The Many Half-Filled Lives of Sam Sylvester
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- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-06-03 07:19:51
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Maya MacGregor
- ISBN：B09BTLLQTQ
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
Laura
，
Great 4⭐️ YA mystery！！ -Sam is a non binary teenager who is autistic and queer （they/them pronouns）-Sam and their Dad move into a new house where a mysterious “accidental” death happened。 Sam and their friends don’t buy this—they decide to investigate themselves。 🕵🏻♀️ -Single Dad—adopted Sam when he was older。 Supportive and positive relationship， great to see in a YA book！ -LGBTQ+ side characters were wonderful—loved the group of friends （Shep and Aiden especially！） —spooky vibes and the endin Great 4⭐️ YA mystery！！ -Sam is a non binary teenager who is autistic and queer （they/them pronouns）-Sam and their Dad move into a new house where a mysterious “accidental” death happened。 Sam and their friends don’t buy this—they decide to investigate themselves。 🕵🏻♀️ -Single Dad—adopted Sam when he was older。 Supportive and positive relationship， great to see in a YA book！ -LGBTQ+ side characters were wonderful—loved the group of friends （Shep and Aiden especially！） —spooky vibes and the ending was satisfying！ Thank you to the publisher + NetGalley for the ARC—looking forward to reading more by the author！ 。。。more
Tracy Hoffman
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Sam Sylvester， an autistic nonbinary teen， and their father are starting over in a new town after a near-death experience that haunts Sam and leaves them wondering if they will see their nineteenth birthday。 As they settle into their new town and school， they join the Rainbow Island， the school’s LGBTQ+ club， where they find a welcoming community and make new friends。 And when they learn that there was a mysterious death in the home they now live in， Sam can’t resist trying to solve the decades Sam Sylvester， an autistic nonbinary teen， and their father are starting over in a new town after a near-death experience that haunts Sam and leaves them wondering if they will see their nineteenth birthday。 As they settle into their new town and school， they join the Rainbow Island， the school’s LGBTQ+ club， where they find a welcoming community and make new friends。 And when they learn that there was a mysterious death in the home they now live in， Sam can’t resist trying to solve the decades old mystery with the help of their new friends。The mystery， with a touch of the paranormal thrown in， is in fact the weakest part of the book。 This aspect of the story starts slow and then ends rather abruptly and， perhaps， too easily。 But this is easy to overlook， and really doesn’t detract from what is great about the story， because the autistic and LGBTQ+ representation is fantastic。 So too are the relationships—the one Sam has with their father， perhaps my favorite character in the book， is particularly well done—and friendships throughout。 This is， in other words， a great story about friendship， family， community， and identity。The specters of misunderstanding， discrimination， and danger are present throughout the story and not everything goes smoothly for Sam but ultimately this is a hopeful story， one about finding your place and being accepted and valued for who you are。Thank you to Astra Young Readers and Goodreads for this book。 。。。more
Olivia
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Fantastic book！ Loved the mystery and the rep， 100% recommend to everyone！！！
Ashley Taylor
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I really enjoyed this book， I think that I liked Sam discovering themselves and working on their trauma was a little more interesting than the way the mystery unfolded but I definitely liked this book a lot。
Abigail
，
2。5/5 ⭐️
Eram Hussain
，
The Many Half-Lived Lives of Sam Sylvester is a YA thriller about teenage Sam who is nonbinary （they/them pronouns）。 I read a YA thriller after a long time。Sam is recovering from some trauma that was caused in their previous school and with their dad has moved to a new school that will hopefully be more understanding of Sam's gender and accommodating since Sam is autistic。 Sam ends up meeting some kids from the Rainbow club and makes friends。 But as they settle into their new house， they find ou The Many Half-Lived Lives of Sam Sylvester is a YA thriller about teenage Sam who is nonbinary （they/them pronouns）。 I read a YA thriller after a long time。Sam is recovering from some trauma that was caused in their previous school and with their dad has moved to a new school that will hopefully be more understanding of Sam's gender and accommodating since Sam is autistic。 Sam ends up meeting some kids from the Rainbow club and makes friends。 But as they settle into their new house， they find out someone was murdered in it before their dad bought it。Sam with their new friends starts investigating on who could have murdered this kid 30 years ago。 Although the whole town believes it was a tragic accident。 Sam has their doubts 。。。more
C。J。
，
THE MANY HALF-LIVED LIVES OF SAM SYLVESTER is a YA mystery about an autistic non-binary teen who moves into a new house only to find it previously belonged to the victim of an unsolved supposedly-accidental death， which they are now determined to solve。 It's an intriguing story with a hint of paranormal activity that any ghost enthusiast would enjoy。 The characters are well developed， and the dialogue between the high schoolers felt so real， incorporating current slang and references， which real THE MANY HALF-LIVED LIVES OF SAM SYLVESTER is a YA mystery about an autistic non-binary teen who moves into a new house only to find it previously belonged to the victim of an unsolved supposedly-accidental death， which they are now determined to solve。 It's an intriguing story with a hint of paranormal activity that any ghost enthusiast would enjoy。 The characters are well developed， and the dialogue between the high schoolers felt so real， incorporating current slang and references， which really helped bring them all to life。 The mystery had me thinking I had it solved a couple different times， and I was still surprised in the end！ Overall I enjoyed it a lot！ Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an eARC of this book！ 。。。more
Agentrusco
，
This book was amazing。 So many books about LGBTQ people are tragic and revolve around conflict related to the queerness。 Sam is queer in all the ways and it's made clear， but this is not a book specifically about that。 It manages to celebrate queerness without making it too much。 This book was amazing。 So many books about LGBTQ people are tragic and revolve around conflict related to the queerness。 Sam is queer in all the ways and it's made clear， but this is not a book specifically about that。 It manages to celebrate queerness without making it too much。 。。。more
Isaiah
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I got an ARC of this book。 I tried， but I just couldn't get into it。 There is so much telling and no showing going on。 Add in some of the lines are just really， really bad "Sting-y" is used because a character is a Scorpio for example。 There were things I really liked， like the Autistic rep wasn't just quirky。 Sam hurts their dad at one point， they don't mean to。 There are things like that that were wonderful to see。 I got an ARC of this book。 I tried， but I just couldn't get into it。 There is so much telling and no showing going on。 Add in some of the lines are just really， really bad "Sting-y" is used because a character is a Scorpio for example。 There were things I really liked， like the Autistic rep wasn't just quirky。 Sam hurts their dad at one point， they don't mean to。 There are things like that that were wonderful to see。 。。。more
Mark Alpheus
，
The Many Half-lived Lives of Sam Sylvester features:• a nonbinary mc changing schools• a mysterious death in a small town buried by timeSeems good， right？ It's exactly what drove me to read it。 There's that feeling of "hmm this smells like a good mystery and I want it"As much as I want to say it delivered， tho， for me it did not。 It was more contemporary fic than mystery， and I get that。 The author must have wanted to incorporate issues such as bullying and gender in this book， but to me it seem The Many Half-lived Lives of Sam Sylvester features:• a nonbinary mc changing schools• a mysterious death in a small town buried by timeSeems good， right？ It's exactly what drove me to read it。 There's that feeling of "hmm this smells like a good mystery and I want it"As much as I want to say it delivered， tho， for me it did not。 It was more contemporary fic than mystery， and I get that。 The author must have wanted to incorporate issues such as bullying and gender in this book， but to me it seemed like it overpowered the plot， therefore leveling down the suspense from a mystery。Lastly， the writing could get overly descriptive sometimes， it makes the scene feel so long and therefore dragging [me]Apart from that， however， I have no other issues。 I freaking love Sam's father very much。2 stars for this book， I'd still very much recommend it because I want to know what other people would think about it。I got an e-arc from the publisher through Netgalley， nevertheless this review is honest。 。。。more
Courtney
，
I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley。 Review is based on the final copy。 All opinions are my own。 The Many Half-Lived Lives of Sam Sylvester is a compelling new read with a compassionate blend of contemporary issues impacting queer teens with elements of mystery/thriller。 It hits all the right notes， building the intrigue and suspense where needed， yet not lacking in quiet， compassionate moments。 I love the initial dynamics that are set up among the major characters， touching on co I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley。 Review is based on the final copy。 All opinions are my own。 The Many Half-Lived Lives of Sam Sylvester is a compelling new read with a compassionate blend of contemporary issues impacting queer teens with elements of mystery/thriller。 It hits all the right notes， building the intrigue and suspense where needed， yet not lacking in quiet， compassionate moments。 I love the initial dynamics that are set up among the major characters， touching on complex issues。 Sam is the non-binary autistic adopted child of a Black single dad， and I loved their dynamic together， especially when it’s so rare to see adoptive parents to begin with in fiction， much less nonwhite adoptive parents， and to have it be a loving relationship that just exists and not be part of some “seeking catharsis about my identity” arc。 The friendship dynamics with the people Sam connects with at school is also wonderful and largely positive to Sam’s intersectional identities。 There is a little minor subplot where there is a confrontation related to Sam’s asexuality which wasn’t as fleshed out， compared to their experiences being autistic or non-binary and the impact of them having to navigate society with those identities， but for the most part， I have few complaints。 The exploration of identity and navigating trauma related to that is well-balanced with the plotline of digging into the past and investigating what happened to a young boy， Billy， who was murdered in the 1980s， who has a connection with Sam’s new house。 It’s definitely a gradual build， with breadcrumbs here and there， but it’s enough to keep you intrigued until the mystery element comes into full force near the end， when it feels earned and well foreshadowed。 I really enjoyed this， and Maya MacGregor is an author I will be likely reading more from in the future。 If you enjoy books that mix contemporary YA with mystery/thriller elements， I recommend picking this one up。 。。。more
Marlowe North
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Good god， this was an incredible book。More trans autistic protagonists， please。 Stayed up until 04:25 last night finishing it。
Caitie
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This was yet another book that I thought I was going to love， but it was a let-down。 I felt like there was just too much going on， although on some level I get what the author was attempting to do。 Sam has Autism and is non-binary， which I know happens in real life， but for a book it just felt like too much。 I feel like the author just should've picked one to delve into， I would've been fine without the whole Autism thing （although this kind of rep is needed） because I feel like what happened to This was yet another book that I thought I was going to love， but it was a let-down。 I felt like there was just too much going on， although on some level I get what the author was attempting to do。 Sam has Autism and is non-binary， which I know happens in real life， but for a book it just felt like too much。 I feel like the author just should've picked one to delve into， I would've been fine without the whole Autism thing （although this kind of rep is needed） because I feel like what happened to Sam in Montana should've been the main focus。。。。。in most part because it was the focus， the Autism plotline seemed to be thrown in there when it's convenient at times， like the constant mention of an IEP without a real mention of what an IEP actually is。 I get that I'm the minority with this one， but while the writing was good I feel like there were too many plot threads without any real follow-through。 The ghost story/mystery storyline， for example， seems to take a kind of back burner even though it was pitched in the book's synopsis。 And while the writing had potential， many times it came off as incredibly juvenile like this written about a younger kid instead of an 18 year old。 。。。more
kel
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4。5 starsTHIS MADE ME FEEL SO MUCH
Hilary
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Thank you to the publisher for a gifted copy of Maya MacGregor’s THE MANY HALF-LIVED LIVES OF SAM SYLVESTER， a YA murder mystery featuring a nonbinary， autistic teen。 SAM SYLVESTER just came out on May 3rd 💜After a traumatic attack on their life， Sam is not quite sure they will make it to their nineteenth birthday。 They keep a book of half-lived lives， stories of teens who have had their lives tragically cut short like Sam is sure theirs will be one day。 When they and their father move to Astori Thank you to the publisher for a gifted copy of Maya MacGregor’s THE MANY HALF-LIVED LIVES OF SAM SYLVESTER， a YA murder mystery featuring a nonbinary， autistic teen。 SAM SYLVESTER just came out on May 3rd 💜After a traumatic attack on their life， Sam is not quite sure they will make it to their nineteenth birthday。 They keep a book of half-lived lives， stories of teens who have had their lives tragically cut short like Sam is sure theirs will be one day。 When they and their father move to Astoria， Oregon， Sam begins to see the glimmering of community and a place where they can just be。 They also find out that a boy died in the very house that they just moved into。All the adults in the town say that it was a tragic accident， but Sam can sense something—somehow， they know that it was a murder。 As Sam and their friends get deeper and deeper into the mystery， danger seems to find them at every turn and an early death seems almost certain。This book is for all of my fellow TRULY DEVIOUS fans。 This was warm， glittery， and so beautifully queer， complete with a cast of characters you’re sure to fall in love with 🥰Full review: https://www。instagram。com/p/CdLythKJR5w/ 。。。more
Mary
，
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing this eARC in exchange for an honest review。The Many Half-Lived Lives of Sam Sylvester follows nonbinary autistic teen Sam Sylvester as they move to a new town following a traumatic event。 Sam is obsessed with the stories of teens who die before they turn nineteen， so when they move into a house haunted by a thirty-year-old teen death， Sam and their new friends set out to discover the truth behind the mysterious incident。This was such a great Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing this eARC in exchange for an honest review。The Many Half-Lived Lives of Sam Sylvester follows nonbinary autistic teen Sam Sylvester as they move to a new town following a traumatic event。 Sam is obsessed with the stories of teens who die before they turn nineteen， so when they move into a house haunted by a thirty-year-old teen death， Sam and their new friends set out to discover the truth behind the mysterious incident。This was such a great read！ Though it is a contemporary YA mystery， the mystery part is somewhat minimal in comparison to the contemporary YA part。 We spend a lot of time with Sam as they acclimate to their new school， as they form new friendships， and as they just generally survive life。 Though the mystery of what happened to Billy is ever-present， developments in that mystery are fairly sparse throughout the novel。 Clues often don't lead very far， if anywhere， and the narrative is comfortable allowing a significant amount of time to pass between revelations。 The conclusion to the mystery plot may be predictable for some readers （I had a good idea of who it was by the halfway mark）， but even with a level of predictability， the conclusion is fresh and satisfying。 The best part of this book， for me， was the characters。 We spend a lot of time with Sam， learning about their identity， their trauma， and just generally what makes them who they are。 Sam is stellar representation for a lot of underrepresented readers， which is just amazing to see。 In addition， Sam's father and friends， especially Shep， are really well-rounded and dimensional characters who I could honestly spend another 100+ pages reading about。 I had such a good time watching them interact， and in the case of Sam and Shep， watching their relationship develop。 All of it felt real and true and authentic and full of heart。I would encourage any potential readers to look into the trigger warnings for this book before picking it up。 Sam does have a lot of support， and the narrative often takes time to step back and deconstruct the characters' triggering experiences， but there is still some relatively graphic violence and other triggers that are good to know about going in。 。。。more
Chelsea
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Rating:3。5 YA is always a hit or a miss for me， this one was kind of middle of the road。 There was nothing bad about it， I just wasn't expecting it to read on the younger side of YA。 I still would recommend it if you're interested。 Rating:3。5 YA is always a hit or a miss for me， this one was kind of middle of the road。 There was nothing bad about it， I just wasn't expecting it to read on the younger side of YA。 I still would recommend it if you're interested。 。。。more
Bhavya
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28/4/2022- OMG THIS SOUNDS AMAZING。 I NEED IT ASAP。
chiara
，
thank you netgalley and publisher for the arc in exchange for an honest review。representation of a non-binary main character is so important and refreshing！！ sam is also autistic， which is another thing i’ve never encountered in a main character in a book before。 it was just really nice to have that kind of diversity。i think some aspects in this book were unrealistic， like the amount of openly out high schoolers。 in my experience， most people in that age category are still figuring out who they thank you netgalley and publisher for the arc in exchange for an honest review。representation of a non-binary main character is so important and refreshing！！ sam is also autistic， which is another thing i’ve never encountered in a main character in a book before。 it was just really nice to have that kind of diversity。i think some aspects in this book were unrealistic， like the amount of openly out high schoolers。 in my experience， most people in that age category are still figuring out who they are or are not comfortable sharing it with just anyone。 but yeah， this is fiction so it is nice to see characters being unapologetically themselves。the whole murder plot （and like ghost stuff i guess） was also a bit much for my taste， i didn’t really care until the big reveal at the end。 but i guess it’s nice that this book had other things going on than just sam’s gender identity or sexuality， because i find that is a commonly occurring problem in books with/about lgbt+ characters。 at least this book didn’t have that issue。in the acknowledgements， the author said that they wrote the book they wished they had when they were younger。 i’m just so happy books like this exist。 representation matters。 i hope others can find comfort in this book。 ❤️ 。。。more
Mariam
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Sam is convinced that they will not survive their eighteenth year。 Having just moved to a new town with their dad， who is the epitome of Dad Goals， they try to simply exist。 But there is a story to the house in which they've moved。 It is the place where Billy， a boy who died there twenty years ago。 With the help of new friends， Sam embarks on a mission to solve Billy's murder and uncovers the truth。 I was deeply moved by this book。 I thought the good chunk of paranormal was a nice touch。 Over al Sam is convinced that they will not survive their eighteenth year。 Having just moved to a new town with their dad， who is the epitome of Dad Goals， they try to simply exist。 But there is a story to the house in which they've moved。 It is the place where Billy， a boy who died there twenty years ago。 With the help of new friends， Sam embarks on a mission to solve Billy's murder and uncovers the truth。 I was deeply moved by this book。 I thought the good chunk of paranormal was a nice touch。 Over all， a wonderful debut and I loved the lgbt+ rep。 。。。more
Phoebe
，
I love The Many Half-Lived Lives of Sam Sylvester。 I think it is the combination of Sam and Junius that makes this story for me。 The mystery is solid。 The friendships are even more so。 Did I forget to mention that there is a romance amidst all of this， pairing an ace and a bisexual who are so sweet together。 MacGregor gives us everything and I love it。I received an ARC of this book and I am writing a review without prejudice and voluntarily。Check out the rest of my review at Phoebe's Randoms。 Li I love The Many Half-Lived Lives of Sam Sylvester。 I think it is the combination of Sam and Junius that makes this story for me。 The mystery is solid。 The friendships are even more so。 Did I forget to mention that there is a romance amidst all of this， pairing an ace and a bisexual who are so sweet together。 MacGregor gives us everything and I love it。I received an ARC of this book and I am writing a review without prejudice and voluntarily。Check out the rest of my review at Phoebe's Randoms。 Link in bio。 。。。more
Charlotte
，
First of all， let me say that the 2SLGBTQIA+ representation in this story is wonderful。 I really enjoyed getting to know the main character， Sam。 Some of their struggles were truly heartbreaking。 No one should have to be bullied。 I did enjoy that Sam went on to find a home with a parent who clearly loves them。 The father was a great character and the kind of parent that I hope we could all be fortunate enough to have。The only criticism I have is that I feel as though Sam's story was almost enoug First of all， let me say that the 2SLGBTQIA+ representation in this story is wonderful。 I really enjoyed getting to know the main character， Sam。 Some of their struggles were truly heartbreaking。 No one should have to be bullied。 I did enjoy that Sam went on to find a home with a parent who clearly loves them。 The father was a great character and the kind of parent that I hope we could all be fortunate enough to have。The only criticism I have is that I feel as though Sam's story was almost enough without the "30 year old mystery。" The mystery wasn't really anything too original。Really it's Sam and the supporting characters that make this a great read。If you are a fan of YA books with great diverse representation， then this is a great read for you。 。。。more
Brittany （Britt's Book Blurbs）
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Thanks to NetGalley & Astra Young Readers for an eARC of this book。 The following review is my honest reflection on the text provided。4。5 starsIf you're looking for a great YA mystery with incredible representation， you've come to the right place。I could not believe how seamlessly The Many Half-Lived Lives of Sam Sylvester addressed so many things。 Sam is a non-binary teen with autism adopted by a single， black， asexual father。 They've dealt with extreme bullying leading to a near-death expe Thanks to NetGalley & Astra Young Readers for an eARC of this book。 The following review is my honest reflection on the text provided。4。5 starsIf you're looking for a great YA mystery with incredible representation， you've come to the right place。I could not believe how seamlessly The Many Half-Lived Lives of Sam Sylvester addressed so many things。 Sam is a non-binary teen with autism adopted by a single， black， asexual father。 They've dealt with extreme bullying leading to a near-death experience， which prompts a move to a more accepting city。 They unintentionally move into a house which is the location of a 30-year cold case resulting in the mysterious death of a teenager that Sam has researched in the past。 Sam's father， Junius desperately wants to protect his child， though Sam and Junius are both painfully aware that Sam will always be unsafe。 The emotions running through the narrative are almost tangible as Sam and Junius navigate this new town and new school， unable to escape their past completely。 "Every ounce of love is always an act of desperate hope。"I don't know how it was possible， but the twin narratives of bullying/adapting to a new school and this 30-year cold case worked together incredibly well。 It never felt like one was overshadowing the other， overlapping in all the right places to create tension and interest。 With a few paranormal elements to raise the stakes， The Many Half-Lived Lives of Sam Sylvester has everything I could ever want in a story。 Not to mention， the family， friendship， and romance elements are heart-achingly sweet。 I absolutely loved The Many Half-Lived Lives of Sam Sylvester and could not recommend it highly enough。 "'I don't know if the school is ready for us。''Sister， my field of fucks is barren'"Review originally posted here on Britt's Book Blurbs。 Blog | Bookstagram | Reddit | Twitter 。。。more
Melanie
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Thank you to Astra Publishing and Netgalley for an arc of this book。After a nearly life-ending attack when Sam lived in Montana， they move to Astoria， Oregon with their adoptive father to try and start over。 But what Sam's dad doesn't know is that they think they won't make it to their 19th birthday and join the book full of other teenagers who died too young--including the one that died in their very house。I loved this mystery/thriller so so much！ I was completely absorbed throughout the entire Thank you to Astra Publishing and Netgalley for an arc of this book。After a nearly life-ending attack when Sam lived in Montana， they move to Astoria， Oregon with their adoptive father to try and start over。 But what Sam's dad doesn't know is that they think they won't make it to their 19th birthday and join the book full of other teenagers who died too young--including the one that died in their very house。I loved this mystery/thriller so so much！ I was completely absorbed throughout the entire book and really consumed it quickly。 Sam is such an amazing character and I loved the many aspects to their identity。 They actually remind me a bit of one of my students and it made me a little weepy。 Also their dad， Junius， is probably the best adult to ever exist in a YA book ever？ Like。。。I love him so much。 He's aroace and so supportive and loving and absolutely there for Sam and takes in Sam's new friends like they are his own。 I just really am here for a supportive father！All of the side characters were also amazing。 I loved all of them。 Shep is an adorable and wonderful love interest and I just want to give her a hug and tell her everything will be okay！ I also loved Sky and Aidan and the supportive teachers and other friends that they had throughout the book。 I highly highly recommend this one！ Content WarningsGraphic: Biphobia， Violence， Bullying， Transphobia， Death， Panic attacks/disorders， and Hate crimeModerate: Gaslighting， Medical content， Toxic friendship， and MurderMinor: Ableism and Self harm 。。。more
Kendra Lee
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I can't even with how much I loved this one。 I powered through it and kept fussing at my family when they tried to talk to me during the last few chapters （why， why， why do people talk at you when you have a book in your hands？！？）。 I needed to know what was going to happen！Sam Sylvester was a supremely crafted protagonist。 They were endearing， complex， frustrating， and tender。 I getting to know them and to understand their perspective on the world was a joy。 I appreciated how the portrayal of Sa I can't even with how much I loved this one。 I powered through it and kept fussing at my family when they tried to talk to me during the last few chapters （why， why， why do people talk at you when you have a book in your hands？！？）。 I needed to know what was going to happen！Sam Sylvester was a supremely crafted protagonist。 They were endearing， complex， frustrating， and tender。 I getting to know them and to understand their perspective on the world was a joy。 I appreciated how the portrayal of Sam's autism was woven through the story， so that the reader really understood how Sam felt and experienced sensations and feelings。 It was sometimes beautiful， sometimes cringey， but all the time engaging。 I was amused at how strange neurotypicals were to Sam。 Their measured patience as they tried to remember the social script for what would make neurotypicals feel at ease in various situations really （gently） put me in my place as a neurotypical。 I was also thrilled that Sam's autism wasn't the focal point of the book--it was just part of their overall character， like their queerness。 And their being adopted。 And their belonging to a biracial family。 If anything， their queerness and their fixation with half-lived lives （which I realize can be a facet of behavior for people on the spectrum） took the lead in the story。 The mystery was fun to watch unravel。 And Sam's friends were a delightful cast of characters that had their own complexities， hurts， and triumphs。 And even when the friends had to deal with bullying and trauma surrounding their queerness， the way they rallied together and showed up for each other was really moving。 I didn't choose this book--it chose me。 It just showed up from the publisher， seemingly out of the blue。 And it was the perfect book in that moment for me。 Definitely give it a read。 。。。more
Manda Nicole
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Sam is eighteen， non-binary， and on the autism spectrum。 Because of a traumatic experience Sam and their dad move to Oregon to a house where a teen boy died thirty years ago。 Sam has long been fascinated by kids who died before they turned nineteen and therefore want to investigate the death of the teenage boy。 But then they meet resistance。The relationship between Sam and their dad is absolutely heartwarming。 I love the messages it sends about foster parents 。 I really loved the mystery part of Sam is eighteen， non-binary， and on the autism spectrum。 Because of a traumatic experience Sam and their dad move to Oregon to a house where a teen boy died thirty years ago。 Sam has long been fascinated by kids who died before they turned nineteen and therefore want to investigate the death of the teenage boy。 But then they meet resistance。The relationship between Sam and their dad is absolutely heartwarming。 I love the messages it sends about foster parents 。 I really loved the mystery part of this as well。 It doesn't really ramp up until past 25% or so since Sam is busy trying to fit into school and get used to a new town。 But I loved the investigation once it started。 It was so gripping and I loved how I was kept guessing until the end。We need more characters like Sam a huge thank you to Maya MacGregor for creating such an amazingly diverse， relevant and relatable character to help represent so many different readers！Id also like to thank netgalley and publishers for providing an arc so that I may share my honest feedback。 I am so in love with this story and I know you will be too！ 。。。more
Jo Ladzinski
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Read an eARC from NetGalleyContent warning: hate crime， homophobia， misgendering （challenged）， racism， stalking， murder， anaphylaxis， death of a child， PTSD， anxietyAutistic， non-binary Sam Sylvester left Montana with their single dad， Junius， after nearly escaping a hate crime with their life。 They move into the former home of Billy Clement， a teen who died of an allergic reaction thirty years prior。 Sam collects half-lived lives， stories about teens who didn’t live to nineteen。 They take the o Read an eARC from NetGalleyContent warning: hate crime， homophobia， misgendering （challenged）， racism， stalking， murder， anaphylaxis， death of a child， PTSD， anxietyAutistic， non-binary Sam Sylvester left Montana with their single dad， Junius， after nearly escaping a hate crime with their life。 They move into the former home of Billy Clement， a teen who died of an allergic reaction thirty years prior。 Sam collects half-lived lives， stories about teens who didn’t live to nineteen。 They take the opportunity for not only a fresh start but also to solve the murder with their group of queer friends。 But when they get closer to the truth， someone works really hard not to ensure they don’t reach it。With an excellent， multi-dimensional cast and incredible exploration of chosen family， this mystery will tug at the heartstrings and frazzle the nerves until its very deserved happy-for-now ending。For every bit of joy to be found within this book’s pages， there is an equal amount of hardship。 There is the joy of finding your people for the first time， but also the incredible heartbreak in the form of not being able to trust those new connections。 Junius is one of the most incredible dads I’ve read about in any book， but there is still the parent-child rift between him and Sam， especially the ways their lived experiences diverge。 This tug and pull at the heartstrings makes for incredible pacing， especially as Sam and friends get closer to uncovering what really happened to Billy Clements。The queer rep in this book is simply beautiful。 I love the dynamic among Sam， Shep， and Sky， but also the way they interact with the non-queer kids around them。 The contrast between Sam’s Montana life and Oregon life are stark but there are similar echoes of non-familiarity to queerness among those outside of Sam’s circle。 It lend well both to awkwardness but also life-threatening terror。 The way MacGregor allows room for typical high school experiences like a school dance amid Sam dealing with PTSD。 MacGregor also seems to understand how teens relate to each other， especially with the way Sam group chats with their friends and uses Tumblr as an outlet。I am not of the correct marginalization to comment on the autistic rep， but I will say that the book brings it up as another facet of Sam。 It’s got nothing to do with the plot， but everything to do with Sam as a person。 The fact that it is relevant at all turns of both the story and character development is really well-executed。Given that the author is also queer and autistic， I trusted them to not have the story end in tragedy。 The pieces of the mystery also come together in a satisfying way。 But my lord， was I in tears over the hope in the ending， and how there is more to life than just the inevitability of death。 。。。more
Morgan Howard
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4。5 stars**HUGE thank you to Astra Young Readers for granting me an eARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review！**Sam Sylvester’s special interest is collecting stories of people who died before turning 19。 Just as they’re about to turn 19 themself， Sam moves into the house that one of these teens once lived in。 Along with their neighbor-turned-love interest Shep， Sam begins suspecting that the “tragic accident” that took place in their own bedroom was， in fact， murder。Content warni 4。5 stars**HUGE thank you to Astra Young Readers for granting me an eARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review！**Sam Sylvester’s special interest is collecting stories of people who died before turning 19。 Just as they’re about to turn 19 themself， Sam moves into the house that one of these teens once lived in。 Along with their neighbor-turned-love interest Shep， Sam begins suspecting that the “tragic accident” that took place in their own bedroom was， in fact， murder。Content warnings: misgendering， hate crime， transphobia， biphobia， murder， attempted murder， hospitals， guns， anaphylactic shock， harrassment， migraines， mentions of child deathRepresentation: Autistic ace/pansexual non-binary main character， Black aro/ace single dad， Vietnamese male teacher， Black female principal， bisexual Latina love interest， bisexual male friend， Black queer female friendThe Many Half-Lived Lives of Sam Sylvester is somehow the perfect combination of spooky and heartwarming。 It’s equal parts high-stakes murder mystery， teens being teens， description of life with autism， and celebration of queer joy。 None of the characters are perfect， but author Maya MacGregor expertly toes the line between believable and annoying。 They also paint a beautiful picture of a school where queerness is （for the most part） accepted and uplifted。 Throw in an intriguing mystery and a possible ghost， and you’ve got everything I love in a book。As someone who is also queer， autistic， and non-binary， I find it hard to express how much Sam means to me。 They do the things I do， like stimming with their fingers and finding safety in their binder！ I’m not sure I’ve ever come across a character who shares so many of my own identities。 For months I’ve been dying to find a book centering a sapphic non-binary person， and this book is exactly that。 This is the representation I’ve been needing。The mystery aspect was wonderful – I couldn’t stop reading， and some parts gave me chills。 All in all， The Many Half-Lived Lives of Sam Sylvester is close to perfect。 I’ll be first in line when it hits the shelves。 。。。more
H
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For some reason my e-arc decided to not format correctly making this not possible to read。 I tried fixing it but my technological skills are mediocre at best。 Alas， I hope everyone enjoys this book！ The representation of what this book provides is what had me interested in it from the beginning。 Hopefully when the book is released I’ll be able to come back and provide a proper review！
Hira Chaudhary
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