You've Reached Sam
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- Create Date：2021-11-11 01:21:41
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Dustin Thao
- ISBN：B08R2KB3SC
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Summary
If I Stay meets Your Name in this heartfelt novel about love and loss and what it means to say goodbye。
How do you move forward when everything you love in on the line？
Seventeen-year-old Julie has her future all planned out—move out of her small town with her boyfriend Sam， attend college in the city， spend a summer in Japan。 But then Sam dies。 And everything changes。 Desperate to hear his voice one more time， Julie calls Sam’s cellphone just to listen to his voicemail。 And Sam picks up the phone。
What would you do if you had a second chance at goodbye？
Filled with a diverse cast of characters， the heartache of first love and loss， and the kind of friends that can get you through anything， plus a touch of magic， You've Reached Sam will make an instant connection with anyone looking for a big emotional romance of a read。
How do you move forward when everything you love in on the line？
Seventeen-year-old Julie has her future all planned out—move out of her small town with her boyfriend Sam， attend college in the city， spend a summer in Japan。 But then Sam dies。 And everything changes。 Desperate to hear his voice one more time， Julie calls Sam’s cellphone just to listen to his voicemail。 And Sam picks up the phone。
What would you do if you had a second chance at goodbye？
Filled with a diverse cast of characters， the heartache of first love and loss， and the kind of friends that can get you through anything， plus a touch of magic， You've Reached Sam will make an instant connection with anyone looking for a big emotional romance of a read。
Reviews
Ice Angel🤍
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3。85 stars—Omg I’m crying like a baby because that ending was really really heartbreaking omg 😭😭。TW: Grief Omg this is a story of a girl who’s bf has recently died and she still communicates with him through the phone 。 I like this book for the reason that it touches self acceptance and ability to move on regardless even when you’d look back and regret or wish you’d have righted your wrongs。 I just honestly didn’t connect with the characters a lot and felt their dialogue except with Sam and Juli 3。85 stars—Omg I’m crying like a baby because that ending was really really heartbreaking omg 😭😭。TW: Grief Omg this is a story of a girl who’s bf has recently died and she still communicates with him through the phone 。 I like this book for the reason that it touches self acceptance and ability to move on regardless even when you’d look back and regret or wish you’d have righted your wrongs。 I just honestly didn’t connect with the characters a lot and felt their dialogue except with Sam and Julie were most definitely genuine。Omg this is so sad I’m bawling my eyes out。Omg omg “Because I can never completely lose you。 You’re a part of me now。 You’re everywhere I look， falling from the sky like petals。”A quick sorrowful and beautiful love story。 。。。more
Jeryl
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This is a bittersweet novel about facing loss and letting go。 When Julie's boyfriend， Sam， dies in an accident， she doesn't want to let go。 She calls his phone just to hear his voice and is surprised when he picks up the phone。 However， she is not sure how long she will be able to keep calling him， and speaking with him at all may be keeping them both from being able to move on。 This book reminds us that there is no one way to deal with grief， but to deal with it at all is important。 Thus， altho This is a bittersweet novel about facing loss and letting go。 When Julie's boyfriend， Sam， dies in an accident， she doesn't want to let go。 She calls his phone just to hear his voice and is surprised when he picks up the phone。 However， she is not sure how long she will be able to keep calling him， and speaking with him at all may be keeping them both from being able to move on。 This book reminds us that there is no one way to deal with grief， but to deal with it at all is important。 Thus， although the idea of second chances is appealing， ultimately the heartbreaking conclusion of this book is inevitable。 。。。more
B。R。 Myers
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Absolutely loved YOU’VE REACHED SAM by @Dustin_Thao。 Poignant， romantic， and heart breaking all at once。 A superb story that examines the complexities of the soul and the perseverance of love。
Jennifer
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4。5/ 5 starsYou've Reached Sam is a YA contemporary romance mixed with magical realism。 This book is emotional and beautiful。I've been mesmerized by this cover for months。 But after reading this book I can't think of a more stunningly perfect cover to go with this story。I did not read the book blurb so I had no idea that this story would be so moving。 It took me a bit of time to figure out what was happening。 But once I did I enjoyed this writing style immensely。The story takes place in Ellensbu 4。5/ 5 starsYou've Reached Sam is a YA contemporary romance mixed with magical realism。 This book is emotional and beautiful。I've been mesmerized by this cover for months。 But after reading this book I can't think of a more stunningly perfect cover to go with this story。I did not read the book blurb so I had no idea that this story would be so moving。 It took me a bit of time to figure out what was happening。 But once I did I enjoyed this writing style immensely。The story takes place in Ellensburgh （in central Washington）。 The narrator is high school senior Julie （1st person POV）。 This is the story of Julie and Sam。 It is a story of love， friendship， tragedy and grief。 Julie was an interesting heroine。 She was determined to be a writer。 But she was also selfish at times。 This book had the best supporting characters。 I adored: Mika， Oliver， Yuki， Jay， Tristan and Mr。 Lee。 And there is one scene with Julie and Sam's little brother James that destroyed me。This book is very unique and thought-provoking。 It's a very different YA story。 Unpredictable。 But it's such a powerful love story。 It will certainly move you to tears！Thanks to netgalley and Wednesday books for allowing me to read this book。 。。。more
Ellie Blackwood
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Rounded up from 3。5This book follows Julie， who is mourning the death of her boyfriend Sam。 But one day， when she tries calling his old number for old times’ sake … Sam picks up！ Now， Julie must keep her newfound connection with Sam a secret from all his other loved ones， or risk losing him forever …I love contemporary books with a speculative twist， and this was a slow-ish yet introspective and gut-wrenching read！ I triple dog dare y’all to read this book without at least tearing up a little。 N Rounded up from 3。5This book follows Julie， who is mourning the death of her boyfriend Sam。 But one day， when she tries calling his old number for old times’ sake … Sam picks up！ Now， Julie must keep her newfound connection with Sam a secret from all his other loved ones， or risk losing him forever …I love contemporary books with a speculative twist， and this was a slow-ish yet introspective and gut-wrenching read！ I triple dog dare y’all to read this book without at least tearing up a little。 Not gonna lie， the ending made me a sniveling mess 😭I loved seeing Julie learn to deal with her grief in a more healthy way。 I also really appreciated the exploration of how varied different people’s responses to losing a loved one can be。I thought the flashbacks were incorporated really well into the story， and gave me some good insight into Julie and Sam’s relationship before his death。 I personally didn’t connect to Julie and the other characters as much as I would have liked， but I also recognize that perspectives on grief are so varied that what’s not relatable to me might be exactly what someone else was looking for。Overall， even though I wanted more from the characters， I’m impressed with the somewhat experimental concept and thought the themes were pulled off really well。 I look forward to seeing what this author does next！Thanks to Wednesday Books and Netgalley for the ebook review copy。 。。。more
el ♡
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finished it one sitting & trust me i cry cry。 it's about accepting death & it's not easy。 somehow， we need to move on even though it takes your soul away。 just like Yuki said， "Letting go isn’t about forgetting。 It’s balancing moving forward with life， and looking back from time to time， remembering the people in it。” finished it one sitting & trust me i cry cry。 it's about accepting death & it's not easy。 somehow， we need to move on even though it takes your soul away。 just like Yuki said， "Letting go isn’t about forgetting。 It’s balancing moving forward with life， and looking back from time to time， remembering the people in it。” 。。。more
Neelakshi
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3。5 ⭐ “What’s wrong？” Sam asks。“It’s ruined now。”The paper is torn and wet from the mist。“Don’t worry，” Sam says。 “I can make you another one。 I can make you a thousand more。”I swear to motherfucking god no one touch me。 Everything hurts。WHY DO PEOPLE GOTTA DIE IN BOOKS LIKE WHAT IN THE ACTUAL FUCK NO BEETCH DON'T PULL THAT ON ME MY LITTLE RATATOUILLE HEART PAINSTHE FUCK 3。5 ⭐ “What’s wrong？” Sam asks。“It’s ruined now。”The paper is torn and wet from the mist。“Don’t worry，” Sam says。 “I can make you another one。 I can make you a thousand more。”I swear to motherfucking god no one touch me。 Everything hurts。WHY DO PEOPLE GOTTA DIE IN BOOKS LIKE WHAT IN THE ACTUAL FUCK NO BEETCH DON'T PULL THAT ON ME MY LITTLE RATATOUILLE HEART PAINSTHE FUCK 。。。more
Sam
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Okay i have mixed thoughts about this。 It was easy to read and i really was excited for this book so i finished it in a day。 I liked Julie and all the things she remembered about Sam but somehow i felt something was missing。 I don‘t know， the end made sense but somehow it was a bit too easy in my opinion。
Szasza
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Like I’m not even mad， upset， sad。 I’m just confused and disappointed and yeahh yk
Brook Obsessed
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A heartbreaking and unusual coming of age story that realistically portrays grief and the varied emotional experiences that loss can create。 A book that is as beautiful as it is gut-wrenching and a powerful testament to grief and second chances with a little bit of magic！ When Julie loses her long-time boyfriend to an accident， her life comes to a sudden halt。 Julie’s perfectly planned future means nothing without Sam， so she puts her life on hold in the process。 Wanting to hear Sam’s voice， Jul A heartbreaking and unusual coming of age story that realistically portrays grief and the varied emotional experiences that loss can create。 A book that is as beautiful as it is gut-wrenching and a powerful testament to grief and second chances with a little bit of magic！ When Julie loses her long-time boyfriend to an accident， her life comes to a sudden halt。 Julie’s perfectly planned future means nothing without Sam， so she puts her life on hold in the process。 Wanting to hear Sam’s voice， Julie decided to call his cellphone， but instead of reaching his voice mail she actually reaches Sam。 Neither one of them understands the connection， but maybe this will be Julie’s chance to finally say goodbye。 This one destroyed my heart， but in the best possible way。 This is written in such an honest and authentic way and explains how each individual in Sam’s life dealt with their loss differently and at their own pace。 The narrators voice inflection is so well done and brought me to tears a couple of times。 This YA romance is deeply moving and one of the most unique spins on dealing with loss。 。。。more
Reading_ Tamishly
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I would say do not expect too much from the book。 It's young adult and it deals with some heavy topics regarding death and grief。 Take your time。Well。。。 I stopped caring about the characters and the whole thing about Sam when I reached half the book。What went wrong？But first， what was done right。The writing is gripping。 The characters are relatable。 They are realistic。 They are the age they are。 The grief and the emotions felt so real。 There are tears and guilt and regrets。 Yes， you will feel co I would say do not expect too much from the book。 It's young adult and it deals with some heavy topics regarding death and grief。 Take your time。Well。。。 I stopped caring about the characters and the whole thing about Sam when I reached half the book。What went wrong？But first， what was done right。The writing is gripping。 The characters are relatable。 They are realistic。 They are the age they are。 The grief and the emotions felt so real。 There are tears and guilt and regrets。 Yes， you will feel connected to the writing， the characters and the emotions。However， the plot kept stretching too much that the second half didn't feel that important。 The story could have been much shorter。 The side characters somehow felt disconnected from the main story and the main characters。The cover is just beautiful and I am really glad it's related to the story and the main characters。The hype couldn't live up。 It's okay。 The writing is good and the main characters seem real。 That's the best part。 。。。more
B
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Ugh。 This was one of my most anticipated reads for fall， so here comes a rant。 1。 Can we stop allowing male authors to write from a female POV？ The results are never good， and this is the perfect example。 Julie is so fucking boring and insufferable I would’ve rather watched dying leaves fall off trees。 She has zero personality outside of Sam， and I have no idea how he fell for her in the first place。 She literally does nothing and seemed to have no friends outside of his circle as if she needed Ugh。 This was one of my most anticipated reads for fall， so here comes a rant。 1。 Can we stop allowing male authors to write from a female POV？ The results are never good， and this is the perfect example。 Julie is so fucking boring and insufferable I would’ve rather watched dying leaves fall off trees。 She has zero personality outside of Sam， and I have no idea how he fell for her in the first place。 She literally does nothing and seemed to have no friends outside of his circle as if she needed him to rescue and save her from her existence。 2。 Going off that， this author had the perfect opportunity to write from a male character of Asian descent’s POV， and he chose instead to make him the secondary character and write from the perspective of…a white girl？ This feels like a wasted and missed opportunity to showcase other cultures and have more representation。 If Julie had been the one who died and Sam the one who lived， this could have been a much better story。 3。 The overall story was just so dull。 If you’re gonna compare something to the incredible If I Stay， you better follow through。 Mia >>>> Julie。 Not even close， barely a comparison， and their love story was far grander than this。 4。 The side characters also really sucked。 Sam seemed like he was trying WAY too hard in the before times， and his friend Oliver was straight up annoying and never took any clues from Julie’s moods whatsoever。 He just kept pushing until she gave in and what kind of toxic male bullshit is that？ I’m sorry that your best friend died but that does not give you the right to harass people because you’re lonely。 And Mika was so self-righteous， and as much as I didn’t agree with Julie’s choices， people have the right to grieve in their own way and she really needed to shut the fuck up。 I could probably go on but I’m just so mad this was so awful and I can’t talk about it anymore。 I will say I’m not completely heartless and I did tear up a few times， but probably more for the general idea of losing someone that way as opposed to the quality of the writing and connection to the characters， which as you can see， were lacking severely。 If you were looking forward to this， I’m sorry， but just don’t waste your time like I did。 Spare yourself！ 。。。more
Stephanie
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What would you do if you had a second chance to say goodbye to someone you loved？ Julie's boyfriend， Sam， dies in an accident and she struggles with the loss， especially given that he died when she was mad at him and she never had a chance to say goodbye。 In order to hear his voice one last time， she calls his phone。。。。and he answers。 They both know that their conversations won't last forever and they will have to say goodbye eventually。What I appreciated about this book was how it shows differe What would you do if you had a second chance to say goodbye to someone you loved？ Julie's boyfriend， Sam， dies in an accident and she struggles with the loss， especially given that he died when she was mad at him and she never had a chance to say goodbye。 In order to hear his voice one last time， she calls his phone。。。。and he answers。 They both know that their conversations won't last forever and they will have to say goodbye eventually。What I appreciated about this book was how it shows different forms of grief and that there really is no "right way" to grieve。 While I didn't love that Julie essentially put her life on hold to talk to her dead boyfriend， she does eventually learn how to continue to live her life when his was cut so short。 I got a little teary towards the end， which is rare for me。 But this missed the mark for me just a little。 Probably a 3。5 star read for me。Thank you to Netgalley and St。 Martin's Press/Wednesday Books for a copy of the eARC in exchange for a honest review。 。。。more
Books and Bookish
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Grief is as an inevitable part of life and is often misconstrued as the absence of love。 However， grief and love exist in different sides of a coin， for one cannot live without the other --- for it is love's unwillingness to give up that makes us mourn。 For a book that's targeted to teens， this resonated to me in ways that I never thought it would。 I thought it was all about sappy， tragic teen romance， but Dustin Thao has a terrific gift in expressing grief and loss in beautiful prose that reach Grief is as an inevitable part of life and is often misconstrued as the absence of love。 However， grief and love exist in different sides of a coin， for one cannot live without the other --- for it is love's unwillingness to give up that makes us mourn。 For a book that's targeted to teens， this resonated to me in ways that I never thought it would。 I thought it was all about sappy， tragic teen romance， but Dustin Thao has a terrific gift in expressing grief and loss in beautiful prose that reaches out and touches your heart。 From the book's gorgeous cover art to its heart-wrenching story， I cannot recommend this book enough。 Thank you to Wednesday Books and St。 Martin's Press for sending an ARC my way。 。。。more
ApoorvaReads
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3。5 stars ⭐️all I know is I haven’t stopped crying since I started this book and I’m still crying after finishing it （maybe I’m too hormonal but whatever）。 Who do I need to contact to pay for my therapy and the 200 tissues which are lying down the floor？I’ll need 3-4 business months to recover from this book。 it was heartbreakingly beautiful and sad and depressing but everything I wanted to have a good cry。 （I loved the emotions it brought out but characters lacked something）
Rose Guzman
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✨3。75/5 Rating✨Spoilers & Thoughts Below！！•You’ve Reached Sam was a beautiful debut about grief， acceptance， and everlasting love。•I really enjoy this book as the characters and plot focused on all the different emotions and thoughts surrounding the loss of a loved one。 •This was also just a quick read but I do suggest checking the trigger warnings as well。 •The premise of the story was definitely intriguing and had that emotional aspect however， it was a bit hard to connect too as the story fel ✨3。75/5 Rating✨Spoilers & Thoughts Below！！•You’ve Reached Sam was a beautiful debut about grief， acceptance， and everlasting love。•I really enjoy this book as the characters and plot focused on all the different emotions and thoughts surrounding the loss of a loved one。 •This was also just a quick read but I do suggest checking the trigger warnings as well。 •The premise of the story was definitely intriguing and had that emotional aspect however， it was a bit hard to connect too as the story felt a bit flat at times。 It was also somewhat slow but I will say that the topic regarding grief and moving on were incredibly well written。•The main heroine， Julie was such an interesting character。 Her journey towards coming to terms with the loss of her boyfriend， Sam， felt so honest and realistic。 Their story was just filled with so many beautiful and heartfelt moments。 •The mystery behind Julie being able to communicate with Sam was just perfect and I loved how they were given that second chance to say goodbye。 •The voicemail and epilogue were heartbreakingly beautiful and just the perfect conclusion to Julie and Sam’s story。 While， I wasn’t that emotionally invested this story will definitely pull on your heart strings。 •Overall， just a really good story about how moving on is not about forgetting。 **This ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange of an honest review。** 。。。more
Rachel Kathryn Wright
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4。5 ⭐️This is a realistic and heartbreaking story about grief and the different ways that people cope with losing a loved one。 And showing the experiences one can face with their strong feeling of grief as seen in the side characters and main character Julie。 The emotions in this book is palpable， I felt everything the characters felt and in the writing itself it carried so much emotion。 The writing was fantastic and very engaging and was well paced from beginning to end。 And the characters were 4。5 ⭐️This is a realistic and heartbreaking story about grief and the different ways that people cope with losing a loved one。 And showing the experiences one can face with their strong feeling of grief as seen in the side characters and main character Julie。 The emotions in this book is palpable， I felt everything the characters felt and in the writing itself it carried so much emotion。 The writing was fantastic and very engaging and was well paced from beginning to end。 And the characters were all so likable and easy to follow along with。 I really liked all the characters from the main characters Sam and Julie to the side characters we barely see like James。 But the reason this is not a five star for me is that I wanted a little more from the characters I don’t know what， but I wanted to see more of them especially Sam， and I would have liked to seen more of his connection with other people like Oliver。 Also， I wished that Oliver got a call with Sam， I’m a bit upset he didn’t get one。 Overall， even with all the heartbreak， this is a very moving and beautiful story about loss that I would recommend。 。。。more
Ayman
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this book… i am lost for words。 crying， screaming， banging my head on the wall， ripping my hair out， running in the rain， slowly sliding down a door after slamming it。 omg this book hurt but it was so good。 the writing was enticing and beautiful。 this book quite literally made my heart ache， it wouldn’t be still my beating heart。 the grief in this book just put tears to my eyes and now i feel like i need to turn my life around and get my shit together。this book isn’t heavy on plot at all so don’ this book… i am lost for words。 crying， screaming， banging my head on the wall， ripping my hair out， running in the rain， slowly sliding down a door after slamming it。 omg this book hurt but it was so good。 the writing was enticing and beautiful。 this book quite literally made my heart ache， it wouldn’t be still my beating heart。 the grief in this book just put tears to my eyes and now i feel like i need to turn my life around and get my shit together。this book isn’t heavy on plot at all so don’t go in looking for that but the characters and the writing is what makes this a 5 star read， i was so invested。 i love these characters and i loved this story with all my heart。 plz look up TWs if you need to。 honestly if you lost a loved one recently or someone very close to you， proceed with caution bc this book may not be for you ❤️ 。。。more
Sarah
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Yall。 I cried。 This book follows seventeen year old Julie after the death of her boyfriend Sam。 She calls his phone so she can hear his voice through his voicemail， when Sam answers the call！ She doesn't tell anyone for fear of losing the connection and she doesn't think anyone will believe her。 We follow Julie through her grieving process and see how Sam's death has touched others around her。 I honestly did not like Julie at the beginning of this book。 I wasn't sure I was going to finish this b Yall。 I cried。 This book follows seventeen year old Julie after the death of her boyfriend Sam。 She calls his phone so she can hear his voice through his voicemail， when Sam answers the call！ She doesn't tell anyone for fear of losing the connection and she doesn't think anyone will believe her。 We follow Julie through her grieving process and see how Sam's death has touched others around her。 I honestly did not like Julie at the beginning of this book。 I wasn't sure I was going to finish this book。 But， as I kept reading， her behaviors made more sense as her grieving。 We start to see that Sam's calls help her， but also hurt her and those around her。 While she is on the phone with him， she doesn't receive calls/text to her phone。 This pushes friends and family away without her realizing because she is holding on to Sam and not allowing either of them to move on。 The last 20% or so of the book is where it really got me。 I essentially cried till the end， even though I tried really hard not to。 It was very emotional and you felt so bad for the characters， but happy for them at the same time。 Very good debut from the author！ I will look forward to what he comes out with next！ Thank you to Dustin Thao， Wednesday Books， and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review！ 。。。more
mary
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how am i just hearing about this now？ i- this sounds amazingi wanna be heartbroken
Katelin Howell
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I’m still sobbing as I write this。 I mean such a beautiful story and a perfect YA read for anyone struggling with loss
Michele
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3 1/2 stars I went into this book with the expectation that it would wreck me。 I was prepared to have tears continually streaming down my face。 Obviously， it was very sad。 However， not nearly as intense as I expected。 me when reading the book。 The main character， Julie is trying to muddle her way through the loss of her boyfriend， Sam。 Everyone around her seems to have any opinion about what she's doing。 I did think some of her behavior was odd。 But people should never judge or question someone 3 1/2 stars I went into this book with the expectation that it would wreck me。 I was prepared to have tears continually streaming down my face。 Obviously， it was very sad。 However， not nearly as intense as I expected。 me when reading the book。 The main character， Julie is trying to muddle her way through the loss of her boyfriend， Sam。 Everyone around her seems to have any opinion about what she's doing。 I did think some of her behavior was odd。 But people should never judge or question someone about "how" they grieve。。。。everyone does it differently。 That part was heartbreaking。 It felt as if Julie didn't have many people to go to who understood her。I think the author's goal of showing how Julie worked her way through the grieving process was a good one。 For me， it felt as if it drug in certain places。 I lost sight of where the book was going in places and had to work to keep myself reading。 That's never ideal。 In the end， I was glad I stuck with it。 It was nice to see Julie go full circle with her process。Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC。 I voluntarily chose to review it and the opinions contained within are my own。AUDIOBOOK REVIEW: The narration for the book was good。 I wouldn't say outstanding - - but definitely good。 I would say that it wasn't my favorite audiobook。 It didn't pull me in and keep me drawn into the story。 I was just a content to read it。 （3 1/2 stars） 。。。more
Heather Fleet
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You’ve Reached Sam was a one of my most anticipated YA reads of this year， and I was thrilled to receive the audiobook for review。 The story， the writing， the promise of heartbreak？ It did not disappoint。 Though the time jumps in the beginning were a little hard to follow via audio， I still found this story to be an incredible—deeply emotional in a way that had me clinging to tissues the entire time I listened。 Definitely recommend if your a fan of angst， first love， and finding yourself during You’ve Reached Sam was a one of my most anticipated YA reads of this year， and I was thrilled to receive the audiobook for review。 The story， the writing， the promise of heartbreak？ It did not disappoint。 Though the time jumps in the beginning were a little hard to follow via audio， I still found this story to be an incredible—deeply emotional in a way that had me clinging to tissues the entire time I listened。 Definitely recommend if your a fan of angst， first love， and finding yourself during the most difficult part of your life。 。。。more
Katie Mac
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I received an eARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。3。5， rounded up。 The magical realism aspect （with the flashbacks） didn't always work for me， nor did the timeline， but I appreciated how Thao showcases Julie grieving in her own way to demonstrate that grieving is neither easy not perfect nor socially acceptable。 I received an eARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。3。5， rounded up。 The magical realism aspect （with the flashbacks） didn't always work for me， nor did the timeline， but I appreciated how Thao showcases Julie grieving in her own way to demonstrate that grieving is neither easy not perfect nor socially acceptable。 。。。more
Mae （readingwithmae）
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well that fucking hurt
akacya ♡̷̷ˎˊ
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After Julie’s boyfriend， Sam， meets his untimely death， she’s devastated， but does her best to forget him。 She calls him to hear his voice in his voicemail， but something strange happens…Sam picks up。 Now， they have another chance to do some of the things they never got to do， including saying goodbye。 But Julie finds it harder and harder to let him go。I loved the way grief was handled in this book。 Speaking from personal experience， grieving people don’t always make the best choices， and it was After Julie’s boyfriend， Sam， meets his untimely death， she’s devastated， but does her best to forget him。 She calls him to hear his voice in his voicemail， but something strange happens…Sam picks up。 Now， they have another chance to do some of the things they never got to do， including saying goodbye。 But Julie finds it harder and harder to let him go。I loved the way grief was handled in this book。 Speaking from personal experience， grieving people don’t always make the best choices， and it was good to see this represented in a book。 The characters’ growth was also nice to see， especially Julie’s。 I recommend for contemporary lovers who like emotional and character-driven novels！ 。。。more
Mary （bookstorevibe）
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09/11/21Thank you to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for providing an eARC。When you look at the （beautiful） cover and read the synopsis of You’ve Reached Sam， you know it’s going to be a sad book。 I’m the kind of person who very easily starts crying while reading and yet… I’m not sure a book has ever made me cry because of the first chapter。 By the time I reached the epilogue， I was sobbing so hard that I had to put my Kindle down。Dustin Thao starts the story a week after Julie’s boyfriend Sam une 09/11/21Thank you to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for providing an eARC。When you look at the （beautiful） cover and read the synopsis of You’ve Reached Sam， you know it’s going to be a sad book。 I’m the kind of person who very easily starts crying while reading and yet… I’m not sure a book has ever made me cry because of the first chapter。 By the time I reached the epilogue， I was sobbing so hard that I had to put my Kindle down。Dustin Thao starts the story a week after Julie’s boyfriend Sam unexpectedly and tragically passed away and it follows our main character as she not only grieves but also learns to let go。 It’s about healing and first love and friendship and how the future might not always turn out how you imagined。 I was immediately impressed by Dustin Thao’s beautiful writing style and some of my favorite scenes in the novel were the magical flash-backs。 We learn about Sam and Julie’s relationship through montage-style “clips” that felt like watching a movie。 Knowing how their time together ends， reading about how they met， about their dates and their quiet moments was absolutely heartbreaking but also made me really invested in their relationship。 One of the main plot lines is of course the unexpected connection that Julie and Sam still have through their phone calls。 （This will come as surprise to absolutely no one but many of them made me cry as well。） It made the story really intriguing as the reader （along with Julie） is left wondering why this is possible， why they got a second chance and if everything is real or if Julie is imagining it。 Julie is an aspiring author who is about to graduate and head off to college。 I really liked seeing her character development， her struggles to move on from such a devastating loss and how not only her plans for the future but also the relationships with the people in her life changed。Sam on the other hand was a musician and we only really get to see him through Julie’s perspective。 He is a great love interest and I was very much heartbroken by his death， but the focus of the story is definitely on Julie。 I did also like the diverse cast of side characters with Sam’s cousin Mika， his best friend Oliver and the group of classmates they all used to hang out with together。 Sam and Mika are Japanese-American and there are several queer and BIPOC side characters。 While Sam’s heritage was not the central focus of the story， the references to Japanese culture and the brief discussion of xenophobia at school added a lot of depth。Despite the many （MANY） times I got teary-eyed， You’ve Reached Sam somehow still manages to feel comforting and hopeful。 It made for a cathartic crying session instead of being a book so devastating it’ll leave you hollow。 I really enjoyed this beautiful exploration of grief， coming of age and first love， and I highly recommend that you check it out。 Dustin Thao is a promising new voice in YA fiction and I can’t wait to read his next novel。---08/11/21I have been crying for two hours straight 🙃 。。。more
Sarah
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Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the e-arc of You've Reached Sam by Dustin Thao。This book destroyed me。 I started crying in the beginning and by the end I was a wreck。 That being said it was because the book was so moving and lovely。 Julia is dealing with the death of her boyfriend Sam when she calls him one evening and he picks up。 What follows is a wonderful journey into dealing with grief and moving on after someone has died。 While the plot may have been predictable and about havi Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the e-arc of You've Reached Sam by Dustin Thao。This book destroyed me。 I started crying in the beginning and by the end I was a wreck。 That being said it was because the book was so moving and lovely。 Julia is dealing with the death of her boyfriend Sam when she calls him one evening and he picks up。 What follows is a wonderful journey into dealing with grief and moving on after someone has died。 While the plot may have been predictable and about having to let go the journey that Thao took me through to get to the end of the story was moving and heart wrenching and so beautiful as well。I knew I was going to be a wreck by the end of the book and You've Reached Sam certainly delivered。 。。。more
Natalie [genreneutralreader]
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Thank you to the publisher for the advanced ecopy of You've Reached Sam by Dustin Thao。 It had lots of sweet moments and the overall message of how everyone deals with grief differently was a good one。 I was a little torn on how to rate the overall story because I would not say I ended up really enjoying the book overall。 The audiobook narrator sounded like she was whining pretty much every line。。。。I mean her inflection never really changed。 The main character had a way of dealing with her grief Thank you to the publisher for the advanced ecopy of You've Reached Sam by Dustin Thao。 It had lots of sweet moments and the overall message of how everyone deals with grief differently was a good one。 I was a little torn on how to rate the overall story because I would not say I ended up really enjoying the book overall。 The audiobook narrator sounded like she was whining pretty much every line。。。。I mean her inflection never really changed。 The main character had a way of dealing with her grief that was bizarre AND offensive。 I genuinely can't imagine her mother or friends wouldn't have at some point grabbed her and told her to get a hold of herself。 It is one thing to grieve in your own way。 It is a whole other thing to grieve in a way that actively hurts those around you who are also grieving。 And no， I will never think that is OK。 So while I struggled with that aspect， I did like how the author got into how different grief affected various people from Sam's life。 I think a lot of teen readers who are comfortable with melodrama and angst will love the book。 I am probably too old and jaded for it。 。。。more
Morgan Waltz
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Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for an E-arc of You've Reached Sam。This story follows Julie as she deals with the tragic death of her boyfriend， Sam， and how when she calls his phone on a whim， he answers。This is such a hard review to write as I went into this expecting to have my heart ripped out， and I ended up。。。 just not caring or feeling anything。 All the characters just feel lackluster and "bleh" to me。 and the story line felt like it was all over the place。 Overall， I think the mess Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for an E-arc of You've Reached Sam。This story follows Julie as she deals with the tragic death of her boyfriend， Sam， and how when she calls his phone on a whim， he answers。This is such a hard review to write as I went into this expecting to have my heart ripped out， and I ended up。。。 just not caring or feeling anything。 All the characters just feel lackluster and "bleh" to me。 and the story line felt like it was all over the place。 Overall， I think the message of the story was well thought out， and an important one， but it just fell flat for me overall。 My favorite parts of this book are the cover （stunning） and the character Mika， Sam's cousin。 She seemed to be the most fleshed out character to me and the most I felt connected to and caused the most emotion for me。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=You've Reached Sam
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=You've Reached Sam&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,You've Reached Sam&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0