Reviews with content warning for Grief - You've Reached Sam

Reviews tagging 'Grief'

You've Reached Sam by Dustin Thao

283 reviews

1jessicabearx's review against another edition

reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.0

“You have to live in the moment sometimes. Let life surprise you.”

I really wanted to love it. But Julie (MC) was insufferable and Sam seemed unhealthily controlling at times? The memory parts were so sweet but majority of the book I just felt uncomfortable because of Julie’s reactions to things :( I think I would’ve loved this book when I was a teenager though, but right now it really wasn’t for me. Maybe I'll try this again when my own life circumstances can relate more to Julie's as I can see why for someone grieving, this book would be the one.

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ellagant's review against another edition

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emotional sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

Someone else might really like this, but it didn’t really resonate with me. I haven’t experienced grief like this, but I also just didnt connect with the characters. I also just felt like they were rehashing the exact same thing every 50 pages because of how character-centered this book was. I found myself skimming the monologuey pages that were supposed to be moving and meaningful. Not for me.

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chlxe_ambxr's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

I absolutely loved this book. It’s made me cry so many times and it made me hopeful for basically a miracle to happen so they be brought together. If I could, I would rate this a 10/5 because it’s so heartbreaking, emotional, sad and hits deep in the soul that makes you want to reread it. For some people, they might find themselves relating to this book and it just hits so hard in a good way.

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lilo000's review against another edition

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emotional sad

Strong character development? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

It's tricky to rate this one. On the one hand, I didn't prefer the writing. I think it felt more childish than I had anticipated and the main character was frustrating in her illogical choices, but I guess grief isn't always logical. I think for the themes and the dedication to the (albeit hole-filled) premise, I still want to give it credit. Of course was sad where it needed to be sad. Mixed feelings overall because I think the magical realism felt vague of course because it isn't really the main point. Unsure.

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cci_quezada's review against another edition

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emotional reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

I think I had too many expectations for this. At first, I was interested in the book, I really wanted to like this and cry for it 😂. But, as I keep reading I found it so underwhelming and repetitive, and maybe it was the point of the book since the topic is about losing someone you love but... idk, I felt we were going in circles and I'm not talking only about the plot or the characters but also the writing style. Dustin Thao kept repeting the same sentences and situations throughout the whole book, even if it wasn't a long book it got boring.

I have to add, the main character was so unlikeable, it felt flat, shallow, self-centered and honestly, by reading her point of view and the way she talk to Sam over the phone... you couldn't believe they were together for 3 years!
There were so many secondary characters that it was hard to keep up with and they were very undeveloped.

Dustin Thao leaves so many questions unanswered that you are left thinking that everything happened just because... And then you dare to compare it with "Your name"?! No honey, let's not mix two completely different things.

This is one of those books with an amazing idea but executed very poorly.

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lilymeibean's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful medium-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? It's complicated

3.0

i had more fun with this story than i was expecting — it seems like a delicate illustration of grief and how difficult it can be to lose someone who knew you the best and move on from that. it asks the question of: if given a second chance to talk to them, would you ever be able to let go again? and i think at the end of the day, julie found her answer, even if it took her a while to reach that point. there were a couple of moments where i reached conclusions wayyy before the main character which could be frustrating — but i still enjoyed the story overall and the conclusion was very well done!

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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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pheenyreads's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

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

5.0

This book was a hard one for me to face. Since I've lost someone close to me reading about grief brings up a lot of hurt, but this book might've helped me in a big way in regards to my grieving process. It's taught me not to cling on the hope that things to go back to how they were before because they wont, that person isn't coming back. However, that doesn't mean I can't live my life and be happy while making new memories and having fun because being angry at everyone and the world may seem okay at first, but it drags you down over time and the last thing any of us need after loosing someone dear to us is to be dragged down. So I think this book is so important in the fact that it shows that it's okay to move on and that to move on doesn't mean to forget but instead it means to not let your life sit on pause forever.

Also, one thing I would like to say about this book is that it has one of the most beautifully written prologues I have ever read. The way we get a glance into some of the core moments in Sam and Julie's relationship feels as if I were watching them play by on a film strip and the way the memories fade into one another so seamlessly just makes the whole thing satisfying to read. By the end of the prologue I truly felt as if I understood there connection so much.

Overall, I would say this book is a must read but just make sure you have several boxes of tissues on standby.

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alicew4k's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful relaxing sad fast-paced

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

4.0

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