This has been in my TBR for awhile now. This is the sort of book you need quiet time away from things because you'll spend quite a lot of time with tears running down your cheeks. I cried a lot. This is a touching story about love, loss, and family.

Just tears. All the tears. In the best way possible. This book broke me and then put me back together.

Deeply moving with a bittersweet ending I knew would happen yet couldn't prepare for. YOU'VE REACHED SAM had me sobbing. This book was such a beautiful story about grief after an unexpected loss. I could feel Julie's sadness, anger and guilt with such sharp focus. The synopsis was dead-on. I could see the magical realism similar to a Makoto Shinkai animated film. I really enjoyed the play on connection/ disconnection with Julie's cell phone. I wish there could have been more of Julie with Sam's family though. Overall, this book was heart-rending and beautiful.

This is a story that I expected to ball my eyes out to but, I only shed a few tears. This is a story of young love and young grief. I think that this story has so much potential to help many people work through these emotions. This is the book that I wish I would have had when my best friend passed away almost 8 years ago because I think it would have been the perfect book to help me process my grief.
I feel like this is a book that I will recommend to parents to help their teens process the loss of a friend or even a loved one.

This YA contemporary novel is a haunting exploration of grief, with an otherworldly twist that drives home the emotional impact. The book follows Julie, who gains a second chance to speak with her boyfriend through phone calls after his tragic death in a car accident. Although the story was sweet, there were also difficult moments as Julie worked through the personal process of her grief and the process of letting go of the boy she’s lost. In that way, the sweetness is accompanied by an aching sadness that permeates the book. I thought it was a beautiful way to show the highs and lows of the grieving process, and I cried so much while reading it!

i think this is the type of book that is meant to purposely make you cry, like the author set out to make his readers cry and not write a story that was worth crying over. i understand why people have been obsessing over this book for years but i think it was a little rushed and i could tell this was Dustin's debut

It’s really not hard to make me cry while reading a book, yet somehow this book managed to fail. I love a then and now timeline, but the way there were dreams, memories, and flashbacks felt a little chaotic in its organization. It didn’t feel that we were learning anything important for almost the first half of the book. It also took me half the book to care about the characters, especially Julie. I didn’t mind Julie’s personality, and thought she did her best trying to contend with her grief while others expected different things from her. I ended up caring more about the supporting characters than Julie and Sam though. Mika’s shenanigans to get Sam and Julie together and putting Taylor in her place, Oliver’s clinginess and fun personality, and Tristan’s earnestness were the best parts. Overall, it wasn’t the worst book and it wasn’t the best, but the ending was really sweet.

In "You've Reached Sam," Dustin Thao delivers an emotionally resonant YA romance that transcends the boundaries of love and loss. Set against a backdrop of heartache and healing, the novel revolves around the tender and poignant love story of Julie and Sam, two individuals brought together by fate and separated by tragedy.

Thao's writing effortlessly captures the essence of young love, infusing the narrative with genuine emotions that evoke both laughter and tears. The novel's exploration of grief is sensitively handled, and readers are invited to share in Julie's emotional journey as she grapples with the loss of her boyfriend, Sam.

Julie's character is beautifully developed, and her introspective nature adds depth to the story as she navigates the complexities of grief and acceptance. Thao paints a vivid picture of their relationship through a series of heartwarming flashbacks, allowing the reader to witness the growth and depth of their connection.

The story's pacing is well-crafted, guiding readers through a rollercoaster of emotions as Julie discovers a mysterious voicemail left by Sam after his passing. This discovery sets her on a path of healing and understanding, leading to unexpected revelations about their love and shared dreams.

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Thao's prose is lyrical and heartfelt, capturing the essence of young love with tender precision. The dialogues between characters are engaging and natural, fostering a genuine connection with the reader and allowing them to immerse themselves fully in the story.

In conclusion, "You've Reached Sam" is a captivating YA romance that skillfully navigates the complexities of grief and the transformative power of love. Dustin Thao's evocative storytelling and well-drawn characters make this novel a must-read for those seeking a touching and heartfelt exploration of young love and the enduring bond between soulmates.

I absolutely loved this book! This was such a sweet and sentimental story. I was left an emotional wreck at the end. MANY tears were shed.

I had been putting this one off again and again until finally my book club decided we would all be hurt together and man were we hurt. But 10/10 would get hurt again.

Thanks to NetGalley / Edelweiss and the publisher Edelweiss for providing me with an eARC of this book in exchange for a review.

My poor heart, this book is sad, insightful and just over all well written. I have to say i don't tear up or cry reading 9/10 times but this book did make me tear up a bit. it is a beautiful story that has a great meaning behind it.
totally would recommend and give them a box of tissues as well.

This absolute heartbreak of a novel was so beautiful and moving. It's the type of story that splits you open and makes you reflect on your life and relationships. Highly recommend for anyone who wants to cry.

After reading all the raving reviews about this book and especially from my friends I was so hyped to read this!! Sadly, it did not meet my expectations and I found myself quite bored while trudging along the story.

The flashbacks featuring Julie and Sam made me feel nothing??? They had some nice moments but nothing that had me swooning and shipping them so much. I don't know. It was sad at times but nothing heart-wrenching or emotional as I hoped it would be.

I'm pretty disappointed, but I know that many loved this so I'm glad this reached out to many!!

I cried, I cried reading this book. Everyone is confronted with grief in different ways. It packs a punch, be it a happy or sad emotion. There was a point I laughed and smiled while crying. The story begins after Sam's death, and our protagonist, his girlfriend Julie, is grieving, Grief that made Julie prickly and unbearable being around her. It made her human and I understand her actions even though I can't entirely agree with many of them. Thao constructed the characters in such a way that they were living, breathing people. Sam's best friend(s), relatives, and Julie loved him so much in different ways. Their grief physically hurt me to read. This is a story I never will forget and I can't wait to read what Dustin Thao does next

To be honest i could not finish this book. I requested it 2 years ago and now have no interest in it. It is not a bad book or anything. Nowadays i just prefer to read romance and otherwise happy books. And this book's premise is definitely not that.

I went into this story expecting to feel a lot of emotion, to be crying and sobbing my through the book. Whilst this book had a lot of heart and I felt the wave of different emotions it did feel a little flat for me.

It was a beautiful story with a fantastic premise, it just missed the mark slightly for me.

Dustin Thao has written an absolutely lovely novel. I highly recommend this book for readers who like to cry, or want to read a book that will make you reflect on your own life. You’ve Reached Sam explores the importance of connection and friendship, the affect of loss on all aspects of life, and navigating life as a teenager when it feels like your whole life has been rearranged. I recommend this book to everyone, and congratulations to Thao for creating such an emotional and thought provoking read!

I thought this was a super cute read, if not directly up my alley. The cover was a beautifully done graphic, and while I know I was not the intended audience for this, I did recommend it for my little sister to read instead.

a really sweet, sentimental story that is dampened by an unlikable main character.

i honestly wanted to cut julie some slack in the beginning. grieving is an incredibly personal process and everyone handles it differently, so i was willing to tolerate a lot of her anger. but then i realised shes just as selfish and rude in the flashbacks. so its not her grief and sorrow thats making her lash out and treat everyone like crap, thats just who she is and it makes for a very frustrating and unenjoyable book.

which is such a shame because i think the story at its heart is a really good one and one i think will resonate with any reader who has ever struggled with letting someone go and moving on. the last chapter and epilogue are really quite touching, its just that i know i would have emotionally felt more if i had cared about julie. but i didnt. and sam deserved better, tbh.

but overall, still a decent debut and im interested in seeing what comes next!

I really wanted to love this one more. Maybe it would be better as an audiobook or a physical copy. I loved the premise and the beginning but felt like the end of the book didn’t quite follow through. Great voice and excited to see what he does next in YA!