[ARC Review] You’ve Reached Sam – Dustin Thao

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with an e-ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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Julie is heartbroken after Sam’s death. She’s blaming herself for her boyfriend’s death, she doesn’t even attempt his funeral and then try to get rid of all his things, thinking it will help her in her process of grieving. One day, she tries to call Sam number and he answers. Julie can’t believe it, but it is Sam, himself, talking to her again. She’s given a second chance to say goodbye.

You’ve Reached Sam is a Young Adult Contemporary novel by Dustin Thao and it is his debut novel. It will come out on the 2nd of November, 2021. This is the novel you didn’t know you needed to read, until you’ve read it.

I don’t have enough words to describe how beautiful this novel is. It absolutely broke my heart, and I honestly which I would have been able to read it in one sitting because I truly did not want to put it down. Grief is a very difficult thing, I wish I would have been given the chance to speak to someone on the phone too. It’s a beautiful novel about friendship, love, life, death, grief and learning to move on. Julie being given the chance to talk on the phone to Sam is a way to help her say goodbye and move on with her life, but also for Sam to be able to move on too even though moving on doesn’t mean you have to forget the person. But before they both get to actually move on, Sam still has presents to give to Julie and things to show her and Julie still wants to get to make sure Sam will be remembered and that is dream about his music will come true.

You can feel the pain that every characters feels. You get to know so many of them, and how they were connected to Sam. I wish we could have known more about some of them, like more memories connected to Sam (for example for Oliver, I truly wished we would have seen more of him and Sam and even him and Julie).

The first time I saw this novel it was on Twitter, and I fell in love with the cover (I mean, who wouldn’t !?) and that’s how I knew I wanted to read it. The cover is just as beautiful as the story itself! I’m already making some space on my Adam Silvera’s/favourite books’ shelf for when it comes out. Get your boxes of tissues ready!

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Morgane. x