After the death of her boyfriend Sam, Julie tries to move on. However, when she rings Sam and he picks up, everything changes.

I thought this book was beautiful and bittersweet. The characters, united in grief, were relatable and real. Julie's struggle to move on while she still held onto Sam was one I could imagine my own response to.

My only issue with this book was that sometimes the grief and sadness felt a little overdone, moments enacted simply to make us more sad. But I think in the balance of the book it worked to make an emotional story about grief, friendship, and moving on.

The book starts with this couple Julie and Sam both very much in love, but tragically some guys and obviously Julie is very grief-stricken I'm not sure how to live without Sam I think we've all been there we have complete and utter grief and not sure how to cope with it. One day Julie decided to actually phone his mobile but what she didn't expect is the same to pick up I think she was completely done struck when that happened like anybody would be. Then you kind of go back through the Love Story a little bit and actually realised her in lovely where but this story isn't really about connecting with that person anymore it's about how to let them go go go and I think for many people that's very difficult.

I I think that this book was an absolutely fantastic paranormal Romance heart-wrenching at times I did pull my heart and at times I was crying it takes a lot for a book to do that to me they also teaches you the meaning of having to lose a loved one and how you have to carry on with life after very bittersweet.

A wonderful young adult paranormal Romance I hope we get many more books from Dustin.

An interesting look at how we say good bye. Julie’s boyfriend dies and it is far far too soon, yet she is given a gift of short conversations with him on his phone. She knows that she only has a limited amount of conversations to have with Sam and they are precious to both of them. Julie talks of nothing and everything and we look at how it isn’t necessarily what is said but talking that helps us move on.

Thank you to NetGalley for this eARC. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This book was heart-breaking. It follows Julie on her grief journey following her best friend turned first love Sam. I think this the best showcase of grief I have ever read and the way it was written was so beautifully done, I just loved it. It also showcases how people deal with differently, and it annoyed me when some of the characters in this book was shaming Julie because she wasn't grieving the same way they were,

I also loved the flashbacks that happen throughout the book. It is a brilliant representation of how something, no matter how big or small, could trigger a memory. I loved the connection that Julie and Sam have after he died. The phone calls they have with each other is her only way of holding on to him, if only for a little bit longer and I think most people who have experienced grief can relate to that. That feeling of not wanting to let go. But when the time finally comes to say goodbye forever, Julie is ready.

I think this is a book that everybody should read at least once and I really hope Dustin writes more books.

Thank you for advanced copy, I was really excited to get access and am grateful for the chance to read You've Reached Sam.

There are mixed reviews for this book, and I'm gutted to agree that this book left me feeling underwhelmed. I can see where the author was reaching for, but it felt a little flat. I would have liked to see more depth and variation between the characters, as the vocabulary style was similar for all characters it was quite hard to separate who was talking. The story is wholesome and a really lovely concept, the author sensitively navigates loss and coming to terms with moving on.

⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
...just.

I loved You've Reached Sam. I love the imagery, I love the aching descriptions of grief, and I love how the author poured their heart and soul into telling it.
But I'm not *in* love with it.

Starting at the start:
Julie! Julie was a really interesting character for me. Throughout the story the author makes you feel this strong empathy for her, whether you've experienced profound loss like she has or not. I never found myself to dislike her at all - I only felt sorry for her as she struggles with her grief. As a character she's really intriguing to me, becuase what I enjoyed was going with her on her emotional journey. I'm not certain that aside from this, I would've necessarily liked her.
Interestingly, I think the key example of my feelings towards these characters is Sam.
I genuinely only liked Sam in the flashbacks. Granted, those were the number one examples of who he was. My issue was more...with the lack of description in his tone on the calls with Julie. When one character is literally a voice, I need to read all the "softly" and "harshly" and "with a touch of sadness". Otherwise? I only hear him speak in monotone. This really took me out of the drama in the final phone call.
The lack of explanation for why the phone calls have the circumstances they do annoyed me a little too. Perhaps it's because this is a YA book and I've become more of an adult reader, but Sam's final dialogue felt a little...dare I say cheesy? The words themselves are actually quite gorgeous, but as an explanation it just didn't work for me. The description felt like something that I could have inferred, rather than being stated.

That being said - the focus of this book is Julie's process of grief. I'm fairly certain she goes through all of the 5 stages of grief. It was this aspect of the story that truly SHONE. And I mean I-need-sunglasses SHONE. The physical metaphors? GOREGOUS. The locations? EXQUISITE. Everything about that I adored, and it's what makes this a four star read for me and not any lower.

Overall, You've Reached Sam is a lovely read that I think will resonate with anyone who picks it up, regardless of personal experience. The journey Julie goes on is one you won't want to miss being a part of.

Thank you to netgalley, for kindly giving me this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Not my typical read but I'd heard so many good things about this book I couldn't not pick it up, so thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity.

This book was beautifully written and portrays grief in a way that is relatable....its messy and you don't always understand it.

Julie is given a chance to connnect with Sam again after he passes, when she calls his phone and he somehow answers. But the re-connection can't last forever, how do you say goodbye a second time...

We journey with Julie as she tries to figure out what her life looks like without Sam and how that affects not just her, but the people around her.

A sweet little read that tugs on the heartstrings

You've Reached Sam - Dustin Thao.

First off, Thanks so much to Netgalley and Macmillan Children's Books for providing me with an ARC (advanced reading copy) of this book in exchange for an honest review.

While I enjoyed this book and it's a sweet little story about a teenage girls growth through the grieving process after the death of her boyfriend - I do have to say I was a little disappointed after reading it as I had heard such raving reviews and recommendations and think I went into it with such high expectations that I ended up being left a bit underwhelmed.

If youre looking for a book with a substantial plot this is not it! It was a lIttle too slow paced for me... with nothing really happening. Saying that, it was a quick and easy read and I had it finished within two sittings.

I didnt connect enough with any of the characters to really care about what happened to them 😬

It was a nice story, I can understand why so many people love this book but unfortunately I am not one of them.

Wow. What can I say? This book is beautiful and warm, laced with grief and sadness, It was a very well written, engaging story. It reminded me of History Is All You Left Me by Adam Silvera, as they both deal with themes of grief, love and relationships. This was a touching story perfect for fans of Adam Silvera! I would definitely recommend this book to friends and family. I was deeply effected by the narrative and the real-ness of the characters. Thank you NetGalley for letting me read this!

That was sad☹

This book is
"Forever & Always (Piano Version) (Tayor's Version)" by Taylor Swift,
"All Too Well (Taylor's Version)" by Taylor Swift,
"right where you left" by Taylor Swift, and
"11:11" by Since September.
Except the partner was not deliberately left, but dead. So this is Julie's journey to overcome grief and learn to let go of her loved one.

I relatively like this book. It's light (despite the thing that made me sad) and page turner. But I noticed some repeated use of phrases like "you know?" or "it's all in my head" or "okay?" and almost every character's way of talk is very similar. Not that I hate it but it's so noticable.

For me Julie is slightly annoying and unlikeable. I tried to understand that she was in deep grief but apparently the flashbacks showed that it's just her traits. IDK what Sam saw in her because he seemed madly in love with her but who am I to judge🙄 and how Sam can keep in contact with Julie is not explained at all.

But overall it's still nice and emotional. Definitely looking forward to Dustin's next books!

Thank you Macmillan Children and Netgalley for the ARC!

I have no doubt that TikTok is going to lap up this book. It took me a while to get into, especially with the switch between past and present. To start I felt like nothing was happening, but thinking back I think it works because that’s how Julie would feel. It’s a book you need to be concentrating to read. Julie was a great character, and I thought her experience of grief and how others act around her was excellent. I particularly liked when she was organising all Sam’s things and trying to navigate her emotions.

⭐️⭐️⭐️✨

This book was absolutely beautiful. Centred around grief and heartbreak, we follow Julie, who has her whole life figured out, but one night her boyfriend Sam dies. Hoping to forget all of the things she has lost, Julie throws out Sam’s things, misses the funeral and isolates herself, but in a state of grief, she rings Sam’s phone just hoping to hear his voice on his voicemail, but, he picks up…

I loved the fact that in the beginning, Julie, in my opinion, was a very unlikable main character. It seemed to show what the first stages of grief does to a person and I loved her character arc throughout the story.

It is rare that I go in to a YA book nowadays, but I had heard some incredible things about this, and I am so glad I picked it up. It was so beautifully written, the imagery for the dream sequences were written in such a way that I could visualise every single little detail.

I didn’t cry as much as I thought that I might, but I did shed a few tears, so I would recommend if you are looking for a quick, sad read, that will tug on the heartstrings. It is a story about learning to let go and learning to love once you have lost.

the prologue tries to do what the movie UP does but doesn't quite pull it off. what follows it very vanilla, the type of story that could be easily become a netflix teen drama.

Wow, I need to put my heart back in my chest as Dustin Thao Tran has just ripped it out with his new novel 'You've Reached Sam.' At the beginning, we meet Julie, whose boyfriend Sam has recently died in a tragic accident. She is in the depths of grief, struggling to socially engage, including skipping the funeral. One day, on a whim, she rings Sam's number... which he picks up!

This beyond the grave communication requires the reader to quickly suspend their disbelief, especially considering when the author tries to apply some tenuous rules to this new arrangement. However, if we consider this primarily a story about grief and learning to move through it, it is a really beautiful way of telling the story. We not only see Julie's present period of mourning but we also get a blur of dreams and flashbacks to Julie and Sam's relationship. There are several interesting themes explored, including how to leave a legacy when one dies young and the guilt of moving on with life and love when a partner dies.

Overall, this is an emotional and raw story which I would highly recommend. 4 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher who provided an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I've never read anything like this, and I doubt I will again.
Thao's writing throughout 'You've Reached Sam' is beautiful. The merging of past and present works so well, and I felt like I understood Sam and Julie's relationship, despite the book beginning with Sam's death.
Most of all, what shines for this novel is the portrayal of grief. The true nastiness of it. I love how Thao doesn't shy away from showing grief in its entirety, in its whole difficulty, instead of just showing the pretty tears and the easy sadness we often see in fiction. Julie is not always a likeable character, and I think this is what makes her character so real. She makes mistakes, she is misguided in a way we only understand because we are not going through the intensity of emotion she is.
This book wrecked me emotionally, and that truly is a testament to Thao's writing. It is one that will stick with me forever, and I'm so so glad exists.
4.5

(Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Children's Books for this eARC)

I was super excited to read this book, however I found that it did disappoint me slightly. I felt as though it dragged on for a little too long (her calling and hanging on to Sam) but then again everybody processes grief differently. Other than that it was a very likeable and well presented story. I’m only giving it three stars as it didn’t quite live up to my expectations but I would definitely still recommend this book to others!

This book was the emotional masterpiece I have been awaiting.
The writing, whilst enchanting, allowing myself to be submerged in the world, but if you are looking for a book with a substantial plot, this is not it, as it was more about Julie's growth through her grieving.
As someone who has lost a friend close to my heart, this book went through all the emotions I did as well, showing that you are not alone through your loss, no matter how isolated you feel. She isn't the kindest in the first few chapters, putting a dislike of her for most as she pushes away her friends - even when they put her in her place.
It's the raw kind of emotion that we see in real life, and the epilogue is so beautiful. The book was painful, but I did not shed a tear, although the concept is one to go down in the books - everyone has someone they have lost, but what would you say if you can talk to them again?

I was disappointed with this book, as I had high expectations going in based on reviews and recommendations.

I found the writing style very basic, occasionally cheesy, and at times a little inconsistent/all over the place. I understand what the author was going for, but I'm afraid it just missed the mark for me. I didn't love Julie as a character or a person, and I think for this book to work I needed to feel attached to her and to her relationship with Sam. I was disappointed with the way the relationship played out, the flashbacks felt very different to the versions of Sam and Julie the book is actually about, which is understandable considering the circumstances, but the divide was just a bit too much.

The real let down for me was that I didn't find this book sad. I kept reading, waiting for the moment where it would hit me and I'd feel emotional, but I just didn't connect to any of the characters enough to actually care about what happened to them. Mika was the only saving grace for me, and she wasn't in the book enough to have her story really impact me.

Overall, I was disappointed. I liked the concept, I could see what the author was going for, and I can understand why so many people love this book, unfortunately, I am not one of them.

3.75 stars. This was a debut novel, and at times the writing was very telling of that. I did enjoy the book, I liked it quite a lot but I think parts of it just let it down for me. The memories switching and flowing through each other were confusing at times, I see what the writer was trying to do and convey and I think it was a good idea but it felt messy at times. Julie was a character who I loved then hated then loved then hated again, I don’t think there was anything wrong with the way she grieved but the way she was written at times made her so unlikable. I loved Sam, his and Julie’s relationship was very cute in a YA romance way. The book also made me cry, a-lot and it was easy for me to read and be hooked on where the story was going and I would still recommend it. I think this is a story that can easily stick with someone.

I adored this book. It was beautifully written with a heart-wrenching and compelling storyline and well developed characters that I took to my heart. I can't wait for more from this author.