I was immediately drawn to this book after reading the synopsis and seeing the gorgeous cover, and I had high expectations for this one, but the story didn’t quite engross me as I was expecting.

I understand that people have different ways of grieving, but some of her actions just came across as insensitive and selfish? She claims to be close with Sam’s family, but she completely stops talking to Sam’s mom and brother, who she claims to be very close with, and only talks to his cousin because Mika makes the effort.

The writing was easy to get into, and I did enjoy the flashbacks of how they met and their relationship developing, but I just didn’t feel like the characters were fleshed out well. I couldn’t empathize with Julie, and I couldn’t see Sam beyond a memory. Although we were getting flashbacks, it just seemed like we were seeing a memory, and not Sam actually still alive. (I don’t even know if that makes sense to you but I don’t know how to explain this any better right now bc I’m running on 3hrs of sleep 😅)

Overall I did enjoy the book, and the story was promising. It just felt a bit lacking for me, and I wish the connection between Sam and Julie were explained.

Julie and Sam have their future planned out, after high school they will move to the city and go to college together. Then one night, a tragic accident kills Sam. Julie is devastated. She blocks out everyone, he best friends, and her mom. One night, in an act of desperation Julie calls Sam's phone. She just wants to hear the sound of his voice on the voicemail. To her surprise, she hears him say "Hello."

I loved the story of first love, of heartbreak, and a reprieve from the loss. I enjoyed seeing how Julie was able to grow throughout the story and find her new self without Sam in her life. She was able to go through the grieving process and get to a point where she was closer to her family and friends than ever before.

This is a fun heartwarming story with likable diverse characters teaching you about the best ways to connect with loved ones.

Absolutely loved it. Emotional, Gut-wrenching and humane. I related to this story and am still a mess weeks after reading it.

I don't think I've cried so much at the beginning of a book before! I love how the MC goes from pushing everyone away to finally accepting people to be there for her. I also really liked how she was able to have a chance at saying goodbye to Sam, even if it is over the phone. Amazing story!

Dustin Thao’s You’ve Reached Sam is a unique exploration about grief, loss, love and moving forward. Few people who lose someone close to them have the opportunity to know what that person wants for them moving forward. Julie is one of those people. After Julie’s boyfriend Sam passes away, she’s devastated, and to cope, she tries to push away any memories of their time together. When on a whim, Julie calls Sam’s phone to hear his voicemail one last time, Sam picks up and the two get another chance at goodbye. Thao masterfully uses the speculative to explore deeply human questions about what it means to let go of someone you love. You’ve Reached Sam paints a rich emotional tapestry that will resonate with anyone who’s ever lost someone. Thao is definitely an author to watch!

(Read this elsewhere and forgot to come back over here to add to my NetGalley shelf, oops!) You've Reached Sam is a gut punch of a book, in the best way possible. I was widowed very young, in my mid twenties, and I found myself relating to these characters so deeply. It is very rare to find a book that depicts grief so well, but Dustin Thao has done it.,

CW : death of a partner and grief

I knew going into this book it will be sad but the way it ended up made me so heartbroken. Following Julie as she navigates life after her boyfriend Sam dies brought back memories for me. Reading as she tried to hold on to Sam and forgetting that he was gone. Or losing herself and her friends because of Sam was just ... ugh. It pulled at my heartstrings.

What made me love this story is how she was able to connect with Sam again. I wish that and I’m sure other people wish that they had one last phone call, hug, day, with their loved one that they lost. I lost my dad (pre-COVID) and I .. oh how I wish I can pick up the phone (which I have done a lot recently) and hopes that I can hear his voice again. I listen to his voicemails a lot 😭

Cherish the people you love and who are still with you because like the old saying goes you never know when it’s somebody’s last day and like Julie she regretted her last words she said to Sam and how she treated him on the night he passed. I’m glad that in the end she was able to find some comfort and was able to let go in a way but still hold on to Sam in some way shape or form.

☕☕☕☕(four stars as rated in cups of coffee from the shop where our love story began)

Thank you so much Netgalley and Dustin Thao for the advanced review copy of this book!

It's been only a few days since Sam died just weeks before his high school graduation. Julie, his bereaved girlfriend, can not cope. Really, she refuses to cope. Beside herself with grief - and guilt surrounding the circumstances of his death - Julie retreats into herself in the days that following the accident that changed her life. She is determined to push it all away; to block everyone and everything out. That is until one night she breaks down and calls Sam's phone just to listen to his voicemail one last time. She knows she shouldn't. She knows it won't help her heal. And she knows she must be losing it when Sam picks up the phone.

“Who are you writing for again?" Mr. Lee asks, arching a brow. He asked me this before. I know the answer he wants to hear. I write for myself. I'm not sure what this really means, though. I can't help caring about what people think, especially about my writing. "We have too many voices inside our heads. You have to pick out the ones that mean something to you. What story do you want to tell?”

This book is a treasure from SO many different angles. The unhelpful and unwarranted manifestations of Julie's grief was especially palpable to me personally. We get to see all these layers of her mourning process - starting with denial and even bargaining - that ultimately lead her to a place of reluctant acceptance. When my dad died I remember my friend telling me, "It's ok if you grieve now or if you grive in six months. There really is no schedule and however you do it is okay." I certainly needed to hear that at the time because there is absolutely nothing graceful about bereavement. Loss is a messy process. Watching Julie sabotage herself with a deep and desperate sadness that bordered on frustrating for me as a reader, was honestly a brilliant move by Thao. You've Reached Sam will speak to anyone that has had to say goodbye to a loved one or, honestly, anyone that has watched someone else have to do the same. In my experience, it can be nearly as devastating to witness someone tearing them-self apart with anguish as it can be to experience it personally.

✨ Rep in this book: Multiple East Asian characters, gay supporting character

✨ Content warnings for this book: car accident, divorce, death of a partner, trauma, grief, racism, bullying

Oh my heart. I ate this one up. Gorgeous and breathtaking. Beautiful and emotional. What a journey. Grab some tissues. It’s a ride. I’m kind of speechless. I can’t recommend this one enough.

Julie has her entire future planned out with everything she wants: the love of her life (Sam), a dream college away from her small town, and a lifetime filled with happiness. But then the unthinkable happens: Sam dies. Julie's entire world shifts overnight and she doesn't understand how to continue her life with her heart shattered. When she calls Sam's phone just to hear him one last time, Sam picks up. Will this miraculous connection between Sam and Julie allow her to move on or will it just break her heart even more?

I went into this book expecting a sad story and I wasn't wrong. Everything about this is emotional. Julie has just lost Sam and is now stuck between her unimaginable future and her past memories. Some chapters are told as dream-like flashbacks which give the reader a look into Jam's relationship (jam? sulie? what's their ship name lol). I like these flashbacks as well as the present-day scenes; both include meaningful additions to the story.

I enjoy how Julie isn't necessarily a likable protagonist. Everyone processes grief differently and it just happens to be that Julie's version of grief distances herself from friends, family, and her future. It also causes her to do some pretty sh!tty things to the people she loves. Julie's connection with Sam further complicates her grief process and is the reason why her recovery in this story is so interesting.

There is nothing I dislike about the book. Julie has an amazing character arc and the reader understands her more as time separates her from Sam. Overall, I know this book will be loved and will touch many people's hearts.

Julie and Sam were end goal. A rock solid couple, they were going to graduate, move to a new city, live out the rest of their lives together. And yet, somehow, Julie finds herself curled up in bed, listening to the last message Sam left her before he was involved in a fatal car crash. The last message he will ever give her- or so she thinks. When she goes to ring Sam's voicemail again, he picks up: not alive, not a figure of the past, but there, on the other end of the line. Together, Sam and Julie start to navigate the devastation of never getting to say goodbye- whilst learning that both letting go, and holding on, are their own kinds of impossible.

As you might expect, this book is absolutely heart-wrenching! Thao's writing is beautiful, especially when he writes about place. The grief was also really well articulated- even though Julie's character was frustrating at times, her pain made her endearing and understandable even when I kinda wanted to shake her! It was lovely to see her grow as a character, to realise and appreciate the mistakes she might have made, whilst also appreciating them as part of her journey. I do wish that there was more exploration of some of the other characters, in particular Mika and Sam himself (who felt somewhat beatified); however, I can also see the effect that not doing this had, in that it created more of a world as seen from Julie's perspective. Probably my major criticism is that I didn't entirely get a sense of Sam and Julie's relationship: it felt like they were more best friends than anything, and I wish the romance had been explored some more.

Overall, this was a really solid novel, and I'm excited to read more from Thao!

Please take in mind it’s my opinion, and everyone is allowed to have one.

I was so interesting from beginning till the end, I truly didn’t know what to expect of this book. I just can’t believe how much this book has wrecked me, I full out sobbed while reading it. It was the most heartbreaking but cutest story ever.

The way I felt so connected with both Julie and Sam, I loved their story. It was so well written, everything seemed to be right.

I would honestly recommend this book to everyone.

This book felt like a brief warm hug. I feel like it would make a very interesting animated movie. the visuals would be beautiful.The way Dustin Thao describes certain scenes made it all the more play like a movie in my head. It's a beautiful little story. Like a snippet of an alternate reality that you appreciate for what it is. I think it would resonate with a lot of people. As it did with me.

the dialogue felt a little robotic at first and the ending was kind of predictable. But otherwise it really hit home. I will be reading any of Dustin Thao's next books.

Also, I love this cover.

You’ve Reached Sam follows Julie, a high-school girl who is trying to come to terms with the loss of her long-term boyfriend and the unravelling of all of the plans that they had for the future. Her mourning takes a sudden turn, though, when she calls Sam’s phone in a moment of weakness and he actually picks up.

What follows is a heart-wrenching story of love and loss, and an emotional portrayal of a young woman dealing with grief and the urge to move on.

This book is as emotional as you’d expect. It’s filled with touching scenes about Sam and Julie’s relationship, heart-breaking moments of grief as she tries to cope with her loss, and touching friendships with Sam’s family and friends as they all struggle to move on in different ways.

Some of Julie’s actions are flawed and, normally, I would criticise a protagonist for their mistakes, but everything she does is because of her grief and mourning. I got frustrated when she missed opportunities that I wished she would take, but it was so understandable for someone in her position that, instead of being critical, I felt largely empathetic.

This was a really bittersweet, emotional story about young love, loss and figuring out what’s important in life. It’s a poignant contemporary with fantasy elements that I would absolutely recommend if you’re looking for a book to make you cry.

I'd like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for providing an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.
3.5 stars
You've Reached Sam has such a gut-wrenching premise. I wanted to have my heart broken by it, I wanted to cry. And I did, mostly during the beginning and the ending, but it was not as emotionally powerful as it could have been, and maybe that's on my expectations and not the book itself.
I think the biggest barrier to the emotional connection I wanted is Julie. I'm not one of those people who read a YA novel and then get mad that the characters act like teenagers, I'm not mad about Julie's immaturity or how she dealt with grief. I just didn't like her personality-wise, even during the flashbacks when there was no grief to taint her choices and attitudes.
I also found it weird that the author chose to show anti-Asian racism through the eyes of a white girl, but I'm a white girl myself so I won't tackle that because I'm sure we will get more insightful reviews on that from Asian readers.
I would still recommend it for the ending, you just have to get through a whole lot of middle.

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Tw: grief, car accident, death

Julie has her future all planned out - move out of her small town with her boyfriend and attend college in the city. That is until Sam suddenly dies and Julie's whole world is wrecked. In a desperate attempt to hear his voice again Julie dials his number and miraculously Sam picks up. Julie has a second chance to say goodbye but that will prove to be more difficult than she thought.

This story was gut-wrenching and it completely destroyed my heart, it dealt with grief egregiously and I loved all the characters, from the main to the minor ones.

Dustin Thao's writing was excellent and I really enjoyed the rollercoaster of emotion he put us through.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who's looking for a good cry and a heartbreaking story.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an early copy.

I LOVED this book! I don't think I could recommend in this book enough to everyone! I'm not kidding when I say that once I read the Prologue I was hooked and just knew that this book was going to be five stars. This story centers grief and learning how to let go of people even when you want so hard to hold on to them forever. One of my favorite aspects of the story was the setting. Washington is my home state so every location that was referenced in this book I knew exactly where it was and had been there. I think when you read about your home state there's immediately this underlying connection of wow this book gets me. It's comforting. Like a warm hug. I thought that Julia's character was very honest which I appreciated. It was seen in this book how grief can take many faces, whether that's letting go completely, burying your feelings and moving on, or dwelling too much on the what ifs. Sam was an absolute sweetheart and they both just had my whole heart. Also, Mikah was another wonderful character. She was the one I could relate to the most.

I loved the juxtaposition between this overarching weight of grief with the tones of hopefulness seen strung throughout every memory Julia recalled. This book did make me cry and feel all the emotions, but it was also just so wholesome and it made me genuinely squeal out loud. Another aspect I enjoyed was watching friendships bloom between Julie and her other friends. There's always a comfort in knowing there are people who are always going to have your back and the depiction of that in this book was phenomenal.

You've Reached Sam was such a wonderfully sweet read. The writing was wonderful, and fit the story so well. It made me sad right from the beginning, but full of a real understanding of handling grief. It was one of those wonderful books that does magical realism so right. It uses the fantastical only to enhance the real feelings of grief and moving on, and it was so sweet.

The story is about a young high school girl named Julie, who is struggling to grieve and move on from the death of her long term boyfriend, Sam. Through the struggle in trying to cope with the loss of Sam, she tries to call him to listen to his voicemail... and he picks up. Now Julie must deal with how to live her life with this second chance they have been given to say goodbye.

Though this book is naturally really sad, considering the main topic is about getting over the death of the love one. But what I really enjoyed was that the writing went with it so well. The writing was light, and so it let you fill in your own emotion into the story. We all know grief in some way, and we all grief different, and Dustin Thao really gave us the space to do that, while we grieved with Julie. It all worked together in such a great way, I absolutely adored it.

Another thing that I really loved that goes along with the writing was that Thao really was able to navigate the use of cell phones in writing so well. Which is huge, considering how the entire plot centers around that. I was a little nervous going in about that, as I feel that the book industry hasn't really universally gotten good at incorporating cell phones into novels yet. It's way too often that I see some weirdly formatted text in a book that is pretty underwhelming. But even though the main characters were speaking on the phone, it didn't feel that way at all. Amazing work!

Naturally the best part for me was the representation!!! Most of the cast is Asian and it makes me so happy. I loved seeing Julie's friends pass her cut fruit and green tea kit kats. It just filled me with so much joy! I also loved that Mika wasn't incredibly familiar with their family traditions and customs, because I can relate to that a lot. It goes along with that feeling of unbelonging that a lot of Asian Americans feel, and I was glad it was mentioned.

As for the story, I don't want to say it was predictable, because that has a bad connotation. But it was predictable in the best way. It was obvious before I even started the book that this connection was going to be used as a metaphor for moving on and coping with loss, but it was still a joy to read. I think this book is a great book to help teens understand loss and moving on. I am really glad this book exists, and it was just what I needed to read!

I first saw this book late last year and loved the cover and the summary. When it finally appeared on NetGalley I requested it immediately and am so thankful I got the chance to read this book. I loved this book. Did I love the MC, Julie? Nope. But her pain was so palpable it kept me reading to see how she would heal. I’m not one to cry but I’ll admit numerous times I cried my eyes out while reading this book. The author has a way with words that sucks you in and completely immerses you in the world he creates. This was a well written and deeply emotional read. I recommend it and will definitely be waiting for its release in November. Thanks again to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for the opportunity to read such a beautiful and moving book.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with this arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

When I first read about “You’ve reached Sam” I thought that it wouldn’t be a book for me but then a friend of mine loved it and the absolutely beautiful cover baited me into trying it anyway. I wish I hadn’t. As suspected the book just wasn’t for me. I usually already don’t enjoy sad books and what made me enjoy “You’ve Reached Sam” even less was the main character Julie. With her self-centered and sometimes downright bitchy behaviour I just found her extremely unlikable. I even had to put the book away a couple of times because I needed a break from her.
I also was confused a couple of times with the content of the book, especially when Julie dives into her memories, like in the prologue since it seems to be a mixture of memories and a dream and while the memories were there to give an understanding of Julie and Sam’s relationship and what kind of a person Sam was, it just felt super rushed and I didn’t enjoy the writing style in these scenes at all.
I also feel like the phone calls didn’t really make a difference except for making the premise sound more unique and interesting and it felt like pretty much all they did was to allow Julie to get away better with the way she behaved and were extremely unhealthy on top of that. The book displayed Julie’s grieving process which would have happened with or without the phone calls but of course in a different way. **SPOILER I probably would have liked it better without the calls especially since the phone calls are not really explained and it is expected of the reader to simply accept them. SPOILER END**

I was buddy reading this book with a friend and she enjoyed it a lot more than I did so I really think it is on me for picking this book when I already had the suspicion that I might not like it and as the book progressed I felt like I was picking it apart and jumping at every opportunity that could justify my dislike of the book. I can’t even say that it was bad or problematic, “You’ve Reached Sam” just wasn’t for me.