I went into this book with high hopes, as I loved an adult novel with a similar plot concept (The Two Lives of Lydia Bird) that utterly destroyed me. Unfortunately, everything about this book fell flat. I knew from the very beginning that the writing style was going to put me off a bit, as it's written in a choppy, ultra-simplistic way that reminded me more of middle grade novels than YA. But I've read Wilder Girls, so I was sure I could look past that and focus on the heart of the story. Surely at some point I would get swept into the romance and the heartbreaking sadness. But I never did. In fact, the "risk" - the threat of losing connection with Sam by allowing his family comfort - doesn't even come into play until 90% of the way into the book and feels extremely forced. The entire thing lacks emotional depth and maturity of writing. I'm a bit baffled at the high ratings it's already received, and I'm even more baffled that this was, in fact, not a poorly edited self-pub, but released by a big publisher.

I love the premise of this book. I lost a family member while I was in the middle of reading this and would love to be able to pick up the phone one more time, hear their voice, and say "I love you". I thought the book did a good job of showing how everyone handles grief in their own way while figuring out how to move on. I was disappointed in the phone conversations between Sam and Julie. It felt like I was reading the same dialogue every time and I wanted more. All in all, it was a good read but left me feeling like I was still on the surface when I wanted it to go a bit deeper.

Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for access to this arc.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!
All opinions are my own.

I can’t remember the last time that I’ve read a book that made me cry. This book completely tore my heart apart. The amount of love that I have for this book is endless.

We follow Julie as she’s trying to come to terms with the death of her boyfriend Sam. Julie isn’t ready to say goodbye to Sam until one day she calls his phone and HE PICKS UP! There’s still somethings Sam wanted to show Julie and presents he wasn’t able to give her. As the days go on with them talking, their connection grows weaker.

The first part of this book, I was aggravated with the way Julie was acting. She completely shut herself off from the world and stepped away from her friends that were hurting just as much as she was. But as the story progresses, I can sympathize and relate to her. This story hit way to close to home for me at the moment but it made me love it even more.

The author did a wonderful job with expressing how loss and grief can effect someone. You will end up wanting to hug every character in this book and want to sit down and cry with them.

If you’re looking for a book that will destroy you and will stay with you well after you’ve finished it, this book is for you. I highly recommend!

This was a beautiful, heartbreaking story that impacted me deeply. I’ve often wondered if we could have a little more time to talk to those we’ve lost; what we would say and how it would affect our lives. I’ve lost a few people that I’ve fervently wished to be able to speak to them just once more. Sam and Julie’s story broke my heart and then built it back up again. It was a lovely tale of grief and what we would do if we could only speak to our lost loved ones a few more times. I highly recommend this book, especially to anyone who has lost someone dear to them. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for my free arc in exchange for my honest opinion. Great and wrenching story, you should read it for yourself!

You’ve Reached Sam is such an amazingly emotional book, and there were so many things I loved about it from the style the book is written in to the way Julie’s grief, guilt, and eventual acceptance of Sam’s death are explored to Julie’s relationships with her friends and family after Sam’s death.

I enjoyed the way most of the book takes place in the present after Sam's death, but every now and then something would trigger a series of memories of Julie's time with Sam. It was also interesting to watch Julie's relationships with other people who were close to Sam evolve as Julie works on moving on throughout the book.

You’ve Reached Sam is such a heartbreaking book, but it is so beautifully written. I had so much trouble putting the book down that I read the book in one day. You’ve Reached Sam is fast paced, incredibly sad, and beautifully written.

The premise of this book surrounds a connection that two individuals, Julie and Sam, maintain, even after Sam has passed away through the use of phone calls.

It is safe to say that with every chapter that passed on, my heart yearned more and more to learn and uncover more about the wondrous lives Julie and Sam went through. From the gentle flashbacks depicting their serene joy, towards the brutally painful nature of Julie trying to move on, this book wholeheartedly leeched me of all emotions.

The use of symbolism within this novel is utterly heartbreaking - beginning with the gentle stream of haunting dreams and ultimately ending with the fall of cherry blossoms once more, the constant repetition remaining not only mesmerising but in a sense, completely enchanting.

A tale of new beginnings, moving on and a passage of healing - You’ve Reached Sam is truly phenomenal.

Thank you to Netgalley for giving me access to an ARC. I really appreciate it.

I don't even know where to begin with this wonderful book. I found this to be a fascinating and creative exploration of grief, loss, and moving on. This book had a hold on me from the very beginning. From the way it was written down to the plot, I found it so enchanting and beautiful. It truly tugged at the heartstrings.

I believe that around the fourth or fifth chapter I was able to pick up on what was going to happen at the end of the book but I don't think this is bad whatsoever! Some people may see this as a book being predictable (and there are negative connotations attached to that) but I felt extremely good knowing that I was able to follow the story and pick up what the author was putting down.

While I didn't cry, my heart did. It grieved with Sam, it grieved with Julie. It grieved with everyone who was experiencing this gaping hole in their heart and trying to pick up the pieces in the process. One of the things I left with was being reminded that healing isn't linear and that the pain comes and goes. Eventually, that absence you have in your heart will be filled with something else but you truly never forget the people you've lost.

I am so thankful for a book like this. I appreciate books that deal with hard topics like learning to let go and moving forward with the grief that we have. Just a wonderful book all the way around.

P.S. Although I didn't physically cry, I advise others to have tissues near them and be prepared for an emotional rollercoaster.

I fell in love with this book in a slow, peaceful way. I connected so much with Julie and Sam that my heart broke when Julie’s did. The writing in this book was so beautiful that I felt an ache in my chest while reading it.
I especially appreciated the way the author guided Laurie through the stages of grief and loss. I believe many readers, and not just me, will relate to these feelings that were so gently incorporated into the plot.
The author wrote this book beautifully in such a way that I, to, felt that I was letting go of Sam. He became such an integral part of this book and I think everyone has a Sam in their lives that they imagined while reading this. I would recommend this book to all lovers of YA. I would relate this book to others such as Five Feet Apart and If I Fall.
I will be posting my review on Amazon, Goodreads, Barnes and Noble and Instagram @allbookedup95 the week of the publishing date. Below are the links to my platforms. I will update this site with links to my reviews after I post them.
https://www.instagram.com/allbookedup95/
https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/33947766-hannah-bishop
 https://www.amazon.com/gp/profile/amzn1.account.AE2TNQQINVDX644UUTEWUXWW5AWQ?ref_=pe_1098610_137716200_cm_rv_eml_rv0_pf

I'm not okay. I'm okay, but I'm not, and that's... okay?

My heart hurts. My head hurts from the amount of tears I spilled.

This book is sad, but also hopeful. It is full of loss, recovery and looking for loved ones that have gone away.

What would you do if you had a second chance at goodbye? I would read this book again and again, because I do not want to leave these characters out of my sight.

Thank you for the e-galley. But also, no thank you because my eyes have spilled so, so many tears.

This book broke me. It killed me. It shattered my soul and heart.
I cried the whole time, it was so beautifully written.
It talks about grief, about the loss of a lover at a young age and how difficult it is to get through it when the only person who could help you isn't here anymore.
I loved Julie and Sam's connection and I loved seeing Julie slowly accepting everything that happened.
This book was so good, I'm going to tell everyone to read it once it comes out!

4,5/5

(A huge thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s press for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review)

"Letting go isn’t about forgetting. It’s balancing moving forward with life, and looking back from time to time, remembering the people in it"

Julie tem seu futuro planejado junto de seu namorado, Sam. Mas com sua inesperada morte, tudo muda. De coração partido, Julie tenta em meio ao luto esquecê-lo, e numa última tentativa liga para o telefone dele. E ele atende.

You've Reached Sam era um livro que eu tinha certeza que iria mexer comigo, e acertei na mosca. Que montanha-russa de emoções; quantas reflexões trazidas sobre o luto e a possibilidade de se ter uma segunda chance de se despedir daqueles que amamos, mas que já partiram; quantas lágrimas derrubadas (essas eu perdi a conta). Meu coração saiu esmigalhado dessa leitura, mas inspirado a mudar um pouco o jeito que levo a vida.

Não é de hoje que escutamos que 'a gente nunca sabe o dia de amanhã', e pra Julie isso foi um baque. Ter perdido o namorado tão subitamente numa noite, carregar junto do luto (tão difícil quando se trata de alguém que a gente ama) uma pontada de sentimento de culpa, não é nada fácil. Julie fica reclusa, tentando não aceitar o fato da morte do amado. Não sai do quarto (por vezes até da cama) por nada, não comparece ao funeral de Sam, não visita os pais dele, não vai à escola. Tudo numa tentativa (frustrada) de escapar daquela realidade. E como o autor soube fazer isso construindo aos poucos a tridimensionalidade da Julie! É uma personagem repleta de camadas, que aos poucos vão sendo retiradas e mostrando a essência de quem ela é. Impressionante.

Sinto que peguei muitas das nuances e mensagens que o Dustin quis trazer nessa história, e isso foi demais. A questão das ligações, do ruído que surge às vezes, do suporte que o Sam dá à Julie nesse momento, e como tudo no fim se liga a uma mensagem de que, eventualmente, a gente precisa seguir em frente. O sentimento de luto, não só da Julie, mas de outros personagens, exala pra fora das páginas. É descrito de uma forma tão genuína, natural, que você mesmo se pega de luto pelo Sam. Tirei muitos análogos meus de formas como lidei pessoalmente o luto e o que Dustin faz aqui é poético.

Apesar de me deixar num descontrole emocional e aos prantos em alguns momentos, admito que o livro tem sim algumas falhas. Primeiro, sinto que os personagens secundários em alguns momentos demonstram alguma relevância pro enredo, mas o desenvolvimento deles foi bem raso, e em alguns momentos fiquei duvidando/questionando as motivações deles (dando 2 exemplos de personagens, Tristan e Taylor). Segundo, o autor em alguns momentos quis reforçar a importância de um fato no enredo pelos questionamentos da Julie. Mas tiveram 2 fatos em específico (que não citarei pois obviamente é um spoiler) que ele quis enfatizar por meio de repetição, e isso me irritou um pouco. Por exemplo, um mesmo fato ocorrer 3 vezes e ela fazer o mesmo questionamento 3 vezes (e até que num intervalo curto de páginas), me pareceu um pouco preguiçoso.

Sem mais a falar, apenas reforço que vocês leiam esse livro quando sair em novembro! Mas preparem os corações e deixem a caixa de lencinhos do lado.

I went into this novel expecting to be hit with grief from the first page but unfortunately for me, the emotions portrayed fell a bit flat. Sam's death happens before the book begins and we follow Julie as she comes to terms with the loss so for me, losing a character I had not met or had not fully developed caused the story to become separated from me. The story switches between present day and the past as Julie remembers their time together, as well as dreams that flit past like a flip-book.
There are secondary characters in this novel such as Julie's mum, Sam's cousin, Mika and various school friends of the couple. However, they don't really exist outside of helping Julie come to terms with her grief which is fine, but I always enjoy seeing secondary characters have their own personalities and storylines throughout the novel too. I would have loved to see Mika more and learn more about her as well as the budding relationship between Sam's best friend, Oliver and another school friend, Jay.
I feel like the book could have packed more of an impact if it had been shorter and other than the phonecalls between Sam and Julie, there isn't much of a plot point. That being said, I still appreciated the exploration of grief - it felt very real and I know the book will definitely stay with a lot of people. The writing itself was very atmospheric and I felt as though I was a part of the small, historical town.
Overall, although I had a few complaints, I still appreciate the book for what it is and I definitely think it was more of a case of 'it's not you, it's me.'

4.5/5 — when i say i cried the whole book, i’m not even exaggerating. i’m the type to steer away from books with death tropes and goodbyes because i’m not the type of person who can brave through those moments/scenes (that’s on trauma) but this book made the exemption, and i’m glad i read it. the transitions from scene to scene and the world was just so vivid in my head that i could see everything so clearly. there were plot holes and things that didn’t make sense to me by the end of the book that i wish were addressed — like how they were able to stay connected through the phone and the things sam had to go through to be able to stay and talk with julie — but even so, how it ended and the message of it all was really beautiful.

people deal with death so differently, but the way julie dealt with sam’s hit so close to home. i guess if someone hasn’t experienced the earth-shattering feeling of losing someone so important to you so suddenly, and hasn’t gone through the same destructive behaviour to cope like with julie, they would find themselves not liking her character at first but that really is the thing with grief, isn’t it? it can turn people into selfish beings and sometimes, it’s hard to get back from it because it means letting go when you don’t want to.

you’ve reached sam is a beautiful debut from dustin thao and i can’t wait to see all the other stories he has to share with us (and get a physical copy of this book).

thank you to netgalley for the arc.

I ABSOLUTELY POSITIVELY LOVED THIS BOOK. I wasn't quite sure what to expect in the beginning and it was somewhat hard to follow at certain points. But I felt every emotion possible while reading this. And I would highly recommend this book to everyone!

Absolutely beautiful and emotional read. This broke me, but it left me feeling hopeful and warm inside. This felt like a very real depiction of the grieving process and moving on. I keep thinking of the characters and tearing up so I think they'll stay with me a long time.

You've Reached Sam is such a beautiful (and sad) book. I cried throughout the entire book and it is now one of my favorites. I was instantly drawn to the characters, Thao did a great job in bringing the characters to life. This is the first book that I've read that deals with the characters grieving and how they process it. I think the author did a really good job at showing how Julie and Mika are grieving and how it affects them.
I think this book will be a good addition to my classroom library this fall.

loss is hard enough ready, but losing the one person whom you expected to spend the entirety of your life with only makes it a thousand times worse.

the writing of this novel was absolutely stunning. every time a memory or a daydream of sam and julie was brought up, i felt a pang in my heart that continued to grow and grow until sam left his voicemail, and my heart exploded. many years were shed.

this novel made me realize i need to make more memories with those i’ve loved, and that i need to cherish them more.

the only reason i’m giving this novel 3 stars is because of how repetitive a lot of the conversations julie had with others were. everytime it happened, my feelings towards this book disappeared and i could only focus on the negative.

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Trigger warnings: death, grief

Seventeen-year-old Julie has her future all planned out—move out of her small town with her boyfriend Sam, attend college in the city, spend a summer in Japan. But then Sam dies. And everything changes. Heartbroken, Julie skips his funeral, throws out his things, and tries everything to forget him and the tragic way he died. But a message Sam left behind in her yearbook forces back memories. Desperate to hear his voice one more time, Julie calls Sam’s cellphone just to listen to his voicemail.
And Sam picks up the phone.
In a miraculous turn of events, Julie’s been given a second chance at goodbye. The connection is temporary. But hearing Sam’s voice makes her fall for him all over again, and with each call it becomes harder to let him go. However, keeping her otherworldly calls with Sam a secret isn’t easy, especially when Julie witnesses the suffering Sam’s family is going through. Unable to stand by the sidelines and watch their shared loved ones in pain, Julie is torn between spilling the truth about her calls with Sam and risking their connection and losing him forever.

Julie’s grief is palpable and relatable on many levels. As a teenager planning out her future, it’s already a stressful time. Have her love die suddenly and have the future they planned together ripped away ... life will seem almost impossible. I really appreciated that we saw Julie on her ups and downs. Grief, sadness, affects everyone differently and it isn’t something that’s constantly there. There’s always the possibility of a smile, of a laugh or that moment of forgetting what’s happened. Then it hits again, knocking you back. For Julie, talking to Sam was that lifeline in a storm and it was almost difficult to read because it felt so real.

I’m not ashamed to admit that this book made me VERY emotional throughout. I was already crying at the end of chapter one which proves what an emotive book this is. And oh lordy did I bawl like a baby at that ending - ugly snotty tears. Thao’s writing at times felt a little simple but it made sense - in times of grief, our thoughts are stilted, they don’t flow in the normal ways. I’ve personally never experienced a loss that I remember but I do remember how I felt when I almost lost my baby sister when she had brain surgery. I can remember the feeling of hopelessness and emptiness when I found out she was in the ICU hundreds of miles away because she stopped breathing again. Events like that stay with you, they leave an impression - just like the impact death has. The idea of Julie being able to talk to Sam on the phone after his death is something many have contemplated. What would you say to someone who’s passed? What do you wish you could’ve told them before they went? Thao certainly knocked it out the park with this one. I feel I have very few words to describe just how brilliant, engaging and utterly emotional this book is.

Overall, You’ve Reached Sam is a beautiful and heartbreaking story that reminds you to live every day to the fullest.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Thank you again to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for an advanced copy of this book. Review will be live on my blog on release day - can be changed if asked.

You've Reached Sam is a story about grief, loss and prolonging to say goodbye to a loved one. It has been way too long since I read a book that has impacted me so much emotionally that it made me cry so hard. It really is such a beautiful story but so painful at the same time and this book deserves all the hype.

Everything about this book is utterly beautiful and heartbreaking. I think pretty much everyone can predict what will happen at the end yet somehow I was still caught off guard. It was the at the last chapter when something unexpectedly happen that I was just begging everything to burst free. I didn't expect the tears to flow so freely which is so unlike me. I mean, I was warned but I wanted to experience myself first but they were right after all. It totally made my heart break into a million pieces.

There's just something about the author's writing style that I find so remarkable. The plot is not something new and not that out of the ordinary yet it is such an amazing read. I would totally want to experience it firsthand all over again where I didn't know what awaits ahead of me.

I wouldn't want anything changed at all with this book. It is absolutely perfect as it is and I read an advanced and unfinalised copy. I am definitely going to read it again once it comes out in November and see if anything changed but I really hope it will remain as it is.

I am undoubtedly going to be screaming this book to everyone and shove this book in everyone's faces. I cannot recommend this book enough and make sure to prepare yourselves with tissues because it is a hundred percent will make you cry.

I haven't read a book that devastated me like this for so long. I don't know how Dustin Thao did it but he just wrecked me with this book. A more coherent book review will be updated soon!