Oliver is a character that I sympathized with. This book really tugged at my heart strings. Although the plot started to become predictable I did enjoy it even if it left me completely devastated. I usually would leave a 4.5/5 star rating for books that make me cry or move me but it just felt like something was missing in this one.

I really tried to get through this book but the writing was so bad and the concept were just not it.

I loved You've Reached Sam but Dustin Thao's releases since have been mediocre. When Haru was Here was one of the worst books I read last year and thus when You've Found Oliver seemed like a mix between Haru and Sam, I just lost complete interest. Oliver could have been so much more drawn out as a character but it felt like he was a very one-dimensional character. I also felt that Julie was a lot different than she was in You've Reached Sam. The characters just did not feel like the ones that I found comfort in while reading You've Reached Sam.

I think this might be my sign that Dustin Thao is a one-hit wonder for me and I will not be picking up anymore of his books sadly.

Soooooo….

Oliver and Ben are gonna get another book, right? RIGHT?! Because that ending just didn’t satisfy me so now I need one from Ben’s POV and then a book when they meet each other again. It was a 5/5 star read for me, I absolutely loved and enjoyed every moment of it and I can’t wait for it to be punished because I am most definitely recommending it to people.

A big big fan of You’ve Reached Sam so this book was a top contender for one of the books I have been waiting all year for. Though I felt this book was a lack luster sequel. Was it good, yes! Did I enjoy Oliver’s story, yes! But the ending and last few chapter just weren’t anything to write home about. I felt like I was having to convince myself to stay longer and read more when I was having a hard time understanding how the fantasy elements in this book worked. Unlike when I read you’ve reached Sam. This book was still a fun time but as a SciFi girlie I felt there were some missing elements to this plot.

Dustin Thao is one of my top authors of all time. The way he writes, the emotions you feel. I loved every second every single book. This one is no exception. Some may say the writing seems basic, but I think it’s beautiful.

Now onto the story. Oliver texts his friend Sam. Only Sams passed away. When he accidentally calls, someone picks up. Ben. Oliver and Ben get to know each other more. They spend time together. But things start to take a weird turn.

I don’t want to spoil anything but the way my mouth was on the floor when I realized what was happening. I didn’t expect that kind of a turn. I could see some subtle hints but I was like “How is this going to go this time?”

The epilogue made me sob. Broke me apart. Bit from bit.

Thank you Dustin!!! You know exactly what I want to read and do it so beautifully.

Thank you Netgalley and Penguin Teen for the ARC.

GO BUY THIS BOOK SEPT 30

It has been a year since the death of Oliver's best friend, Sam and he has still been struggling with moving on. In processing his grief, Oliver has been texting Sam's old phone number with updates and messages of love when one day Oliver receives a message back. Oliver and the boy on the other end begin a relationship only to discover something is a little strange each time they meet up.

Though this is a follow up book to You've Reached Sam, you do not need to read the first book to be able to enjoy this one as it provides you with the complete back story. This book covers heavy topics like loss. grief, and healing so beautifully in a way that honors the characters journey. Dustin Thao definitely knows how to make you fall in love with the characters and deliver an emotional punch.

I started and finished this book in one evening because there was no way I was going to be able to sleep without knowing there the story of these two boys was going to go and I ugly cried while doing it.

I adored this book! It was my first Dustin Thao book, but definitely won't be my last! (I actually bought When Haru Was Here the next day). I thought the premise was great, the execution even more-so. It was a great book to think about loss and how to move on from it, especially when it involves someone that is so intertwined in your life.

“Ben…”

Honestly… I loved this book equally as much as I loved You’ve Reached Sam. At first I was a little unsure; Oliver was a little disconnected and seemingly far away in the sense that I couldn’t connect with the character. I later realized that maybe this was purposeful, as people who are grieving rarely find a way to connect back to their everyday life. This was made evident with him texting Sam’s phone number regularly and the way that everything seemed stiff, almost like he was just going through the motions of life throughout the different sections/chapters.

I enjoyed that it was written as if we were directly in Oliver’s mind, thinking his thoughts and feeling his emotions. It was so organic, I found myself forgetting I was reading a book.

I loved this book, I love how this author writes and I absolutely loved seeing the continuation of Sam’s loved one’s lives as they cope with his passing. My heart will never recover from that final line 😭

Oliver have had a difficult time processing the dead of his friend Sam. It’s been almost a year since Sam die; Oliver keeps sending messages to the old number of Sam. One day Oliver calls, and someone responds. They start to message each other until one day they decide to hang out, but they are 6 months apart from each other.
This book is a direct continuation of You've Reached Sam, but it is not necessary to have read it to read this book, as the first few chapters explain the situation. This book, like Dustin's predecessors, has a great atmosphere; it always makes me feel like I am inside one of his books. As for the characters, we don't dive too deeply into their pasts, more than in their relationship and some aspects of their personalities, and this time Dustin tries to provide a little support in science, although I preferred to see it from the perspective of magical realism. If you're afraid that this book has a sad ending, I would say it's like the ending of Haru. Although I was left with several questions that may not be that important, but I couldn't overlook them, like for example: What was Julie going to tell Oliver when she told him to remind her later? Why could only Oliver go to Ben's timeline? What was happening with the other Oliver? Were they alternate universes or just different time lines?

I liked this one way more than the first book. Oliver was a much more likeable character than Julie was in the first book. She's a great friend in this one and I love that for both her and Oliver. I absolutely loved all the astronomy and Philosophy lessons you get in this one. As I was reading this I was thinking I might not cry but as the story goes on and things were happening I had this pit start to grow in my stomach. I did cry a bit but by the end I found my smile.

You've Found Oliver was everything I hoped it would be after how much I loved You've Reached Sam. This was amazing and I cried so much.

That you to the Publisher and NetGalley for the early copy. This book was everything I hoped for and more. After book one, I was waiting patiently for book 2 & it delivered. The author writes such great relationships and moments and I cannot wait to read more from him.

I love these books, they're so sweet and heartwarming and I could not put it down. Definitely one to read.

4.5 stars

You've Found Oliver is a follow-up to You've Reached Sam, but this time we get to follow Oliver, Sam's best friend, while he navigates college, the aftermath of his first relationship, his lingering grief over Sam, and life without Julie, his only friend, while she studies abroad. Oliver's story felt so relatable and real with such raw emotions. Learning to go through life without someone you love deeply is hard, and I think Dustin Thao really encapsulates the reality of those emotions. Oliver perseveres, and I loved seeing that for him. Ben and Oliver are so great, and I honestly wouldn't mind getting to see more of them.

I loved and sobbed at You've Reached Sam and was immediately drawn to wanting to read You've Found Oliver. This book pulled at my heart strings and emotions all over again in the best way possible. It's a bit slow at points but overall it was a great pace. It has a twist at the end that is sort of HEA but will tug at you and have you shedding some tears.

I would recommend reading You've Reached Sam prior as this is a companion book and the emotional attachments and understanding the characters a bit more from the start does add to this story.

Dustin Thao you did it again! Be proud of this work and I can't wait to add it to my shelf.

This book was good!

I was one of those who fell in love with the premise in You've Reached Sam, the first in this series, but felt disappointed in the execution. But I always felt it was too bad, that there could be more in this story. Maybe that's why I was excited to get this companion book. Moreover, I did remember Oliver from the first book and was curious to see how his happy ending would be, and also glad for him to get the chance of one.

3.5 rounded up to 4.

I've gotta say it's been a while since I last read a book this fast. The story made me wonder how things would happen. To my luck I didn't remember much of the summary, so I was even guessing what the problem would be to keep Oliver and Ben apart. And it was exciting the way the supernatural gets introduced. It gave me the chills.

Oliver was a great character and Ben was very cute too so it was easy to cheer for the couple. But I wish we could have learned better about Ben. Even Oliver's situation isn't all that clear, and the focus was almost exclusively on how Oliver is grieving Sam, refusing to live in the present.

If anyone has watched The Lake House or the original Il Mare, the first half may seem predictable, but don't worry, the plot differentiates itself later on. However, at the same time, it was when I felt disappointed. Not in that I wanted it to be just like those two movies, but that the consequences could have been better explored. I wasn't reading it to be amazed, I just wanted a sweet love story, but it was promising, and I not only wanted more and better but I knew it could have been delivered.

In any case, it's still very cute. I was in love with the book and these two. It's too bad it's over and I'm not sure we can get a third in the series. Even if it's not possible, please, write more books.

Kudos to author Dustin Thao. I was expecting another M/M romance, but what I got went much deeper as Oliver discovered the world and himself. It is such a nice change of pace, and so insightful, that I recommend You've Found Oliver to everyone.
Thanks NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

If You’ve Reached Sam shattered my heart, You’ve Found Oliver somehow pieced it back together then broke it all over again in the best way. This sequel follows Oliver, who’s still grieving his best friend Sam a year after his death. Unable to stop texting Sam’s old number, Oliver is stunned when a stranger named Ben finally answers. Ben, an astronomy student in Seattle, has unknowingly been reading Oliver’s most vulnerable messages for months. What starts as an unexpected connection blossoms into something beautiful until Oliver uncovers a secret that could pull them apart. Tender, heartfelt, and just as devastatingly romantic as its predecessor, I loved this one even more than the first.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This book was everything I needed after You’ve Reached Sam. It hurt in the most delicious way and I couldn’t be happier about it. I knocked it down a star because some moments felt forced and a little slow, but it was all worth it in the end. Of course, Oliver and Sam get their HEA (but with a twist I didn’t see coming).

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing this eARC.

A companion novel to You've Reached Sam, You've Found Oliver follows Sam's best friend, Oliver, a year after his death, when an accidental phone call to Sam's number is answered by someone else.

You've Found Oliver is a relatively light read with a lot of heart and not enough pages for me. I loved You've Reached Sam, and while You've Found Oliver wasn't so much of a bawl-your-brains-out tearjerker, I did find Oliver, and his newfound love interest, Ben, astonishingly endearing. Their story moves at a relatively quick pace, and the wibbly wobbly stuff going on is a pretty good reason for that, but I honestly could've done with another solid 50 pages of development between the two of them. There were some scenes I wanted to be fully in, rather than just hear about, and I think fleshing out the on screen moments a bit more would have really elevated this book for me.

It can be read without reading You've Reached Sam, but my emotional attachment to the characters from my time with You've Reached Sam went a long way, I think, in helping me along in this book. I think fans of Dustin Thao will love this sweet, emotional journey with Oliver.