★★★☆☆ 2.5/5

i feel like the cover, the summary, and the pure grief and pain you’re expecting is more heart-wrenching than the actual book itself. i was worked up to tears in anticipation before even starting, but the actual content of the book just didn’t get to me as much as i thought it would. introducing sam and his relationship with julie in flashbacks after his death throughout the book is an interesting choice, but for some reason it just didn’t work for me. i couldn’t really feel the chemistry between julie and sam.

the narrator is kind of bland, the writing chunky and repetitive at times. the first 80% of the book is literally julie just going “but how is this possible, sam? how can i speak to you?” and “we can’t tell anyone because it will break our connection” over and over and OVER AND OVER until she finally knocks it off and things are actually interesting in the last 20%. i really finally felt drawn in at the end. maybe i shed a couple of tears. maybe. between the ending and the fantastic characters, this book was really worth it to me in the end.

(arc provided by netgallery and Wednesday Books. all thoughts and opinions are my own)

Wow. okay this book is something new i decided to try to branch out, and it did not disappoint. let me get into all the reasons i loved this book and why you should read it.

First and foremost it is beautifully written, the words blew me away. Getting to know Sam and Julie and everything they mean to each other and everything he will always mean to her was just so beautiful. There were a lot of moments where I teared up. It really takes you into the mind and someone who is grieving, I think we all dont grasp what its like till we have to go through it ourselves and especially at a young age, this story really genuinely grasps that and more.

but it also brings up the most important question, if you were given the chance to talk to someone you lost would you? Would you be able to let go when it came time?

Julie really struggled with it all but she also shared her connection with other people even though it weakened her connection and gave her less time with him. I think that was the most beautiful thing of it all.

i want to thank netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity read this arc.

I can count on one hand the books that have ever actually made me cry. Not just tear up, but actually cry and this book is one of them. Not only that! But I accidentally thought about it in the car with my family later in the day and started to cry again which was embarrassing but also a testament to how much I loved this book.

You know going into this book that it's going to be at least a little painful, and it definitely is, but it's also so unflinchingly hopeful. This is more than a story about a girl reconnecting with her late boyfriend, it's a story of grief. Of finding purpose in life when everything we wanted is suddenly shattered. On holding on and letting go, on what it really means to move on.

My reading experience for this book reminded me of reading "Heartless" by Marissa Meyer. Throughout both stories, you have this... unsettled feeling because you know where the story has to be heading but as you keep reading, you can't help hoping - even just a little bit - that it will turn out differently. It creates such a memorable, bittersweet reading experience and so far, these two books are the only ones to make me feel that way.

With that being said, the one thing I could see hindering people's enjoyment of this story is the character of Julie. We meet her while she's drowning in her own grief, and because of this, I found it rather hard to connect with her at first. I spent the first part of this book extremely irritated by her actions and treatment of others. But, I'm also have to admit that it was partially this frustrating because I felt called out. Similarly to Julie, my grief tends to present itself as shutting out the rest of the world. So, in a way, I found her character cathartic to read about because there were times her journey hit just a little too close to home in the exact way I needed.

If none of this convinces you, I hope you read this for Sam alone. He was one of my favorite characters I've ever read about and I can't wait for the rest of the world to meet him. I left this reading experience feeling a little raw, a little broke, but hopeful too and I couldn't have asked for more.

This was a poignant read about grief.

Julie and her boyfriend Sam have plans for forever after high school. But when the unthinkable happens and Sam dies, Julie is forced to face a reality without him. Seeking to purge him from her life, Julie calls Sam's phone one last time to hear his voicemail. And, he picks up the phone.

Overall, this was a novel full of heart. How the cast of characters navigates a world without Sam is often heartbreaking, as are the montages that would not be out of place in the opening of Up. The story is unique and feels authentic. I never doubted that Sam and Julie were a couple, as their phone calls really reflected it. Oliver, Mika, Jay, Rachel, Tristan, Mr. Lee, and actually present parents made a great secondary cast!

My only complaint is that I would've liked a little more resolution in the end, but all in all, this was a heartrending, beautiful read.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Wednesday Books (St. Martin's Press) for this eARC! I really appreciated the opportunity to read this novel!

Wow! This was such a heartbreakingly beautiful book. It was easy to feel all the emotions that Julie felt and experienced after losing Sam, especially after she found a way to connect with him and still talk with him over the phone.

Another great part of this book was all of the side characters. They all had very distinct personalities and added to the story in their own unique way.

Just be sure to have some tissues with you while you read this book since not only did I tear up quite a few times, there were a few ugly cries in there as well. I love a book that makes you feel something, and this book did just that. This is easily one of my favorite books that I have read so far this year, and I'm pretty sure it’s going to be in my top favorite reads for 2021!

I'm still wiping my tears from this book. While, the person I have lost in my life was my father, I still related to Julie and her feelings when her boyfriend Sam died. This poor girl was heartbroken. Completely heartbroken in every way possible. She didn't even go to Sam's funeral.

I get it. her pain cut my heart into pieces and I so wish I could have jumped into the book just to hug her. In a moment of desperation, she calls Sam. (something I did often when my Dad died..I called his answering machine to hear his voice) but Sam answers and through their converstations she is able to start healing.

This reminded me of "The First Phone Call from Heaven" as far as the story went... talking to a loved one via the phone. It was obvious how much Julie loved Sam and vice versa.

This was a tender, heartbreaking, hopefull story. This story is for anyone and everyone who has ever lost someone they love irregardless of if it is a boyfriend, parent, friend, family member.

Thank you so muc to St. Martin's Press and #NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

You've Reached Sam follows a girl, Julie, through her process of accepting the loss of her long-time boyfriend, Sam. She's able to communicate with him through phone calls, but this power cannot last long. Julie is supposed to use the calls to finally have a chance to say goodbye, however she finds herself unwilling to let Sam and his death go. Throughout the book, she is struggling to allow herself to finally move forward from his death and accept that sometimes things don't go to plan.
This book is written in a very beautiful and lyrical way, and it made me cry on several different occasions. Accepting that you may never see a person you hold so dearly again is something that everyone is forced to go through, and this book displays how soul crushing and difficult this can be. The plot, too, is amazing, and I loved the flashbacks.
I do, however, think the book concluded a little too quickly, and I would have liked to see more of the acceptance. It would have been sweet to see Julie visit Sam and leave him flowers at his grave. In addition, the drama with Taylor and Liam seemed a little unnecessary, and it was kind of left unresolved.
Overall, You've Reached Sam is a comforting, yet heartbreaking story of what it's like to lose your love.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This is such a beautiful look at grief and how to cope with missing someone so much it hurts and doing anything to stay connected with them.
I knew this was going to make me cry and it did.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

I connected with the experiences displayed on the page: the pain of missing someone so much it hurts to breathe; the longing to keep them next to you because no amount of time could ever be enough; and the regret of never being able to fulfill promises made to one another. If you've ever lost someone you loved, You've Reached Sam will make you feel like you're losing them all over again. It's an exploration of grief that will wring your heart until your tears run dry because it gives those left behind the one thing we all wish we had, a second chance to say goodbye.

Well just tug on my heart strings and call me Sally. This book was so good!! Thankful to NetGalley for allowing me to read this title.

A heartbreakingly, hopeful, romantic novel about two star-crossed teens communicating from afar...

Julie has isolated herself from her family and friends during a period of mourning and is unable to let go of her boyfriend Sam. Throughout the novel we learn about the pair's sweet relationship through flashbacks...and go through Julie's tragedy and trauma in the present.

At the end of the day, this love story reminds of us the strength of our ties and the hope that abounds.

This book was such a beautiful experience. I read it all in one sitting because I couldn't bear to put it down.

This book deals with issues of grief and loss, which is clear from the synopsis, but just so people are aware. It's heartwarming and touching, but it does deal with heavy topics.

I loved this. I was worried going into the book that I wouldn't be as invested in Sam because I thought we would just follow Julie's journey through her grief, but we get lots of flashbacks of her and Sam falling in love, and I loved them. We got to watch Sam's character develop despite the fact that he's gone, and it was so very special. And flashbacks don't always work for me in books, but I think this one did a great job of making the flashbacks worth reading.

I also loved the coming of age story happening in this book, alongside the main point of this book, which was dealing with grief and moving on. There were also important elements of growing up and understanding that life is unpredictable and not always fair. Julie is struggling with deciding her future as her high school graduation looms near now that all her plans kind of got ruined by surprise. I think those parts of the story are really important and made so much sense in the context of this book.

I also think part of why I loved it so much is because it came to me at the right time. As I'm dealing with grief, it made me think about my own story and how to overcome my own loss. Even though this book is YA and definitely centers a lot of YA elements, the lesson is kind of timeless, and I really resonated with it despite being a little older than the characters and not really in the same life stage as them anymore.

I just think this book is so special. At least, it was for me, and I hope it is for you, too.

*Thank you very much to WednesdayBooks, Dustin Thao and Netgalley for providing me with a E-ARC of "You've Reached Sam" on exchange for an honest review"

First off, the cover for this book is gorgeous! I really felt that it really refers the book. Ugh this is my favorite type of book, the "really emotional and stomps on your heart" type of book.

I don't even know what to say about this... It was a beautiful book. Lyrical, memorable, and fragile. I started it knowing it would destroy my heart, and im writing this review with tears running down my face. This was that good.

First off, this cover is the most gorgeous thing I've ever seen. As soon as I saw it, I needed this book. I didn't care what it was about, I needed it. And after finishing this, I can confidently say that this cover encapsulates everything I loved about this book. It just fits it so well.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again, this book was beautiful. The plot wasn't anything explosive, but the way Julie's grief was written will stick with me for weeks. I felt everything she was feeling, and I was just as unwilling to say goodbye to Sam as she was. The flashbacks to show her and Sam's relationship were so well written, and I loved the little glimpses of their life we got to see.

I'm not sure if I'll ever reread this, as I feel like it's a journey meant to be traveled only once. Despite that, I loved this. It was an extraordinarily written exploration of grief and love, of life and loss.

Thanks to Dustin Thao and Netgalley for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review!

You've Reached Sam by Dustin Thao is not a love story, not exactly, but it is a story about love and about grief.

Julie's boyfriend Sam died in a car crash, and she's hoping to get some sort of comfort or closure when she calls his cellphone to hear his voice on the voicemail one more time. She is certainly NOT expecting him to pick up, which is exactly what happens. Through some unexplained magic, they get to talk regularly with the understanding that, one day, they'll have to say goodbye. But how do you make the decision to lose someone a second time?

When I read the description for You've Reached Sam, I was instantly drawn in. Grief is tricky, and moving on is even harder, so I was excited about the novel. When reading, though, it took me longer to become invested in the story than I expected. Julie's grief is raw, and it makes it hard to like her as a character. I wanted to root for her, but I found myself sympathizing more with Mika, Oliver, her mom, and others that she blew off while trying to stay connected with Sam. Her (phone) relationship with Sam was also full of red flags, which made me not like him either. Finally, I thought some of the transitions were really awkward. There were multiple times I needed to re-read to figure out where/when I was. Around 50% in, though, the character development improves, Julie starts to grow, the transitions become more natural, and I found myself finally enjoying the story. For me, the first half of the book was probably only two stars, but I'm glad I stuck with it through the end.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I loved this book. Julie is a great main character and it's a beautiful portrayal of grief and loss. Powerful themes and beautiful writing.

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for the ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

“And I wish I knew what to say to make things better, or at least tell you how to go through this, Julie. But the truth is, no one experiences grief the same way, and we all come out of it differently.”

For the first time in a long while I’ve had to fully decompress from a book before writing a review. The truth is, I don’t think I’ll ever fully decompress from this. It left a handprint on my heart. Books that can make you feel are so special, but books that leave you feeling profoundly different are a whole new ball game. You’ve Reached Sam had both affects on me. It’s a book I’m not likely to forget anytime soon. Grief is strange and will manifest in so many different ways after you lose a person, but the grief immediately following that loss is one of the toughest I’ve ever dealt with. It was the same for Julie and Dustin crafts this so beautifully that you feel her pain, devastation, and grief too.

Julie throughout the entire book is juggling two hats: how to deal with the grief of losing someone you love and how to feel if you had a second chance to say goodbye. There were parts of this book I envied Julie for that ability. The ability to call Sam and he picks up, just like he always said he would. I had a similar experience to the regret Julie felt over Sam’s death. I lost my grandpa my freshman year of college. He called me the morning of his passing but I’d been so sick I slept right through the call. Just like Julie, I called him, except he never picked up. The way Dustin describes the regret and torment Julie is putting herself through because she feels responsible and people tel her she’s the reason Sam is dead, is a similar guilt to what I felt. It’s a hard emotion to describe and it’s done so beautifully that it’s hard not to cry or grieve with Julie as she tried to grapple with her regret.

Everything about this book is emotional. But, it’s a beautiful way to explore grief and how holding on to someone who’s passed can hold you from living your own life. It also explores the subtle weight of letting go when you stop living for the person who’s gone and you live for yourself. It still feels like I can’t put into words how much I fell in love with this book and all of its characters. Her support system was so beautiful. I loved that even through each of their own grief they were there for one another. They were all struggling in their own ways and had each other’s backs. I loved that. I loved the way this book was able to convey so many different emotions you go through in grief and how you can come out on the other side. I also love that while you may have lost that person physically, they will always be in your heart was a major theme. It was just so well done.

I wish my brain was functioning and I was able to flawlessly write a review that was powerful, but the true power is in this book and you should absolutely read it when it comes out.

*ARC provided courtesy of the publisher*
This book hurt my heart in the best way. I really felt Julie’s grief and her desperation to get through to Sam after he’s gone. I think it was a really beautiful expression of grief, loss and love. I think it could have explored the other relationships in the book as well but I really enjoyed it.

This is an the most beautifully written book I've read recently. Everything about this book was just so emotional and the writing was so lyrical and the whole book had a wonderfully subtle tinge of magic throughout. I wish I had had this book when I was going through a loss years ago, and hope it finds its way into the hands of teens who need it because it was so comforting in the end even though at times it was heartbreaking.

*Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of this book*
Ohmygoodness! This book just ripped out my heart, chewed it up and spit it back out! The story was so heart wrenching. Poignant. This tragic tale of the main character, Julie, trying to cope with the loss of her boyfriend, Sam, left me ugly crying and despondent. I knew what I was getting into from the description and it didn't hesitate as the very first pages jumped right into Julie going through the motions of trying to cope with the death of her Sam. That being said, it was easy to 'remove' myself from the sadness through the majority of the book, to be objective and take the stance of an outsider looking in. I found Julie's character to be somewhat underdeveloped. I feel like I had a firm grasp on Sam's character, as well as many of the other characters in the book. I just felt that other than the sorrow and anguish that Julie was going through due to Sam's death, I didn't really get to 'know' her as a person. She was defined solely by her mourning of her boyfriend and I didn't get an accurate feeling of who she was 'before'. However, I completely fell in love with Sam's character. I felt like I knew him, his personality, his appearance, his background, etc. I just think there could have been more elaboration as to who Julie was outside of her sorrow. I enjoyed how Thao told the story. While at first I found the jumping from memory to memory to be haphazard and slightly confusing, once I adapted to it I like how it helped the story unfold. Those are my main criticisms. Otherwise, this beautifully sad story had me all up in my feels! It reached down deep to places that don't typically see the light of day and brought them to the surface. I felt emotions on such a deep level. While I say that this story was heart wrenching, ripped out my heart, chewed it up and spit it out, I mean that in the very best of ways. I have not had a good, cathartic cry like this in a long time.