You've Reached Sam (Book Review)

 

Wednesday books|2021|New York

Suitable for ages 13-18.

Bereavement—Juvenile fiction. | Future life—Juvenile fiction. | Interpersonal relations—Juvenile fiction. | Cell phones—Juvenile fiction. | Romance fiction. | CYAC: Love—Fiction. | Grief—Fiction. | Future life—Fiction. | Cell phones—Fiction. | LCGFT: Romance fiction.

240 pages

18 Chapters

Seventeen-year-old Julie has her future all planned out, to 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, Julie skips his funeral, throws out his things, and tries everything to forget him and the tragic way he died. But a message Sam left behind in her yearbook forces back memories. Desperate to hear his voice one more time, Julie calls Sam’s cell phone just to listen to his voicemail.

And Sam picks up the phone.

In a miraculous turn of events, Julie’s been given a second chance at goodbye. The connection is temporary. But hearing Sam’s voice makes her fall for him all over again, and with each call it becomes harder to let him go. However, keeping her otherworldly calls with Sam a secret isn’t easy, especially when Julie witnesses the suffering Sam’s family is going through. Unable to stand by the sidelines and watch their shared loved ones in pain, Julie is torn between spilling the truth about her calls with Sam and risking their connection and losing him forever. 

     I don't know what this book is… I wonder if everyone that has read this thought this. Dustin Thao, dishes out a very undecided piece of art. When you look at the cover, you don't know what it will fully be, and well the blurb gives  some tips, but it doesn't prepare you for what you are going to read. Dustin Thao is really really good. This story remains as realistic and non-cliché as possible. The writing, the descriptions are really intense. The words woven by Dustin don't  pull you in. It hugs you. Gripping you with that intensity oozing from the pages.

You've reached Sam isn't fantasy or SciFi or a romcom or a tear jerker or a cheesy young adult novel, yet it is everything.

Dustin gives us a vague idea of life after death. Although I'm  still not sure if everything was in her head. You see the book is full of uncertainties and unknowns which makes the book better. We don't know how Sam dies, neither do we know if Sam will be a posthumous music star, or if Julie will ever move on, be a better writer and make it big. The uncertainties are endless, yet Dustin weaves the uncertainties around you and lets you drink them without any questions. The descriptions were so crisp. I can imagine this book being a Netflix movie next year, really. Would love it! .You've Reached Sam 

made us think about grief, a subject we rarely talk about. Also it is really cool how the subject of love, grief and family and friendship in obr book. In these times when books are solely written to prove just one point . it was a good not gonna lie. It isn't fast paced but an avid reader can get by.

Giving it 17/20