This is a book I would have loved as a teen, when love hits hard and the world feels like it's going to end the moment something goes wrong. The love the characters have is so deep, so akin to what movies and television shows show teen love to be. When Sam dies, we wonder where the story will go from there. Through the phone calls Sam leaves, we're brought into the reason Sam was loved as much as he was. We can all remember feeling love like that so strongly. It may be a story adults will cringe about, but teens today will understand wholeheartedly why she feels as strong as she does and how hard the grief is to overcome.

five out of five stars.. This book had me in tears.

I couldn't even put this book down once I got into the most heart-breaking plot though.

This was one of those books that the more hyped up it got, the less I wanted to read it, oddly. It was just something I kept pushing further and further back on my tbr as I saw it blow it up, even if I can’t exactly pinpoint why exactly it put me off. I think it just seemed impossible for a book to live up to hype so high, and I wanted to let that die down a bit before I finally gave it a shot. And in the end, I’m actually glad I did! While I still enjoyed it overall and felt some scenes very strongly, it also just didn’t quite live up to the grand heights that I’d come to expect. Since I’d waited, I didn’t actually feel disappointed or let down in any way, which I might have otherwise if I’d read this much closer to release.

I think the main detractor for me was how long it took me to really get into the story and start feeling connected to it. In stories of such strong emotion, especially when that emotion comes from feeling with and for a character, it’s extremely important for me to have that connection quickly, so maximum emotional damage can be done to me. It just took me a really long time for me to feel like I was there, and that meant that really only the ending ended up hitting the hardest for me. However, it was an extremely strong final chapter, and ended bringing the rating back up a star for me! I really liked how everything was tied up, and seeing the tentatively hopeful culmination of 300 pages of grief.

While I did enjoy this quite a bit overall, there were a few detractors (that probably were part of the reason it took so long for me to feel connected to Julie/the story). One of the main things might have been the petty high school drama that was a background force in many scenes. It felt like it often took away a lot from the bigger picture of the story, and that there wasn’t room in the book for these petty squabbles, not when this big ball of grief was taking up so much space. It made the story feel a bit more cliché for me, even though I get that Julie is in high school and high schoolers can be so cruel. It just didn’t work for me, though I feel like it might’ve worked better if more attention was paid to it, since most of it just kinda disappears later on. I also felt like this with a lot of the side characters. So many of them were strong and had so much potential, but it felt like there just wasn’t space for them in the book. Julie was just going through so much, and there was such a big story there to tell, that there wasn’t much room left for all the side characters and making them feel more real and present. I also just didn’t like certain things done with one character, Tristan, which seemed like something might happen there that I was stressed about, only for nothing to ever come from it again?

In general, though, I really liked the look into grief that this story gave, especially how it focused on both learning to bring something with you even after they’re gone, but also showing how different people grieve differently (and how quickly people begin to shame people they think are grieving incorrectly). It just felt multi-layered in quite a few areas. I also liked how everything was shown to us, without forcing us to have a certain opinion on anything. We were able to see how Julie grieved, and how it was different from others, while also seeing how it hurt other people (genuinely, not just the people who tried to find someone to blame and used this to blame Julie). Even so, it didn’t feel like we were forced to pick sides. It felt like it was ok for both things to be true: Julie grieved differently and that’s ok, but it’s also true that that can sometimes hurt the people closest to you. The only thing that sometimes felt weird was how some characters reacted to Julie, especially in the beginning and middle of the book. Some adults gave Julie very little space to grieve, and some kids felt especially cruel, even for high schoolers. It was just a bit jarring sometimes, like when Julie’s teacher said it wasn’t fair to give her a further extension if he didn’t also give it to the rest of the class (like??? Not everyone in the class just lost their boyfriend of three years?). Overall, though, I did really like how grief was portrayed and explored in this book.

While this book isn’t necessarily the new favorite that I hoped it might be, I do still think it ended up worth the read. It’s a different portrayal of grief than we sometimes otherwise see in media, especially since it centers someone so young (who also lost someone so young). It’s overall just a good story of grief and loss, and I can see this being a good book for many!


Review will go up on my blog on February 13th!

I lean towards the maudlin, so I anticipated enjoying this—even though it was touted as an emotional ride. A sort of second father to me died almost a decade ago, but I keep his last voicemail saved on my phone. Losing that would destroy me. Julie’s grief becomes the reader’s grief. Her agony is also ours. If you can willingly suspend your disbelief, this book should appeal to you.

[SPOILERS BELOW]

Despite not being a "sad story" reader, I enjoyed this! I know that it should've been obvious but I was slightly taken aback by how this book is very much entirely about grief. There is virtually no plot, it's all about Julie coming to terms with Sam's death. I did wish that the transition between her wanting to hold onto Sam and being able to let him go (in the phone call sense) was more smooth. I also wished that his loved ones DIDN'T get the chance to talk to him again. I recognize that this story is about what would happen if you were given a second chance to speak to a loved one who had lost their life. However, there is so little focus on the opportunity that James and Mika got to speak to Sam, on their headspace afterwards, that it almost took away the impact of being able to do that. I couldn't help but think, also, of what the messaging was with how nearly everyone that was closest to Sam got to talk to him one last time.

Nevertheless, if Dustin were to write a happier book, I'd definitely consider picking it up! I enjoyed his writing style and will be keeping an eye out.

I can totally understand why YOU'VE REACHED SAM has garnered the acclaim it has. It's a story centered around loss, on coping with the stages of grief and a life that has now been completely derailed from whatever path one thought they might be on. And like grief in real life, there are so many individualized nuances with how one experiences or addresses grief even in fiction, and that much, I can certainly appreciate about Thao's work. However, for the very same reason, I didn't quite click with Julie's grief journey on a personal level and that affected my overall enjoyment of this book. Still, it's written well, and told beautifully from an objective standpoint, so again, I can see why many other readers have loved it.

You've Reached Sam is an emotional, heart-wrenching depiction of grief and the ways in which we look to hold on to loved ones after they've passed. I, unfortunately, didn't connect with the story -- but I can certainly see how it would emotionally impact other readers.

Thank you Netgalley for the e-ARC.

This one hurt so much, but in a healing way. It's a healing journey with a plot that might seem predictable, but at the same time twists and turns in some way.

My Thoughts:
Julie feels responsible for Sam's death. After all, if they had not gotten into a fight, and if she did not leave, he would not have come after her. . .the accident would not have happened. . .Sam would still be a phone call away. Julie has not shown up to the funeral, she has not attended any of the events for Sam, she has not gone over to his house to check on his parents. Her grades are plummeting and all her plans to go to Reed College in Oregon seem to be slipping away along with all of her future plans that she and Sam made together. Out of desperation, she calls Sam just to hear his voicemail. But Sam answers. They don't know what this is or how long this will last, but Julie can hold on to Sam for a while longer.

I was drawn to this concept. Wouldn't grief be so much easier if there was a chance to say goodbye more slowly to our loved ones. I know my grandfather talked to my grandmother every morning at breakfast for years. After all, they had been married for 60 years so perhaps that was a natural ritual for them and he was slow to let go. For Julie, the calls are her chance to ask the most important question that has been keeping her from moving on and letting go. I think at the end what makes this concept so poignant is that the author does not shy away from the complexity of this "gift" and how this ability to reach out to our loved ones is not always a positive thing.

From the publisher:
Seventeen-year-old Julie Clarke has her future all planned out―move out of her small town with her boyfriend Sam, attend college in the city; spend a summer in Japan. But then Sam dies. And everything changes.

Heartbroken, Julie skips his funeral, throws out his belongings, and tries everything to forget him. But a message Sam left behind in her yearbook forces memories to return. Desperate to hear him one more time, Julie calls Sam's cell phone just to listen to his voice mail recording. And Sam picks up the phone.

The connection is temporary. But hearing Sam's voice makes Julie fall for him all over again and with each call, it becomes harder to let him go.

What would you do if you had a second chance at goodbye?

Publication information:
Author: Dustin Thao
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Publication date: November 9, 2021

I was really looking forward to You've Reached Sam and for the most part I was pretty satisfied. The writing is lovely and the premise is perfect. I think it slows down a bit too much in the middle and I found I had to really push to get to the ending. It was well worth it, but didn't quite live up to expectations.

I really enjoyed the concept of this story. I felt for the main characters and definitely will and have recommended this book to many others.

I was given this book in return for an honest review by the publisher via Netgalley.

I'm going to start off by saying I'd give it 3.5 stars.

What this story is supposed to be about. A high school couple Julie and Sam. However, in a horrible accident Sam dies and by some unexplained fate Julie gets a chance to say goodbye to Sam when her call connects to him. You follow a girl through her grief of losing her boyfriend of three years and the future they had planned once they graduated high school.

Here's what I read about, a girl named Julie that uses her grief to explain away her being a crappy friend, daughter, student. Anything going wrong in her life is because Sam died.

Trust me I understand grief but it's really hard to like a character that's always whining and doing crappy things to others that are grieving too. She gives zero thoughts about what others are going through until it smacks her in the face.

While the story has a great premise it just didn't do it for me. And what could've been a gut wrenching goodbye was just eh.

I'm not saying not to read it and I didn't DNF it but I wouldn't make any effort to read it again. Proceed with caution.

I cried with this one. Not often to books make me cry .. much less something labeled as 'young adult.' If you're looking for a tear jerker that also keeps you on your toes, this is one to read! Thanks netgalley.

May have cried while reading this. I absolutely enjoyed this story so much! I think there’s something to be said about a book that hits you in the gut and the feels. Those are the books that stick with you long after the last page is turned. This is one of those books. I highly recommend it to anyone.

I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher for an honest review. This book is well written and the characters are described well. This book is fast paced. It is a great young adult book. I adored Sam's character. This book will have you crying, you will need a box of tissue beside you. Would I recommend reading this book to anyone and everyone. Yes I would recommend it to anyone and everyone. This book is in stores for $18.99 (USD).

I was granted a copy of this book by Netgalley, in exchange for my honest opinion.

This book attached me right away with the cover, witch says a lot by itself, I was predicting tears, and it delivered.
The perspectives between past and present made it so realistic, me seeing all feeling it and suffering with Julie I cried in so many moments, and it’s been hard to find a book that manages that to me.
The realism of our main character grief it’s so relatable.
The development of her character throughout the book made me care for her more and more.
I only can say that it delivered what was proposed to, and my expectations. Definitely want to follow the author and see what we can have next.

I really enjoyed this story and the emotional journey our main character Julie went through. I was expecting a few more twists and turns as it seemed like the story was leading to a bit more of a reveal but I really enjoyed the characters and the various relationship dynamics throughout.

This one interested based on the cover alone and I am so glad it didn't disappoint. A wonderfully written story.

I think if I had read this novel when I was on the younger/middle end of the YA age spectrum, I would have enjoyed and connected with it more. However, reading it where I am now, it felt a little too simplistic and surface level despite exploring very heavy topics such as struggling through and overcoming grief and loss.

I appreciated that this book explores how everyone processes grief differently, including showing some of the messier ways. And while I didn’t agree with or like many of Julie’s decisions, actions and dialogue, I appreciated what the author was doing with her character. However, I will say that it felt like she rushed through the stages of grief far too quickly, given that she was already trying to erase him from her life only one week after his death.

The characters overall would have benefited from being more fleshed out in places and nuanced in others. I didn’t connect with or feel much attachment to Sam and Julie’s relationship, despite that being the entire premise of the book. And some of the side characters felt like they were placed there just to fulfill a plot point, without any subtly to their addition. Stronger characterization would have solidified and strengthened the emotions this book was looking to elicit from its readers, and I think it would’ve helped take the book over the edge from kind of sad to heartbreaking.

I also think the plot and pacing could have been tightened up. After awhile it started to feel a bit repetitive and dragging, like we weren’t delving into any new emotions or processing the grief from a different angle. I also feel like the magical realism element could have been explored much more; to characters themselves brought up questions about how the calls work without ever getting resolution. I didn’t need everything wrapped up neatly in a bow, but the Sam knowing the rules about the calls but having no clue about anything else that was going on was an odd choice.

Overall, I do still think this was a good debut that will be emotionally hard-hitting for the right person.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Do you want to cry today??

I say that in a good way because this book will make you cry but it will also make you feel better after.

Julie and Sam are high school sweethearts, they have PLANS y’all! Then, of course, life gets in the way of those when Sam suddenly dies.

Julie doesn’t handle it well to say the least but hopefully along the journey she’ll be able to let go and find peace.

Read it. Cry. Feel better. You’re welcome.

4/5 Stars