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breedawnwriter's review
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
innastholiel's review against another edition
emotional
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? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief and Death
Moderate: Bullying and Car accident
Minor: Abandonment
bri__'s review
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
I would have given this 2 stars because I found it boring and I struggled to finish it. Unfortunately I didn't connect with the characters, especially the main (Julie). I liked the metaphors and the deeper meanings provided by this book, I also cried at the end but it was just a few tears and didn't become sobbing or anything major. I was disappointed with this book tbh but I can see why others may find it appealing.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Car accident, Bullying, Death, Grief, and Racism
Moderate: Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, and Violence
penguinsquack's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Car accident and Death
Minor: Bullying
its_van_vulpen's review
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Car accident, Death, Grief, and Bullying
lynseyye's review
emotional
hopeful
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
3.5
This was a good book. That's probably everything I have to say about it. I didn't feel any kind of emotional connection to the main character, Julie. On a more positive note, I did feel an emotional connection to about every side character. It took me six days to read this book mainly because I did not feel like reading from Julie's point of view, but I pushed through this book for Sam and Mika cause I loved them. The book didn't seem sad to me until the very end, which was the only time I actually cried. I still didn't cry for Julie even though she did redeem herself a bit at the end. This book gave me a good cry and it is very sad, but the extremely bland writing and the unlikable main character makes this a three star read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Car accident, Death, and Grief
Moderate: Bullying and Racism
Minor: Sexual harassment
sallytiffany's review
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
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
5.0
Wow! This is amazing. The characters are super well developed and compelling. They made me fall in love with them. They had suspense in what could be a predictable book. The words were beautiful and captured the spirit of grief for all things, life, people, plans. It resonated with me a lot.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Car accident, and Death
Moderate: Bullying
kay_w's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
meh
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying and Death
rexry's review
emotional
reflective
sad
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
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death
Minor: Bullying
lovelymisanthrope's review
dark
emotional
hopeful
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? N/A
5.0
This book absolutely broke me. “You’ve Reached Sam” follows Julie; a high school senior that is grappling with the loss of her boyfriend, Sam. Julie and Sam epitomized what it means to be high school sweethearts, and Julie is struggling to finish her senior year and move one with her dreams without her other half. She decides to call Sam one last time, just to hear his voice on his voicemail. To her utter shock, Sam answers, and they get their second chance at a goodbye.
This book explores grief and how to move forward. I really loved seeing the duel themes of honoring the dead (especially because of Sam’s cultural background) and moving forward. It is so important to allow yourself time to feel your pain, but you also need to allow yourself to let go and live, because that is what life is all about. Seeing Julie process her loss was heartbreaking and beautiful. It was absolutely devastating to see how heartbroken Julie and Sam were about losing one another. I will absolutely be rereading this in the future, and I cannot wait to see what else this author does in the future!
This book explores grief and how to move forward. I really loved seeing the duel themes of honoring the dead (especially because of Sam’s cultural background) and moving forward. It is so important to allow yourself time to feel your pain, but you also need to allow yourself to let go and live, because that is what life is all about. Seeing Julie process her loss was heartbreaking and beautiful. It was absolutely devastating to see how heartbroken Julie and Sam were about losing one another. I will absolutely be rereading this in the future, and I cannot wait to see what else this author does in the future!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Grief
Minor: Bullying