What would you do if you had a second chance to say goodbye to someone you loved? Julie's boyfriend, Sam, dies in an accident and she struggles with the loss, especially given that he died when she was mad at him and she never had a chance to say goodbye. In order to hear his voice one last time, she calls his phone....and he answers. They both know that their conversations won't last forever and they will have to say goodbye eventually.

What I appreciated about this book was how it shows different forms of grief and that there really is no "right way" to grieve. While I didn't love that Julie essentially put her life on hold to talk to her dead boyfriend, she does eventually learn how to continue to live her life when his was cut so short.

I got a little teary towards the end, which is rare for me. But this missed the mark for me just a little. Probably a 3.5 star read for me.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press/Wednesday Books for a copy of the eARC in exchange for a honest review.

ARC kindly provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

TW: Grief, death (off page but mentioned)

From the blurb alone, I knew this book was going to cause me (the good kind? of) pain. Its whole premise was about grief and what we, as human beings do to keep the memories of our loved ones alive in our hearts and in our minds. This book was about letting go and having the courage to move on after great tragedy. It was raw, it was emotional and it pulled at my heartstrings in a way that got me sobbing at 1 in the morning.

I think the reason why this book's got a lot of buzz is mainly because of the premise. It's what drew me in after all. I was particularly drawn to this book because of its unique idea of metaphysical connection between life and death. There were so many ways this book could've gone, it could've gone in the thriller direction where Sam was actually alive and the death was a hoax or someone was catfishing Julie and pulling a cruel prank on her however, the book always maintained a contemporary and emotional heart. Plot wise, the plot was very loose however, I felt that it suited perfectly with the nature of the story. I felt like the pacing complemented the core of the novel as well. The story, at its core, was about letting go and I felt like every single element of the novel from pacing to characters to story contributed to that.

Sam was by far my favourite character. He seemed sweet and I cherished the flashbacks we got to get a closer look into his and Julie's relationship. You could tell he really cared about her, but yet again, I wanted more emotion between them both and I wanted a bit of a closer glimpse into Sam's emotions. He honestly had a lot more to comprehend than Julie did.

Julie was an okay character in my opinion. I understood why she was angry and I knew that had some relation to her grieving process but at the same time, she wasn't really that likeable either as seen in the book's present and past. I think what would've made this book even better is if there was more of a distinction between "past Julie" and "present Julie" just to highlight how much Sam's death affected her. I believe it would've elevated this story and made it more emotional to read.

It was really the side characters that made up the book and I wish we spent more time with them. Mika, Jay, Rachel, Yuki, Oliver and James. I loved them all and enjoyed their interactions with Julie. My only issue is that there were some scenes that included the side characters that I felt were a tad bit rushed. I believe that if we got more lead up and it was shown throughout the book how the side characters were feeling then some of the subplots would've made more sense. I believe that if the subplots were lead up to more, then the ending (specifically in relation to James) wouldn't have felt as out of the blue as it did.

My main criticism though is more so to do with the timing of the novel. The book started off a week after Sam's death and already the characters' were well into the middle stages of grief. Yes, one may argue that everyone experiences grief differently but for me, it just felt too quick considering the timeframe of events. I felt like if the book started two or three months after Sam's death then it would've made more sense for Julie to get rid of Sam's personal belongings and accept the fact that he is dead.

All in all though, I really enjoyed this debut. For the topics it covered, I can tell it wasn't an easy book to write. It certainly wasn't an easy book to read at times. It was emotional and it reminded me of Your Name and Adam Silvera's books. I highly recommend this gut-wrenching book to anyone who wants an emotional read or a good cry.

ACTUAL RATING: 4.2 STARS

I enjoyed this book, even though it was not a story I would normally read. It really made me think as a reader. I will be recommending it to others.

I did not sign up for this much emotion. I knew this was about grief, and my favorite book ever also dealt with that, so I tought I would be able to take it, nope. I definitely cried. I also like the representation in the book, but what I liked less was that the ending felt a bit off, I don't know, maybe I was just feeling too much. I do really recommend this to everyone, it's such a beautiful book

Been a long time since I planned to read this book but I'll admit that I'm highly intimidated by this book as my friends mentioned how emotional this book is.

My verdict? Recommended! Prepare for the tears and check trigger warnings before diving into this one.

Yall. I cried.

This book follows seventeen year old Julie after the death of her boyfriend Sam. She calls his phone so she can hear his voice through his voicemail, when Sam answers the call! She doesn't tell anyone for fear of losing the connection and she doesn't think anyone will believe her. We follow Julie through her grieving process and see how Sam's death has touched others around her.

I honestly did not like Julie at the beginning of this book. I wasn't sure I was going to finish this book. But, as I kept reading, her behaviors made more sense as her grieving. We start to see that Sam's calls help her, but also hurt her and those around her. While she is on the phone with him, she doesn't receive calls/text to her phone. This pushes friends and family away without her realizing because she is holding on to Sam and not allowing either of them to move on.

The last 20% or so of the book is where it really got me. I essentially cried till the end, even though I tried really hard not to. It was very emotional and you felt so bad for the characters, but happy for them at the same time. Very good debut from the author! I will look forward to what he comes out with next!

Thank you to Dustin Thao, Wednesday Books, and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

I'll start with: a concept is not a plot. Rarely does it have enough juice to hold up a story, let alone a novel. This book is juiceless.

I will say I was brought to tears by the end of the prologue. Though the synopsis makes it clear that this book centers around death and dealing with the loss of a significant other, I was not expecting a full-blown love story played out over the span of a chapter. But that is where my attachment ended.

There are never any answers given.

The main character doesn’t change from start to finish.

This book reads as a diary of daily doings colored by grief and the presence of a paranormal element.

It feels as if the author had ideas for many possible roads this book could go, chose to include them all, and doesn’t resolve any of them.

I was waiting for growth, for depth, for the relatability that comes with mutual loss. I received none of that.

My only feeling as I turned the last page was frustration that I had stuck it out this long for absolutely no pay out.

I’m sure this book might resonate with the proper reader, but this reader requires a whole lot more development that what this story provides.

I’m still sobbing as I write this. I mean such a beautiful story and a perfect YA read for anyone struggling with loss

3 1/2 stars

I went into this book with the expectation that it would wreck me. I was prepared to have tears continually streaming down my face. Obviously, it was very sad. However, not nearly as intense as I expected. me when reading the book.

The main character, Julie is trying to muddle her way through the loss of her boyfriend, Sam. Everyone around her seems to have any opinion about what she's doing. I did think some of her behavior was odd. But people should never judge or question someone about "how" they grieve....everyone does it differently. That part was heartbreaking. It felt as if Julie didn't have many people to go to who understood her.

I think the author's goal of showing how Julie worked her way through the grieving process was a good one. For me, it felt as if it drug in certain places. I lost sight of where the book was going in places and had to work to keep myself reading. That's never ideal. In the end, I was glad I stuck with it. It was nice to see Julie go full circle with her process.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. I voluntarily chose to review it and the opinions contained within are my own.

AUDIOBOOK REVIEW: The narration for the book was good. I wouldn't say outstanding - - but definitely good. I would say that it wasn't my favorite audiobook. It didn't pull me in and keep me drawn into the story. I was just a content to read it. (3 1/2 stars)

ARC generously provided to me by Wednesday Books through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review! Thank you so much!

4 stars. While it read a bit distant at first, You've Reached Sam is a well-written and intimate study of grief with a perfectly fitting, semi-magical plotline.

3.5, rounded up. The magical realism aspect (with the flashbacks) didn't always work for me, nor did the timeline, but I appreciated how Thao showcases Julie grieving in her own way to demonstrate that grieving is neither easy not perfect nor socially acceptable.

4.5 stars

Julie has her whole life planned out as she's approaching high school graduations, with all her plans including her long-term boyfriend, Sam. Then Sam dies. Julie spirals, not knowing how to cope with the grief, and calls him to console herself. Then he picks up.

This delivered exactly how I wanted it to. Sad YA magical realism is always going to be one of my favorite genres because it captures the feelings of the situation so well and also in a way that other genres don't.

From the very first chapter, Thao drops you into this loving relationship that you can't help but immediately root for. The montages of caring moments shows the depth of the relationship in an extremely short amount of time. Julie is an easy character to empathize with. She tries so many different ways to deal with her grief as she goes from extreme reaction to extreme reaction. She has isolated herself from her friends and she's losing her grip on her well-laid plans. This book is really short but I felt like there was lots of development for her and there was a good amount of insight into the main side characters as well. There was just enough rules for the magical realism elements of this without being too strict about an entire afterlife situation. t was also written in a way that allowed me to absolutely blow through it. My heart shattered so many times while reading this. I'm so glad that I got to read this early and get to join the hype around this.

Fans of sad magical realism like They Both Die At The End won't be disappointed.

After Julie’s boyfriend, Sam, meets his untimely death, she’s devastated, but does her best to forget him. She calls him to hear his voice in his voicemail, but something strange happens…Sam picks up. Now, they have another chance to do some of the things they never got to do, including saying goodbye. But Julie finds it harder and harder to let him go.

I loved the way grief was handled in this book. Speaking from personal experience, grieving people don’t always make the best choices, and it was good to see this represented in a book. The characters’ growth was also nice to see, especially Julie’s. I recommend for contemporary lovers who like emotional and character-driven novels!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the e-arc of You've Reached Sam by Dustin Thao.

This book destroyed me. I started crying in the beginning and by the end I was a wreck. That being said it was because the book was so moving and lovely.
Julia is dealing with the death of her boyfriend Sam when she calls him one evening and he picks up. What follows is a wonderful journey into dealing with grief and moving on after someone has died. While the plot may have been predictable and about having to let go the journey that Thao took me through to get to the end of the story was moving and heart wrenching and so beautiful as well.
I knew I was going to be a wreck by the end of the book and You've Reached Sam certainly delivered.

Thank you to the publisher for the advanced ecopy of You've Reached Sam by Dustin Thao. It had lots of sweet moments and the overall message of how everyone deals with grief differently was a good one. I was a little torn on how to rate the overall story because I would not say I ended up really enjoying the book overall. The audiobook narrator sounded like she was whining pretty much every line....I mean her inflection never really changed. The main character had a way of dealing with her grief that was bizarre AND offensive. I genuinely can't imagine her mother or friends wouldn't have at some point grabbed her and told her to get a hold of herself. It is one thing to grieve in your own way. It is a whole other thing to grieve in a way that actively hurts those around you who are also grieving. And no, I will never think that is OK. So while I struggled with that aspect, I did like how the author got into how different grief affected various people from Sam's life. I think a lot of teen readers who are comfortable with melodrama and angst will love the book. I am probably too old and jaded for it.

Unfortunately, this one did not live up to my expectations. I was shocked at how uninterested I became so early in the story. I think the story was supposed to be full of emotion, and the only emotion I got was confusion. I felt there were so many missing pieces that were left unresolved for most of the book. I also didn't really get this raw emotion from Julie that I would've expected from how the story started off. The writing was jumbled and the pace was too. A nice premise for a popular trope, but not a great execution.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for an E-arc of You've Reached Sam.

This story follows Julie as she deals with the tragic death of her boyfriend, Sam, and how when she calls his phone on a whim, he answers.

This is such a hard review to write as I went into this expecting to have my heart ripped out, and I ended up... just not caring or feeling anything.

All the characters just feel lackluster and "bleh" to me. and the story line felt like it was all over the place.

Overall, I think the message of the story was well thought out, and an important one, but it just fell flat for me overall.

My favorite parts of this book are the cover (stunning) and the character Mika, Sam's cousin. She seemed to be the most fleshed out character to me and the most I felt connected to and caused the most emotion for me.

This is a hard review to write because I'm not positive I'm the person it was written for. I haven't lost anyone the way Julie lost Sam but I just didn't connect with the plot device of Julie and Sam being able to talk over the phone after he died. There was just no logical reason reason for it to be happening which is something I need in the contemporary books I read.

That being said, I liked Julie and her friends quiet a bit. Both her relationships with Mika and Tristian were handled well and the rest of her life (not getting into certain programs and having to give up on dreams) was really well handled.

You’ve Reached Sam by Dustin Thao had great potential, but just didn’t live up to what it could have been.
The idea of the story was original, and that was what appealed to me originally, but I just didn’t feel invested in the story.
I really thought the narration was good on this and if you want to check out this story, the audiobook is a good option.

Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for the opportunity to read this book for an honest review.

When I saw this beautiful cover on the Read Now option on NetGalley, I automatically downloaded.

This is the story of Julie, a teenage girl who lost her boyfriend (Sam) to a car accident and magically gained a final opportunity to speak to him through phone calls. We get to know Sam through Julie’s eyes. The story became very stagnant and repetitive. Her story was about working through one’s grief and how it may differ from person to person. Unfortunately, it failed to give me that emotional kick I was expecting.