It’s very sweet in a high school romance kinda way. I really enjoyed the first halve of the book. We get to read about how they met and how it all started but also about Julies first raw attempts to deal with the new situation. I think about halve way it becomes a little repetitive with it’s character arch; Julie seems get stuck in denial and not move forward. It becomes more difficult to follow her reasoning as certain changes just seem to happen for no reasons. I’m not quite sure how she gets from denial to acceptance and to moving on.
What saved it for me is the end end, that’s all I’m going to say you have to read it yourself.

Ultimately, I think it’s enjoyable.

This was my most anticipated books of this year and I just knew it would break my heart. First off the cover is stunning and despite some of the content (sudden death, depression and bullying) I loved it. Thank you for the early copy for an honest review.

I had a feeling this book would tear me into tiny pieces and I was right!

This book dealt with some really tough subjects but in such a magical way! The way Julie deals with her grief and loss and the hauntingly beautiful phone calls really worked for me! don’t we all wish we could speak to someone after they are gone! the premise of this book was lovely and the way it came across was beautiful.,

Thank you for allowing me early access and I hope everyone who picks this up enjoys it as much as I did.

Unfortunately the writing style really didn’t suit me and I could not get myself to pick it up more than 3 or 4 times. The premise seemed interesting but reading it, I realise it is not for me and probably meant for someone younger than me, a teen or someone still in high school. I wish I could have enjoyed it but i DNFed it at around 15%.

I love the way this book explored the grief of a significant other after someone passes away. I like how there are a few scenes of this book that are just backstories and little memories Sam and Julie shared. It made me really realize that their relationship was something special, and that their bond was healthy, but also strong. I'm a very emotional person, and this book made me shed a few tears. Perhaps it's just because I've never had a time in my life where I had to grieve over someone close to me, but I couldn't really connect to the story. I do have troubling times when trying to feel the book, and to feel the characters. I wasn't able to feel any of that with this book. However, this cover is absolutely stunning!! It's one of the many reasons I was drawn to this story.
Anyway, I will be recommending this to my friends, and I will definitely buy one of these books when it comes out because the cover is actually gorgeous, and this story is for sure one I want on my shelf.

5 stars

I FREAKING CRIED SO MUCH FOR THIS BOOK! I NEED THE FINISHED COPY ASAP ONCE IT IS OUT!!!
THIS IS A BEAUTIFUL STORY ABOUT GRIEF , SADNESS AND PAIN...

i was just emotional broken into pieces when this book ended and i did not know what to do next honestly.
i was under a book coma for a week! i dont know about the rest of the peeps who have read this but i highly recommend this as i dont really cry that much for books


Thank you for the arc @netgallery for an exchange of a honest review.

Absolutely beautiful novel, I was rendered speechless, often trying to suppress my tears at the raw emotion the characters displayed. Each one had their unique way to live through their loos, Julie, Oliver, Mika, they all had a connection to Sam they wanted to preserve and hold on to as much as possible. Though at first I did not understand Julie at all, I did learn to accept that grief is survived differently by everyone and this novel taught me that. Having experienced loss recently, this book hit differently, it was a small ray of hope, that life does go on.

i was so fascinated by the premise and expected for this book to blow me away and make me ugly sob but in the end it did none of those things to me. still a pretty okay read and i appreciated its attempt to portray the character’s grief but ultimately it was much too underwhelming for me.

I didn’t know much about this book before reading it, only that I as bout a girl who’s boyfriend die. This books was a rollercoaster of emotions. I enjoyed it generally speaking but I can’t seem to give it five stars. Whether is because of the lack of depth in certain parts or the grieving approach it took. Something about it let me unsatisfied. But I still recommend this book 100%

This was absolutely amazing. I cried so much that I truly had to take a break and breathe. So beautifully written and although I was unfamiliar with the author beforehand, I will be recommending them from here on out

Woooooowwww. Wow wow wow. This book. After reading some reviews and seeing what a few friends had to say about this book, I knew it would be an emotional roller coaster for me going into it. I am so so easily emotionally manipulated by authors, and this was no exception to that general fact about me. I felt so much hope while reading this, experienced the grief of loss right along with Julie. One of the things I loved most about this was the flashbacks. Seeing Julie and Sam fall in love both broke and mended my heart. I need everyone to read this and come talk to me.

3.5 stars but I rounded up to 4 because I did cry! Thank you NetGalley for the ARC. I recommend this one for anyone looking for a slightly melancholic, but also romantic, YA. I appreciate the nuanced look at grief, but was admittedly frustrated by the main character a few times.

This book started weak for me. I loved loved the premise, expected an emotional read, and while it delivered on that sense, the beginning was so boring. It took me a while to really get into the story and continue reading. But I pushed through and once I got deeper into the story, I realized the characters were getting to me and I was curious to know what happens next with them.

I had a small issue with the structure of the story, the chapters starting and ending too many times with Julie waking up and falling asleep, and sooo many flashbacks that would be a big flashback with few different scenes tied up together. But I understand it's necessary for the story and for us to understand Julie's relationship with Sam.

The emotional scenes almost made me weep, ohgod, they were really heartbreaking and I felt all the feels, so kudos to the author for that!
The arc for Julie while not a very drastic change was well done. And I really liked all her friends!

While the pacing felt a bit slow, mainly at the beginning, the story was emotional and interesting and I enjoyed it. I had bigger expectations of it, but after reaching the end, I don't think I'm too disappointed. I think the book does exactly what you expect it to. It makes you feel.

such a great book that i will be recommending to others all the time. the writing is unlike any i’ve seen before, it’s beautiful. the cover is unbelievably gorgeous as well. i highly recommend reading this novel, put it on your tbr right away!

2.75 stars

First of all, thank you Netgalley for providing me with this book. Second, the fact that the rating for this book is a bit low it's because I feel like I don't enjoy this kind of books, contemporary YA, so it's a me problem not the books fault.

So the main premise relies quite a bit in magical realism which I now know that I don't enjoy that much.

Overall the book was ok, grief is not easy to write about but I think that the author grasped the topic quite well.

I originally picked up this book because of its gorgeous cover and dreamlike, heartbreaking description. I think this did a great job of grappling with the experience of heartbreak and loss; for me personally, I'd hoped for a little more depth to Julie's emotions and a clearer explanation of how Julie and Sam were able to communicate. However, I have no doubt that this book will mean a lot to many people and I think it's a lovely idea!

Julie is ready for her life to change. She's about to graduate and hopefully go to her dream college with her longtime boyfriend. But then Sam dies and her life really does change. Julie can't stand the thought of his death and wants to move on from the pain she feels daily. She skips his funeral, throws away his things, but she decides to call Sam just one more time to hear his voicemail. But then Sam picks up the phone. Sam and Julie are able to talk through her phone only as they're given a second chance at goodbye. But Julie has to keep this a secret from her world, which is tough as she watches her community mourn his death. She wants to tell the people who love him most about this connection, but if she does she could risk losing their own connection forever.

This one was so sweet and tender. I could really feel Julie's agony through the page. I loved the way the story was told, with sparks of flashbacks and memories. All of it made Sam's death all the more painful and real. This was such a unique idea for a novel and I felt like it was so well executed. I genuinely felt a sadness in my own heart and chest at every phone call, knowing how much it meant to be able to speak to Sam once more. There were so many great conversations about grief throughout the whole book and it was a genuinely heartwrenching book. My only reason for giving it four stars is that I wanted some answers on how Sam was able to pick up the phone and how he could keep their connection. Other than that, this was a great story!
If you like romantic, heartbreaking books with a fantastical element, this one is for you!
Thank you to Netgalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I'm sad to say that I didn't particularly enjoy this. You've Reached Sam was, without a doubt, a very emotional and thought evoking book. Even though I didn't love it, I can't argue with that. That said, I didn't care much for the characters. I do, admittedly, often struggle with books about grief. If I Stay was not the one for me. I thought this one sounded a bit more like something I would enjoy, though. I was wrong.

This is very much an "it's not you, it's me" reaction to this book. It was well written, and certainly enjoyable for the right audience. I just couldn't get connected to the characters or care about their relationship, and therefore I didn't care about the grief.

One of my greatest and most intense fears is losing someone that I love. And then you have You’ve Reached Sam, which is that fear in book form. For this reason, You’ve Reached Sam reads very personally to me; I felt, through the storytelling and the emotions conveyed by Julie, that this book genuinely understood that fear and confronts it unflinchingly, unafraid to show the unfiltered grief and devastation that follows. The story also depicts the moments of happiness and joy that Sam and Julie shared, making the story all the more painful and heart-aching. (Thanks, Dustin.) It portrays the insurmountable task of moving on from a love so great and so pure that you know, deep in your bones, that you will never find something close to it ever again. If given the chance to speak to someone you love and who you could, in reality, never speak to again, would you take that chance? (Personally, I would, without hesitation.)

Unsurprisingly, You’ve Reached Sam is a poignant and heartbreaking portrayal and exploration of the throes of grief. It isnot a how-to or a rulebook of how to overcome grief.

Grief in this book isn’t like the arbitrary and flawed five-stages of grief model that follows a methodological lock-step way. Grief in You’ve Reached Sam is messy; it is cruel and unforgiving and painful. Julie, the protagonist of this story, is not a protagonist that people who enjoy neat and ‘logical’ characters will like. I enjoyed You’ve Reached Sam because Julie was the opposite of that; she was a character whose grieving I related to – pain upon pain upon pain, in constant flux, a refusal to let go or to face grief. Because the truth is, grieving is confusing and painful and desperate and non-linear.

I liked that it depicts this fraught process, even if it is uncomfortable and frustrating. I think a beautiful part of this book is that there really isn’t an explanation as to how Julie and Sam are connected; it’s not about the how, but about the why. The impossible connection blurs fantasy and real, underpinning their close and intense bond and therefore offers a great device that explores the complexities of grief and letting go.


So in a nutshell, If you’re looking for a book to cry and feel emotions and majorly pain; the readers who love emotional stories about love; readers looking for a story that depicts grief; then this is a prefect book for you.

I still don’t know what to rate this book to be quite honest, but for now I’ll go with a 3.

I went into this book expecting this to be a tearjerker that will leave me ugly sobbing at 2 AM. What it did to me, instead, was nothing. I love how the book explores grief and the different ways people cope, but that’s pretty much it. It’s not that the book is bad, it’s just so unremarkable

The plot is solid for a debut book, but it felt repetitive in the middle. I also didn’t feel any attachment to Julie and felt even more disconnected with Sam. And I don’t know, maybe the writing is just too simple and straightforward to really evoke any kind of emotions, but I really didn’t feel anything.

Overall, I wouldn’t say I disliked the book, but I just felt so indifferent towards it.