I'm still wiping my tears from this book. While, the person I have lost in my life was my father, I still related to Julie and her feelings when her boyfriend Sam died. This poor girl was heartbroken. Completely heartbroken in every way possible. She didn't even go to Sam's funeral.

I get it. her pain cut my heart into pieces and I so wish I could have jumped into the book just to hug her. In a moment of desperation, she calls Sam. (something I did often when my Dad died..I called his answering machine to hear his voice) but Sam answers and through their converstations she is able to start healing.

This reminded me of "The First Phone Call from Heaven" as far as the story went... talking to a loved one via the phone. It was obvious how much Julie loved Sam and vice versa.

This was a tender, heartbreaking, hopefull story. This story is for anyone and everyone who has ever lost someone they love irregardless of if it is a boyfriend, parent, friend, family member.

Thank you so muc to St. Martin's Press and #NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

You've Reached Sam follows a girl, Julie, through her process of accepting the loss of her long-time boyfriend, Sam. She's able to communicate with him through phone calls, but this power cannot last long. Julie is supposed to use the calls to finally have a chance to say goodbye, however she finds herself unwilling to let Sam and his death go. Throughout the book, she is struggling to allow herself to finally move forward from his death and accept that sometimes things don't go to plan.
This book is written in a very beautiful and lyrical way, and it made me cry on several different occasions. Accepting that you may never see a person you hold so dearly again is something that everyone is forced to go through, and this book displays how soul crushing and difficult this can be. The plot, too, is amazing, and I loved the flashbacks.
I do, however, think the book concluded a little too quickly, and I would have liked to see more of the acceptance. It would have been sweet to see Julie visit Sam and leave him flowers at his grave. In addition, the drama with Taylor and Liam seemed a little unnecessary, and it was kind of left unresolved.
Overall, You've Reached Sam is a comforting, yet heartbreaking story of what it's like to lose your love.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This is such a beautiful look at grief and how to cope with missing someone so much it hurts and doing anything to stay connected with them.
I knew this was going to make me cry and it did.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

I connected with the experiences displayed on the page: the pain of missing someone so much it hurts to breathe; the longing to keep them next to you because no amount of time could ever be enough; and the regret of never being able to fulfill promises made to one another. If you've ever lost someone you loved, You've Reached Sam will make you feel like you're losing them all over again. It's an exploration of grief that will wring your heart until your tears run dry because it gives those left behind the one thing we all wish we had, a second chance to say goodbye.

Well just tug on my heart strings and call me Sally. This book was so good!! Thankful to NetGalley for allowing me to read this title.

A heartbreakingly, hopeful, romantic novel about two star-crossed teens communicating from afar...

Julie has isolated herself from her family and friends during a period of mourning and is unable to let go of her boyfriend Sam. Throughout the novel we learn about the pair's sweet relationship through flashbacks...and go through Julie's tragedy and trauma in the present.

At the end of the day, this love story reminds of us the strength of our ties and the hope that abounds.

This book was such a beautiful experience. I read it all in one sitting because I couldn't bear to put it down.

This book deals with issues of grief and loss, which is clear from the synopsis, but just so people are aware. It's heartwarming and touching, but it does deal with heavy topics.

I loved this. I was worried going into the book that I wouldn't be as invested in Sam because I thought we would just follow Julie's journey through her grief, but we get lots of flashbacks of her and Sam falling in love, and I loved them. We got to watch Sam's character develop despite the fact that he's gone, and it was so very special. And flashbacks don't always work for me in books, but I think this one did a great job of making the flashbacks worth reading.

I also loved the coming of age story happening in this book, alongside the main point of this book, which was dealing with grief and moving on. There were also important elements of growing up and understanding that life is unpredictable and not always fair. Julie is struggling with deciding her future as her high school graduation looms near now that all her plans kind of got ruined by surprise. I think those parts of the story are really important and made so much sense in the context of this book.

I also think part of why I loved it so much is because it came to me at the right time. As I'm dealing with grief, it made me think about my own story and how to overcome my own loss. Even though this book is YA and definitely centers a lot of YA elements, the lesson is kind of timeless, and I really resonated with it despite being a little older than the characters and not really in the same life stage as them anymore.

I just think this book is so special. At least, it was for me, and I hope it is for you, too.

*Thank you very much to WednesdayBooks, Dustin Thao and Netgalley for providing me with a E-ARC of "You've Reached Sam" on exchange for an honest review"

First off, the cover for this book is gorgeous! I really felt that it really refers the book. Ugh this is my favorite type of book, the "really emotional and stomps on your heart" type of book.

I don't even know what to say about this... It was a beautiful book. Lyrical, memorable, and fragile. I started it knowing it would destroy my heart, and im writing this review with tears running down my face. This was that good.

First off, this cover is the most gorgeous thing I've ever seen. As soon as I saw it, I needed this book. I didn't care what it was about, I needed it. And after finishing this, I can confidently say that this cover encapsulates everything I loved about this book. It just fits it so well.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again, this book was beautiful. The plot wasn't anything explosive, but the way Julie's grief was written will stick with me for weeks. I felt everything she was feeling, and I was just as unwilling to say goodbye to Sam as she was. The flashbacks to show her and Sam's relationship were so well written, and I loved the little glimpses of their life we got to see.

I'm not sure if I'll ever reread this, as I feel like it's a journey meant to be traveled only once. Despite that, I loved this. It was an extraordinarily written exploration of grief and love, of life and loss.

Thanks to Dustin Thao and Netgalley for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review!

You've Reached Sam by Dustin Thao is not a love story, not exactly, but it is a story about love and about grief.

Julie's boyfriend Sam died in a car crash, and she's hoping to get some sort of comfort or closure when she calls his cellphone to hear his voice on the voicemail one more time. She is certainly NOT expecting him to pick up, which is exactly what happens. Through some unexplained magic, they get to talk regularly with the understanding that, one day, they'll have to say goodbye. But how do you make the decision to lose someone a second time?

When I read the description for You've Reached Sam, I was instantly drawn in. Grief is tricky, and moving on is even harder, so I was excited about the novel. When reading, though, it took me longer to become invested in the story than I expected. Julie's grief is raw, and it makes it hard to like her as a character. I wanted to root for her, but I found myself sympathizing more with Mika, Oliver, her mom, and others that she blew off while trying to stay connected with Sam. Her (phone) relationship with Sam was also full of red flags, which made me not like him either. Finally, I thought some of the transitions were really awkward. There were multiple times I needed to re-read to figure out where/when I was. Around 50% in, though, the character development improves, Julie starts to grow, the transitions become more natural, and I found myself finally enjoying the story. For me, the first half of the book was probably only two stars, but I'm glad I stuck with it through the end.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I loved this book. Julie is a great main character and it's a beautiful portrayal of grief and loss. Powerful themes and beautiful writing.

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for the ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

“And I wish I knew what to say to make things better, or at least tell you how to go through this, Julie. But the truth is, no one experiences grief the same way, and we all come out of it differently.”

For the first time in a long while I’ve had to fully decompress from a book before writing a review. The truth is, I don’t think I’ll ever fully decompress from this. It left a handprint on my heart. Books that can make you feel are so special, but books that leave you feeling profoundly different are a whole new ball game. You’ve Reached Sam had both affects on me. It’s a book I’m not likely to forget anytime soon. Grief is strange and will manifest in so many different ways after you lose a person, but the grief immediately following that loss is one of the toughest I’ve ever dealt with. It was the same for Julie and Dustin crafts this so beautifully that you feel her pain, devastation, and grief too.

Julie throughout the entire book is juggling two hats: how to deal with the grief of losing someone you love and how to feel if you had a second chance to say goodbye. There were parts of this book I envied Julie for that ability. The ability to call Sam and he picks up, just like he always said he would. I had a similar experience to the regret Julie felt over Sam’s death. I lost my grandpa my freshman year of college. He called me the morning of his passing but I’d been so sick I slept right through the call. Just like Julie, I called him, except he never picked up. The way Dustin describes the regret and torment Julie is putting herself through because she feels responsible and people tel her she’s the reason Sam is dead, is a similar guilt to what I felt. It’s a hard emotion to describe and it’s done so beautifully that it’s hard not to cry or grieve with Julie as she tried to grapple with her regret.

Everything about this book is emotional. But, it’s a beautiful way to explore grief and how holding on to someone who’s passed can hold you from living your own life. It also explores the subtle weight of letting go when you stop living for the person who’s gone and you live for yourself. It still feels like I can’t put into words how much I fell in love with this book and all of its characters. Her support system was so beautiful. I loved that even through each of their own grief they were there for one another. They were all struggling in their own ways and had each other’s backs. I loved that. I loved the way this book was able to convey so many different emotions you go through in grief and how you can come out on the other side. I also love that while you may have lost that person physically, they will always be in your heart was a major theme. It was just so well done.

I wish my brain was functioning and I was able to flawlessly write a review that was powerful, but the true power is in this book and you should absolutely read it when it comes out.

*ARC provided courtesy of the publisher*
This book hurt my heart in the best way. I really felt Julie’s grief and her desperation to get through to Sam after he’s gone. I think it was a really beautiful expression of grief, loss and love. I think it could have explored the other relationships in the book as well but I really enjoyed it.

This is an the most beautifully written book I've read recently. Everything about this book was just so emotional and the writing was so lyrical and the whole book had a wonderfully subtle tinge of magic throughout. I wish I had had this book when I was going through a loss years ago, and hope it finds its way into the hands of teens who need it because it was so comforting in the end even though at times it was heartbreaking.

*Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of this book*
Ohmygoodness! This book just ripped out my heart, chewed it up and spit it back out! The story was so heart wrenching. Poignant. This tragic tale of the main character, Julie, trying to cope with the loss of her boyfriend, Sam, left me ugly crying and despondent. I knew what I was getting into from the description and it didn't hesitate as the very first pages jumped right into Julie going through the motions of trying to cope with the death of her Sam. That being said, it was easy to 'remove' myself from the sadness through the majority of the book, to be objective and take the stance of an outsider looking in. I found Julie's character to be somewhat underdeveloped. I feel like I had a firm grasp on Sam's character, as well as many of the other characters in the book. I just felt that other than the sorrow and anguish that Julie was going through due to Sam's death, I didn't really get to 'know' her as a person. She was defined solely by her mourning of her boyfriend and I didn't get an accurate feeling of who she was 'before'. However, I completely fell in love with Sam's character. I felt like I knew him, his personality, his appearance, his background, etc. I just think there could have been more elaboration as to who Julie was outside of her sorrow. I enjoyed how Thao told the story. While at first I found the jumping from memory to memory to be haphazard and slightly confusing, once I adapted to it I like how it helped the story unfold. Those are my main criticisms. Otherwise, this beautifully sad story had me all up in my feels! It reached down deep to places that don't typically see the light of day and brought them to the surface. I felt emotions on such a deep level. While I say that this story was heart wrenching, ripped out my heart, chewed it up and spit it out, I mean that in the very best of ways. I have not had a good, cathartic cry like this in a long time.

This book is a work of art, there's no other way to describe it. The end was beautiful and yet so heartbreaking to read, it left me speechless, sobbing in the middle of the night and longing for more, longing for a love like theirs. Julie and Sam are soulmates.

I will not give details about the book and the characters because I think the synopsis tells you exactly what you need to know before you jump into it, the rest is the rest. If you liked the premise, go head and add it to your tbr and I assure you that you'll not regret it.

I just loved this.

I thought the writing was excellent - I was totally swept up in the story, and could picture the characters. I might have even teared up a little.

I really enjoyed the story and I loved that it was something a little different.

There were times I didn't love the main character -even though I get that she was grieving, I thought she was abit self centered and dramatic about it. But on the other hand - that rings true to real life.

I want to thank the author, the publisher and #netgalley for the ARC which did not impact my review. I am actually looking to see if this author wrote anything else that I can read..

This book truly resonated with me in such a strong, powerful way. If I could recommend this book. I would recommend it a million times, it was truly that good. Thank you so much to the publishers and netgalley for this masterpiece.

This book's cover is absolutely stunning. So beautiful. The story is ... okay. I didn't like Julie as a narrator so that did have a negative impact on an otherwise deeply emotional story. She was so wrapped up in herself and her own grief, ignoring her friends and family, and I thought there might be some resolution towards the end but she never changes, so that was disappointing. I found some of the side characters to be more compelling but they didn't have much page time and weren't that well developed, unfortunately.

I knew this book will break me into pieces. I knew it would slice my heart into tiny pieces. I knew it would hurt like hell since I read the blurb! But I eventually requested and I am still happy to read this extremely heartfelt beauty even though I’m an emotional mess right now!

This is story Julie and Sam! They are only seventeen but they seem like they figured out everything about their futures. They have bigger plans. Julie wants to be successful author as Sam wants to be great musician. They will leave the town, renting an apartment in the big city, going to Japan for holiday for meeting Sam’s grandparents. But... they cannot do any of them. Sam is gone!

Julie tries to erase their memories not to hurt anymore, throwing Sam’s belongings, rejecting to go to the funeral, rejecting to communicate with anyone, actually she rejects to say goodbye! She is not ready to leave him forever! And guess what: Sam is not ready to leave her, too!

When she hits the rock bottom, she calls Sam and he picks up the phone. Yes, she PICKS UP and it’s ABSOLUTELY SAM! But HOW IT COULD
BE POSSIBLE! How can they communicate? But they actually do.

Sam still has things to show her, presents to share and Julie slowly adjusts in life before Sam. Telling their secret phone calls to anyone can mean they can be disconnected forever! So Julie cannot risk it by sharing with Sam’s loved ones who are struggling badly like her. But what about Mika! They were best friends and she slowly drifts away. She’s in deep pain. She thinks Julie already moved on her life, forgetting Sam, making plans to leave the city. But how can Julie leave Sam? One day she has to say goodbye because their connection on the phone gets weaker at each day. Can she handle to say last goodbye!

Let me tell you something: this book tells the grief so naturally, genuinely. You hear all the characters. You emphasize with their pain. You want to hug them, spending time with them, telling them it’s gonna be okay even though it is never gonna be because pain of losing someone is lifetime suffer. Sometimes it lessens, sometimes it blasts like you put more gasoline into fire. It always hurt but in some way you learn to deal with it. You have to deal with it to move on! Even though it hurts like hell we should hold the memories we shared like life buoy like Julie did!

No more words: I’m still crying. My emotions are everywhere! I need at least one hour to gather my feelings but I’m telling you something just read this powerful beauty and meet those amazing characters! The pain you endure, the sadness you need to overcome are truly worth it!

Special thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press/ Wednesday Books for sharing this excellent digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest thoughts.




Quick confession: I barely read the last pages of this book because I cried so hard: my tear drops got thicker turned into a flood. I couldn’t see anything. I kept rubbing my eyes and my vision was gone. It was like driving your car at a rainy day when your wipers are not working properly!