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.

I will not be giving anything away in this review but I do want to say that this is a beautifully written story. I definitely shed a few tears while reading (a rare occurrence). Dustin Thao did not disappoint and I look forward to reading more from him.

This sequel was adorable & made up for the let down that You've Reached Sam was for me.

This time it is Oliver who gets to experience a little magic. He is now a freshman at college in his spring semester struggling to find where he belongs and still grappling with his grief of losing his best friend a year prior.

When he "meets" Ben after texting and accidently calling Sam's old phone number, it's like fate that Oliver may have finally found, not only a friend with tons in common with, but maybe something more.

As Ben and Oliver get closer, they struggle with how the magic that brought them together may not be enough to keep them together in time.

My only complaint would be that while I loved the set up for how Oliver and Ben met, I did not think the magical realism element needed to be included? I think their sweet meet cute through Sam's number could have been enough.

I enjoyed thay we got to see glimpses of Julie again too. She seems much happier and sure of herself a year later and it was nice to get to check in a bit with her after the end of You've Reached Sam.

Overall, a quick and sweet read! Thank you NetGalley for the eARC and the opportunity to read this one early!

Ugh I was wanting to like this book more than I actually ended up liking it! I read When Haru Was Here earlier this year and loved it! I finished it in like a day because I couldn’t put it down I think I just didn’t connect with the characters in this story. So much of this book felt surface level to me in a way I wasn’t expecting. If you’re looking for a not as Sad Dustin book with a twist, this is deffo a good book for you! (Just not my fave)

This is a spoiler-free review of an ARC I received on NetGalley. Thank you to Penguin Young Readers Group and NetGalley for the chance to read my first ARC!

I had to DNF this book at about 5o%. From the very beginning, the very stilted writing made it difficult to get through, as it felt the narrator was telling us everything the way someone would recount their grocery list. This happened. Then that happened. Then I said this. Then he did that. And so on. As for the characters, we see little depth emotionally. Oliver falls for this total stranger incredibly fast, and we as readers are given no reason to understand this infatuation. The time distortion element came out of nowhere and completely threw me for a loop. I tried to read through it, but eventually I admitted that this book was just not for me. Judging by the majority reaction, I think I am simply not the target audience for this author, as most readers so far have loved this book, as well as its in-universe companion. Sadly, I was not able to find the same joy in it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dustin Thao for this ARC of “You’ve Found Oliver.”

A beautiful, cosmic connection of a book. I read this in one sitting as I could not put the book down.

As someone who was a philosophy minor in my undergrad, this really resonated with me on a lot of my studies I’ve done, as well as touched upon my heart. I was rooting for Oliver and Ben the whole book, and I hope in their new timeline — things work out for them.

Another beautiful novel from Thao.

I enjoyed this one more than the first one (<i>You've Reached Sam</i>) but it still feels like it's falling short of its potential.

The plot is better here. The alternate timelines are easier to understand and don't confuse the story too much. I love the ruminations on how time functions and how we experience it. But the characters feel young for this topic.

Much like the first book, everyone reads very age-appropriate in their dialogue and actions. It bothered me less here because the story felt more cohesive. I do wish Oliver had some more friends to round out his world a bit.

My biggest complaint is that the romantic storyline elicits almost no emotions. <spoiler>There could have been a really interesting and impactful storyline about how Ben helps Oliver move on from his feelings for Sam. We could've seen the interplay of grieving a young love while moving forward with your life and I'm mad we didn't get that.</spoiler> Oliver tells us how he feels about Ben instead of us seeing it happen. Even in the moments where we're seeing things, the narrative gets in the way. It was hard to connect with either of them.

I'm glad I read it (and even happier that it's a short book) but I can't see myself recommending this.

<i>Many thanks to NetGalley, Dutton Books for Young Readers, and the author for providing a copy in exchange for an honest review.</i>

The first book in this series, You've Reached Sam, has been on my TBR forever, so getting this ARC gave me an excuse to finally read it. And I'm really glad I did!

In the first book, high school senior Sam dies, and through some unexplained phenomenon, his girlfriend Julie is still able to talk to him over the phone. Julie must learn how to say goodbye and grieve Sam before their connection is lost.

In You've Found Oliver, we learn more about Sam's best friend in the year after Sam's death. Oliver and Julie have become best friends. But he secretly still sends one-sided texts to Sam's phone as a way to process his grief. One day, he accidently dials Sam's number and a boy named Ben picks up. As they get to know each other, weird things start to happen and they realise they are living 6 months apart. As Oliver's time in the past and present blur, he needs to decide which timeline he belongs in and what he's willing to risk to stay by Ben's side.

I love that while there's a throughline of Sam's phone being the magical element in both books, the author doesn't rely on the same catalyst for the story. Oliver, unlike Julia, never gets a proper goodbye with Sam. But grief is different for everyone, and what Oliver needed was to find love with someone else in order to process losing Sam.

Moving on after losing someone is hard and messy and not a straight line. Dustin Thao understands this and conveys it beautifully. Be ready with the tissues, because it hits all the feels.

I received this ARC from publisher @penguinteen. The opinions are my own.

You've Found Oliver will be released on September 30, 2025

I will preface this by saying I have not read You've Reached Sam. Without knowing anything about the first book I had no issues following the characters and story.

It has been one year since Oliver's best friend Sam died in a tragic accident. He as since become best friends with Sam's girlfriend and also cannot seem to let go of Sam. He continue to text heartfelt message to him never expecting a response, until one day he accidentally calls the number an someone who isn't Sam picks up.

This is how Oliver meets Ben, an astronomy student in Seattle. The two soon meet in person and have instant chemistry, but something seems off to Oliver.

This is such a bitter sweet story of dealing with grief and trying to move on. There's a very interesting magical/supernatural twist to Ben and Oliver's love story. It's really lovely seeing Oliver slowly start to move on and find happiness elsewhere, even though the universe seems to want to screw everything up.

While some of the happenings seem quite unlikely, since magic is involved I can't fault them too much. Both Ben and Oliver are extremely likable characters and I found myself rooting so hard for them. Even when Oliver is making all kinds of bad decisions you still can't help but want things to work out for him.

This a really hopefully story with great character development. Even if you haven't read the first one this one was well worth it!

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Young Readers Group for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was such a cute and easy read! Although I wasn't the biggest fan of You've Reached Sam, I was excited for You've Found Oliver as I adore multimedia/texting stories, and different timelines/speculative twists. I will say I liked it way more than the original book, and I loved how Dustin Thao showed them being in different timelines! However, and this is just a me thing, I was way more drawn into the text conversations - so I found myself skipping scenes that fully fleshed out our main character, like his scenes with his family or with Julie, all because I LOVED seeing the texts and speculative elements.

So while this wasn't a perfect book for me, I did find it extremely fun and interesting to read!

This was a very cute story of finding love through your grief! Quick and Easy read!
+ MM Romance
+ Time Travel

Thank you to Penguin Young Readers Group for this e-ARC of You've Found Oliver. I liked You've Reached Sam, and I thought it was a wonderful book to have taken the YA space by storm. I mean, look at these covers? Insanely gorgeous. I love the concept of Dustin Thao's novels, this mystical realism, and more gut wrenching than sweet, but in a good way. I think the concept of grief and exploring it was great, but I think there was an element missing. I think grief is highly personal, but I just don't think that there was a real, tangible connection that I could have to the grief, which ultimately diminished the emotionality that Thao was really getting at, and has always tried to get at with his books. Overall, I did enjoy this, despite it not really hitting its mark in the grand scheme of things.

ARC review
Publication date 30 September 2025.

"You've Found Oliver" by Dustin Thao is a sequel (or companion) to "You’ve Reached Sam".
I did not read it first, but I plan too.

I received an e-ARC from Penguin Young Readers Group (via Netgalley).
Opinions from this review are completely my own.

This is a lovely book.
I did not read anything by the author before, but the cover and description convinced me to read it.
The writing is beautiful and I loved the characters (especially Oliver and Ben).

The book deals with grief, bit also has a lighthearted and romantic side.
I did not expect the paranormal twist, even if it was hinted by the cover.

Oliver is such a kind, lovable and sweet character and I am glad that he found Ben.
The connection that they have is emotional and I am very happy with the ending.

I hesitated reading "You’ve Reached Sam" because I expected to be very sad, but after reading this book I plan to give it a chance.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.25

The Lake House meets The Butterfly Effect

I knew absolutely minimal going into this book! I only knew that Oliver was one of the MMCs.

You’ve Found Oliver has the essence of The Lake House.

Two people communicating with each other in different time lines. Oliver has been messaging Sam’s phone number for months. No response is normal because Sam is no longer alive. When he is finally ready to let Sam go he gets a response from Ben. Ben has acquired Sam’s old phone number.

When they start hanging out they realize that Ben is in a different time line. He is 6 months prior to the current timeline.

This book was beautifully written. I loved Oliver! I was routing for Ben the whole time!

I was so happy to see Oliver finally get his own story — and the closure he deserved for everything he went through with Sam. This book threw me for a loop (in the best way!) with a twist I did not see coming. The idea of overlapping timelines added such a unique layer, and honestly, that reveal left me speechless.

One of the things I love most about this series is how it constantly pushes the boundaries of storytelling. Every book makes you think outside the box, and just when you think you know what’s coming — surprise! You don’t.

This was sickeningly sweet! I loved every part of it! You've Found Oliver starts out as a romance between two men that starts to take a turn I didn't really expect. I maybe should have, considering this authors other books have a similar otherworldly aspects, but it caught me off guard in this one for some reason. I loved both main characters and the atmosphere. My only complaint for this would be its writing style. But considering that it's YA and I am an adult, I don't necessarily consider it a true fault of the book, just a personal preference. Regardless, it was a wonderful book and I will for sure be looking out for more queer books from this author in the future.

[4⭐️][ARC]

This book follows Oliver, Sam’s best friend. Set after “You’ve Reached Sam”. Since Sam’s death Oliver has been texting almost daily to deal with his grief and keep Sam alive in his memory, but when Oliver decides to finally stop he accidentally dials his number and someone picks up. Not Sam, but another boy named Ben. Oliver and Ben’s weird meeting causes them to connect over Oliver’s text and start texting more and more sharing their interests. After deciding to finally meet up something weird has happened, they are both at the very restaurant they said to meet up at but Oliver claims the building is locked and run down when Ben says he’s inside. Moments later Ben finds Oliver and they walk into the building, but now it’s open and full of lights and people, odd but Oliver rights it off as a mistake. But as time goes on and more meetings happen they can’t find each other. They both say it’s weird but when Ben comes to meet Oliver at his College, Oliver brings Ben to his dorm except all his stuff is gone and his roommate isn’t there, almost as someone completely different, and his favorite cafe that shut down weeks ago is suddenly open again. Then Ben mentions that it’s September but Oliver says it’s April. Oliver realizes that somehow he has jumped into an alternate universe 6 months from his present time. They have to figure out how this is happening and how to build their relationship past this defect. Can they do it? How will this work in the end?

This book was such a good sequel!! I really wish it was longer. Ben & Oliver were such amazing characters, so much depth gone into them. After reading this I have so many theories & thoughts!! You could even read this without having read “You’ve Reached Sam” it’s a pretty quick read! Dealing with the topics of grief and unrequited love. (And if you are really wondering yes it has a happy ending ❤️)

I’m so grateful for the Read Now ARC opportunity on NetGalley by Dutton Books—You’ve Found Oliver was one of my most anticipated reads, and it’s a moving, heartfelt follow-up to You’ve Reached Sam. While this one leans lighter and more romantic than its predecessor, it still explores themes of grief, identity, and second chances in a way that feels both tender and hopeful.

Oliver is such a lovable character, kind, funny, and easy to root for and his connection with Ben is sincere and quietly emotional. The story had me hooked, especially in the second half. I do wish the parallel universe concept had been explored a bit more deeply, but overall, this was a warm and beautifully written read that left me smiling.