I loved how the vocabulary and tone grew up with the main character. Having children at every age of the continuum I could see my own children, the way they speak and think. My biggest complaint is I felt the middle teenage "voice" was too young. But that could be just because I didn't think like that at that age. So it's really just my experience. Maybe other young teens do think that way.

I enjoyed the chosen physical activity. I guess I loved vicariously through Sam. I feel at peace in nature and when hiking. I don't do nearly enough of it. I've never been brave enough to try actual climbing or rappelling. Maybe I will in years to come.

I loved watching her grapple with the big question: what will you be when you grow up? I've always thought it unfair to ask this question when most adults don't have an answer for it!

Sam by Allegra Goodman is a beautiful read. I was emotionally invested in Sam's life from the very beginning. It is the type of book that leaves you missing the characters once it's over.

I was a bit disappointed in the book, just didn't have enough content for me. It is the story of so many - not finding yourself until you are more mature and can solve some of lifes problems on your own or with encouragement from those around you.

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada for an egalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is a coming-of-age story about a girl named Sam from ages 7-19. The novel explores the topics of relationships, friendship, grief, and identity.

This one just did not work for me. I didn't care for the writing style. I felt like I spent the whole book waiting for something to happen. I think the synopsis fooled me into thinking that I would take away more from it than I did.


Publication Date 03/01/23
Goodreads Review 05/01/23

I received this review copy as a NetGalley ARC.

The novel’s title character, a girl named Sam (only Sam, not a short form), grows up in a small Massachusetts town, in a single mother headed family that includes a younger half-brother. Mom Courtney is steel-willed and determined that her children will do better than she does, working at two minimum wage jobs just to scrape by. The fathers of both her children are unreliable and erratic, at times over-indulgent, at times neglectful. Because children can’t raise themselves, Courtney’s experiences shape her children’s, especially Sam. From the start of her story, when she is seven, until its conclusion as she begins university, Sam is repeatedly subjected to lessons in distrust that so affect her developing self that she loses sense of what that self wants to be. The adults she should be relying on expect her to be adult in order to meet their own needs and expectations. Not unreasonably, she becomes increasingly untrusting, even if her own needs. She isn’t supposed to have any.

At the story’s centre is Sam’s growing involvement in climbing, a competitive sport for which she hones a real affinity and aptitude. The path to self confidence through her achievements is nonetheless marred by painful missteps, some of which are by her own choice.

Goodman unflinchingly and even poetically recounts the coming of age experiences of one young girl living a life both very familiar in contemporary times and yet, as it only can be, unique. We see Sam painfully but also joyfully uncover the meaning of Sam: what she wants and what form her life must take so that she can be her genuine self. Readers of all ages will find much that is ‘relatable’ in Sam’s story, despite the age of its hero, who is very much the hero of her own life.

Sam takes us through the trials and tribulations of a young girl of 7 growing into a young woman while managing. the dysfunction in her family. Where does she fit in and who are her champions? Sometimes it is very hard to tell who to trust. "Sam is a lonely molecule" describes our heroine and makes her relatable to everyone at any stage of their life.

Sam by Allegra Goodman

Although some of my favorite authors rate this book highly, I thought the writing level is below par. At least for a seasoned author. I did enjoy Sam’s story, and that is the only reason I powered through this book. The writing is that basic.
Maybe the author’s intended audience is elementary school children, I don't know. I think even young adults will find the writing bad.
That being said, I did learn a few things about climbing, which I found pretty interesting. Also, Sam’s determination is a positive part of this book. But that's about it.
Sorry, but I will not recommend this book to anyone.

I loved this coming of age story! Sam is a strong, determined, and courageous character. I really enjoyed seeing how she changed as she matured. The cover really drew me in as well because it made me want to know more about Sam. This novel is very well done.

Thank you Net Galley for giving me this opportunity to read the book 'Sam'.
The story is about a young girl named Sam. Sam is seven years old when the story begins. She lives with her mom and brother and her mothers' on and off boyfriend.
Sam comes from a disfuntional family life. Sam's mom chooses wrong men to be in relationships with and Sam's dad is in and out of her life. As life goes on Sam's mom wants her to become an accountant but all Sam wants to do is climb. Sam evetually goes to college but doesn't enjoy it. Sam peaks her head in a classroom where the professor is lecturing on geology witch peaks Sam's interest. The story ends when Sam is nineteen and is off university to study what she wants to study.

Allegra Goodman’s novel Sam hooked me in the first chapter then slowly lost me. I say that because at times it felt very repetitive. The central focus in this is the coming-of age family story is Sam, beginning at age seven following her until she’s 19. You see her grow from sadness, and discouragement to determination.
I feel this book could have been better suited as a Young Adult novel and would make a very good book club book.

Thank you #netgalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

SAM is a coming-of-age story which follows a young girl named Sam from ages 7 to 19. She lives in Massachusetts with her divorced mom and younger half-brother Noah and from a very young age she loves to climb. Her father struggles with addiction and is not a constant or reliable presence in her life.

I really liked the characters, especially Sam, and the writing is very unpretentious which made it easy to read. I felt it was totally believable and realistic of a young girl's thoughts as she gradually matures. Sam is a tough cookie and doesn't give up easily but is often torn between what she wants and what others expect of her. Towards the end there's a lot of geology facts which I probably won't remember an hour from now but it's interesting. Same for accounting except I'm a little more familiar with that topic. You'll need to read the book to find out what role those subjects play! I'm giving the book 4.5 stars rounded up because I was totally absorbed in the book from beginning to end.

Huge thanks to Penguin Random House Canada and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this excellent novel. All opinions expressed are my own.
Publication Date: January 3, 2023

This book was not for me as I had trouble with the rhythm of the sentences. Thanks for the opportunity to read.

A heart wrenching coming of age story about a fierce young girl trying to navigate a chaotic home life. She climbs and gets tangled up with her coach and her emotions. Hard to read but in the end it’s exactly what happens in this world and must be talked about.

Thank you NetGalley for this arc

SAM chronicles the story of a young girl through to early adulthood. It's a coming of age story that tackles topics of love, friendship, abandonment & insecurities.

I really struggled to connect with this book. The writing style was very choppy and didn't allow for the story to flow. While some characters seem to have really great development, other's lacked depth. Definitely a lot of potential but not the book for me.

Sam is a coming of age story about a young girl as she grows into a young woman of 19 years. Allegra Goodman crafts the story of Sam and her family so neatly, and it was unputdownable. This would be a great book for a book club as it has several themes which would be interesting to discuss.

Thank you to Penguin Random House Canada, The Dial Press for the advance reader copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC of Sam by Allegra Goodman
I really enjoyed this novel, I wasn't sure when I first started as it's narrated by a 7 yr old, but as the story progresses the writting gets more mature, I thought it was very well done and a great technique. As I got into the story it didn't take long to be hooked. The story became more involved and mature as the main character grew up, and we continue to see things from her perspective. I didn't want to put the book down. This is story about a young girl, from the age of 7, dealing with all life throws at her, from parents, her brother, friends, and school, love. There is so much that the reader can relate to in their own lives.
The story starts with Sam as a young girl, living with her mom and half brother, she sees her biological dad sometimes, they have a good relationship, although he has some struggles and isn't always in the picture. Sam's mom Courtney works hard to make ends meet, sometimes with 2 jobs. She has a boyfriend that's not always nice to Sam when she is young, I liked how Sam would stand up to him. Sam grows up as the story progresses and ends when she is 19. When Sam was young, her father introduced her to climbing, a passion they share together. Sam also plays a huge role in helping her mom look after her brother.
We see in Sam her determination, relationship with her family, friends, boyfriends, how she deals with life and makes choices and how she deals with emotions.
This novel is really well written and allows the reader to interpret so much of what's going on in their own way and relate it to their own life at different stages growing up.
I recommend this novel and author. She developed great characters and storyline. I got a direct and to the point feeling from reading the story, meaning it didn't have a lot of extra adjectives and description, it was just full of story and I wanted to read every word.
This was a first novel Ive read by this author and I would absolutely read more.

I am a BIG Sam fan! What a tenacious and loving soul. As the main character, Sam grabs you like one of the rocks she is climbing and you hold on for the ride, cheering her along the way. An engaging read with lots of realistic twists and turns. The ending was slightly disappointing but I'm confident Sam will make her way in the world - caring for others as she meets challenges head on. Thank you Allegra Goodman for the great read!

In this coming of age story, Sam is in a lot of ways a typical girl, child, then teenager and then your adult, without a clear path forward, or role models. I think the key to this story is that every person has something they are good at, whether they know what that thing is? Sam is a from a broken home, her dad is has a problem with stability, with alcohol and maybe drugs as well. He has been so much a part of Sam's life until he isn't. I loved the characters, though not the mom's ex-boyfriends. Sam finds where she belongs, though not quite believing that she can pursue her dreams. I could not put this book down!

Sam is a young girl, the reader follows her life from age 7 to age 20. Sam is not a happy girl, there is a lot in her life that makes her sad and unhappy. Her biggest sadness is her absent father, who is an alcoholic and a promise breaker. The only thing that makes Sam a little bit happy is climbing. She always has problems “fitting in”. I keep hoping that something will make Sam at peace with herself and her life.

While this is not an uplifting book, I couldn't stop reading it. The writing style is different……short and easy sentences while Sam is young. As Sam matures, so does the writing style. But sometimes the writing seems choppy. There are many non-sequiturs which I don’t see the reason for.

This book is an eye opener about the art of rock climbing. It is a subject that I knew very little about. It is a sport that requires a lot of determination, concentration, and strategy and has psychological aspects.

Usually, I am a huge fan of coming-of-age stories. I love to see the world through the eyes of a young person discovering the world. This book did not creep into my heart like others. I think I was hoping for something a little more uplifting. While Sam's character was well defined and developed, I wasn't able to warm up to her as much as I had hoped.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the Advance Readers Copy.

This is a really, thoughtful, tender story about Sam, a young, lonely child, living with her single, overworked, exhausted mother, a younger brother with special emotional needs, and a loving father who heart-wrenchingly flits in and out of her life. Despite, her loneliness, sadness and occasional dispair, she finds she has a talent for climbing, with all the pain, skill and determination that comes with it.

Overall, the story beautifully uses climbing not just as a metaphor for the rockiness of her life but also as a testament to how central a role it plays in her character development over a 12 year period.

I would definitely recommend this book to a book club!