I cried like a baby.

I hated the female protagonist SO MUCH. Even though I KNOW people grieve differently.... she was just so annoying.
omg.
Still: I cried.

Absolutely loved this book!

Dustin you are amazing!

I was hooked throughout and couldn't put this book down.

Thank you for accepting my ARC request.

You've Reached Sam was an emotional read that keeps you hooked. I can understand why people may find the main character annoying but she was a teenage girl grieving her boyfriend, you probably wouldn't be acting great if this was you. It got a little slow in the middle but overall I enjoyed this book.

This was absolute heart wrenching. A beautiful exploration of grief and first love, I actually couldn’t get through it cus every time I picked it up I cried. Kudos to the author for such fantastic writing to get this emotion from me, but as I couldn’t actually finish i can’t give it five stars 😅

🌿BOOK REVIEW🌿

You’ve Reached Sam by Dustin Thao

“Letting go isn’t about forgetting. It’s balancing moving forward with life, and looking back from time to time, remembering the people in it.”

Julie has always planned to leave the small town that she has outgrown, go to college and live with her boyfriend Sam. Everything changes when Sam tragically dies and Julie blames herself. She is struggling to deal with her grief and one night when she phones Sam to hear his voicemail, he picks up.

I had seen this book floating around Twitter and TikTok and I honestly didn’t expect that plot until I read the blurb as I was picking it up.

I will start with what I liked- the topic of grief. It shows how the process of grieving isn’t linear and looks totally different for everyone. Julie faces abuse from other people as they don’t think her way of grieving is “correct”. She is desperately trying to put her life back together and feels completely alone.

Saying that, I just did not feel connected to the story or the characters at all. I found it easy to skim over large portions which was really upsetting.

⭐️⭐️

⚠️CW// grief, death, car accident, racism

When 17-year-old Julie’s boyfriend dies in a car crash on his way to pick her up she is totally numb to the pain and ready to move on. However, it doesn’t take long for the pain and grief to overwhelm her. Seeking some connection to him she calls his phone to hear his voicemail, what she isn’t prepared for is him answering.
This book was all over Instagram last year to the point you literally couldn’t buy it anywhere, so I was thrilled when I was approved for a @netgalley copy. It was sort of like a modern day YA version of Ghost. I can’t say I loved it, but it was okay. I do wonder whether at 32 I’m finally starting to grow out or YA books… I did enjoy the journey of grief which felt realistic to me and the fear or other peoples opinions.
Not a bad book but also not one I’d be rushing to recommend to others.

Sam and Julie are the perfect couple - young, madly in love and with the rest of their lives ahead of them. But when Sam suddenly dies in a tragic accident, Julie's life as she knows it is torn to shreds as she struggles to cope with losing the love of her life. In a desperate attempt to soothe her loneliness and hear his voice one last time, she decides to ring his number - and, unexpectedly, he answers...

I have to say, I never expected this book to be such a powerful exploration of grief, and what it means to truly let go and move on. Julie's struggle to deal with what happened is heartbreaking, but what I really liked about this story is that we also see the impact she has on loved ones in the way she chooses to grieve - and it teaches a valuable lesson.

All in all, worth a read for a refreshing take on a teenage love story.

I read this book in three hours, that's how much I loved it. From the first chapter of this book, my heart was broken and it carried on breaking throughout the whole book.
Despite this book being just under 300 pages long, it was filled with so many heart wrenching moments but I could not stop reading.
The concept of this book is amazing, the idea that Julie gets to contact her dead boyfriend Sam through her phone, and the way they are able to reconnect and have a second chance to say goodbye one final time because they didn't get to do that before he died.
I loved the way grief was written in this book, and how Julie starts this book wanting to move on from Sam's death despite it only being a week after it happened, and how throughout the book you see her dealing and coming to terms with losing Sam whilst also reliving their relationship and the happy moments that they spent together throughout their relationship.
I loved seeing Julie reconnect with her friends again and being able to find herself again, whilst also realising she can still enjoy life whilst grieving Sam.
The conversations between Julie and Sam were so sweet. I loved seeing them have their second chance.
The last two chapters of this book hit me the hardest and I definitely cried a little, but I am glad that this book ended positively in the end.
I just want to say that I absolutely adore the cover of this book and it is hands down one of my all time favourite book covers. It is just so beautiful.

Perfect. Heartbreaking. Amazing.

I have no other words, 10/10, incredible. I would literally die for these characters.

3.5 stars

Thank you to the author (Dustin Thao), the publisher (Macmillan) and NetGallery for an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Firstly I want to say, booktok lied to me.
This book was sad, yes, but was it sobbing until I can’t breath, heartbreakingly sad like I’d heard? No. However it was a good book.

* I liked how the story flowed with Julie’s memories of Sam in a creative way, not just in sleep or daydreams etc.
* The idea of having him being on the other end of the phone even after his death I’d not seen done before but was done well, and I especially like the guessing of how it was possible, and why no one else could contact Julie when she was on the phone to Sam etc.
* The book also spoke on grief, not just Julie’s but Sam’s family, friends and the community around him which was done well (I thought).
* I wasn’t sure how the book was going to end given it’s unusual nature, but I think the author did the book justice ending it how they did and not going too far with the storyline and giving closure etc.

Overall, 3.5 stars. It wasn’t amazing, probably wouldn’t read it again, but would recommend this book to others.

Omg this book made me cry so hard! The romance was spot on, the characters felt raw and real, and I felt hope at the end of the book which is really impressive.

Sometimes the writing style bugged me a little and some things were clique but overall this was a great read if you don't mind going through a box of Kleenex!

I loved the premise of this. There were great characters and I liked how their individual stories linked together, but Julie was quite irritating at times and completely dismissive of the feelings of everyone else from Sam's life. I really felt for Sam's sister and her story was quite hard hitting. The ending was brilliant but I struggled with parts of it and it wasn't as emotional as I was expecting from a book about grief and loss.

It has taken me a little while to write this review as there was a lot to process.
Trigger Warnings - Death, Grief, Loss
I adored this book and it is something that is going to stick with me for a long time. Being a spiritual person I found it really easy to connect with. It was very delicately written and absolutely beautiful from start to finish.
I felt so connected to Julie and Sam my heart broke for them both. Saying goodbye is such a big part of loosing a a loved one and it is so important and I really feel like You've Reached Sam showed the impact it can have on not being able to say goodbye.
I have told so many people about this book and I will continue to do so.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review,

A nice, easy read. I feel like it is one of those books that is straight to the point, this is how it is and not anything complicated. Simple but meaningful

Thank you NetGalley, MacMillian and Dustin Thao for this advanced copy!

Another book that has unexpectedly blown me away! The prologue of this book alone had my heart breaking in two, and it kept doing so throughout. This was such an emotional read for me, especially being a YA book. I'm not sure why it hit me so hard but if you're looking for a tear jerker, pick this one up!

I really loved Thao's writing. The imagery created, characters introduced and all the emotion and feeling packed into it all made a very beautiful book. Everyone we meet in this is going through a hard time and you really do feel for them, especially Julie. And even Sam. Their conversations throughout still make my heart hurt just thinking about them! This is definitely a book for your TBR if you're looking for a YA book about love and how powerful it can be.

*Please research any trigger warnings before reading*

'You've Reached Sam' was archived on here before I could provide feedback, and since I had to purchase this for myself to read instead of reading a provided ARC I will not be writing a review. However, it is easily a 5 star read - beautifully written and equally heartbreaking.

3.5/ 5

I personally found this read to be very hit or miss.

I really enjoyed the way the book portrayed a multitude of ways in which people deal with grief and death. Alongside I felt it was written appropriately for a Young Adult audience when dealing with such heavy topics.

I liked most of the characters and had nothing bad to say about them per se, although I believe if they had a bit more depth to them they would have really come to life.

I also wish that some of the loose ends were tied up at the end of the book. For example:
- Why were there a limited amount of phone calls?
- Why does the connection become less clear when more people speak to Sam?

This book did leave me sobbing at the end, and I definitely enjoyed it overall!

Thank you, NetGalley for providing me with this book for an honest review.

This book was so beautiful and it hit my heart hard. Losing someone is the worst, but losing them before their time will always hit harder. Julie's journey through her grief was awe-inspiring. Realising it is not what we say that matters, but that we just get the chance to talk is such a hard lesson to learn, but obviously so important. I highly recommend this book and hope everyone can enjoy.

The most beautiful and heart wrenching book of 2022.

I would love to read everything and anything written by this author because I am completely captivated. This book was just incredible and I need everyone to read it immediately!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for a copy of this in exchange for a fair review. Well-written, emotional, and great characters. This will definitely be a hit among younger readers!