Reviews with content warning for Racism - Ancora una volta con te

This book had so much potential but really fell short for me. There were so many unrealistic components to this story, namely the fact that the teenagers in this story experience the traumatic death of a peer and there’s no hint of adult support for them. There’s no discussion of therapy or even any real conversations about the loss they experience. These teens are just navigating this situation with no supervision — not from parents or school staff — and that seems utterly ridiculous. The phone conversation component was intriguing but there were parts of that situation that didn’t make sense. Finally, the interactions between the two main characters were inauthentic and I felt disconnected with them. I’m a cryer and for a book that should be pretty sad, I only cried on the very last page.

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bellebookcorner's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I already know and heard this book was not gonna end happily just by reading the blurb of the book. I’ve prepared my heart but it's still manage to made me cry uncontrollably especially near the ending….

You’ve Reached Sam started with a strong opening and I was really intrigued with the phone call the main character made with her ex-boyfriend from the other side.
I wish this phenomena was explain more about why it happens and how it works.

Julie, the FMC comes a little bit annoying at first but people grieves differently and one thing I admire from her was giving Sam’s family a chance to talk to him too despite making the connection of each phone call shorter.

Overall, for a debut novel this was a really well-written novel about love, loss, letting go and acceptance. It wasn’t an easy journey for Julie but I feel really satisfied at the ending.
I'm looking forward to read more books by this author in the future!

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thetinysnail's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I did not think this book would make me cry in public because I didn't really love it at first, but the last like 20% hit me

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bee_gay's review against another edition

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It was slow and boring , it’s magical properties are never explained, fmc isn’t very easy to like, and she seems to get in this weird love triangle right after her boyfriend tragically dies.

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hello_lovely13's review against another edition

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emotional sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Less than 10 pages in, and I was already crying. This pulls at the heartstrings so completely that, for the first 100 pages, there was rarely a time I wasn't crying. Sam is so unbelievably sweet and it was heartbreaking that he wouldn't go on to live a full life. This was a great depiction of Julie going through her grief and learning to let go and move on while still remembering and holding a piece of Sam with her. The first 100 pages were so strong, and I was definitely hooked. For some reason, I wasn't as attached the next 2/3 of the book. It slightly changed directions at that point, and I think I was expecting a bit more from the actual calls, similar to those in the first third, instead of a closer focus on her current life. Of course, this makes absolute sense for the message of the book, and it was done well. I just wasn't as attached after this shift. I really liked the "before" chapters; I think the vignette suited it very well because we got to see Sam and Julie's relationship (as well as with some other characters) without it feeling forced. I wish we got to see more of Mika,

especially after she discovered the truth and actually got to talk to Sam again

. The final call with Sam wasn't exactly what I expected and didn't hit as hard as I expected it to, but

Sam's voicemail definitely hit the mark

. It was all very sweet and well done. I feel for each of the characters (except for Taylor and Liam, fuck them), but I won't be thinking of them often now that I've finished reading, which is why (along with my shift in attachment during the last 2/3 of the book) my rating is not more towards a 4 star, which it was in the beginning of the book. A lovely and heart-wrenching book.

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dramagirl2003's review against another edition

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sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

this book shows the importance of saying goodbye to those we love, and why it's important to find a way move forward without them

thoughts while reading
p40: what is going on?? like what??
p43: I don't care what sam says, this has to be a dream
p57: sam's family are probably gonna come back and find julie sleeping on his bed, and I'm really curious to read their reactions
p75: oh my gosh, sam must have done something to her phone! it's a ghost phone now! oh dear, i bet when oliver tries to text her it won't work and he'll be upset
p98: i predict that julie and oliver will end up together
p101: what did i say? as cool as it is that she gets to talk to sam, how much longer can she keep it up? basically she's gonna have to ignore everyone else for however long she keeps talking to him.
p102: wait, what if what oliver wants to say to sam is that he'll take care of julie for him. cause that would be sweet as heck, and back up my prediction that they end up together
p116: no! don't tell me she's missed the vigil again! mika will be heartbroken if she's missed it 💔
p130: mika has to be the most patient disappointed person ever. she's communicating her feelings to julie pretty well without being cruel
p135: i don't know whether to be proud or embarrassed that she's taking advantage of oliver's generosity like that
p153: prediction – sam knows that julie and oliver will end up together now that he's gone, and he's gonna find a way to push them together, like in Life As We Know It
p162: wow this makes sense now, no wonder oliver was so cold with julie when sam was alive
p215: oof, girlie has someone interested
p225: of course the lantern hovers in place, that makes so much sense
p281: oh gosh, help i'm gonna cry now.

julie's gonna dial sam and he'll talk to james and then julie's gonna have to say goodbye 🥺

p289: i'm starting to think that maybe

julie and oliver won't end up together

after all. it probably wouldn't make sense for the plot
p292: no! don't tell me she figures out where sam is and meets him there to say goodbye! cause i will actually sob 💔

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luluellis33's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

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lorepanda's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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