This one was talked about all across #facebook #reddit #booktok and I knew I wanted to read it. #youvereachedsam #dustinthao is such a breathtaking book. About teenagers in love. With big dreams. And. What happens when we lose someone. You wanted to go in the pages and hug Julie. After sams accident she was numb. Trying to move on she’s now angry and throws his stuff away. Out of sadness. Anger. And wanting that one last talk she calls his cell phone. Much to her shock. Surprise and amazement he answers. It’s ugh. My heart. It’s about letting go. Moving on. Saying goodbye. Never forgetting. But. Still living. This is definitely one people need to get. Right now. Brace yourselves. And your hearts. #netgalley #bookstagram #readersofinstagram #netgalleyreads #booksofig #stmartinspress

This book tore me apart. I’m still reeling, and collecting all my used tissues as I write this review.

The grief in this book is so on point. I found myself relating to my old, buried grief, and bring up old emotions. It’s very touching, but people should still take precaution with triggers. Do what you’re most comfortable with.

This books isn’t very plot driven, but it’s still easy to follow (if that makes sense). The characters make this whole story the beautiful masterpiece it is. You just want to wrap them in this protective bubble where they can’t get hurt. Grief is a powerful this, especially in the eye of the adolescence.

This is such a sensitive debut with characters you will be glad to meet, most of the time.

A mixture of grief & love. How can a person deal with both, when life hurts a bit too much.
How do we even deal with loss but carry on being our own person? It's the ultimate challenge but a huge struggle too.

People will attach their heart to different parts of this story & I am sure so many people will love this book. There's real feelings in the writing & the readers will feel that too.

Look out for future books!

this book was so heartbreakingly beautiful, and i cannot recommend it enough. not only is is painful but it holds so much hope within it’s story. Sam is such a wonderful character, and Julie’s grief was so raw. It’s easy to understand why some wouldn’t like her due to her actions through grief, but I just found it realistic. This book is so so wonderful, and will leave you feeling both broken and healed.

Going into a book about grief, I was expecting tears. To be frank, it wasn't as emotional as I wanted it to be. Perhaps it is because I do not have much experience with grief, but I expected to feel a lot more than I did throughout the whole story.

I think a big part of this was just because I didn't connect with the characters that much. Even if the experiences aren't the same, usually it is fairly easy for me to empathise with a character or to connect with them. Here, it was not the case. I wasn't able to feel Julie's sadness and I really wish I could've. I know some people found this very emotional and sad and I'm glad they connected with the story but I didn't.

In general, the book had a really interesting premise, and I enjoyed most of its execution, but I would've loved a bit more world building and background about how the whole situation worked. I suppose its more a situation of suspending disbelief, but there wasn't much to work with other than it was a phone call and it could end for some random reasons or certain things make a difference even though these points are never explained when it seemed like the characters knew why but we didn't.

Overall, I think this book would definitely be good for some people and emotional and cathartic, but it wasn't the case for me.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press, Wednesday Books, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for advanced copies of both the ebook and audiobook versions of this title.

High school senior Julie has been dreaming of leaving her small Washington town to move to the city with her boyfriend Sam after graduation. When Sam dies, Julie is lost and tries to forget that he ever existed. Still, she wants to hear his voice again so she calls his cell phone. Inexplicably, Sam answers, and the two are given a little bit more time to say goodbye.

This book was pretty slow for me. It wasn't bad, I just wanted a little more action to keep it interesting.

#NetGalley #MacmillanAudio

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for granting me a free copy in exchange for an honest review. This was one of my most anticipated reads of 2021 and I knew it was going to wreck me. In the best way possible. I thoroughly loved this, and it's now one of my all time top favorite contemporary reads.
It had me tearing up through most of it, but the ending had me absolutely sobbing. Julie and Sam's relationship is bittersweet, heartwarming and so wonderful.
This book sucks you in and captures you. You fall into this story and the bond that Julie and Sam has. But be prepared to have your heart ripped out. I can't accurately express just how much I loved this book, but everyone needs to go pick up a copy and read it.

You’ve Reached Sam was absolutely beautiful. My heart was broken several times while I was reading this book. I read the entire novel on my way to New York from California and I noticed how other passengers were looking at me strange because I cried multiple times. The writing was lyrical and amazing but I especially loved Sam. Life is unfair sometimes and I wished he had a happy ending. I purchased two copies of this book and I am anxiously waiting by my door for the books to get delivered. Dustin Thao is an amazing writer and I can’t wait to read more of his work.

You've Reached Sam starts off kind of like A Christmas Carol does. That's right: someone in the beginning of this book has passed away. Julie is the surviving girlfriend of Sam and Sam died as a result of a terrible car accident. While processing her boyfriend's death, Julie is broken up about it and avoids all social interactions. She misses Sam so much that, eventually, she calls him... and guess who picks up?

Honestly, I think if you're an anime fan like me or a fan of Makoto Shinkai's work, you may really like this book. The book also reminds me of if Makoto Shinkai wrote P.S. I Love You. It's a sad story because there is a lot of grief and watching Julie go through grief in the book, but there's also something magical about being able to have those last moments with someone who has passed away even for a brief period of time longer. There's also this underlying idea of how grief can sometimes take over the moments of our lives that we're living right now when we don’t let go when it’s time to let go.

I was a bit disappointed that it wasn't explicated that the main character would be white. I didn't appreciate the subtle microaggressions towards Asians but that does add some realism to the book. I enjoyed the plot of the book, especially for a debut novel. It definitely touched my heart but it didn't make as much of an impact as I expected. Overall, it was an okay read.

If you are looking for an emotional read, Dustin Thao's debut novel is the perfect choice. It is the kind of book that will linger with you long after the final page. Grief is hard to handle at any age, but especially when you are just months from graduation and suddenly all your plans for the future are shattered. Julie must learn how to move on without her first love Sam, but she suddenly finds a mysterious connection to him. Will Julie and Sam ever be able to say their final good-byes to each other? Thanks to NetGalley and St Martin's Press for an advance copy to read and review.

*I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. Thank you so much to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for this ARC!*

I’ve got to be honest, the absolutely beautiful cover is what initially drew me to this book! The description, though, was what sold me on it. It was such an interesting concept, and I couldn’t wait to find out what was going to happen.

This novel is as beautiful as it is bittersweet. You go into it obviously knowing that it cannot end the way you would like for it to (that is with Sam and Julie going off to college and living their happily ever after). But, watching the journey that Julie, as well as Sam’s family and friends, goes on in the aftermath of his untimely death is very moving. You move through the stages of grief with each character in unique ways, and I thought this was very well done while being utterly heart-wrenching.

Getting to see the flashbacks of Sam and Julie’s relationship, from the beginning to the end, in the somewhat fantastical dreamscape of Julie’s mind was a brilliant way of showing their history to the reader. The prose of these sections was truly beautiful, and I found myself looking forward to them, which is not something I can always say for these kinds of flashbacks.

I loved getting to know all of these characters, and I still felt fulfilled at the end, even though you lose one of the main characters. For being Dustin Thao’s debut novel, I was very impressed. I am incredibly excited to see what he writes next!

My Rating:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I gave You’ve Reached Sam 4 Stars!

I knew going in that this book would destroy me emotionally but despite me knowing this, somehow it still managed to knock me sideways. You’ve Reached Sam is a beautiful, haunting meditation on loss and love and how to move on after a life altering event, especially when you can’t see a way through initially.

There is a lot to love about this book for sure – aside than that utterly gorgeous cover, I mean first class cover treatment or what? I think Dustin Thao poses such a great question; if you lost someone and had a chance to speak to them again, what would you do? What would you say? And given this second chance, how could you possibly let them go? There were so many utterly heartbreaking moments which made me cry, I would say every few pages there was another gut wrenching line or moment where you’re struck by how tragic Julie and Sam’s situation is. You know going in that Sam’s gone but somehow you want to wave a magic wand and just bring him back but you can’t and I feel like I fully went on this journey alongside Julie.

Part of what makes the story so gut wrenching is reading as Julie comes to terms with the fact that Sam is gone and although she can still speak to him, there’s the ever present reminder that it can’t last forever. It was honestly so sad reading as both Julie and Sam realise all the things that they’ll never get to experience together; leaving their small town, going to college, moving in together, getting married, travelling the world and the list goes on.

The idea that Sam passed away before he could achieve what he wanted in life, is another central idea and the sudden nature of his death is another element which was so painfully realistic. In an ideal world he would have lived and he and Julie would have had a whole life together, but sadly much like in reality, we lose people without any warning and I think many readers will be able to relate to this aspect of the book and as hard it is, I think it may also be cathartic in a sense.

I also really appreciated how grief is portrayed and really shows that there is no singular experience when someone experiences loss. I think there will be some readers who will find Julie annoying or abrasive in some way, but for me the way she deals with the loss, was actually super realistic – not everyone grieves in the same way and that’s totally okay. Grief isn’t linear and I feel like that journey, of ups and downs is represented so well within the story, as Julie and the other characters try to move forward even when it’s the hardest thing to imagine.

I will say though, I felt more connected to Sam despite the fact that he wasn’t a POV character than I did to Julie. Even some of the secondary characters felt more interesting to me, like Mika or Oliver, Sam’s cousin and his best friend. Julie didn’t strike me as particularly compelling and generally I like when I can really get into the mind of the main character and feel some sort of kinship but I just didn’t so some parts of the book dragged for me. The pacing was also slow going at times, and I guess this is to be expected with a more character focused and introspective novel but it’s something to note anyway.

If you’re looking for a thoroughly unique and heart wrenching Y/A Contemporary – then You’ve Reached Sam will not disappoint. Be sure to stock up on some tissues though, you’ll need them!

TW: Death of a loved one, car accident

Thank you Netgalley for the eARC! I binged the majority of this book last night. I haven't stayed up to finish a book in forever, but I was loving this book so much I couldn't put it down. You will definitely need some tissues while reading this cause it's super emotional and will rip your heart to shreds. I think I probably cried more from the themes of death and grief and imagining if what happened to Julie happened to me. I really liked the flashback scenes and thought they helped the reader empathize more for Julie and Sam's lost relationship. This book also shows the many different ways people grieve. Overall, a great book if you're in the mood to cry!

Unfortunately, I didn't really enjoy this one. It was pretty slow and just wasn't for me. This is not meant to offend the author.

Grief is an inevitable part of life and is often misconstrued as the absence of love, yet both exist in different sides of a coin, for one cannot live without the other --- for it is love's unwillingness to give up that makes us mourn.

For a book that's targeted to teens, this resonated to me in ways that I never thought it would. I thought it was all about sappy, tragic teen romance, but Dustin Thao has a terrific gift in expressing grief and loss in beautiful prose that reaches out and touches your heart. From the book's gorgeous cover art to its heart-wrenching story, I cannot recommend this book enough. Thank you to Wednesday Books for sending an ARC my way.

Honestly, I came in with a couple reservations about how grief would be portrayed, but once I was eased into the story, I began to understand why there's so much buzz around this book. This is very much a character-driven novel that focuses on loss, relationships, and growth. It made me cry (a lot), but I guess I'll appreciate that ache and the fact that the author succeeded in creating pain. Pick this up and open yourself to a bittersweet journey.

NO SPOILERS Review
Positives:
- This book is unique! Magical realism is a subgenre that I didn’t even know existed, and I love how it was able to stretch the storytelling and believability. It’s such a crazy concept, being able to talk to your deceased loved one through the phone, but it worked.
- So let me expand a little more on why I had reservations about grief’s portrayal. I personally feel like YA sometimes overdoes it and alters characters so greatly that you no longer feel connected to any aspect of the story. I was afraid that I wouldn’t see any reality in the main character’s, Julie’s, sadness. So when she started off the book angry and in real, human pain, I felt hope that this book was heading in the right direction.
- Growth is so important and always a beautiful part of storytelling. Julie certainly wasn’t perfect, but the changes she experiences are what mattered more to me. She took many small steps, but it all counted towards her moving forward in her life. The blossoming and renewal of friendships were also very sweet and cute too.
- That ending. That’s all I will say.

Negatives:
- I hate to say that I did not feel connected to Sam. I liked him, and he sounded nice and cool, but he also felt like an ideal person from Julie’s memories, not a real, complex person. I still felt Julie’s pain, but a part of me wishes we knew the person she was so heartbroken over a bit better.
- I wish the book could have started later. It’s only been a week since his death when the book starts, so much of the beginning was difficult for me to wrap my head around. For example, after missing school for a couple days, her friends and teachers question why she hasn’t been communicating with them or isn’t on top of her assignments. Like what? It’s only been one week since her boyfriend of 4 years passed away, give her time.
- I unfortunately did get bored during some parts where the plot was dragging or she wasn’t doing much as a character. I contemplated a 3 star rating during those sections.

Okay everyone, go get your hearts broken!

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author, for an ARC of this book, in exchange for an honest review.
The synopsis of this book sounded intriguing to me so I requested a copy to read.
Unfortunately, I have tried reading this book on 2 separate occasions and during this 2nd attempt, I have
decided to stop reading this book
and state that this book just wasn't for me.
I wish the author, publisher and all those promoting the book much success and connections with the right readers.

Disclaimer: I was granted an early copy of the book by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

First of all, look at that cover! Second, the plot draws you in because we're all a little vulnerable and sometimes, we need a good cry. This book holds a special place in my heart! It shows that there is no one way of dealing with grief and people cope up with it in their own ways. This has a touch of magical realism, so be prepared for that!

This book is out now, so please make sure to grab your copy!

You’ve Reached Sam is a young adult contemporary love story with a paranormal twist. It’s the story of high school senior Julie and her ability to reach her boyfriend Sam on the phone despite the fact that he has passed away and how hard it is to say goodbye to someone you love even when you have more opportunities.

Julie’s boyfriend was tragically killed in a car accident and she’s stuck in a spiral of grief and depression. When a impulsive phone call to Sam’s cell phone is actually picked up by Sam Julie realizes that she doesn’t have to say goodbye...yet. And over the next few months she’ll be torn between moving forward with her life and staying behind to talk to Sam.

What drew me to this book was the concept of the phone calls between Julie in Washington and Sam in the afterlife but sadly it was the part the plot I got tired of the quickest. The conversations never seemed to move the book forward and I never felt any connection or chemistry between the two. Even when their love story is told in a series of flashbacks they felt more like best friends than an actual couple and there is very little romance or intimacy.

Overall, I liked the concept but the actual book fell a little flat for me. I never connected with Julie or Sam as characters and only in the last pages was I actually moved by anything emotionally.

3 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️