we mostly experience him through Julie’s memories and their otherworldly calls, Sam’s character feels fully realised and profoundly touching. He represents the lingering impact of a lost loved one, and every interaction with him is bittersweet.

While the focus is heavily on Julie and Sam, the side characters felt a bit underdeveloped. They serve as reminders of the world Julie is neglecting in her grief, but I wish their roles had been more fleshed out to further ground Julie’s journey and show the broader impact of Sam’s death.

The plot centres on Julie’s struggle to cope with Sam’s death and her miraculous connection with him through a series of phone calls. The pacing starts slow, reflecting Julie’s deep sense of loss and her reluctance to move on. As the story unfolds, it balances between past and present, giving a fuller picture of Julie and Sam’s relationship. This structure helped deepen my understanding of their bond and made the story’s emotional moments hit harder. The plot isn’t heavy on twists or complex mysteries, but it doesn’t need to be – its strength lies in the emotional journey of letting go. Although the twist at the end felt a bit underexplored, it added a layer of intrigue that kept me engaged until the final page.

The writing is beautifully descriptive and does an excellent job of conveying the raw emotions of grief and longing. Thao’s style is lyrical without being overly flowery, making the book feel intimate and deeply personal. The atmospheric prose pulled me into Julie’s world, and the vivid portrayal of her pain made the story resonate on a visceral level. However, the pacing can feel slow at times, mirroring Julie’s reluctance to confront her reality, which might be a drawback for some readers looking for a more plot-driven narrative.

The novel explores themes of love, loss, and the painful process of moving on. Julie’s story is a testament to how grief can distort reality, making it hard to say goodbye even when you know you must. The book delves into the idea that letting go isn’t about forgetting but about finding a balance between holding onto memories and living in the present. It touches on the universal yearning for one more moment with those we’ve lost, and how those lingering connections, while comforting, can also hinder our ability to heal.

You’ve Reached Sam fits well within the young adult contemporary genre with a touch of magical realism. The novel’s focus on emotional exploration over plot action aligns it more with character-driven narratives typical of YA fiction. It also has elements of romance and coming-of-age, as Julie learns to navigate her grief and the complexities of moving forward.

Positives of You’ve Reached Sam
Emotional Depth: The portrayal of grief is raw and relatable, making the emotional journey feel authentic.
Unique Premise: The concept of reconnecting with a lost loved one through phone calls offers a fresh take on coping with loss.
Strong Central Relationship: The bond between Julie and Sam is touching and believable, adding weight to the story’s emotional stakes.
Lyrical Writing: Thao’s descriptive and atmospheric prose enhances the book’s emotional impact, drawing readers into Julie’s world.
Negatives of You’ve Reached Sam
Unlikeable Protagonist: Julie’s behaviour can be frustrating, and her selfishness makes it difficult to fully connect with her at times.
Slow Pacing: The plot’s slow pace may be off-putting for readers expecting more action or a faster-moving storyline.
Underdeveloped Side Characters: Supporting characters could have been more fleshed out to provide a richer narrative context.
Unexplained Twist: The supernatural element of the phone calls isn’t fully explained, leaving some aspects of the story feeling unresolved.
You’ve Reached Sam is a beautifully crafted, heart-wrenching debut that explores the intricacies of love, loss, and the struggle to let go. Dustin Thao’s writing captures the rawness of grief in a way that feels both deeply personal and universally relatable. While the pacing is slow and the protagonist can be challenging to connect with, the emotional depth and unique premise make this a memorable read. If you’re looking for a tear-jerker that delves into the pain of goodbyes and the difficulty of moving on, You’ve Reached Sam is worth picking up. I’d rate it 4 out of 5 stars for its touching portrayal of grief and the bittersweet reminder that love lingers, even after loss.

YOU'VE REACHED SAM is a bittersweet contemporary YA that follows Julie, whose carefully planned future violently derails when her boyfriend dies in a car crash on the way to her. Her grief turns her avoidant, trying her best to forget Sam until she dials his number—and he picks up.

I'm not normally a contemporary enjoyer (especially not one set during high school), but I do like a contemporary with magical elements, and I like how the connection and phone call elements scaffolded the themes of grief and dealing with loss. I actually really liked the theme and main message a lot and it really spoke to me as someone who has dealt with this sort of grief before. Julie's arc is easily my favorite part of the book.

I think I lacked an emotional connection to it that lay in how unfleshed out many of the characters were. I felt like Julie's mom wholesale disappeared for a lot of the book (unless there was some reasoning for it my ears skipped over, which is entirely possible? She sounded so cool and then was barely relevant), and as much as I did like the other classmates' grief turning them angry and vindictive toward Julie, it ultimately felt like just a way for her to be bullied instead of showing more complex realities of grief. The beginning hooked me but as things went on, it felt just a bit too long and drawn out.

I am also not one to need an explanation for magic or strange occurrences in stories, but there were a lot of hints made that cause me to think a bigger reveal was coming that never landed. I think the epilogue was very touching, and I liked how Julie learned to balance letting go and still remembering Sam and honoring his memory. I liked the end of the end chapter, but it started out sounding like an epilogue so much that I was caught off guard. This is just getting nitpicky though, so I think overall, there was just some element that caused the rest to fail to make a true impact on me.

HOWEVER! As mentioned before, I am not a huge lover of YA contemporary and it needs to be astounding to break through that for me, so I would still recommend giving this a chance if you think you'll like it. I'm interested to see where Thao goes with his writing and I may pick up When Haru Was Here was well.

Whoa. This book was such a sad story of grief and learning how to let go and move on. Everything about this story was so heartbreaking. There were definitely moments of hope and joy, but those moments were often blurred by guilt.

I can’t imagine what life would be like to be so young and overcome by such sadness and trauma. To be haunted by choices you made and feel as if a fatal accident was your fault. I can’t imagine being in such a situation to be able to talk to your loved once after they passed, and get the chance to say goodbye, but then have to grieve all over again.

But the story was beautiful. I was glad to have read it.

This book made me feel all of the feelings! I would Definitely recommend it to friends. amazing, sweet, and wholesome

I wanted to be heartbroken by this book but it just didn't hit right unfortunately. It felt a little slow and I just couldn't quite get fully into the storyline. I think part of the problem was that I didn't connect with or understand the protagonist, Julie. She came across as not so nice of a person and so I didn't feel the emotions for her or hurt for her and her grief.
The idea behind the book was amazing though and would really resonate with people who have lost someone they love and are finding it difficult to let go. I just wish it had been executed a bit better so that i could really feel it.

I knew I was going to cry but I did not expect this much.
Not gonna lie, I picked it up because I needed to cry and thank you for delivering!

Honestly, what an incredible work this is. Dustin Thao has created such an courageous and heartbreaking story with some of the sweetest writing I have read. The examination of grief and incorporation of culture makes this book a responsive hit, and I recommend this to all readers.

Emotional, sweet, and a lasting impact. Deals with heavy topics but done well. I was so heart broken for Julie.

Oh my god, this was SAD.

I mean, I knew what I was getting myself into, but damn, I’m sobbing uncontrollably right now.

Anyone that has had to deal with loss and grief will connect with this story and its characters in one way or another. I will definitely start recommending it to high school teachers building their class library and young adult readers because I think this story dealt with these complicated emotions beautifully.

I started this one but I don’t know why I didn’t get through the rest of it. It was well written but something of it wasn’t for me.

I don’t necessarily know what I expected from this book, but I do know that it did not live up to those expectations as much as I had hoped it would. I love a paranormal romance, but don’t tend to ever find them done correctly. This book reminded me of a story that I once wrote (or tried to write) when I was in middle school, because I find the concept of a loved one/significant other seemingly reaching out from the beyond in one way or another to be a haunting, beautiful paradox.

However, I found that this story ultimately landed flat for me.

3.5 out of 5 stars.

You've Reached Sam is a touching story about grief. Julie recently lost her high school boyfriend Sam in a tragic accident. Julie discovers that she can still talk to him by calling his phone, and she must come to terms with letting him go.

I think this book will impact younger readers greatly. I found myself a bit teary-eyed at the highly emotional parts. This book focused more on the impact that Sam's death had on Julie. This part was well done, however I did find myself still curious about Sam and would have liked a few scenes from his perspective. I felt as if I did not truly get to know his character firsthand as we learned about him through the other character's perception of him. This very well could have been the author's intention, I just wish we got a little more from Sam in addition to Julie so that there was a greater impact. I also found the book to be a little bit longer than necessary.

You've Reached Sam is well-written, and I'd recommend it to any young adult readers looking for a harder hitting contemporary read! Julie felt very real. Even with a magical realism component to the story, the journey of grief that Julie goes through felt extremely genuine.

An intimate and raw depiction of loss. This is perfect for teens, especially those learning to deal with grief because unfortunately, this does happen.

Losing your first love at such a young age is devastating. This book encapsulates that really well--this coming from a widow.

This book made me SOB. I ended up listening to the audiobook and was crying my eyes out on my drive home. This one hurts. But I loved it.

A great premise, and lives up to the promise. This young adult novel follows Julie dealing with her grief after Sam dies. She skips his funeral, but before she really has a chance to start dealing with the repercussions of his untimely departure, the phone rings and Sam appears to be on the other end. Through this clever setup, Thao explores what it really means to live, to live, and to try to let go. It also serves as a clever vehicle to explore teenage mental health.

A really moving book. More for a younger audience but still really enjoyed this the depiction of grief i thought was handled extremely well and definitely made me tear up.

A tender exploration of grief and love, You've Reached Sam is a YA contemporary novel for everyone who enjoys their books kind of crushing their heart!

As a lover of stories about death and grief (and a professional ugly crier), You've Reached Sam was almost the perfect book for me! The way Dustin Thao handles the grief and growth in this book is so wonderfully tender and nuanced and, to me, captured the complexities of loss very well. However, some of the narration felt a little repetitive which took away from the emotional impact it had on me and I found myself not being as emotionally invested as I had hoped I would be.

Overall, if you've heard about this book and think "hey, I want to see if it'll make me sob at 2am!", definitely give this one a shot.

Wow! What a book! I had put it off for a while. I'm so glad I finally picked it up.

It was raw and emotional. What I loved most about this book was I felt for Julie. I ugly cried for days after reading this. But I loved watching Julie's growth.

I give this book all the stars!

Thank you NetGalley for my free copy!

Honestly, I had HUGE hopes for this one. Like I remember loving the premise when Dustin Thao pitched the idea and it got so popular.

The book didn’t live up to my hype. The writing is nice, and I even like the characters but they didn’t pull me in. I was expecting to see a love story off the charts that will fight against the death (that was my idea of this book) but it wasn’t that. I like Sam and Julie, but I didn’t feel much for their love. This book was more about Julie’s arc.

Also, the whole “you called me and I picked up” part was a bit repetitive for me. I just expected an explanation about it.

I did enjoy this, but it wasn't as emotional as I was expecting it to be. The grief in this book is done beautifully, but it did become underwhelming about half way through because it felt repetitive. Julie takes a good while to move on even though there were multiple points where it felt like she should have. Overall, an enjoyable book. Would definitely read more from this author.