luananki's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
maybe i should have read you‘ve reached sam at another point but i felt a little underwhelmed after finishing it.
i enjoyed the characters and the whole concept was interesting to be a part of but i really hated how the topic of grief was handled. it was also difficult for me to relate to any of the characters.
i guess i expected to get more emotional. i shed a tear or two at the last few chapters but all in all i don’t really get the hype but it might just not be the book for me
i enjoyed the characters and the whole concept was interesting to be a part of but i really hated how the topic of grief was handled. it was also difficult for me to relate to any of the characters.
i guess i expected to get more emotional. i shed a tear or two at the last few chapters but all in all i don’t really get the hype but it might just not be the book for me
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Car accident, Child death, Grief, Death, and Racism
Moderate: Alcohol, Violence, Xenophobia, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Cursing, Toxic friendship, and Mental illness
breedawnwriter's review against another edition
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
5.0
“But the truth is, no one experiences grief the same way, and we all come out of it differently."
Before this, I can think of two other books that have truly made me cry so hard that I couldn't even see the pages: Undivided by Neal Shusterman and The Infinity Courts by Akemi Dawn Bowman.
But this is the first book that has ever made me cry in the first chapter.
This is the first book that has left me to sob and cry my way through it.
This is the first book that I've ever put down, with tears streaming down my face, to ask, "Why is this so hard to read?"
You've Reached Sam is a heartbreaking story about grief, second chances, and the hope that lingers in between the broken shards of a life we planned with such care.
This is probably the most painful story I've ever read because there have been times in my life when I was Julie...when I wanted a chance to say goodbye...when I didn't know how to let go and move forward. I've always been a planner. I like to know what's happening and I struggle with true spontaneity. This part of Julie's story felt like looking into a mirror because everything she felt and thought was something that I could have written at a point in my life when grief was all I knew.
I lost a friend in high school. We were never close friends, but he was always nice to me. We were both seniors, and after he died my entire senior class fell apart. It wasn't until he was gone that I realized he'd been the glue holding us together. That experience changed me forever because it was the first time I'd ever truly experienced grief.
Reading this book brought all of those feelings back. It reopened so many old memories of the people I've lost.
But I've learned that no matter how much time passes, grief never truly goes away... It is such a universal feeling that affects everyone differently, which is why these kind of stories are so important. When we're in the midst of our grief, we think we're alone and that nobody understands. But it's stories like this one that reach into our darkness and remind us that we are known...that we are never alone...and that those we love will always be with us.
All of that being said, if you have recently lost someone or are in the midst of grieving, I recommend letting this book stay on your TBR a little longer. You've Reached Sam offers a very raw and honest glimpse at how grief affects not only ourselves, but also the people around us. When I first lost my friend, I needed to step back from stories that involve grief as a main plot point, and if you need to do the same, please know that there is nothing wrong with that. You need to take care of you, and if that means taking a break from certain stories, then don't guilt yourself about doing what's best for your mental health during fragile times. <3
(On a side note, this book did contain some grammatical problems, including a sentence fragment that didn't feel intentional, several typos, and a missing apostrophe. I'm a grammar girl, which is why I even care to mention these. However, this book is an absolute masterpiece and none of these errors detracted from my lovely and cathartic experience of reading this story.)
Content Warning: Death, grief, car accident, racism, cursing, alcohol, and bullying.
Before this, I can think of two other books that have truly made me cry so hard that I couldn't even see the pages: Undivided by Neal Shusterman and The Infinity Courts by Akemi Dawn Bowman.
But this is the first book that has ever made me cry in the first chapter.
This is the first book that has left me to sob and cry my way through it.
This is the first book that I've ever put down, with tears streaming down my face, to ask, "Why is this so hard to read?"
You've Reached Sam is a heartbreaking story about grief, second chances, and the hope that lingers in between the broken shards of a life we planned with such care.
This is probably the most painful story I've ever read because there have been times in my life when I was Julie...when I wanted a chance to say goodbye...when I didn't know how to let go and move forward. I've always been a planner. I like to know what's happening and I struggle with true spontaneity. This part of Julie's story felt like looking into a mirror because everything she felt and thought was something that I could have written at a point in my life when grief was all I knew.
I lost a friend in high school. We were never close friends, but he was always nice to me. We were both seniors, and after he died my entire senior class fell apart. It wasn't until he was gone that I realized he'd been the glue holding us together. That experience changed me forever because it was the first time I'd ever truly experienced grief.
Reading this book brought all of those feelings back. It reopened so many old memories of the people I've lost.
But I've learned that no matter how much time passes, grief never truly goes away... It is such a universal feeling that affects everyone differently, which is why these kind of stories are so important. When we're in the midst of our grief, we think we're alone and that nobody understands. But it's stories like this one that reach into our darkness and remind us that we are known...that we are never alone...and that those we love will always be with us.
All of that being said, if you have recently lost someone or are in the midst of grieving, I recommend letting this book stay on your TBR a little longer. You've Reached Sam offers a very raw and honest glimpse at how grief affects not only ourselves, but also the people around us. When I first lost my friend, I needed to step back from stories that involve grief as a main plot point, and if you need to do the same, please know that there is nothing wrong with that. You need to take care of you, and if that means taking a break from certain stories, then don't guilt yourself about doing what's best for your mental health during fragile times. <3
(On a side note, this book did contain some grammatical problems, including a sentence fragment that didn't feel intentional, several typos, and a missing apostrophe. I'm a grammar girl, which is why I even care to mention these. However, this book is an absolute masterpiece and none of these errors detracted from my lovely and cathartic experience of reading this story.)
Content Warning: Death, grief, car accident, racism, cursing, alcohol, and bullying.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Grief
Moderate: Car accident, Cursing, and Racism
Minor: Alcohol and Bullying
libraryofbananas's review against another edition
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Minor: Alcohol and Death
mypatronusisajedi's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Minor: Car accident and Alcohol
howlinglibraries's review against another edition
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
I don't want to open my eyes and see a world without Sam. But sometimes you just wake up. No matter how hard you try not to.
You've Reached Sam is a story with an incredibly sad premise that should absolutely tug at the heartstrings, especially for readers who are prone to being very emotional (such as myself)... yet unfortunately, I feel that the writing rarely reached an emotive enough state to allow me to care very much about these characters and their tragedy.
I felt more empathy for Mika and the rest of Sam's family than anyone else, but honestly, my heart even broke more for Oliver than it did for Julie. I found her inner narrative very numb and flat for the first 70% or so of the story, though I did appreciate the tremendous amount of personal growth she underwent in the end. Despite Julie telling us about the massive amounts of pain and grief she is undergoing, we don't actually see that for a long time. The writing also struck me as a bit stilted and unnatural, with some of the dialogue not feeling organic.
I'm glad I read this story, and I think it will resonate with a lot of readers, but it fell a little short of the hype I'd built up for it in my head. That's okay, though - I think Dustin Thao shows a lot of promise here and I'll happily check out future works from this author!
✨ Representation: Sam and his family are Japanese; multiple BIPOC side characters; two queer side characters
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Minor: Alcohol
caseythereader's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Thanks to Wednesday Books for the free advance copy of this book.
- Well, you can probably tell from the summary above that this is the book to pick up if you want a good cry, and I can confirm that.
- YOU'VE REACHED SAM perfectly portrays all the confusing ways grief can manifest, ranging from anger to denial, pulling people closer and pushing people away.
- Personally, I don't mind books where the supernatural/magical elements aren't explained in any way: this is just a book that you have to accept the premise going in and simply follow where it takes you. It's worth it, I promise.
- Well, you can probably tell from the summary above that this is the book to pick up if you want a good cry, and I can confirm that.
- YOU'VE REACHED SAM perfectly portrays all the confusing ways grief can manifest, ranging from anger to denial, pulling people closer and pushing people away.
- Personally, I don't mind books where the supernatural/magical elements aren't explained in any way: this is just a book that you have to accept the premise going in and simply follow where it takes you. It's worth it, I promise.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Car accident, Child death, Death, and Grief
Moderate: Alcohol, Racism, Sexual harassment, and Violence
booksthatburn's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-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
This is about teenage girl dealing with guilt, grief, and loss. She's struggling with how her ways of dealing with her grief keep not fitting in with her friends and classmates who are grieving the same person, but not all quite the same loss.
I kept thinking it was going to, at some point, explain how they were able to talk on the phone. The question was raised repeatedly, but Sam doesn't know and Julie never learns how or why it worked. I wish it hadn't felt like maybe the answer would appear, and I hope that anyone planning to read it can have a better experience from knowing not to wait for that reveal which never comes. Setting aside my longing for a literal answer, the way the connection manifested felt like it paralleled (and perhaps reinforced) the shape of Julie’s grief. That resonance was important and worked well in the story. It's very focused on her and her focus on Sam for much of the book, gradually showing more of her other connections and relationships as she's able to start thinking about people other than him and about things other than her loss. The change comes slowly enough to feel real and makes for a thoughtfully done and very poignant portrayal of grief.
I kept thinking it was going to, at some point, explain how they were able to talk on the phone. The question was raised repeatedly, but Sam doesn't know and Julie never learns how or why it worked. I wish it hadn't felt like maybe the answer would appear, and I hope that anyone planning to read it can have a better experience from knowing not to wait for that reveal which never comes. Setting aside my longing for a literal answer, the way the connection manifested felt like it paralleled (and perhaps reinforced) the shape of Julie’s grief. That resonance was important and worked well in the story. It's very focused on her and her focus on Sam for much of the book, gradually showing more of her other connections and relationships as she's able to start thinking about people other than him and about things other than her loss. The change comes slowly enough to feel real and makes for a thoughtfully done and very poignant portrayal of grief.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Racism, Violence, Alcohol, and Death
Minor: Ableism, Sexual harassment, and Toxic relationship
foreverinastory's review against another edition
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Thank you to Netgalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
This was so sad and I am just a ball of feels.
Rep: female MC (unspecified ethnicity), Japanese-American male love interest, achillean Thai male side character, Vietnamese female side character, Japanese-American female side character, achillean (gay coded) male side character.
CWs: Bullying, child death, death, grief. Moderate: racism, underage alcohol consumption, car accident.
This was so sad and I am just a ball of feels.
Rep: female MC (unspecified ethnicity), Japanese-American male love interest, achillean Thai male side character, Vietnamese female side character, Japanese-American female side character, achillean (gay coded) male side character.
CWs: Bullying, child death, death, grief. Moderate: racism, underage alcohol consumption, car accident.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Child death, Death, and Grief
Moderate: Racism, Alcohol, and Car accident
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