#dustinthao

You’ve Reached Sam is a contemporary YA novel that follows Julie Clarke, a teenage girl who is grieving the death of her boyfriend Sam. After his sudden passing, she discovers she can send voicemails to him using a mysterious voicemail app. As she talks to Sam, she grapples with loss, guilt, and the process of moving forward.

The novel’s strength lies in its emotional exploration of grief and love. Julie’s journey feels realistic, showing how someone navigates heartbreak while holding onto hope and memories. The story balances sorrow with moments of warmth, humor, and reflection, making it heartfelt without being melodramatic.

The pacing is steady, with Julie’s personal growth at the center, rather than relying on dramatic twists. The supernatural voicemail element adds intrigue and gives the book a unique twist on the typical “grief story.”

I will say that I did go into this with an expectation from reading the author’s previous books. I was somewhat afraid that this was going to be a weird, cookie-cutter book that would ride the coattail of its predecessor. That quickly changed a few pages into the book.

It was very nostalgic to read about some of the characters from You’ve Reached Sam; however, the previous MC of the book had space and never fought the new MC, Oliver, for any of the spotlight. I enjoyed their contribution to the storyline, but even more that they did not overshadow the new main character. It brought fresh air to the storyline with a hint of history to bring the characters even more alive.

The pacing of the book was overall normal with its moments of speeding up. The world-building was enough to where you could separate locations without it being overdone and over-explained. That being said, due to the theme of the book, I did have some concerns as to if it would become blended and lost. However, I do believe Dustin Thao did an amazing job at keeping everything moving forward with everything where it should be, and the execution of the theme was grand.

Ben and Oliver had the cutest and most heartwarming adventure together, and you could feel the emotions they felt. Their different personalities complemented each other well without them becoming one. They had their individualism, which helped in being empathetic towards them  and making their feelings more realistic than fictional.

Overall, I am giving the book 4.5 out of 5 as it did not leave me with any questions but wanting more of their stories.