TW: This novel has instances of substance abuse, addiction and suicide.

Sometimes it is difficult to write a review. The raves and the bashings are easy. But when a book is in the middle of the road it gets a bit more difficult. Unfortunately, that’s where this novel lies.

The coming-of-age story focuses on Sam. Sam lives with her mom, Courtney, and her little brother, Noah. The book runs from age 7 to about 20. It is told in the third person. It is also divided into several parts. As Sam matures, so does the writing style of the book. Although this was frustrating in the beginning, it is an interesting device - one I haven’t seen before. It’s the main way we can see Sam's point of view, because she is an extremely emotionally detached young woman. Mostly Sam has abandonment issues, chiefly because Marshall, her addict dad, is in and out of her life.

Sam’s only emotional outlet is climbing, It starts with just climbing the walls in the house (much to Courtney’s dismay) and graduates to full on rock climbing. There is a point where Sam even climbs competitively.

Courtney is a single mom, and has to work two jobs. As most mothers do, she wants better for Sam than the life she currently possesses. But Sam isn’t really interested. She’s not interested in anything really. Noah is also a struggle, having his own set of emotional issues.

If I had to describe this book in one word it would be “bleak”. I recommend that you be in a good headspace while reading. Sam’s detachment makes it difficult for the reader to relate or engage. I would say that I empathize with the characters, but I wasn’t particularly invested in their fates.

It isn’t a badly written book - in fact it is just the opposite. Perhaps I am just not the target audience for this novel. I haven't read anything else by Goodman, but I may still look at her back catalog to see if this is just a one-off. (I have the same relationship with Alice Hoffman.) I can see how younger women may find solace in these pages. I certainly hope that they do.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for access to the ARC. All opinions expressed here are mine.

I wasn't sure going into this book. The title and cover art don't give you much to go on, so I was skeptical. But I found myself really enjoying the story especially in the earlier chapters when San was a young and precocious child. My childhood and life were very different from hers and I had empathy to her struggles but was also charmed by her wayward father.

I know nothing about rock climbing and thought having Sam be focused on such an activity and then have it bleed into her love of geology was an excellent addition. It's not a sport or competition I've ever seen highlighted in a fictional world and really enjoyed that. I'm sure there are some deeper metaphors about reaching the summit I'm missing but overall I'd recommend this book.

Sam starts slowly and reads like a children's book, initially, but somehow, inperceptibly, evolves into a beautiful quiet story that will touch your heart. Allegra Goodman, I didn't see it coming!

All in all, this coming of age novel was a disappointment. The plot was superficial and there was little character development.

Wow. What a book. From the first few pages I was drawn in and while some of the topics were a bit heavy, the author made up for it in other areas with some joy and light hearted moments. I really liked the way we watched Sam grow up and starting to see her feelings change as she matured and turned into an adult. Great read, highly recommend.

This book follows a girl named Sam from when she's 7 all the way to 20 and it reminded me why I enjoy bildungsromans.

Watching Sam grow up before my eyes was captivating. I thought the pacing was great and her actions as she got older felt believable based on things that happened to her in the past. The side characters were also so well developed and I found myself rooting for them too. Sam has had a difficult life: her mom is struggling to make ends meet for her and her younger brother, Noah, even with 2 jobs, and her dad is an addict popping in and out of her life with no consistency. Even though Sam grows to resent her father over time and you as a reader gradually grow to understand how that frustration of hers was pent up over the years, I couldn't help but feel for her dad as well. I think that's what makes for good writing - when you can even empathize with characters that the main one can't.

Though there were some heavy topics discussed in the book, there were a lot of lighthearted moments too and some that made me laugh out loud. I particularly liked the little tidbits of advice her mom would give and I looked forward to their interactions. I thought this was going to center a lot more on Sam's passion for rock climbing which she starts right at the beginning, and though that was part of it, it took more of a backseat as the story went on which I liked. The rock climbing served more as a catalyst for everything else that happened to her and as an introduction to the main people in her life, and I thought it was very well done.

Overall I really liked this book and recommended it for people who appreciate good characters and coming of age stories.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Well this was a delightful reading experience. Sam (book title and protagonist) begins when Sam is seven years old, full of energy, and literally climbing the walls. She lives with her mom, Courtney, and baby brother, Noah, and adores her dad when he is around. Courtney is tired and frazzled keeping it all together, but Mitchell, Sam’s dad, strolls in with all the fun tickets. He takes her to the fair where she discovers a climbing wall, and her natural climbing talent. Rock climbing becomes her passion, something she shares with Mitchell, but the gaps in time that Mitchell is away become longer.
The book progresses through Sam’s childhood and adolescence with a lot of ups and downs. While no details are given, it becomes clear that Mitchell suffers from addiction and Sam’s love and adoration turns to unforgiving anger. Her talent and passion for rock climbing are central and metaphorical - lots of falling and getting back up.
It has been a long time since I have felt so connected to a character. I wanted so much for Sam, and all the Sams with fierce potential and the cards seemingly stacked against them.
This one comes out at the beginning of 2023 and I highly recommend it. Thanks NetGalley for the arc of this book.

Reading SAM by Allegra Goodman is a little like an Anne Tyler novel that slowly draws you into the story. The book opens when Sam is seven and living with her younger brother and her mother who is barely able to support them with financial help. Her father lives separate and although he loves Sam, he disappears for long periods of time. The story tells how Sam grows up from age seven until she is in college.

This is a story about determination, grit and finding your passion in life. It took a while for me to adjust to the book’s pace and at first, I wanted it to speed up. I was reading more slowly the final chapters because I did not want this story to end.

I took a while to grow into the narrative. It didn't immediately resonate with me, and the style was deceptively simply. When it clicked together (and it did), it worked. I thoroughly enjoyed this tale, at times depressing, at times sweetly joyful.

I found myself thinking about the book when I wasn't reading it, which to me is high praise. I absolutely recommend SAM.

I received a complimentary copy of the book from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thrilled to have been given the opportunity to review this book by Allegra Goodman. I really enjoyed the character development of a young Sam into the young woman she becomes including the "climb" in getting there.
Sam loves her Dad who hasn't always been present in her life because of his addiction. She struggles with the times he does show up, fearing he will just disappoint her all over again. There is a wonderful dynamic with Courtney, Sam's mother as Sam begins to realize the struggles and sacrifices Courtney made for Sam and her brother for a sense of normalcy in their lives. I enjoyed Sam's determination to succeed as a student and climber ultimately having the confidence to pursue her goals.

A great coming of age tale. Sam is the story of one young girl's transformation to adulthood. Touching and real.

A story about a young girl who sinks into despondency and manages to (literally) claw herself up through rock climbing, her perseverance and stubbornness when faced with impossible climbing challenges mirroring the way she finally finds a path that works for her. The six parts of the novel take us from seven to eighteen — dealing with a beloved father who, fighting addiction, disappears for long periods of time; a (temporary) step father with no fondness for her and a somewhat violent temperament; a (most of the time) single mother pushing her children to not miss the opportunities she herself had missed; a half brother who needs constant management to get even the smallest thing done; and many others on varying sides of (my) moral boundaries.

The writing is good and I appreciated the thoughtful characterizations. While she finds her way at the end, I found reading the book to be a little depressing. While there were many good characters, I found myself wishing that people had just made better choices up front. It’s always painful for me to think about how many screwed up people there are and how their mistakes cause such pain for others.I’m aware that I’m completely missing the actual point of the story which is about how someone overcomes the problems of their childhood, but I find myself unhappy that they ever had to face those problems to begin with.

I generally read mysteries and thrillers with an occasional piece of Chick Lit thrown in. This was none of those. It is the beautiful story of a little girl (SAM) who grows into womanhood and adulthood through her climbing of walls, rocks and boulders. With each climb she has to deal with falling back down and attempting to climb again. Metaphorically she does this with her family, schooling and the males in her life. She is often alone, but never without her consent. The plot is simple and terribly complex at the same time. It is well worth reading and thoroughly enjoyable. Thanks to Net Galley and The Dial Press (Random House) for an ARC for an honest review.

While I haven't read anything by Allegra Goodman before, I will now be keeping my eye out for their name because I really enjoyed this book. Once I began reading, I knew I would be finishing this story within a couple of days- I didn't want to put it down. I found Sam's internal dialogue to be quite candid but not in a way that dulls the story. Seeing everything through Sam's perspective made it more engaging to me as a reader, since sometimes Sam sees or hears things and doesn't always understand the situation, especially when she's young, which left me either sympathizing with her or trying to make sense of what's happening.
Seeing Sam grow from a child to a young adult may sound mundane, but the way Goodman has written Sam's story creates an attachment to her character that left me saddened when the story ended. If I had any comments, I would have liked to see Sam's journey through university and her life away from her mom and brother, as they are always in the background of her narrative.

I received an ARC of this book through NetGalley.

This is a very interesting character study about Sam, a young girl as she grows up. The book chronicles Sam's life from about age 7 to age 20. At first, I though this might be targeted to a young adult reader. But, as someone who is several decades removed from bein considered a young adult, I found the character very compelling. Sam coped with many challenges. Her estranged father was an addict, someone who Sam missed, getting to be with him on rare occasions. Sam's mother wanted Sam to be a great student, get a great degree and go on to a better life than the one here mother was experiencing. The family (Sam had a younger brother) is quite poor and the mother worked multiple jobs to try to make ends meet.

Sam's story was fascinating, but unspectacular. There are good life lessons to be learned from observing all the characters in Sam. A sequel may be in order to see where Sam's life goes from where it leaves off at age 20 at the end of this fine book.

This is a straight up story of a girl named Sam. We meet her at age 7. Her mom and dad aren't together and she's getting picked up for an outing with him. They go out to places and he finds out she's interested in climbing. She's a very active and inquisitive little girl. She is navigating life with her mother, Courtney and her younger brother Noah. Courtney is trying to hold life together being a single mom and dealing with Noah's father, Jack.
It's a coming of age story. Sam is figuring things out and we are with her for the whole rollercoaster ride of it all. The story deals with themes of growing up and becoming a rock climber, friendships and how they come together and end, taking care of younger siblings and bumping heads and pushing away from your parent(s) which is both necessary and painful on both ends.
I enjoyed this very much. The straight narrative from a single point of view that is chronological was refreshing. Sometimes you don't need all the bells and whistles. You just need a good story and an interesting character.

I loved this book. Sam is a real person in a very real situation. I was immediately invested in Sam’s story and could not put it down. I appreciated that Goodman did not pile on the ‘bad things’, as Sam’s story is heartbreaking enough. Real and nuanced, Sam copes the best she can and makes realistic choices. I saw myself in Sam and I suspect others will too.

I highly recommend this book to YA readers and up.

I loved this book. Sam grows from a child to an adult through the course of this tale. Telling the story from her point of view as she progressed in age was interesting. Her views of herself, her father, her brother and mom change as story progresses and she matures. It was a very enjoyable read for me.

I really enjoy coming of age books even if there isn't much going on throughout the story but I could not get into Sam. I really wanted to like it but the writing style didn't seem to flow easily for me, to the point where it was distracting. I wish this author luck with her book. I think this one just wasn't for me.

Sam is a wonderful coming of age story. Sam is a very determined and headstrong young girl. She lives in an unstable household, so she lives as if she is alone, making her own decisions and goes with them. Time goes by and Sam is older, a teenager and older; she realizes she is smart, beautiful, strong and life turns around for her. I loved this story and Sam. Thank you #NetGalley#DialPress#Sam