Let me preface by saying, that I am not much of a YA reader or a romance reader, the latter being because I don't tend to like happily ever after endings. That being said, I had high hopes that I would like YOU'VE REACHED SAM because... I mean, based on the premise the ending had to be a little more complicated than happily ever after, right?

Unfortunately, everything about this book fell flat for me. There are frequent flashbacks to Sam and Julie's time together to try to build our connection to the couple, but they didn't do anything for me. The writing was plain and did nothing to stir any real emotion.

Based on what I've seen, Thao drew some inspiration from Makoto Shinkai movies, and I can tell he was trying to evoke that same feeling of loneliness, grief, and melancholy of those movies. The reason I think this failed is that movies are able to leverage soundtracks, acting, and visuals to create help get the viewer immersed and invested. Obviously, books cannot leverage these same elements and the storytelling of YOU'VE REACHED SAM did nothing to compensate for this. It was a lot of telling and no showing, which made me feel distanced and uninvested in the story.

Big thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an e-ARC.
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I give this book a 3/5⭐.

I believe this book is not the book for me.
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So, i was very drawn to the book's cover and summary when the author announced it on twit so i keep my eyes out on Netgalley.

I might've put a too high expectation for the book because of the really intriguing concept.

So we follow Julie, who had just lost her boyfriend- Sam. While dwelling in grieve and in desperate to listen to his, she call his' phone to listen to his voicemail but then Sam picks up.

I have to say that i have a very different thoughts of how the story goes and i was quite sad on how the story turns out.

First of all, characters. I like some of them while others i don't really think much and i mostly our main girl, Julie. This book only have shows us Julie's pov and how she handle Sam's death. I would really loved to see the other characters' pov on Sam's death and also Julie's behaviour. Esp Sam, his bestfriend and his cousin(i forgot their names😂).

Julie by all means was not a bad character but the way she handle her grieve, sadness and anger was really gave big impact not only on her but to those who knows her relationship with Sam. At first i didn't really mind but after she doing a couple of times i started to get very annoyed.

Nevertheless, the writing style is honestly very easy to get into like it's not heavy nor complicated. I would say that the author's writing style really is my taste. Also the pace honestly really suitable, not too fast nor too slow just enough to see how Julie and other characters handle their grieve and lastly how both Sam and Julie finally accepting their long overdue goodbyes.

All in all, it's a heartbreaking story between a lover. It shows us different ways of people handle grieve of their loved ones passing. Totally want read more from this author!

I adored this book.

It started off right in the middle of it, with Julie struggling after her boyfriend Sam has passed away. You don't immediately find out how it happened, but she begins reminiscing on their relationship and how she met him before he picks up the phone one day when she calls his voicemail.

Throughout this you watch Julie spiral more and more into depression, she relies on these phone calls with her dead boyfriend to get through things while she feels like her friends can't understand her. In fact, I feel like a lot of people don't take the time to really understand how much more difficult it is for her, versus them. At one point her friend Mika makes a point to tell Julie they all lost him, not just her, and although I completely understand that, everyone feels grief in different ways.

As Julie continues these phone calls she goes through important times in their relationship while falling in love with him all over again, you just know it's going to end in heartbreak.
This story is not really a love story, it's one about letting go of the past and trying to move forward.

Overall I loved this and I teared up a lot, I like that even though Julie was difficult to be around, her friends stayed there for her. She also had the time and space to grow, to realise she wasn't the only one feeling the grief. I think that the middle of the book was a bit long, where nothing much happened, but overall this isn't a super long book so it wasn't slow enough for me to even consider putting down.

By far one of my favourite books this year, 5/5.

I appreciated this book more than I can explain. Julie’s grief was so realistically written that I felt what she was feeling. I cried when she cried. I loved Sam’s character and I especially liked that even though he has passed we still got to learn about him, his life, friend group - what made him Sam basically. At times Julie did irritate me but that’s explainable.

I do think that some parts could’ve been explained better or made clearer, and the writing more mature because at some points it came across as very mediocre but overall I really enjoyed this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for access to the eARC!

I need to stop putting myself through these kind of books. They literally break my heart and leave me in tears without fail.

But with that being said, it was a really good read. Thao wrote a real and raw perspective on a girl grieving the loss of her boyfriend and i loved how honestly it was portrayed. Grief comes in all forms and it was clear to see how it was displayed by the different characters that knew and loved Sam.

Julie was written in a way where even though her decisions and actions could come across annoying, they were so real from the point of view of grieving high schooler who just lost her first love. It would have been nice to be shown how Mika and Sam’s family dealt with the grief (some of which was shown through James). It was good to see Julie finally moving on in the end and I thought Sam was placed in the story really well too. He never did answer the questions that Julie had but I guess it makes sense since no one really knows.

I loved the mentions of Japanese culture in the story as I found they were well placed.

Oh and the voicemail had me in tears of course. But I did enjoy this book!

You’ve Reached Sam wrecked me. I knew what was coming yet I still plunged head-first into this beautifully painful story about a teen who has to live with the loss of her boyfriend, Sam. Personally, I’m incredibly vulnerable to books with themes of grief and losing a loved one unexpectedly. That’s why I avoided If I Stay and Me Before You like the devil was going to rip my soul away.

Dustin Thao’s simplistic writing style captured every emotion and essence of losing someone whose time was suddenly cut short. The yearning to be reunited, to have them physically beside and to talk to them was so vividly portrayed. While it featured the grief that everyone was experiencing, it highlighted moments the characters had fond memories of Sam, and how they moved on from such a tragic loss. You bet I was crying whenever they shared happy memories and during their acceptance of Sam’s death.

Missing him, Julie called Sam’s phone just to hear his voicemail but the unexpected happened. Sam picked up. It was a week after his death yet mysteriously they were connected by phone calls. Through those calls, they reminisced the joyful moments they had together and Sam fulfills some promises to Julie. Every single scene of the two of them made me sob helplessly. I couldn’t even begin expressing how devastating knowing that Sam was already gone and they were only linked by this feeble and fragile connection.

Julie’s pain was palpable. Her way of processing Sam’s death was beyond heartbreaking. It was messy and chaotic and drowning. Consumed by her grief and guilt, Julie wasn’t really a good friend. Basically, she started detaching herself from everyone and even missed Sam’s funeral. Comparing Julie’s before and after, the change is so great. If it were any other book, I would have been irritated by her actions and selfishness but I couldn’t even begin to feel annoyed at Julie when she had lost someone so close to her.

Why I decided to read You’ve Reached Sam is beyond any logical explanation except the heart wants what it wants. Nevertheless, I don’t regret my boyfriend’s startled question of “ARE YOU CRYING?!” while I was reading the last few chapters nor cared about my swollen, puffy eyes the next day. Take this as a warning since I started tearing up from page one. Reading the scenes where they planned for their future but to know that it’ll never be a reality just brought upon more tears. Also, I could never miss out on a book that’s pitched as Kimi no Na wa, one of my favorite Japanese animated films.

You’ve Reached Sam is about the grief, pain, and regret when one’s loved one has passed, the way the living mourns the dead, and the days in which their presence can no longer be felt. This second chance at goodbye absolutely broke me. An utterly gut-wrenching yet beautiful story of Julie and Sam. Dustin Thao handled grief poignantly and delicately while showing all the genuine messiness of it all.

You've Reached Sam is about a high schooler, Julie who's boyfriend is tragically killed. When she decides to give him a call, he picks up and now she can talk to him through their phone connection. When I got this ARC from Netgally, I wasn't completely aware of the storyline (I just thought the cover was super pretty and I was interested in reading more Asian American rep!) so I will admit I was completely blindsided during the first few chapters. I wish I could say it had gotten better from there.

After realizing what this story was about, I wanted to like it. I really did. The premise was super interesting and I loved the fact that there's this story for young adults about grief in losing both your boyfriend and your best friend at a very young age. Unfortunately, everything fell a bit flat for me.

Julie was a flat character in my opinion. She didn't really have much depth to her and her experiences were very selfish and I wanted to throttle her a few times just so she would wake up and see how many people love her and want to support her. Sam was a very sweet if very one sided character who we get to know more through flashbacks, but towards the end of their connection Sam didn't feel like he was the same person which I suppose could be based in the fact that he's now dead and changed.

I adored the side characters in this book. Mika and Oliver were amazing even when Julie wasn't being a good friend to them, they still made sure to try and include her. That being said, I shouldn't want to like a side character more than the main character who's POV we're seeing the world through.

Overall, this book had a great idea behind it, but it didn't power all the way through to the end. I felt like not much happened and the ending was a little rushed. Wouldn't read again, but was a good read nonetheless.

This one wasn’t bad, it just wasn’t for me. I’m not usually a huge fan of sad stories, but the beautiful cover and the rave reviews from some of my closest friends convinced me to try this one. I definitely think there is an audience of people who will absolutely LOVE this, it’s just not my personal taste.

I really wanted to love this book.

I just didn't. The first couple of chapters (especially the opening) were really good. But then I felt my myself getting disinterested towards the middle.
This story does an excellent job of portraying grief.....but the main character came off as so unlikable, it was hard to connect.

3/5 stars

This book was sad! The reader knows very clearly what they're getting into from the synopsis of this book, but I didn't realize how much of a trigger it would be for me. I enjoyed the walk through Julie's memories of Sam and how she grows over the course of the phone calls. Overall, I did like this book.

i was looking forward to reviewing this book but the file i was given i am unable to read in any format despite reaching out to netgalley several times. The site informed me they will attempt to reach out to the author and if i hear back and am able to read the book i will update my review then. I am going to give 3 stars however because i have friends who have read the book early and said it was spectacular and worth the wait.

Okay this book is just sad like emotionally sad if your going through a break up or a tough time I don’t recommend you reading this book. Julie had all these future plans about going away to college in the city with her boyfriend Sam and becoming a writer. Then Sam dies and Julies world is flipped upside down, until she calls Sam’s number just to hear his voice on the answer phone. But it isn’t an answer phone voice it’s actually Sam. This whole book you will go through all the emotions of heartbreak that the author captivates so well. Thankfully this book didn’t make me cry but I think it will definitely make a few of you cry.

You've Reached Sam is a powerful debut about love and loss. I've been more and more excited for this ever since it was announced, then the cover revealed, and now. Immediately You've Reached Sam comes for the feels. From its poignant title, we realize that we only hear the phrase, "you've reached" when we are speaking to an answering machine. Faced with a tone to pour our heart out in the hopes someone will listen, that they will rush to the phone, that they will return our call.

Julie's story phases from the pain and lashing out of grief to not being able to say goodbye. The ways grief and loss always seem to be mirrors to ourselves reflecting our own feelings of guilt and regret. How we think if we remove the mementos, the pain goes away, but it never does. Love and loss are stamped into our heart. And grief comes in waves. With this mysterious telephone connection, Julie is given a chance that anyone who has lost someone will attest is tantalizing - the chance to say goodbye. But for Julie, is this last lingering connection hurting more than helping?

Thanks to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for providing me with an eARC for review.

Lila and Sam are high school students who have been dating for a few years. Lila's been out of town and Sam is supposed to pick her up from the bus station, but he forgot - they fight, she tells him she'll walk home, he races to go pick her up and is killed in a car accident on his way to her. People blame Lila for the accident and she's convinced the best way to get over Sam is to just forget him, so she gets rid of all of his stuff and doesn't go to the funeral, but then one day - about a week after his death, she calls his phone, and he picks up.

"We stayed up all night, talking about what we want to do ten years from now, waiting to see that burning red glow curve along a dark sky, oblivious to the significance of seeing another day. And oblivious to a future where one of us will be gone."

Thao's portrayal of grief was absolutely beautiful, and the connection Lila and Sam had was so sweet, so why didn't I like this book more!? I was so looking forward to it, thinking it would be the next If I Stay or The Fault in Our Stars, but it sort of fell flat. There were some very moving moments, but not a whole lot happened and it was a little repetitive. The good news is it's short, so if you're curious, you can read this in a day or two and decide for yourself. I think most people will enjoy You've Reached Sam, I just wasn't impressed.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book.

This book is beautiful from the cover to the last page. I really appreciate how the author discussed the topic of grief and how important it is to keep a relationship with family and friends. The writing style was beautiful and so easy to follow and get immersed into it, and even tho is a book about a sad and heavy topic, I felt happy reading it and seeing how much these characters grew. Is the perfect hard-hitting contemporary that could take you out of a reading slump. Can't wait to read another book by this author.

This was a compelling story, full of emotion and even a few tears for me. I was super intrigued by the concept and the first half of the story kept me really engaged. I absolutely love the way this story deals with grief and I think it will be important to a lot of people. The second half of the novel was less engaging, in part because of Julie. Her arc started to confuse me a bit by the end; her emotions started confusing me which made me less engaged in the climax. Still, overall it was a beautiful story that I'd highly recommend to teens dealing with loss.

3/5
Thank you so much to NetGalley & St. Martins Press for this e-arc.

I don't even quite know how to put how I feel into words. The first couple chapters in the book had me very emotional but then I very quickly found myself unable to connect to Julie and her grieving process. Grief is very selfish a lot of the time so I can understand why she was usually only looking out for her own pain but it didn't make it any easier to read through. I wanted to connect with her and grieve with her. It just didn't happen. I think the writing stylistically is very well done. I found myself liking the side characters like Mika more than our leading lady. The ending was so abrupt and I didn't feel the amount of closure that would make sense for it being the sole purpose of them reconnecting with each other. It was still a good read and I'm glad to have been able to read it.

You’ve reached Sam made was an emotional rollercoaster for me 😭 it made me feel all the feels and I would definitely recommend it for anyone who wants a heartfelt touching story about grief and learning acceptance after the passing of someone you care about this author depicted amazingly how too often we try to hold on and how deep the denial can go after a loss ! Overall amazing read 😭

I so totally wanted to love this book!!! But... I didn’t love it. I didn’t sob through the whole thing and I wasn’t in love with the main characters... I Hate That I Didn’t!!!! I was very prepared to be crying through this book and I even had a box of tissues at the ready. That may have been my downfall. I heard that it was a wonderfully emotional read and I wanted to feel it all. So that obviously didn’t happen.

Here’s what actually happened. It started off strong, I was beside our main character, ready to be upset with the world and then given this amazing second chance... but then the terrible things started to happen... I started to dislike our heroine. Then I started to be really pissed off at her. Then I downright shut down because she was being a selfish twit (I could have used a much stronger word there) over and over. One time, I forgive; but my lord, so many times was she selfish that I had to stop counting!! Rarely have I seen such selfish behavior in a main character that we’re all supposed to feel for.

And yes, I realize her boyfriend died and she deserves some slack, but holy hell, she’s not the only one who lost someone. Anyway, I could really rant on and on about every single time I was let down or I had to put the book aside because of frustration, but I don't need to. I think I’ve made my point.

I still gave three stars because of the ending. I didn’t outright cry, but I got a little misty eyed. So there was a strong beginning and a decent ending, I just couldn’t get over most of the middle. I’m sorry if that’s too harsh, but I can’t help it. All this means, I can’t really recommend this one. And I was soooo prepared too!!!! I mean, that cover!!!!! Smh.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for letting me read this for my honest and unbiased opinion.

Going into this I knew it was going to be an emotional ride... and it did not disappoint. I felt like I was going through the grieving process with Julie, and by the end of the book, I teared up. This is a story that will sit with me for a long time. The way the author showed Julie's journey via her phone calls with Sam hit home for me, and I appreciated how the author chose to show how everyone was affected not only by Sam's death but also by Julie's choices and reactions.

If you're looking for a well-written story that is full of feels, this is for you.