A beautiful and painful book that really analyzes the process of grief, especially when it happens when you're young. This book is like a love letter to grief and all its ugliness. I cried a lot but I think I was happy about it?

i think my biggest issue with this book was the characters. like, i think that a lot of them were just so surface level, which i didn't really like. and i mean, i think with so many of them i really connect with on a deep level. like, the only thing i really felt for them was that i was sorry, like i felt bad that they went through all of this and that it sucks to go threw it. like, i don't think that they were bad characters, but i feel like that it was just a lot.

with that, i feel like that i think that there was just so much grief and so much trauma between them, that a lot of other things about them just feel short. like, there was just so much going on in their life, that you didn't really get to much of their personalities and things that they liked. which, in a story like this, i don't necessarily think is important, but i wish we just got a little insight on the two of them and that we got to see a glimpse of them inside of all the grief that they are going through.

but, i also think that so much of this book is that thao is trying to make us upset that sam died, and that we were supposed to feel this great amount of pain for him. where like yeah i was sad that this kid died, but we didn't have any happy moments or anything to make us sad that he died. like, we were just sad because we were told to feel sad and more sad for julie. so, i honestly wished that we got to see some flashbacks, like every couple of chapters is a flashback for their relationship, since most of this book was just a dead guy talking to her.

with the phone calls though, i did like it. like i think that it did get the right message across with like, what if you could call your dead loved one and what would you say to them kinda vibe. but, i feel like was it was nice to read, it literally didn't make sense on how this could happen. like, yeah i know its a book and that you are going to have to suspend your belief for this. but, i feel like they should have had sam explain on how he can call and talk to julie whenever she calls him, since they never really explained it, which was annoying. and i wish they just went into more detail with that.

again with the whole phone call, it honestly annoyed the hell out of me that sam would say "i'm giving you closure" but than throughout this he was not giving her any closure, since she could just call him whenever she wanted to, or i guess within reason for the end of the book. and i honestly wish that they worked it out a little bit more, since i think what they were trying to do just had the opposite effect through some of it.

but, with the actual plot of this book, i honestly really liked the plot. like, i do think that it was really good and i really loved seeing the plot unfold and to see it all happen. but, i do feel like that there was some issues here and there, but it was honestly still really good. and i mean, it still was super cool to kind of see this, even if the call system was a tad confusing. but, i mean, the whole plot was honestly really well done, and it was super good.

and with this book, i feel like a lot of this book had so much emotion in here. like, i think it was so good and i honestly really loved it. like, i think with the writing style and with it all, they had so much feelings and emotions in here. which, was something i really loved and i really liked seeing this all happen was just so heartbreaking and i think that the author did such a good job with adding all this emotion into it all. which, i do think was so good and i think it just added a whole other layer to this all.

kind of going back to my issue with julie, was that i feel like she was just kind of annoying. like, i think so much of this book was just julie running all over people, and being an absolute asshole to everyone else in her life. like, i guess that so much of this book was just her being selfish and being rude to everyone. and i think the part that annoyed me the most was how she was just so rude to people that were trying to help her and help her get through the grief and trauma, and just trying to make her left better, she was still such a dick to everyone.

and i think another thing that really annoyed me with the characters, was that literally everyone moved on so quick. like sam died about a week ago, and people were already telling her to move on and that she needs to go back to school cause she was taking to much time off. and also like a week after sam died she just like threw everything out, and then acted like it was fine and normal, and he's barely been dead, yet she's moving on so quick. especially when it came to getting another boyfriend, it was a matter of weeks and they just did it and didn't even bat an eye.

From the moment I first read the synopsis of You’ve Reached Sam, I knew we were meant to be. But as I journeyed through the pages with Julie, Sam, Mika, Oliver, and the rest of the characters, I found so much more in the book than I’d expected. Sam’s love of music, Julie’s love of writing, their shared desire to escape small town Washington; it felt like Dustin Thao had reached inside me and stolen my soul to write this book. A friend who read it before me said that the book reminded her of me and, aside from that being the best compliment I could ask for, I think it reflects the level of connection I felt with the book. In many ways, it’s what I wish I’d had at the end of 2020; a book to say it’s going to be okay, even if the world feels like it’s falling apart right now.

As far as characters go, to me Julie isn’t that likeable, but she is relatable. One of the reasons I think my initial instinct was to dislike her is because her approach to grief was the polar opposite of what mine would’ve been. That in itself though is one of the things I appreciated the most about this book; the showcasing of different versions of coping and the nonlinearity of it all. The real strength arose from character dynamics and their fluctuating relationships. They were messy and complicated in a beautiful way, and they brought so much to the table, whether it was Julie/Mika, Julie/Oliver, or any of the characters’ relationships with Sam (and their own grief).

My favorite part of the book was easily the montages, they were a wonderful piece of cinematic magic woven into the prose. While overall there was a slight feeling of something missing from the story, the flashback scenes captured the full potential of the book. In the second half I felt that the story ended fairly abruptly, and more time could’ve been spent developing some of the characters which only appeared later, for example Sam’s family.

Another thing I really appreciated was Dustin Thao’s depiction of the small town setting. Watching Julie try and navigate her way forward in life in the aftermath of her loss, balancing her desire to get out with the fear of leaving Sam behind resonated deeply with me. It’s easy to hate small town life and want to leave as soon as possible, but when you actually get to that stage it’s hard not to feel like you’re leaving people behind, and that’s when it’s easiest to think that wanting something different for yourself is a bad thing. These are the sorts of feelings that were a big part of last year for me, and I’m happy that Julie manages to stop feeling stuck in the past and forge a path forward.

You’ve Reached Sam is a poignant exploration of what it means to lose someone and have all of your plans shredded into pieces. As Julie sorts through her past in the present, she’s faced with the grief of others Sam was connected with, forced to decide whether she should risk losing her connection with Sam forever to offer them some comfort. I loved the unique concept of the book, but ultimately felt a little let down.

This book was really good, the concept felt very fresh and new and I didn't know what to expect at the end.

Heartbroken. If one word could describe this book, it would be heartbroken because I am so saddened by Julie’s journey throughout this entire book. The author was able to spin such a tragedy into beautiful and meaningful art for the readers. I also admired the side characters, such as Mika.

You've Reached Sam reminds me so much of If I Stay and will (and has, as it's already a bestseller!) find a huge audience of both teen and adult readers looking for a thoughtful look at the pain of losing someone and trying to find a way through. Absolutely angsty in the very best and compellingly readable way!

As a huge fan of "Your Name" I was really excited about this book and already hat my tissue box ready for the ugly cries.
Unfortunately I was very underwhelmed and ended up not really feeling much over anything. I was prepared for a sentimental story about coping with loss and grief, but I wasn't invested at all and the entire premise of what was happening didn't even make any sense to me.
The characters were kind of shallow and I felt no connection. I don't know what to take away from the entire story, except for that people cope in different ways, which really isn't big news to me.
I was also really annoyed by the way how everything was watered down through teenie high school drama with people acting irrationally over the top antagonizing just to jerk some extra tears for the main character.

Personal Ratings : 3.5🌟

A book about grieving, losing someone you love, and lastly, being okay again. Its a book that caught your heart the first time but at the same time just was so painful to read, especially for someone who has gone through the same thing.

For me, this was not bad book at most. In fact, the concept of the book, the journey of Julie trying to move on as well as reliving back her regrets with Sam and finally finding herself again. The setting was good. The fact that they met at a bookstore? A literal dream. However, there were a few things that made me just felt the whole book to feel "meh".

- Short Summary -
Julie was in a loss when her boyfriend Sam died suddenly. One day, whilst in grieving, she picked up a phone call from Sam's phone and there was Sam, in the phone, somehow, alive. Its a book about second chances, getting yourself again and handling grief in general.

- Personal Thoughts -
Whilst I cried just a bit at the first half of the book, there were things that made me just felt irked reading it. I would say mostly came from the writing style which I think may not suit for me, so yes, again, its a preference thing . I would say that I liked how the author had shown that handling grief can be in any forms. I liked how the author had portrayed the environment as well as the situation when a death takes place. Someone will always find a person to blame, to shift the pain to someone else, and most will assume things , which what had happened to Julie. I liked that the author had shown that grief is a personal journey. One might seem to not cry and choose to be angry, but that is how their body can cope with the pain of losing someone.

I think one of my biggest irk was the unexplained element of the whole book. I liked how Julie took her own time to heal, I like that she was given that space to move on, But until the end, I still felt like its a bit of a missed potential that can be developed more. Nonetheless, I would still recommend this book if you're new to the reading scene or just need something to relate to especially if you're in the process of grieving.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and the publisher for providing the e-ARC of the book!

I put off reading this book because I had a feeling it was going to be a tear jerker. Once I finally read it, I couldn't help but feeling a little underwhelmed.

First, the good.

The book starts off sad right away when we learn of the death of Julie's boyfriend, Sam. The flashbacks were helpful in getting to know Sam as a person rather than just through Julie's eyes after his death. It was a good exploration of grief and love and definitely had me thinking. Note that I say "exploration" of grief that was good, not the "depiction" of grief.

Now, the bad.

I can't help but get annoyed every time, in pop culture in general, that a character refuses to go to their significant other's funeral. I don't think it is a realistic depiction of grief and only serves to add drama to a plot. And I guess this is what started my dislike of Julie, her behavior was frustrating, and it made the book unenjoyable to read at times. I understand she is grieving, but it doesn't give her an excuse to treat everyone like crap. There was also just a lot of unclear stuff going on, I don't always need to know the ins and outs of how things work, but it would have been nice to at least get a little explanation of how what is happening is happening with the phone calls.

Overall, I unfortunately wouldn't recommend this book.

This book.... I really have no words for how much I loved it. It made me cry (or feel like crying) in so many places. The way Thao handles grief in all its nuanced forms was spectacular. I really enjoyed the characters - Julie especially. She didn't always deal with her grief in a 'pretty' way, which I thought was refreshing. She was allowed to feel all the depths of her own emotions and handle them in ways we don't often see in YA (or media in particular).

Thank you to Netgalley for the advanced copy, and Dustin Thao for the wonderful (if emotional) read!

DNF at 50% - by no means a bad book, was fine for the part I read, but was right as I fell into an awful slump and I haven't been able to continue with it unfortunately! Will try again in future

I really liked the You've Reached Sam. I didn't really care for Julie though. I felt she could be a little rude but maybe that's just me. Although, I feel like she wasn't treated with enough compassion from the adults in her life. It definitely pulled at my heart string though. I would most likely reread this book.

Thank you, St. Martin's Press, Wednesday Books and Netgalley for the ARC in return for my honest opinion.

This book evoked so many mixed feelings in me when I started reading it, and then made me bawl my eyes out for 3+ hours straight when I was about to finish it. I'm not lying that is exactly the dynamics of this book. The book primarily talks about Grief and memories, and both are such things that do funny things to you and they are something not all people experience the same way.

While mostly all the characters in living in the grief of Sam dying (not a spoiler... it's like how the book starts okay. So keep your tissues ready. ) but we get to see Juile's side the most. She's not reading to let Sam go, and can't still process losing him. One of the things I wrote while noting down notes on Storygraph was this - "How she is questioning how others perceive her coz as much as we lie, perception affects us. And for her, the coping mechanism she is using is quite different from those others. She is lost, trying to forget and remember at same time so there is that. - My thoughts "

And because I want to make other people feel the pain of this book here you go with a quote from the book:
I grab his arm. “Take me with you,” I say.
He smiles at me . “We can go together next summer. After graduation.”
“Promise?”
“Don’t worry, we can travel every summer for the rest of our lives, okay? You and me.”
Yep I guess this one was one of the instances that completely broke me.

The first half or so of the book did feel a little bit flat to me. Mainly because I was wrapping my head around the magical realism aspect of this book while constantly assuring me this isn't the reality. But it hits you hard you know. But coming back to the book, I was more engaged in how the story was unfolding and I couldn't point a particular direction it was going in. While I completely understand Julie's actions - the fact that she was distancing herself so much from other people in her life became kind of frustrating at one moment. But it's something she cannot be blamed for and hence I continued on with the story (blame the mediator in me).

Did Julie's POV made me feel sad? Immensely. But it was when more of other character's POV was introduced in the book that was properly hooked. I felt terrible for Sam and there were a couple of theories and scenarios that I pictured about him in my head. I wanted to give Oliver a hug and warm blankets... you'll know why when you read it. Sam's brother? At the end when the certain thing happened... I had been already crying but it made me cry harder.
The book very beautifully and realistically captures what goes through someone when the die - a blame game starts with you in the center. Too many maybe's come - Maybe if I did this, this would happen and on and on . With it comes the uncertainty about whether the person who went away hated you or not. And it's the most terrible feeling ever.

While my heart ached for everyone, it was Mika and Sam's brother that I felt for the most. They knew Sam the longest, after his parents, and they considered Julie a part of their family as much as Sam... so it was naturally even more heartbreaking for them when they couldn't contact Julie. For me, I believe that the whole plot of magical realism was to show how grief and "holding" on to something you cannot reach forever distances you further from the reality. I still don't understand how Julie was able to remain in contact with Sam, but at the end of the day I am absolutely glad I read this book (even if it gave me a bad headache... )

(no... I was absolutely didn't tear up or switch to badass songs while writing this review. /nsrs)

I was provided with an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review via netgalley

You’ve Reached Sam was a poignant, heartbreaking story about love, growing up, moving on, and finding yourself again. ⁣
⁣
Sam dies a few months before high school graduation, and his girlfriend Julie is reeling from the sudden loss. But when she discovers an otherworldly connection to Sam, she realizes she hasn’t lost Sam - yet. What ensues is a story about what it means to say goodbye when everything - and everyone- you love is on the line. ⁣
⁣
The writing and pacing of this story felt a little clunky here and there, and was definitely a little messy, but I think it worked for the way the story was being told. We jump between the past, and Julie’s memories, to the present, which can get a little jarring. Overall, I think this is a heartfelt debut that most people would enjoy.

You've Reached Sam is a story about death of a loved one and grieve. Julie and Sam have everything planned out, moving together and attending university, but suddenly he died in an accident. Julie dealt with the death of her boyfriend, Sam, and suddenly one day, Sam picked up her phone call and that's when she knew she have second chance to reconnect with her death boyfriend. I must say Sam is kind of cut board character, maybe because we only see him from Julie's lens. Julie is the interesting one between the two, although she's a bit bland too, but at least how she cope with grief was so real and raw. This book got 2.8/5, rounded to 3 stars.

Absolutely heartbreaking yet beautiful.
I knew this book would make me sad but I didn't expect to be so emotional about it. The perception of grief was wonderful and I really fell in love with these characters. I'm definitely purchasing a physical copy asap.

Unraveling eleven through me straight back into the action. It was almost a year since I read the first book in the series, but there was more than enough context clues for me to get thrown back into the story with little to no confusion.

The pacing was a bit off at times and in some ways it felt like the story was moving backwards during this book. However, it there was still enough going on to hold my interest.

Overall, I did enjoy Unraveling Eleven and I look forward to read the final book in the trilogy.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a eARC in exchange for an honest review!

A story of regrets, loss, and moving on. We don't get second chances, but when we do what do we do? I cried from this book as it tackles grief and how it affects our protagonists lives. Julie isn't the perfect protagonist that we often see. She's hurting and doing everything to quicken the hurting phase by trying to get rid of all reminders of her boyfriend, Sam. The story takes a while until everything starts rolling, and the story focuses more on Julie's life now as she tries to navigate life without Sam.

A journey of healing and leaning on those around us to get through the rough times as we all handle grief through different means.

You’ve Reached Sam is a moving story about grief and loss, an examination of what it means to say goodbye to the person you love most; it’s about letting go & holding on, the impossible balance of these two things, and how we stay connected to the people we love even after they’re gone.

Julie, the protagonist, is grieving. She lost her boyfriend, Sam, in a car accident—one she blames herself for, at least in part—and all she wants is to forget about all the things that connect them. But then, in a moment of desperation, she calls Sam—and he picks up. It’s clear from the start that this impossible connection between them would only ever be temporary, but the more time Julie spends talking with Sam on the phone, the more she wants it to be like this forever. At the same time, she’s very much aware of life going on: graduation is looming on the horizon, and all the plans she and Sam made before are no longer possible. But how will she be able to move on, when all she wants is to keep Sam in her life, in whatever way there is?

I truly love the concept of You’ve Reached Sam. Books about loss and grief are so important to me, and I think they can be a powerful source of comfort for those who have experienced loss themselves. I think the way the story jumps back and forth between the present and the past is very true to the process of grieving: you see the person you lost everywhere, memories of them blooming like flowers in spring, and it’s this heartbreaking combination, both painful and joyful, because you don’t want to forget them, but remembering them hurts.

I enjoyed Julie’s character development in You’ve Reached Sam a lot, too. Grieving can be a lonely, isolating thing—especially if feelings of guilt are involved, which they often are, when you lose someone you love. Julie isn’t particularly “likeable” in the beginning of the book, the reason being mainly that she’s so focused on her own tragedy that she doesn’t realise that the people around her—Sam’s family, his cousin, his best friends—are grieving, too. As the story progresses, Julie finds herself in this strange position: one step in the past, with Sam on the phone; one step in the present, a world in which he can never exist in the same way he did before. Through all this, it takes Julie a long time to realise that she isn’t alone, but as the weeks go by, she makes new connections (or works on restoring old ones)—and, in this, she slowly, slowly begins to heal.

What I truly appreciated about You’ve Reached Sam is the idea that letting go of someone doesn’t have to mean that you’ll forget about them. Instead, it’s about finding a balance; living life and staying in the present, on the one hand, while also looking back & honouring the memories of the people you loved, from time to time.

All that said, I sadly didn’t love You’ve Reached Sam as much as I hoped I would. It didn’t have the emotional impact on me I thought it would have, which I feel is due mainly to the fact that most of the characters—aside from Julie—don’t feel very fleshed out. And that goes especially for Sam: he’s present for almost the entire book, through the phone calls on one hand & through Julie‘s flashbacks of their time together on the other, and still I never really got the feeling of knowing him. That made grieving for him very hard. It also bothered me that the theme of connection—which was the main theme of the story—was only focused on Sam and Julie. There were two moments in which he was able to reach out to people other than Julie, but even then, there was the impression that these conversations weren’t as necessary or profound to him, which just feels very strange to me. He clearly loved his family and his best friend, but the only thing that really mattered, throughout the entire book, was his connection with Julie. I just don’t feel like that’s realistic, and I wish his other relationships would’ve been explored a bit more thoroughly. Mika, Sam’s cousin, and Oliver, Sam’s best friend, were the only characters that felt even close to as complex as Julie in their emotions, their sadness and helplessness surrounding Sam’s death.

Overall, I think people who’ve experienced loss themselves will find comfort in You’ve Reached Sam and the message it conveyed: that letting go of someone doesn’t mean you’re not allowed to keep and cherish the memories you have of them, as long as you don’t forget to live your own life as well. Sadly, I didn’t connect as deeply with any of the characters as I hoped I would, but I still appreciate this book for its honest portrayal of grief, and I’m thankful for the opportunity of reading it!

You've Reached Sam hit hard in the feels, let me tell you. Especially if you're like me and you're scared of losing your loved one (boyfriend, girlfriend, your partner, whoever you care about) so when I saw this book was about a teenage girl whose boyfriend died suddenly. She feels guilty for how things went and some people believe it's all her fault. And somehow, when she calls his number, Sam picks up. She can hear him, talk to him as she tries to deal with her grief, and eventually make peace with what happened to move on.

I'm not the biggest fan of magical realism, it's why I didn't connect completely with the story and couldn't help but not believe what was going on and trying to find a realistic scenario to what was going on. However, that's just my personal genre preference but other than that this was a really good read and I'm glad I got to it!

<i>(Thank you for letting me read and review an ARC via Netgalley)