Thank you to Netgalley for providing me an ARC!

Hm. Okay.

The synopsis sounded like it was promising a heart-wrenching sobfest that would leave me wrecked and in tears. It didn’t.

Sure, it was sad. It made me feel emotions. But they weren’t very strong emotions. I wanted a screaming-and-crying heartbreak type of thing, and what I got was me staring at my tablet thinking “well that was sad”, frowning out the window, and then continuing like nothing had happened.

The plot was pretty good. After her boyfriend Sam dies in a car crash, Julie doesn’t know how to cope with her loss. In desperation, she calls Sam’s phone. And Sam picks up. Their connection is temporary, but Sam assures her that it won’t end until she agrees to say goodbye for the final time.

For me, it felt a little bit repetitive. The plot was Julie’s flashbacks about their romance, her conversations with Sam, and how the people around her were reacting to Sam’s death. There didn’t feel like there was a lot of direction except for their “final call” deadline. It just didn’t feel like there was enough happening to fill the book.

I wasn’t bored, exactly. It’s just that there could have been more that happened in this amount of pages. For example, in the beginning when Julie is running around (or something like that) - was it really necessary? I was questioning what happened when Julie ran to the cemetery and then back home again.

It’s an accurate portrayal of grief to feel emotions that make you desperate for something, or make you do things that don’t seem rational, but I don’t know how much of that was really significant. There’s a balance between showing Julie’s emotions to contribute to the plot and showing Julie’s emotions as something that takes up space in the book.

The grief representation was overall done pretty well, but some of it didn’t feel right to me. I know that everyone grieves differently, but that was actually one of the problems - it felt like all of the other characters were grieving in the same way, and Julie was the only one feeling different.

Julie handled her shock and grief by giving away all of Sam’s things and staying inside on her own, skipping his funeral, etc. She basically locked herself away from everyone and everything in order to cope. And then everyone else got mad at her for not being with them and “not caring about Sam.”

She was asked things like “Do you know how alone I was? Do you know how much I needed you? Why didn’t you go to the funeral, don’t you care?” by all the other characters - so she was basically guilt-tripped about the way she grieved. Which is...wonderful. It’s not like it’s incredibly fucking hard to face your grief and acknowledge a death.

This wasn’t anything wrong with the book itself, it just didn’t feel right to me as someone who still has trouble dealing with grief. It didn’t sit right when Julie had to apologize to everyone for not being there for them, when it’s perfectly valid to need some time to yourself to figure things out and cope.

The romance felt a little bit cliché, but it was pretty nice. Julie and Sam were a nice couple. I can’t say I shipped them, but the romance was the core of the plot and it did work, so it was good. The execution was done well (again, kinda the same thing as any other romance, but still).

The plot...honestly could have been done better, in my opinion. There were so many questions that could have been answered. I loved the idea of the storyline, but it left a lot to be desired. I had a lot of questions. Actually, they were questions stated in the book that were never answered.

Unfortunately, I was disappointed with how this book turned out. I wasn't very invested into the story or the characters. I do think Dustin Thao is a new talent in the industry, and I'll be looking out for more books by him soon. Thank you for the chance to read this early.

- Well, you can probably tell from the summary above that this is the book to pick up if you want a good cry, and I can confirm that.
- YOU'VE REACHED SAM perfectly portrays all the confusing ways grief can manifest, ranging from anger to denial, pulling people closer and pushing people away.
- Personally, I don't mind books where the supernatural/magical elements aren't explained in any way: this is just a book that you have to accept the premise going in and simply follow where it takes you. It's worth it, I promise.

Julie moves to a small town from Seattle. Immediately she meets Sam and they end up dating for three years before Sam dies.

Being in total shock, Julie isolates and blames herself. He was on his way to pick her up. She doesn't even go to his funeral. She decides to call his number to hear his voicemail and he actually picks up.

I thought this was a cute story. I keep thinking it reminded me of a John Green story for some reason. My only complaint was Julie's name. I just feel like that is a 1950s name and this is a YA book in 2021.

Thank you Netgalley for letting me read this in exchange for my honest opinion.

Julie and Sam are head over heels in love, and Julie can't wait to graduate high school and leave small town Ellenberg for the city with Sam to start on their life together. Then, the unthinkable happens. Sam is killed two months before graduation, and Julie is left angry, guilty because she erroneously blames herself for Sam's car accident, and unable to feel much else. In a fit of fury, she gathers all his things in her room and throws them out. She also refuses to attend any of the memorial activities, including Sam's funeral, and isolates herself from everyone. When she finally hits bottom, she calls Sam's cell, and to her utter astonishment and joy, he answers. And the two spend days talking together, helping Julie slowly accustom herself to his absence from her future.

This book was an emotional roller coaster! I felt Julie’s grief so well. I felt her shattered, angry, guilty, and choked with so much emotion, even though to others she appeared untouched by her first love's death.
When Sam first replied to Julie’s desperate call, I was reminded of a Stephen King story, "Mr. Harrigan's Phone", about a young man talking to his mentor for years after the older guy died.
Similarly, Julie reconnects with Sam, and the two relive important moments in their relationships, and Julie begins to really grieve over several weeks. She also, more worryingly, seems to use their conversations to hold onto Sam even more tightly.
Thao's writing had me grieving for the wonderful Sam, and for the destruction of all of Julie's dreams with him. I liked how others in their circle also could not imagine that there could be different ways to grieve, and how many of Julie's peers hated her seeming stoicism.
I also totally loved Sam's final message to Julie -- it's heartbreaking and so full of love. Let's just say I got teary.

Definitely keep some kleenex with you when you read this story.

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for this ARC in exchange for my review.

Thank you to Wednesday Books for the ARC of this book!

You've Reached Same is the emotional journey of Julie, a high school senior trying to live her life after her boyfriend Sam dies. She throws out his things, deletes his texts, and shuts out the world in an attempt to make herself forget. But when she calls his phone just to hear his voicemail, she gets more than she could ever hope. Sam picks up, and they've connected again somehow. The connection is temporary, but Julie doesn't care. Holding on to Sam is what she needs right now, but it might just make the letting go too hard.

This book was incredibly heart-wrenching. Everyone handles grief differently, and we see Julie shun her entire world in order to avoid anything that makes her think of Sam. There's a back and forth narrative of then and now, adding depth to the book and relationship that really made everything more emotional.

We get to see Julie, through this connection with sam, really take stock of how everyone else around her is feeling. It's not just her that's grieving and heartbroken, there's a world out there where Sam took up space, and they're grieving, too. Julie has to take a journey through other people's pain to really get to the root of hers.

Overall, a really great emotional read.

Let's take a moment to admire how stunning this cover is! I was so excited to have been able to score this one on NetGalley without having zero idea what it was about - solely based on the cover.

While I was reading this one, I teared up a few times. Just the context of following someone as they grieve for someone they love can be such a difficult read. I really liked the connection that Julie and Sam had with each other. I just wish we had received a bit more context about the phone calls. I had some questions I wish has been answered; such as why was the connection even there? Where was Sam actually? Why did Julie's phone not work while the connection with Sam was there?

I decided to give this one 3 stars, mostly because it became pretty repetitive with Julie having the same conversations again and again. It seemed like there was no true plot in this book. And yeah, sometimes that works really great because it's supposed to be all about the feelings and being in the moment but this one left me wanting.

Thanks for the opportunity to read an e-ARC Wednesday Books!

unexpectedly emotional. i usually don't cry while reading books but this was so moving i really couldn't help myself. really compelling portrait of grief

The story is pretty straightforward. The very first chapter tells you exactly the story you are about to read. Julie is undeniably the full protagonist of this story. And more than having to deal with her grief and then her ability to keep in contact with Sam, she also has to deal with other people's grief and how they expect her to grief as well. All eyes are on Julie, and that also adds to everything she is already feeling.

I was expecting to have a little mystery unfolding, but nothing happened. That is one of the criticism I have about You've Reached Sam. Nothing happens. On one hand, the story doesn't need anything to happen. The focus is on Julie dealing with Sam's disappearance. But on the other hand, at times, the story gave me the impression that maybe something was being kept from the reader. Although, that proved to be nothing.

Underline it all, for me, the story was about not letting go and how that affects the process of grieving the loss of someone very dear. The story creates that situation in a fantastical way with Sam and Julie connected through their phones, but the problems that arise happen in real life. Not everyone grieves the same way, and not everyone can let go of someone they love. And they might not have the opportunity to talk with the dead on the phone, but that doesn't mean the outcome won't be the same.

Thank you, St. Martin’s Press, and NetGalley, for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Julie and Sam love each other, and they had great plans for the future where they would move to another place and live happily together forever. But fate had another plan for both. Sam died in a car accident, and Julie- oh that poor girl- refused to grieve. When she called him to hear his voice over the voicemail, he picked up! This twist surprised me. Not to mention the goosebumps I felt at that moment. ( I didn’t read the full blurb beforehand). They had no idea how this connection happened or how long it would last.

I cried. Yes, I did. During reading this book, I found my non-stopping tears continuously dropping down. That’s how much it affected me. To lose your best friend and your one- true-love was beyond sadness.

This book was about how to let go, how to deal with life without the one you love, and how people feel after they lose someone special. The book was so sad, but I totally recommend it!

So I’m normally an emotional wreck when I read a book about death, but for some reason I didn’t connect with the characters as much as I wanted to. I listened to the audio book, so maybe that’s where the disconnect came from. I could hear the emotion in the writing and I felt the loss… but I’m not sure where I disconnected.

I really loved Sam. Albeit the only part of him in the story was his voice, but I loved his character.

I just didn’t love Julie. She’s the MC throughout the book… I don’t want to judge anyone based on the way they grieve, so I’ll just say I didn’t love the choices she made. I think she will grow to regret them. (I’m talking about a fictional character like she is real, I know)

I loved the basis of the story, but just not allllllll of it. I wanted the racist bullies to be knocked down a few more pegs as well. It feels unfinished to me, even though it very clearly ended. 🤷🏻‍♂️

Sam and Julie. Julie and Sam. Best friends forever and ever. When Sam passes away suddenly, Julie is devastated, she doesn’t know what to do how to go on without him. She needs to hear his voice so she calls his phone, and he answers. They now have a chance to say goodbye when they were unable to do so before. Dustin Thao has done a beautiful job at showing how grief takes a hold of us and we lose ourselves in it. Julie needed to learn how to love Sam and live in the world. This book while heartbreaking is also beautiful in ways that show us what life is truly about. We need to make memories and hold onto those moments with all our hearts

I received an arc in exchange for an honest review.

I loved the concept of this book, cuz we've all been in thag mindset where we've lost someone close to us and we would do anything to just hear their voice one more time.
The mc is annoying in the first couple chapters, but it's understandable as they are going through a lot, and grief is not an easy thing to deal with. I loved the amount of pain this book brought forth, it made me laugh and cry and just FEEL. It's messy. But it's worth the journey.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me access to an early copy of this book!
My spoiler-free review is below:

You've Reached Sam by Dustin Thao is a truly special book. It open with the premise if you lost the love of your life but were given a second chance to speak to them, what would you do?
Julie is a regular teenage girl. She's dating Sam, the best boyfriend anyone could hope for, and they have plans to move out of their small town and into Seattle, where they'll get a their own place and live happily ever after. But then Sam dies in a car accident.
Julie refuses to grieve. At first, she avoids everyone. She doesn't go to Sam's funeral, and she gets rid of all the belongings of his that she still has. If Sam is gone, then she's not going to think of him. Then, in a moment of regret and heartache, she calls his phone number to hear his voicemail and his voice one more time. Except Sam picks up.
With this miraculous and inexplicable event, Julie and Sam are connected again, and, according to Sam, it's so they can say goodbye. But Julie doesn't want to say goodbye. Will she be able to let Sam go before their calls run out?
This novel explores grief, second-chances, love, and life in a way that is truly meaningful and poetic. I truly enjoyed reading this. Julie, hand-in-hand with her flaws and the way she denies grief, are very relatable. Whether you have lost a loved one or not, this is a book you should read.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

You've Reached Sam follows Julie, whose boyfriend, Sam, has recently died. Soon after his death, as Julie is missing Sam, she calls his phone, and to her surprise, he answers. They don't know why they have this connection, and they don't know how long it will last, but they both know they won't have this forever. Which makes it all the more difficult as Julie watches Sam's friends and family struggle with their own grief over his death.

I tend to subconsciously go into books about grief expecting the book to tell me the right way to grieve. Rather than that, this book shows the reader that there are dozens of ways to grieve; that everyone grieves differently, and that all those different ways are valid.

I knew there was no way Sam would come back to life. I honestly don't know if I even really cared about Sam all that much as a character, if we're being honest. But man, did I care about everyone he left behind. This book made me cry so hard, and that's partially because it was sad, but I knew it would be. I think it made me cry because it was beautiful and raw and real. It was about figuring out how to let go, in a way that was genuine and cathartic. It was about valuing the people you love while they're still here, and it was about saying goodbye. A thoroughly wonderful read.

I was so excited for this book especially because I'd only heard that this book was going to be heartbreaking and totally hit me in the feels... and while I did shed a few tears, it didn't hit as hard as I thought it would. I didn't really have any expectations and I also didn't know a whole lot about the book to begin with so I don't know why there was no connection for me.

I thought maybe it just might be my mood because there were a few scenes that really did feel relatable and I genuinely appreciated them. BUT there just seemed to be a big disconnect between me and the narrator. I wanted to feel more of what she was feeling... but it all felt so passive as if we were just watching without any narration. Some of the writing style felt very show not tell and I kept having to push through because the narration ended up being just "I did this. I did that. Then this happened." and I just found myself not caring?

I wish that we had gotten more of a setup between Julie and Sam rather than the story being interspersed because I didn't care as much as Julie about Sam. Actually, I found myself kind of hating Sam a little by the end because we didn't get really any explanation about how he was feeling and there was no insight to that. Maybe if it had been a dual POV book I would have felt more of a connection between the characters and felt more hurt?

I know I'm complaining a lot about the emotional connection even though I did end up crying at some point so I know it gave me SOME emotional response... but at the end of the book I just moved on as if nothing happened and I wanted more pain, I guess?

I do think it explored some of the aspects of grief and needing to move forward even though you feel really stuck really well. And I certainly would recommend this to people. However, there was just a spark missing for me and unfortunately it just wasn't what I was hoping for overall.

You’ve Reached Sam is the heartbreaker young adult read we all need in the middle of the pandemic.

Jules has just lost her soulmate, Sam, in a traffic car accident. The worst part? She feels yo blame for the accident. Grief can put a hold in anybody but one day, Jules decided to get out of her funk. She calls Sam and oddly enough, he answers. He won’t share where he’s at and questions if she should share this connection with anyone else. The time for goodbye will come but for right now a phone is the best thing.

Dustin Thao writes a stunning debut that will leave readers thinking about and processing grief in new ways. The characters, for the most part, are given proper development and enough detail that you come to care for them. The setting is an idyllic small town and the narration between before and now is spot on. You feel like you are in a movie, watching memories fly by. Overall, You’ve Reached Sam is NOT to be missed.

Julie has her future all planned out - move out of her small town with her boyfriend Sam, attend college in the city, and spend a summer in Japan. But everything changes when Sam dies in a tragic accident. Heartbroken, Julie calls is phone to hear his voicemail, and Sam picks up. While their connection is temporary, Julie's been given a second chance at goodbye. However, keeping her calls with Sam a secret isn't easy, especially when Julie sees Sam's family suffering. Julie is torn between sharing her calls with Sam and losing him forever.

I absolutely loved how this book showed that there are so many different ways to grieve, and I'm glad we got to see different representations. It was heartbreaking to see Julie lock herself away as she coped, and that everyone thought she didn't care about Sam because she missed his funeral. There were no concrete answers about where Sam was ("no one knows what's after death") but I was left unsatisfied with the open ending. The pacing felt a little off as well - I couldn't tell you if the story spans over a few weeks or a few months. Overall this was a solid debut and I can't wait to see what this author writes in the future!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC, which I received in exchange for an honest review.

The way Dustin Thao handles loss and grief in YOU'VE REACHED SAM is nothing short of beautiful. Although the story is heart wrenching, it's genuine, and it's the kind of book that is going to lodge itself in the hearts of its readers.

I have looked forward to this book for months, I recently got the audio version and was even more excited. Unfortunately I was super disappointed in the actual story. I expected to fall in love with the characters and feel a deep emotional connection. In reality, I was annoyed by the characters, narrator and the storyline. I’m sure others will appreciate this book, it was not for me.