You’ve Reached Sam by Dustin Thao

By Kate     1st November 2023

You’ve Reached Sam by Dustin Thao

Published: Wednesday Books, 9th December 2021

Rating: ★★★★★

Genres: Contemporary, YA fiction 

Age Rating: 14+

About the Book

Seventeen-year-old Julie Clarke has her future all planned out – move out of her small town with her boyfriend, Sam; attend college in the city; and spend a summer in Japan. But then Sam dies. And everything changes.

Heartbroken and desperate to hear him one more time, Julie calls Sam’s phone just to listen to his voicemail recording. And Sam picks up the phone.

The connection is temporary. But hearing Sam’s voice makes Julie fall for him all over again, and, with each call, it becomes harder to let him go.

What would you do if you had a second chance at goodbye?

My Review

You’ve Reached Sam is just about the saddest, most heart-wrenching book I’ve ever read. It follows the story of 17-year-old Julie Clarke as she learns to live without her boyfriend, Sam, following a freak accident. Heads up, you’re going to need a box of tissues with you at all times when reading this book! It was one of those books where you’re left staring at the wall.

This book does contain a theme of grief, but I had no idea it was going to make me cry so much! This book is the first book I’ve annotated, and it’s probably doubled in size! I annotated any sentences that made me laugh or cry. Parts that made me have strong emotional reactions and parts I would want to read again. I know that not everyone gets emotional while reading, but I do! I get so attached to the characters! Pages 33 to 55 had me crying the whole time!

The main plot of the book is centred around the phone calls between Sam and Julie. The conversations shared between the two broke my heart but left me yearning for more. These conversations could be only a couple of pages or stretch on for 5, but each one developed the story further and provided valuable insight into both characters and the storyline.

Considering this is a debut novel by Dustin Thao, it is incredibly written! The relationship between Julie and Sam was absolutely beautifully written, and each phone call left me in tears. I know I go on about how much the book made me cry, but it also made me laugh.

My favourite characters were Sam and Julie, and I loved their connection. The way they spoke to each other and had all these little traditions and things that they used to do broke my heart. But in the best kind of way. I loved it so much, but it made me cry! It was just so beautifully written!

The ending was beautiful, but I still kept thinking about it and wanted to cry the next day! I loved the way that Thao ended the story, and I know it closes the book nicely, I kind of want to know what happens next to Julie. Does she spend that summer in Japan? Does it get easier? Will something like this ever happen again? I liked the ending and think it does leave room for more if Thao decides to write more. I can’t wait for more books from Thao. It’s such a shame I can only give it 5 stars!

Have you read You’ve Reached Sam?

If not, don’t forget to add it to your TBR list.

Happy reading!

Kate x