3.5 stars --

I really loved the premise of this book, (and how gorgeous is that cover?!), but my biggest comment about YOU'VE REACHED SAM is that it could have been a packs-a-punch short story. I'd have loved if it had been part of a meaningful anthology about how people handle grief, or experiences with loss. For me, it just wasn't enough substance to make a novel-length story, so it felt fluffy and even pointless at parts. It dragged in places. Also, some of the main character's behaviors had me ??? sometimes.

Overall, a really unique concept with beautiful writing (and what a gut-punch of a finish), but the overall execution left me wanting.

(Audiobook note: Soneela Nankani does a really fantastic job narrating this book! I thoroughly enjoyed the listening experience and she handled the characters and tone well.)

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the e-ARC in exchange for my honest, unbiased review.

This book destroyed me in the best way possible. I literally don't know what else to say about it. If you've experienced the loss of a loved one, especially if that loved one died young, you'll connect with this story SO well. Prepare your tissues and get ready to read what could possibly be THE contemporary YA novel of the year.

Honestly, I was not at all prepared for this book!

The plot moves forward at a well written, crisp pace. The characterization is completely believable. Dialogue is solid.

The story left me gutted! I felt completely immersed in Sam and Julies lives. My heart shattered for them both. The ending was satisfying but in a realistic way (despite the unrealistic events).

Can’t wait to read more by this author!

2/5 stars ⭐⭐
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Thank you to the publishers and Net Galley for giving me a copy of this book! This is my honest review, all views are my own.
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You’ve Reached Sam is a book with an interesting concept—Julie’s boyfriend Sam dies and yet somehow Julie can still talk to him on the phone—but ultimately I don’t think it is executed very well. I had points where I should have been sad or emotional, but I ended up laughing. Some parts were touching and sweet, but other points were ridiculous. Something that was supposed to be an emotionally touching and sad piece ended up falling flat for me.
I thought I liked the writing at first. I don’t know what happened exactly, but around halfway through, I got used to the writing style and it began to annoy me. The descriptions were pretty, but something irked me about the rapidly shifting, little to no transition scenes. When it came to the dreamlike memory sequences of Before, the technique works well, but in real time, it was jarring. Adding onto that is the pacing: it showed little of Julie’s growth until the very last couple of chapters, which would perhaps be fine if it wasn’t such a drastic and uncharacteristic change from the rest of the book. She spent the entire book saying one thing, and then shifts gears really fast without the significant shift that makes me feel as though Julie has truly moved on. The pacing and the plot make Julie seem weak and uncertain, which didn’t sit right with me. It’s one thing to need to move on while still holding your loved one in your heart, and it’s another to completely reject everyone despite agreeing that it’s an unhealthy situation. The side characters didn’t do a ton to help, but that’s probably because they were upset at Julie for straight up ditching them to… call her deceased boyfriend? Yeah, that’s definitely not cool—especially when they don’t know and all Julie has to say is “my phone’s broken”. And it’s not like Julie made a huge effort to seek them out or overcome her grief. She felt complacent in this temporary and unusual situation, and that also didn’t sit right with me. What made things worse was that I really liked the side characters, and Julie herself was really aggravating. She spent way too much of the book holding onto Sam and not even attempting to let go, and it severely affected all of her existing relationships. To be honest, I didn’t see Julie’s appeal and didn’t sympathize with her all that much. She clearly loved Sam and I can see why—he’s a catch—but I can’t really see why Sam loved Julie. He obviously does, but I don’t think the author did well to describe Julie’s “goodness”: she only had flaw after flaw. Oh, she’s missing everyone’s calls and forgetting everything; oh, she’s cancelling and being wishy-washy; oh, she’s not reaching out; oh, she is having trouble writing and is scared she won’t get into her top college; the list goes on and I’m frankly done with her.
You’ve Reached Sam was super disappointing, and I’m upset because I was really looking forward to it after some rave reviews. Did we even read the same book? I felt little sympathy for Julie and she was so irksome, and it didn’t help that the plot seemed to go along with it (I mean, she *is* the main character, but you know what I mean). I was so ready to cry and be upset in a good way, but now I’m upset in an annoyed way. 2 stars.

This YA novel deals with first love, death, and grief. Unfortunately, the book's description is much better than the book itself!

I was disappointed in this book on several levels:

- I found it hard to relate to Julie (the main character), who gave so little compassion, empathy, or even thought, to others who were also grieving.

- The secondary characters lacked depth.

- While there are many ways to grieve, and just as many variations in how long it takes people to work through the stages of grief, the whole timeline of the grieving characters just seemed a bit "off".

- The magic worked for awhile, but became repetitious.

I've read some of the other reviews, and realize my opinions seem to be in the minority. That's one of the wonderful things about reading; the same book can evoke completely different reactions in its readers.

My thanks to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for allowing me to read an ARC of this novel which is scheduled to be publishe on 11/9/21. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and are freely given.

Julie's boyfriend, Sam, dies suddenly. There goes her plans for after high school. She is struggling with her grief when she discovers he answers the phone when she calls. Will this help her move on or will this hold her back?

This was an interesting YA novel about young love, dying too young, and learning to move on. There's a lot here that cannot be explained, but that's part of what makes this story. I enjoyed it.

Thank you St Martin's Press and NetGalley.

Thank you to Netgalley and Wednesday Books for sending me this arc in exchange for an honest review.

I would recommend checking this book for content warnings before reading as it deals with tough topics such as grief and the death of a loved one. You’ve Reached Sam is a heartbreakingly beautiful book with a very unique premise. The idea of calling a loved one who recently passed away only to have them pick up the phone is such a stunning concept.

This is a very character-driven book as the plot develops relatively slowly but it makes perfect sense for the overall purpose of the novel. You’ve Reached Sam is beautifully written and captures the essence of grief so clearly and authentically. There was not a single moment I wanted to skim, I read every word.

Even with the overarching themes and tones of grief and sadness, it’s balanced with happier, sweeter flashbacks that showcase the highlights of Julie and Sam’s relationship. Sam is such a sweetheart and I loved getting to know him through Julie’s memories of the two of them. It was really raw and heartbreaking to see how grief affected Julie not only personally but through the other relationships in her life. It really tested her friendships and relationship with her mom throughout the book.

The only flaw I could find was the fact that the “magic” was slightly convoluted and was never explained fully. I still had many unanswered questions even after the book ended. Overall, everything about this book was authentic and honest and raw and heartbreaking. If you’re looking for a book that will make you cry, look no further. This book broke me in the best way. So many important and honest emotions were touched through the writing and I felt every one of them.

I will definitely be recommending You’ve Reached Sam to everyone, especially people looking for books to make them cry and for books containing magical realism. I will also be reading more from Dustin Thao in the future as soon as he publishes more work.

OMG! What a wonderful, heartbreaking, life affirming, amazing story! I could not put this down even when in tears of sadness and joy. Read this and connect with your youthful self and experience love and heartbreak again like it was the first time. Thank you to #netgalley and the publisher for this copy of #youvereachedsam to read and review.

3.5/5⭐️

This is a debut, and a YA novel with a unique premise.

Julie and Sam are high school seniors who have been together for 3 years. Tragically, Sam’s life is cut short, and Julie is devastated in her grief and guilt. During one of her breakdowns she calls Sam’s cell phone…and he answers. Thus begins a journey through the ultimate catharsis of saying goodbye.

Other than some frustrations with Julie at times and a suspension of disbelief, this was a moving look at loss from a 17-year-old’s perspective, and the sorrow of seeing a talented young life cut short. Also, just an aside, this was a sweet, “innocent” young love.

Nice first effort, and I’d just like to add that the cover art is simply gorgeous.

My thanks to #NetGalley and #WednesdayBooks for providing me the free early arc for review. The opinions are strictly my own.

This is a beautiful debut from author Dustin Theo. The writing is so realistic that the characters almost felt real, and the emotions experienced whilst reading were most definitely real. I could feel Julie' grief and sadness throughout.

You've Reached Sam had me captivated from the very first page and held my attention right until the end. I read the entire book in one sitting.

Thank you St. Martins Press and Netgalley for allowing me to read this story.

My thoughts are my own

Thank you Netgalley for this Arc!

This story is a really good look at grief but really, it just didn't work out for me. I had trouble connecting to the characters and I did not love the actual writing itself either.

I still think others may enjoy this. Particularly as a sad story that will give the reader a good idea of what grief is really like.

I'm a huge fan of Kimi No Nawa, so I thought the premise was really intriguing! I really appreciate the representation but unfortunately I found the book to be just okay.

I throughly enjoyed this book. It was full of emotion, and full of purpose. It told an engaging story about grief, and moving on. The characters and the emotion within this novel was the strongest aspect, I think. Each character was written very realistic, and displayed profound emotion. The way the story is told, through flashbacks and present time, was new to me, but I thought it was executed well. The only thing I think this book struggled with was the pacing. It tended to go very fast, and I felt the plot wasn’t as clear at points. Also, I felt it would have been nice if the book included transcripts of the calls. Overall, I adored this book. I highly recommend it to anyone who’s looking for a fast paced, emotional, YA contemporary novel!

I really wanted to like this book. When I requested this so many months ago, it was at the top of my TBR pile because the premise sounded so good! And I was just… disappointed by a pretty stagnant plot.

I’m all for suspending disbelief for a story, especially when well written, but this story had way too many loop holes and contradictions and things that made me annoyed.

I also didn’t love any of the characters. I couldn’t find myself caring for any of them, even though the whole book is based on grief and living through the worst pain you can imagine. Julie is just not super likable to me, even in scenes we see from “before” and her dream sequences. I did like that it showed that everyone grieves differently, but I just didn’t love her.

Ok once again I have a more unpopular opinion of a book. The premise of this book is great and I think Dustin Thao did a great job showing how grief can be shown in so many different ways. From the beginning with Julie being distant from all her family and friends, to not behaving like herself, and especially with her struggle of letting go of Sam. I also loved the diversity of characters in this book (Oliver being my favorite) and enjoyed seeing glimpses of these side characters lives and how they helped Julie through her grief.

OK now for the not so great part... I was looking for more depth within Sam and Julie's relationship. I wanted to fall in love with Sam too and it never really happened. Although their relationship seemed sweet and hopeful there wasn't anything of merit (to me) to make me believe they would have made it if Sam hadn't died. Their phone calls were repetitive and shallow. However, Thao did give me a lump in my throat at the end, so well done there for sure!

Overall I gave this book 3 stars. It didn't blow my mind but wasn't bad either. Thank you to Dustin Thao and St Martin's Press for the chance to read You've Reached Sam in exchange for an honest review

This was an impactful read. Julie and Sam are high school seniors, deeply in love, with many plans for their future life together. But then Sam dies. Julie is consumed with grief and finds it difficult to continue with the routine parts of her life. Wanting to hear Sam's voice, she dials his cell phone to hear his voicemail recording -- and Sam picks him. Julie is overjoyed to be reconnected with Sam and finally have a chance to say goodbye. But Julie finds it is hard to say goodbye when all she wants to maintain some connection to Sam. -- and soon the calls take over her life, raising concerns for her friends, family, and teachers.

Through this interesting concept, the author effectively explores grief, love, friendship, and overcoming loss. Highly recommended!

This book was an entire journey for me. I struggled to get started, it was almost like the anticipation of the story (which I had heard so much about) was overwhelming, like I was ready for all the emotions…but not really.

However once I got going I was completely sucked into the story and couldn’t put it down. I wanted to know where it was going and how it was going to end. It was so well written and, without giving anything away, I felt like we got the ending we needed. I can’t wait for everyone to get to read this one.

I finished the book at 3 am and here I am writing the review because Idk what else to do with my life right now. I am the person who rarely cries while reading books (and by rarely I mean, I last cried when I read The fault in our stars in junior high school so, you know). BUT this was so effing brutal for my soul, like bro cmon, this book made me cry in every damn chapter. The tears fell onto my laptop while reading, I was very shocked to notice it though. I'm not even sure at this point that is this even a review or just a ramble out how this book broke me.

"But the truth is, no one experiences grief the same way, and we all come out of it differently. It’s okay to wish for those things and even imagine him here with you. Because those moments inside our heads are just as real as anything else.” She taps her forehead. “Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise ”

ANDD it's not over yet, the moment I finally felt the whole agony ending, THE FINAL CHAPTER- if you're reading the book while thinking it is painful, let me tell you best friend, I didn't know what pain was until I read the last chapter. THE TEARS JUST WON'T STOP, LIKE EXCUSE ME? I DID NOT SIGN UP FOR THIS? (or maybe I did)

Except my getting emotionally devastated, I think the book was brilliant for me, though I'd like the mention the repetition and loss of pace in the middle of the book, but IT DID wrapped up quite well. I'm still feeling high and numb with whatever I finished right now.

I really liked the premise of YOU'VE REACHED SAM, but the writing was disappointing and really let the story down. Julie and Sam didn't feel well-developed enough, and Sam and various characters felt like therapist mouthpieces too often.
I did like some of the ideas around putting Julie in a place where she was forced to choose between holding on to Sam and connecting with the other people in her life, but because of the weak character development, this didn't have as much of an impact as it should have been.
The epilogue felt very repetitive.

Hoping I'll like the author's future books better!

Wow! What an amazing debut novel. Reading this book was an emotional journey from start to finish. The narrative is beautifully written, and the earnest depiction of grief and the path to healing is authentic. I would definitely recommend this book to any reader who enjoys YA.