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.

"But the truth is, no one experiences grief the same way, and we all come out of it differently."

This book is all about not being able to say good-bye, and now that you actually have the chance, you realize you really don't want to. One of the best things I found out while reading the book is how it focused towards the grief of those who lost their loved ones, and the grief of those who left them behind. This book wasn't that long but the grief-stricken narration fits just right, how in every chapter the main character finds it hard to let go and move forward, alone was one of the saddest aspect I saw from the book. There are few books who talked about grief and loss, and they all seem to do a good job, but this book actually showed the process, how frustrating, sad and hard it is to accept a lost that you never expected to gain. There were a lot of sad moments that definitely tore my heart to pieces and brought tears to my eyes, and it's nice to know that this book made me feel things, because it is what I expected from it.

The only problem is I thought that I was left unsatisfied. I had this nagging feeling that something didn't sit right with me, on how the last two chapters happened, it's like what I expected but less. Perhaps it's all because of my expectation to cry my eyes out because of so much sadness and loss, but this book definitely felt lighter than that. It was still a solid and good read, and I would definitely recommend it to those I feel like would love and resonate with this book.

Arc provided by Netgalley.

Wow. I am not often this effected by a book and immediately want to read it again and recommend it to anyone. You’ve Reached Sam has easily become one of my favorite books.

Julie met Sam shortly after moving out of Seattle into a small town. Although this wasn’t ideal, Julie made the most of it and met Sam. This is a story of their love and heartbreak.

Throughout the book, we see small glimpses of the past and actually get to watch Sam and Julie fall in love. It’s innocent, pure, complicated, and so so relatable. You can’t help but wish them a happily ever after, even knowing that Sam is dead.

Sam died after a wreck, where he bleed to death. He was late and on his way to pick up Julie, but sadly never made it. Julie struggled with the fact that many (including herself) blame her for Sam’s death because he had been on the way to see her after a fight. Julie never even got to say goodbye.

Trying to deal with her grief, she decides to call Sam just so she can hear his voice once more. What she doesn’t expect is for Sam to actually answer. They are still connected and this is her last opportunity to say goodbye. But Julie isn’t ready to give Sam up again. Boy when she had him back, even if all they can do now is talk on the phone.

This book is beautiful. It speaks about grief and how chaotic and different it is for everyone. We watch Julie struggle to rewrite her life without Sam and we also watch Sam struggle to leave behind his loved ones. Many tears were shed and not just by the characters.

I don’t want to say this book is sad. More accurately, this book has sad parts. But it teaches us that moving on doesn’t mean forgetting a person. That people, no matter how little or long you’ve known them, can shape your life. The reader, much like Julie, is at peace at the end of the book. We remember Sam and how life can change in a blink of an eye.

I love this book. I need you to read it too.

I read this lovely book as an uncorrected advanced reader copy in spring 2021 thanks to NetGalley. This does not affect my rating of the book.

You’ve Reached Sam is a poignant and thought provoking book about how you’d react if you were able to speak on the phone to a loved one after they had passed away. Would it help or hinder your ability to move forward and say goodbye?

There were many portions that were very atmospheric for a YA contemporary, and I took the time to put on the right song when a song was mentioned in the book which definitely added to the atmosphere and emotional impact.

I really enjoyed many parts of the story, but I didn’t quite connect with the main character as much as I was hoping to. I certainly teared up a few times, but it wasn’t as sad as I initially expected I would be. There is a lot of hope remaining in the story, even if the main character sometimes says that she doesn’t have any hope left. Her friends and family are very supportive, even when she is not supportive of them in return.

It isn’t a bee favourite unfortunately, but I would still very highly recommend it. If the premise intrigues you, just dive in headfirst!

This book had me feeling ALL of the feelings. I was in full tears by 12% into the book. Thao conquers talks on love and loss and the processing in between. This book will have you falling in love at the same time it has you coping with the loss of a loved one. The dual time lines of flashbacks of the couple falling in love to flipping back to post-loss was a beautiful way of showing how the lead was trying to compensate for a Before and After. It really showed how difficult it is to realize someone is truly here one day and gone the next and encompasses the impossibility of reconciling with tragic loss. It was beautiful to read this novel about getting a second chance at goodbye, first loves and processing grief.

100 ⭐

Me lloré la vida 😭
I HAVE NEVER CRIED THAT MUCH WHILE READING A BOOK 😭

Thanks to Netgalley and to the publisher for providing me this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

First of all, I was attracted to the book because of its cover, then I read the synopsis and that was all, since then I knew that I needed to read the book.

I don't even know how to start, I have so many emotions and mixed feelings inside me. When I was reading the prologue, I couldn't help but start to crying, and then I couln't stop crying in the entire book. Whenever I resume the reading, I found myself crying without be able to stop.

The story of Julie and Sam is really cute and heartwarming and talough it didn't ended well, they both had a really beautiful relationship of three years before the events happened ☹

The writing style of Dustin is simple but enganging, so it is very easy to follow the story and feel empathetic trought the characters.

This book has been one of my favorites so far and I will never forget Sam's story.

PS: de verdad espero que en un futuro, luego de que se publique el libro, lo traduzcan al español y que varios puedan conocer esta historia.

PS: I really hope that, after the publication of the book, it can be translated into Spanish to the Spanish speakers community and for them to know the story of Sam and Julie.

This was one of my most anticipated releases of this year and i’m sad that it was a little disappointing. I went through this book expecting to love it and the characters but it left me with confusion and disappointment i didn’t even finish it. i couldn’t.

You've Reached Sam is a heartbreaking story that grabbed my attention from the start. Julie is can't deal with the sudden death of her boyfriend Sam. So, she calls his cell phone to hear his voice but when Sam answers Julie might get to say goodbye to him one last time. Make sure to have a box of tissue when reading this one so sad.

Poignant, romantic, and heart breaking all at once. A superb story that examines the complexities of the soul and the perseverance of love.

This book is beautifully written, we can feel the hardships of grief coming to life through the pages. And it hurts.
It hurts because loss is hard, scary, heartbreaking. It hurts because everyone can relate.
Thao's words have a tendency to poetry and a great imagery and that is beautiful.
I would say that I wasn't as heartbroken as I hoped to be but that's just me and my own expectations.
I believe that meeting Julie in the midst of her grief put a distance between us because I couldn't relate to her rash decisions. However, once I got to know her, I appreciated her evolution and growth.
I am the kind of person who likes getting answers to questions, and that was kind of amiss for me since I still have a big and important question on my mind.
I trulu believe this book will be a huge success and I look forward to read more of Dustin Thao's work.

Huge thank you to NetGalley and WednesdayBooks for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

"Feeling heartbroken after her boyfriend died, Julie calls Sam's phone just to hear his voicemail. But then he answers the call. Giving Julie one last chance to say goodbye."

My rating: 4.5/5 stars

tw: car crash, grief, death.
The story idea is great! The writing is also phenomenal, that i actually feel like I'm in the book (and lemme tell you, it was such a pain). As for the character, Julie, i feel like i know her very well because of the author's writing. But, i don't know if i like her? And sometimes her actions just frustrated me? Maybe it's because i have a different grieving process, so i don't feel connected to her somehow. I still like her though. But my absolute favorite character is Sam. I want more people to know him more!

This book is heartwarming and heartbreaking at the same time. Nevertheless, I want more people to read this book!

p.s. prepare your tissue paper. (from my experience, I've already cried in chapter 3. Or was it chapter 2?)

I went into this book with high hopes, as I loved an adult novel with a similar plot concept (The Two Lives of Lydia Bird) that utterly destroyed me. Unfortunately, everything about this book fell flat. I knew from the very beginning that the writing style was going to put me off a bit, as it's written in a choppy, ultra-simplistic way that reminded me more of middle grade novels than YA. But I've read Wilder Girls, so I was sure I could look past that and focus on the heart of the story. Surely at some point I would get swept into the romance and the heartbreaking sadness. But I never did. In fact, the "risk" - the threat of losing connection with Sam by allowing his family comfort - doesn't even come into play until 90% of the way into the book and feels extremely forced. The entire thing lacks emotional depth and maturity of writing. I'm a bit baffled at the high ratings it's already received, and I'm even more baffled that this was, in fact, not a poorly edited self-pub, but released by a big publisher.

I love the premise of this book. I lost a family member while I was in the middle of reading this and would love to be able to pick up the phone one more time, hear their voice, and say "I love you". I thought the book did a good job of showing how everyone handles grief in their own way while figuring out how to move on. I was disappointed in the phone conversations between Sam and Julie. It felt like I was reading the same dialogue every time and I wanted more. All in all, it was a good read but left me feeling like I was still on the surface when I wanted it to go a bit deeper.

Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for access to this arc.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!
All opinions are my own.

I can’t remember the last time that I’ve read a book that made me cry. This book completely tore my heart apart. The amount of love that I have for this book is endless.

We follow Julie as she’s trying to come to terms with the death of her boyfriend Sam. Julie isn’t ready to say goodbye to Sam until one day she calls his phone and HE PICKS UP! There’s still somethings Sam wanted to show Julie and presents he wasn’t able to give her. As the days go on with them talking, their connection grows weaker.

The first part of this book, I was aggravated with the way Julie was acting. She completely shut herself off from the world and stepped away from her friends that were hurting just as much as she was. But as the story progresses, I can sympathize and relate to her. This story hit way to close to home for me at the moment but it made me love it even more.

The author did a wonderful job with expressing how loss and grief can effect someone. You will end up wanting to hug every character in this book and want to sit down and cry with them.

If you’re looking for a book that will destroy you and will stay with you well after you’ve finished it, this book is for you. I highly recommend!

This was a beautiful, heartbreaking story that impacted me deeply. I’ve often wondered if we could have a little more time to talk to those we’ve lost; what we would say and how it would affect our lives. I’ve lost a few people that I’ve fervently wished to be able to speak to them just once more. Sam and Julie’s story broke my heart and then built it back up again. It was a lovely tale of grief and what we would do if we could only speak to our lost loved ones a few more times. I highly recommend this book, especially to anyone who has lost someone dear to them. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for my free arc in exchange for my honest opinion. Great and wrenching story, you should read it for yourself!

You’ve Reached Sam is such an amazingly emotional book, and there were so many things I loved about it from the style the book is written in to the way Julie’s grief, guilt, and eventual acceptance of Sam’s death are explored to Julie’s relationships with her friends and family after Sam’s death.

I enjoyed the way most of the book takes place in the present after Sam's death, but every now and then something would trigger a series of memories of Julie's time with Sam. It was also interesting to watch Julie's relationships with other people who were close to Sam evolve as Julie works on moving on throughout the book.

You’ve Reached Sam is such a heartbreaking book, but it is so beautifully written. I had so much trouble putting the book down that I read the book in one day. You’ve Reached Sam is fast paced, incredibly sad, and beautifully written.

Thank you to Netgalley for giving me access to an ARC. I really appreciate it.

I don't even know where to begin with this wonderful book. I found this to be a fascinating and creative exploration of grief, loss, and moving on. This book had a hold on me from the very beginning. From the way it was written down to the plot, I found it so enchanting and beautiful. It truly tugged at the heartstrings.

I believe that around the fourth or fifth chapter I was able to pick up on what was going to happen at the end of the book but I don't think this is bad whatsoever! Some people may see this as a book being predictable (and there are negative connotations attached to that) but I felt extremely good knowing that I was able to follow the story and pick up what the author was putting down.

While I didn't cry, my heart did. It grieved with Sam, it grieved with Julie. It grieved with everyone who was experiencing this gaping hole in their heart and trying to pick up the pieces in the process. One of the things I left with was being reminded that healing isn't linear and that the pain comes and goes. Eventually, that absence you have in your heart will be filled with something else but you truly never forget the people you've lost.

I am so thankful for a book like this. I appreciate books that deal with hard topics like learning to let go and moving forward with the grief that we have. Just a wonderful book all the way around.

P.S. Although I didn't physically cry, I advise others to have tissues near them and be prepared for an emotional rollercoaster.

I fell in love with this book in a slow, peaceful way. I connected so much with Julie and Sam that my heart broke when Julie’s did. The writing in this book was so beautiful that I felt an ache in my chest while reading it.
I especially appreciated the way the author guided Laurie through the stages of grief and loss. I believe many readers, and not just me, will relate to these feelings that were so gently incorporated into the plot.
The author wrote this book beautifully in such a way that I, to, felt that I was letting go of Sam. He became such an integral part of this book and I think everyone has a Sam in their lives that they imagined while reading this. I would recommend this book to all lovers of YA. I would relate this book to others such as Five Feet Apart and If I Fall.
I will be posting my review on Amazon, Goodreads, Barnes and Noble and Instagram @allbookedup95 the week of the publishing date. Below are the links to my platforms. I will update this site with links to my reviews after I post them.
https://www.instagram.com/allbookedup95/
https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/33947766-hannah-bishop
 https://www.amazon.com/gp/profile/amzn1.account.AE2TNQQINVDX644UUTEWUXWW5AWQ?ref_=pe_1098610_137716200_cm_rv_eml_rv0_pf

I'm not okay. I'm okay, but I'm not, and that's... okay?

My heart hurts. My head hurts from the amount of tears I spilled.

This book is sad, but also hopeful. It is full of loss, recovery and looking for loved ones that have gone away.

What would you do if you had a second chance at goodbye? I would read this book again and again, because I do not want to leave these characters out of my sight.

Thank you for the e-galley. But also, no thank you because my eyes have spilled so, so many tears.

This book broke me. It killed me. It shattered my soul and heart.
I cried the whole time, it was so beautifully written.
It talks about grief, about the loss of a lover at a young age and how difficult it is to get through it when the only person who could help you isn't here anymore.
I loved Julie and Sam's connection and I loved seeing Julie slowly accepting everything that happened.
This book was so good, I'm going to tell everyone to read it once it comes out!