You've Reached Sam
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3.8 • 24 Ratings
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- $8.99
Publisher Description
How do you move forward when everything you love is on the line?
A heartfelt novel about love and loss and what it means to say goodbye
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; spend a summer in Japan.
But then Sam dies. And everything changes.
Heartbroken, Julie skips his funeral, throws out his belongings, and tries everything to forget him. But a message Sam left behind in her yearbook forces memories to return. Desperate to hear him one more time, Julie calls Sam's cell phone just to listen to his voice mail 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 have a second chance at goodbye?
Praise for You've Reached Sam
'You've Reached Sam is a hauntingly remarkable debut. Dustin Thao gently weaves grief, regret, second chances, and the honestly beautiful moments we carry from a first love. Every tear you shed reading this book will be worth it.' - Julian Winters, award-winning author of Running with Lions
'If you like your contemporaries with a tiny piece of magic, this emotional YA is perfect for you.' - BUZZFEED
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In Thao's uneven debut, white high school senior and aspiring writer Julie Clarke must find a way to navigate her future after the death of her Japanese American boyfriend, Sam Obayashi, a big dreamer and music lover who died tragically one night while on his way to pick her up. After skipping his funeral and getting rid of most of his things in an attempt to move forward, she calls his phone one last time—and is stunned when he answers. Though Sam only knows that he's "somewhere," he is sure that if he ever calls Julie and she doesn't pick up, their connection will end forever. Thao smartly keeps the logistics vague, effectively depicting Julie's grieving process and her attempts to balance staying connected to Sam while being present for friends for whom his death is final—including Sam's cousin Mika and best friend Oliver. While some secondary story lines—one exploring Julie's mother's paranoia and another involving Sam's younger brother—are underdeveloped, the unique premise and authentic depiction of grief holds plenty of appeal. Ages 12–up.
Customer Reviews
So Beautiful
This book is beautiful. I’ve heard lots of people say that this book made them cry, so I wanted to read this and see if I would cry - and I don’t cry over books. I was told that this would have me on the floor in tears, but I didn’t shed a single tear. Yes, this book is sad, however, in my personal opinion, I feel like people are over exaggerating over how sad this book is. It’s still and amazing book, and I would definitely recommend!
Beautiful story but a bit overhyped
Definitely read this with high expectations and clearly wasn’t worth it. The cover is super pretty though. I love the idea of the story, the reality of accepting that someone important is gone forever and letting go is always the hard part, but I couldn’t properly divulge myself and it felt almost boring to read.
Good but not great
I loved the idea behind the book but honestly I don’t really feel I was able to fully divulge myself in the book, it definetly felt a little disconnected I feel like this is a good book for young teens but not really above that