*Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for supplying me with an Arc of this book *

The premise of this book is that Julie has just lost her boyfriend, Sam. Heartbroken that she has lost him, she doesn't go to his funeral, throws away all his things, and tries to forget about him. After wanting to hear his voice again, she calls his phone just to listen to his voicemail. But Sam picks up.

I thought that this book had a very interesting concept,and a different look at how someone might deal with grief of losing someone. It has always been a fear of mine to lose my partner, and this just brought it to life.
I really enjoyed reading this book, I never wanted to put it down once I started. However, I thought that towards the last chapter, in the process of wrapping everything up, I thought it seemed just a little bit rushed.

“We just quietly live in this imaginary world where everything I wish for is still a beautiful possibility”

Wow. Just Wow. I know this is the kind of story where you know how it’s going to end, but I still hoped it would end differently. Julie is a heartbreaking example of someone struggling to cope with grief and moving forward in life. Sam is the past, a wonderful past, but still the past. The writing was beautiful— the subtle character growth in Julie kept me invested. This broke my heart but I would read it over and over just to feel those emotions again.

A heartbreaking story of loss and grief while also struggling to carry on and hold on to dreams and hopes that might not seem so important anymore. The emotional impact was so strong in the happiness of seeing someone have this second chance to say the words that weren't able to be said but also in the tensity of feeling for Julie while knowing that at some point we all have to say goodbye, as difficult as that can be. The side characters and their own grief processes were well portrayed and how they at times created conflict with Julie and others helped her find her way through loss seemed realistic and tear jerking.

Perfect for readers who enjoy the heart gripping writing of Kelly Loy Gilbert and Adam Silvera's History Is All You Left Me.

the idea of this novel was so intriguing and the cover was so beautiful. i definitely enjoyed the novel. i loved the characters, though i wish that there was more. it felt a little incomplete and i really couldn’t connect to anyone. overall, it’s a great exploration of grief and emotion.

Be prepared with a mega-sized box of tissues. You will cry, and cry, and cry....
<img src="https://acegif.com/wp-content/gif/crying-20.gif"/>
The story opens with a dream sequence of memories: the first meeting, the shy, slow-paced courtship, first love...

If you've read the blurb, then you know: Sam is dead and Julie can't move on.

Thao's writing is mesmerizing. His lyrical style conjures enticing imagery that you lose yourself in. You can smell the aroma of coffee, the scent of the flowers in a field and feel the touch of the breeze on your skin. Thao appeals to all of your senses until, like Julie, you are lost in them. Julie has caged herself in with her memories and longing for Sam, who was the love of her life. Seems he can't let go, either, because when she dials his cell number, he actually answers the call. So, now Julie really CAN'T move on... she can find no happiness in this world and lives only for those moments with Sam.... on the phone.

Most of us have been where Julie is and know how painful it is to finally let go, so you will be able to relate to this story. But in Julie's case, you worry that she won't let go of the sorrow for fear of forgetting Sam. There were a few promising plot lines that, disappointingly, went undeveloped: Sam's songs potentially being picked up by his favourite band; Julie's stalled writing career. We would get hopeful signs that her life might move forward, but then we are plunged back into despair. At one point I felt like I was stuck in that painful emotional vortex with her.

Gosh,. that ending had me crying even harder - and I do not cry easily. Obviously, most of us do manage to move on and find happiness again. Moving on for me was a conscious choice. Sometimes you have to work very hard to find new motivation and allow your life to move in a different direction. Grief can become an addiction for some of us, I found. I try to resist addictive behaviours and thought patterns - which is why I am not overly fond of "series" novels or TV dramas. After a decent time of mourning, we need to turn the last page and find something new to explore. If you can't move on, then you need to get help, which is what Julie seriously needed to do, despite the fact that Sam's spirit really was maintaining contact with her, prolonging the inevitable...

At one point, toward the end, Julie did seem to start the journey towards closure, but - gah! that ending!
My thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
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4 Stars

You’ve Reached Sam is about Julie, a seventeen-year-old girl who is about to graduate high school. She has her whole future planned with her boyfriend Sam until that breaks into pieces. Sam ends up dying, and Julie throws out his things, skips the funeral, and tries to forget him. Wanting to hear his voice one more time, Julie dials his number, and he picks up. Julie has been given another chance to talk to Sam but eventually has to say goodbye.

The writing in this book was absolutely beautiful. Thao can capture many emotions in just a few sentences. Some of the lines were so raw, that it felt like a real person speaking. It didn’t feel robotic rather it was full of so much emotion. The dialogue flowed naturally and did not sound odd at all. Some books struggle with how the characters speak. Sometimes they come out robotic, but the writing was far from this. The transitions, between the flashbacks, were written beautifully, and they flowed effortlessly into the next scene. There are so many beautiful quotes, that I could fill a whole wall.

The plot did drag a bit in this book since this was character-driven. There were twists here and there that add an unexpected element to the story. These twists helped to keep the story more engaging, and if those weren’t present I most likely would have gotten bored. I don’t mind that it was a character-driven novel, but I wish there was more of a structure, so the pace doesn’t drag.

The characters were so good in this book. Julie was a bit annoying towards the beginning, but that makes sense. She just lost her boyfriend, and she is not going to be 100% herself. She was a bit detached, which was how she dealt with his death and her grief. We all experience death in different ways, so we can’t point fingers just because they may get through it differently. Throughout the book, we see Julie start as a seed and then she blossoms into a flower. We see this transformation through flashbacks, how she was much more upbeat and positive, but after Sam’s death, that changes. But with the help of her family/friends, she can be her old self.

Sam was sweet, caring and seems like the perfect boyfriend. Whenever he saw Julie doing something wrong, he wasn’t afraid to tell her. He helped her to break out of her shell and live a little. Sam embraced her flaws and helped her to become a better person. He was also a musician, and it’s sad to see how the world lost such an amazing person. It’s heartbreaking to know that out of all the people that he was the one that died.

Their relationship was so pure and a ray of sunshine. It was so heartbreaking to see them ripped apart. To see them not able to go forth with the plans they made with one another. It shows how you shouldn’t take life for granted and spend it with the people you love. Cause you never know when they will be gone. I put myself in Julie’s shoes, feeling so much sympathy for her, and it shows how strong she was. Even though she experienced some bumps, she still kept going regardless of how painful it was. Because that is what Sam would want for her, and she wanted to do this for Sam.

The ending was somewhat predictable, which I was expecting. I wish we got to expand on some other elements of the story that were left open-ended. It didn’t feel finished to me, and I was expecting more. I was hoping that we would have something at the end that would shake up the rest of Julie’s life, which didn’t end up happening. I was disappointed by the ending, but it didn’t ruin the whole book for me.

TW: Grief, Death of a Loved One, Depression, Bullying

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

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Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

You've Reached Sam by Dustin Thao is about Julie and her boyfriend Sam who have the most perfect relationship and are planning their future together. Suddenly Sam dies and Julie, Sam's family and their friends are experiencing this loss. Julie is devastated and did not even manage to attend Sam's funeral. One day, she then decides to pick up her phone and calls his number - to say goodbye - but something happens which seems like a miracle: Sam picks up the phone and suddenly they are connected again. Just them both through their phones. Julie does not understand how this can work but she is thankful for the opportunity to keep him in her life even if it is just via her phone. Yet, she has to face the challenge of finally saying goodbye to him, letting him go... and losing him for the second time.

I was totally prepared for this book to completely shatter my heart but it hurt even more than expected. This book felt so real. Every few pages I found myself tearing up about certain aspects or conversations. First of all, I felt completely heartbroken about Julie and her friends, as well as Sam's family, having to experience Sam's loss. No one was able to say goodbye. And when you find out how this accident happened and that he kept walking to reach Julie just shows how incredibly strong he was and how bad he wanted to live and make it to his girlfriend, his friends and family alive. This aspect completely shattered me.
I really loved how real this book felt. How the characters experienced the death of their loved one, how they experienced grief and pain. There was not a single moment where I wanted to skip pages or shook my head about something. It just felt so real.

The writing was just absolutely beautiful. Dustin Thao was able to fill it with so many emotions and just hit the nerve with every single word, yet the writing style was not complicated at all and very easy to read and follow.

The characters were absolutely authentic and I loved every single person in this book. I loved how everyone had their own little story with Sam and how everyone experienced the loss of Sam in a completely different way.

If I could wish for one thing, it would have been that Oliver would have received the chance to talk to Sam one last time. Throughout the whole book I kept thinking about this aspect and I wanted him so bad to be able to say goodbye to his best friend whom he fell in love with. Even though he was able to move on, I think it would have helped him to just talk to him one last time. Talking together. Joking. Maybe some inside jokes and laugh one last time. I would have liked that. Yet, it makes sense that he did not get this chance, because everyone who got it really needed it.

This story showed me that life is way too short and it could end any second. We should not spend our life worrying about the future, instead we should live in the moment and appreciate everything that we have. Every single moment. Every person. Every memory. I will definitely keep this in mind and be thankful for the time I have with my family and friends. You never know when you might run out of time and you cannot say goodbye.

This book was absolutely amazing and I cannot wait for more books by Dustin Thao. Well done!

3.75 ⭐️

TW/CW: grief, death, divorced parents, car crash

First off, this books starts out in a bookstore and is there a more perfect setting? I fell in love with the cover and the synopsis of this book when I first saw it and with all of my friends equally interested we had very high expectations - so maybe that was my downfall. I was so ready to just end this book full bawling like a baby drowning in feelings and jut wrecked. And while I think the writing was very easy to get into and the concept immensely interesting I just never felt like I truly fell into any of these characters.

Don't get me wrong I definitely cried and felt for all of them in their grief. My favorite part of the book is definitely all the flashbacks to when Julie and Sam were together and all the sweet moments they had. But there were a few instances in these flashbacks and in the present that made me not root for her, certain attitudes she had that just didn't feel right. <spoiler>Namely the scene where Sam gifts her the first bookend and her immediate reaction is: well isn't this supposed to be a set? I would have been so insulted to give someone a present and their immediate reaction is that somethings missing and it's not good enough.</spoiler> And I feel like even though we get sweet Sam in the flashbacks, he can get kind of aggressive and uninterested at times in the calls making me never truly get to know him and grieve him like Julie and everyone else is.

But overall a very sweet story on connecting to others through grief and processing said grief. I do feel like it could have been better developed and that there was potential to take this feeling deeper into better understanding the human condition and how things can change in a single moment. I do enjoy how Julie was able to slowly process her feelings (even though I feel like the time that passed and how the story felt like it passed didn't exactly correlate - I felt like we had like 6 months of story and development and I think it was maybe all in 2 months), and the epilogue was a great final touch to the whole story. Because when someone passes you never truly forget them, nor do you want to, a small part of them remains and they will always have a little piece of your heart.

Also you guys know I hate unexplained elements, so never getting to fully understand why this is all possible just left me empty handed in the magical realism aspect of this story.

I hope this doesn't feel like I didn't enjoy the book, because I definitely did, and I think it is a beautiful book and would still recommend it. Just keep in mind the trigger warnings and keep tissues at hand because you will definitely need them to get through the book!

I'll just leave this beautiful quote from the book that could be adapted to handling other peoples opinions on you and how you live your life:

<i><b><blockquote>"We have too many voices inside our heads. You have to pick out the ones that mean something to you."</blockquote></b></i>

A big thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read this ARC in advance. All opinions are completely my own and I am reviewing this book voluntarily.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for sending me this eARC! All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Solid solid book omg... this book took me on a whole rollercoaster even the prologue made me want to sit down and cry my eyes out. It explores such real themes of grief, friendship, love, and moving on that just felt so natural to the story. you just learn to understand the characters such a way that you just get why they do what they do.
I'll be honest, I expected to cry so many times in this book, but I'm mildly disappointed to say that I didn't cry at all...! honestly, the book fell just a bit flat for me, but it was so quick and depicted in such a real way (except the basically magical phone calls of course) that honestly, i wouldn't have wanted it any other way.
also an extra perk to anyone living in Washington, this book takes place in Ellensburg, Washington (like CWU) which I thought was super cool since I've been there so many times. I just love when books take place in cities near me (there's a part of the book in Seattle too!) + the incorporation of Japanese/some ESEA culture in this book was so heartwarming.
wishing Taylor and Liam could've finally been put in their place, like... they're so horrible everything about them angered me so much. I would have liked to see the plot point with the music manager being resolved a bit more completely at the end as well.
Overall, it was a pretty quick read and I was sad pretty much the entire time but like good-sad by the end. beautifully written book and can we just talk about how BEAUTIFUL the cover is oh my.

This book was such a beautiful journey about the process of grief. How its okay to let go but still know and remember in your heart that you love that person. That moving forward isn't a betrayal and there's always ways to honor them. Thao wrote this perfectly as someone who has lost someone a close family member he nailed all of it. I sobbed but in such a good way and believe this is a book everyone should pick up

What I liked: the story captivated me from the first page and kept me wondering the reason for this unlikely/supernatural connection to be possible. It was a page-turner for me that I finished in two days because I just couldn’t put it down.

About the missing stars: I hate to give it this rating because it really is a book that I’d recommend, but despite the story being so good, the characters just seemed so bland and underwhelming. This is a YA novel, but the character’s voices didn’t seem authentic/ teen-like. I finished the book feeling like I don’t really know the characters at all... sort of like I just read a very interesting news article about people I will soon forget.

This is supposed to be a very early copy so I’d hope for a lot more character development by the time it’s released, but overall it makes a great cozy weekend read.

Content warnings:
Cursing: Mild

Sex: There are subtle references in the exchanges between Sam and James, his 8 year old brother, but that probably go over the latter’s head as they reference their mother making sure Sam doesn’t have her girlfriend stay the night, though it’s never alluded ‘what for’. Any teen might infer it, of course. A brief episode of skinny dipping.

Physical violence: mild, mostly used in self-defense


I’m going to start talking about the things I liked: the intention to explore grief, even if it’s not that well executed; the characters do speak like teenagers, even if Sam is way too sugary. The language is fine. And that cover sure is pretty..

The narration could be improved in some ways. For example, this trend where YA books address the reader like we’re complicit, like it happens in series and movies (even for adults, think House of Cards), is overused and not properly executed here.

The beginning is a tiny bit insta-lovey for my taste, specifically the way they met. At first I thought it was about her memories of their meeting being rose-tinted due to the recent loss and the time they've been dating. But the truth is that right away she starts wondering whether his friend is his girlfriend... this is a perpetual fault with YA books. Don’t rush things. Let characters develop. I have nothing with the idea that a teenager could be particularly attentive, but we’re not told why exactly he’s after Julie and why she has those sudden thoughts early on. Maybe they were both trying luck, but it sounded a lot like star-crossed lovers minus the astrological explanation, and that made it overbearing. This is not how relationships work. Even if the book has some reality bending magic, character development is important.

I don’t mind the fantasy but I understand the stumbling block that is the way she communicates with her now dead boyfriend. I’m not going to say that’s not realistic because you don’t talk to dead people on pones, it’s more in the line of, sudden magic to give our protagonist a privilege This doesn’t really allow for grief to be explored in a mature way, it only serves to magically relieve her from guilt which she shouldn’t technically have, at least not directly, but it sure was imprudent to get so mad at Sam like he was cheating on her.

I think the book needs some revision beyond the possible typos in uncorrected copies. <spoiler>Early in the story, Julie texts Sam expecting him to be on the dance, but then complains to him that he didn't give her his number (?). It’s as if the author got carried away writing and forgot those details.</spoiler>

I understand the use of stereotypes, because done well, they can help the reader recognize how a character would react and provide some comedy. But there’s nothing particularly remarkable about Julie: she’s like a dozen of YA heroines. Not like other girls, not with many friends, completely absorbed in her relationship (and I’m talking about pre-Sam’s death), her friendships consist of Sam’s cousin Mika… and I stopped counting. Jay and Yuki are pretty secondary and she doesn’t get along with Sam’s friends, Taylor, Liam and Oliver, because they can’t get over the fact she’s in a relationship with him. Except the latter two, most come to like her, but only know her through Sam. Because she has no friends of her own.

This idea that always, every single time, you must have another girl to be a terrible person plotting against the main girl is so poorly executed here. It’s as if both Liam and Taylor wanted to keep Sam to themselves for no reason, there’s no big revelation scene. And, as for Julie, no girl in real life would get in a relationship by talking to basically no one. And I emphasize I’m talking about how she is previously to Sam’s death.

The fact that we only get her perspective only muddles things, because what if she’s misjudging people’s motives? I’m wondering what good did this relationship bring to her other than being closed to others, because even while some of Sam’s friends aren’t all that nice (specifically talking about Taylor and Liam, who is also racist), you don’t quite get why she doesn’t talk to other people at all.

And the whole situation gets ridiculous to the point of having one of the guys as homosexual for Sam. So, Julie doesn’t have friends of her own, and Tristan isn’t as close, so it doesn’t count, because he’s a coworker casually after her (two weeks have passed since Sam died). How can you call that a normal relationship? The way her friend Yuki seeks to calm her guilt is by giving her a crystal. Absolutely new age. Sure, it might have been rude to shut her down right there, but I wouldn’t have given it as much thought as Julie gave it.

Like in most YA trending books, kids hate school and have completely clueless parent/s that don’t exist in their kids lives’, or are incompetent (Julie’s mother suffers from paranoia and can’t tell her daughter hasn’t spent the night at home because she conveniently was supernaturally reconnecting with Sam), and like most YA books since John Green, it has to be a tearjerker. Because how else could you sell something that isn’t that inspired to begin with? I’m not asking for originality, but better quality wouldn’t hurt.

3.5 stars

You've Reached Sam was an overall really enjoyable YA contemporary read! I did enjoy the way it deals with grief and how three-dimensional and painfully human the MC was.
Without going into any spoilers, the only thing I can say is that I didn't love the repetitiveness the plot seemingly had at times, as well as some issues with the general pacing, the development of the characters, world and story.

Overall, I still think that this is a very solid debut novel, so definitely go check it out if you're into YA contemporaries that address grief in an unique way!

This book was a surprise for me. It was, hands down, my most anticipated read of the last few months, but then the story itself was so different to what I imagined, I had to sit on this review for a few days to figure out how I felt about it...

... and the answer is: surprised – but in great and interesting ways.

It's an easy read despite the heavy subject matter because the prose is effortless and lovely. Julie and Sam are the couple I wished I could make whole even though I knew from page one that's not where the story would take them.

Definitely got those They Both Die At The End Vibes in that I wanted the book to end differently but it also ended exactly as it should.

Masterful really. 10/10 would recommend.

Thank you St. Martin's Press & Netgalley for sending me an ARC of You've Reached Sam by Dustin Thao. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Wow! Let me just wipe the tears away so my computer screen isn't blurry because this book deserves an amazing review.

You've Reached Sam follows Julie, a high school who is dealing (or...well avoiding somewhat) the loss of her boyfriend, Sam. Pushing everyone away and not knowing how to grapple with her loss, she calls Sam's phone to hear him on his voicemail one last time. The shocking twist every grieving person hopes for, he picks up. Following Julie and those around her as she tries to handle what this means along with trying to figure out the true meaning of closure and healing. She takes us on her journey of whether if it was better to keep picking up the phone, or if she should have let it ring.

My heart broke for Julie. Truly. She was the girl who had her big plans, who felt like everything was figured out, but with one horrible accident, everything fell apart. I'd heard from others who'd also received the arc something along the lines of "Darya, you are going to cry so much reading this book you'll have to get a new computer from the water damage". Silly me, who cries at pretty much everything really thought I was going to be fine (spoiler alert, I was not fine, I'm still not fine).

I've thought over this book premise a million times, even before I read it. We all wish we had that parting moment, that one call when they pick up and everything feels normal again. The book to me was a fascinating exploration of what that means, what growth means and how you can keep someone in your heart without trying to bring them back. The writing does an amazing and heart-wrenching job at exploring what feels like such an unrealistic premise with such raw, realistic and human emotion. I loved every character so very much, I loved Sam with all my heart but Thao was very clear and real with the direction the book had to take, which hit home with me. So while I loved Sam and Julie, and while the last few chapters wrecked me, Thao made all the right calls in all the most beautiful (and tear inducing) ways.

If I've said it once I've said it a million times, the best books leave you feeling something. This book made me feel everything, and by everything I mean a lot of "JULIE YOU DESERVE THE WORLD" and google searches for how to bring fictional boyfriends back from the dead. We see a girl who lost her beacon of light in the world, and became a blackout. We see a best friend who helps shoulder the weight of the pain, even when he's already crushed under it. We see a group of people who never stopped reaching out their hand to a girl who had slammed the door in their face too many times and then broke down on the other side. We see grief, in all its anger, frustration and longing. What we don't see, but rather feel, is the ache and complexity of what closure means, and what having that last chance at a goodbye is. No one is ever ready for that pain, no one is ready to wake up one morning without the person they loved. Life doesn't care if we're ready, it takes it's course and how we choose to respond to it is up to us.

I have so much love for this book and for St. Martin's Press who just lives to make me feel all the feelings all the time. All their books should come with free tissues and ice cream, you'll need it!

Actual Rating: 4.5 Stars

Disclaimer: I received an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for my honest review. This does not affect my opinion whatsoever.

TW: Grief, loss of loved one, car accident

Rep: Asian Promiant Characters, Asian LI

"Because I don’t want to open mine, either. I don’t want to lose him. I want to keep them shut and live in this memory of us forever. I don’t want to open my eyes and see a world without Sam.

But sometimes you just wake up. No matter how hard you try not to."

You know those books where it just mirrors something so perfectly? That’s how I felt reading You’ve Reached Sam because this book was just depressingly accurate. Most of it was just so depressing because Julie kept blaming herself because she didn’t pick up the phone. She didn’t pick up the phone when Sam needed her. The most saddest part wasn’t the grief, it was those phone calls because they’re only connected that are so limited.

I love books that explores the topic of grief. I love any book that doesn’t with romance really, but seriously this book was just gut retching because it’s so sad, and have very heavy topics. Julie’s grief was something I related too when I found out my aunt (my uncle’s wife) had died a few years ago from a brain bleed basically and the way I was really upset those last few days. Also, when someone is grieving-don’t tell them to suck it up when they’re trying to process because that’s what my family did to me.

It's those, "I should have did something." in this book where it truly broke me.

The more I think about it, this reminds me about my aunt and uncle’s fatal love story just reversed. It just feels so similar to what I seen my uncle did when he found out what happened to his wife and it was just so depressing to hear. And honestly-I am so glad this book will be out soon because this book is just so important especially in the wake of the pandemic.

"I can’t keep you around, Sam. It makes me think you’re still here. That you’re coming back. That I might see you again."


4/5 :)

yes i’m disappointed. i wish i could say that this is a joke for april fools, but sadly, i can’t. (i still rated it 4 stars so i think that’s somewhat ok…)

get ready for a review with lots of ellipses…

i was seriously sooo excited to read this and i was so so happy when Netgalley accepted my request. but… it didn’t exactly live up to my expectations.

i have to say i was… mildly disappointed. i didn’t cry as much as i thought i would, and the ending didn’t have as much of an impact on me as i thought i would. but i had REALLY high expectations for this one considering that blurb (AND THAT COVER!)


everything was written so beautifully. some of the scenes, especially the memories and the transition (AND LET’S NOT FORGET THE PROLOGUE), were just so… artistically written?? you know what i mean? there are just so many beautiful quotes in this book, i wish i could write them all down. 🥺

i love how so many of the books i read involve bookstores or people working at bookstores.

favorite characters Mika and Mr. Lee!! and let’s not forget Oliver! i seriously need people like them in my life.

ahh and Sam… you know, i should just let you read it for yourself to see. i didn’t really get to know him that much, but i really really enjoyed ‘seeing’ him in Julie’s memories. and over their phone calls i could tell how sweet and caring he was.

Julie was… interesting. she’s not a bad MC but sometimes i just don’t understand her actions and feelings (maybe because grief took over but still…)
it was heartbreaking of what she had to go through, but i personally didn’t like her that much. although the character development was nice to see.


i was on the verge of crying but nothing made me full on sob. (i was really hoping i would cry to this one…) maybe it’s because of a missing connection with the main characters… or a disappointment that their connection ended like that. though i have to say, Julie's memories of her and Sam were probably my favorite part of this book :)


i keep reading back thinking i might’ve missed something, but there’s nothing new. i’m not sure… i just feel like it’s missing something. and that epilogue felt… unfinished for me… maybe my expectations were too high… maybe…


【 going to keep this short so: I felt like there was something missing with the plot and the characters so if you like a character driven story, then hopefully you’d be able to connect with them more than i did. it was heartbreaking but predictable. everything was bound to happen but it was all about seeing how Dustin Thao decides to write everything out. If anyone asks for sad book recs, this will definitely pop up first in my mind. hopefully it’s just a case of “it’s not you, it’s me…” hopefully everyone will enjoy this more than i did! 】


04/01/21

Alright, so at first I didn’t really like the main character because she was a little annoying, but she grew on me as I continued to read and I just loved this book. This concept is something I, personally, think I would like to see more of and I hope to read more of Thao’s works in the future. I will be purchasing my own copy of this book, when I can. I would say that the story itself is as beautiful as the cover and I hope that other people enjoy this as well. It’s not as hard hitting as I was expecting, but I think that if you are a fan of The Astonishing Color of After by Emily X. R. Pan and Akemi Dawn Bowman, you are more than likely to enjoy this book.

At first, I was a little scared that You've Reached Sam will be on my dnf list as I'm not really familiar with this genre, but I was very, very intrigued by its cover and title, so I decided to get an ARC from NetGalley. And surprisingly, I made it till the end.
I expected to be destroyed by its first chapter already since everyone is talking about how devastating this book was, but my first cry was on chapter 12, so that was a little disappointing. For someone who's not really into romance, I considered the whole romance things here were packed pleasingly, but I love Julie's friendship most. Although this book wasn't as angsty as I've expected, I need to point out that Dustin Thao has successfully written the throwback scenes in unique ways. I think You've Reached Sam will be suitable for everyone who's searching for a sad but also heart-warming book.

Actual rating: 3.75 stars

Upon seeing a tweet from the author about his debut novel, I was immediately interested and pushed it to the top in my ‘most anticipated’ TBR shelf. In trying times like today, a book about grief might not be something one is actively looking out for. However, I still could not help feeling excited for You’ve Reached Sam and especially with that stunning art on the cover.

I knew what I was in it for when I requested for this ARC but boy did I undermine the amount of pain I would feel. Although the story starts off with Sam’s death right from the get go, I was already feeling the impact of his death and even a sense of loss. A loss for a character who barely existed and whom I barely knew. The story is written in Julie’s (Sam’s girlfriend) perspective and how she deals with the pain of losing the person she truly loved. There are many books out there that also include character deaths but Dustin Thao has successfully taken it up a notch and beautifully portray the range of emotions Julie was experiencing after losing someone she never expected to leave her at a very early age.

Dustin Thao leaves no stone unturned and fully shows the stages of grief Julie goes through. Her feelings are raw and would have been difficult to express in words but Thao has managed to do that with ease and lovely prose. The words exchanged between Sam and Julie made me tear up and I truly felt as if I were Julie, feeling reluctant to part from a loved one. As a reader, I could feel the strong connection Sam and Julie had and knew that if Sam had not died, they would have really lasted as a couple. They were not just teenagers in love, they were soulmates and I really liked how Thao had written it.

Albeit short, Sam’s introduction at the beginning of the book is no less important than any of the other scenes. It provided readers with a brief, albeit impactful, insight on Sam and Julie’s relationship. Because of this, I immediately grew attached to Sam and it had truly played in a part in how I dealt with his death.

Although I appreciated how the topic of grief and death to Julie was well-explored, it unfortunately could not be said the same for the secondary characters, Most of the time, I felt that they were one-dimensional and did not really play a part in Julie’s life other than to be people around her who also lost someone dear to them. I do wish that Julie’s relationships with these characters were better developed as almost of her interactions with them are only about Sam. When they are not talking about him, most of the conversations fell flat for me and I found myself skimming most of them and only reading the parts with Sam.

In conclusion, I give full praises to Dustin Thao for being able to write such a gripping story about death as a debut novel. I would be excited to read more of his books in the future.