Scan barcode
alegna's review
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Grief, and Child death
luananki's review
emotional
reflective
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
3.25
maybe i should have read you‘ve reached sam at another point but i felt a little underwhelmed after finishing it.
i enjoyed the characters and the whole concept was interesting to be a part of but i really hated how the topic of grief was handled. it was also difficult for me to relate to any of the characters.
i guess i expected to get more emotional. i shed a tear or two at the last few chapters but all in all i don’t really get the hype but it might just not be the book for me
i enjoyed the characters and the whole concept was interesting to be a part of but i really hated how the topic of grief was handled. it was also difficult for me to relate to any of the characters.
i guess i expected to get more emotional. i shed a tear or two at the last few chapters but all in all i don’t really get the hype but it might just not be the book for me
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Car accident, Child death, Grief, Death, and Racism
Moderate: Alcohol, Violence, Xenophobia, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Cursing, Toxic friendship, and Mental illness
nicoleanthony's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death and Xenophobia
kingrosereads's review
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
What can I say? This book really had me full on sobbing. A contemporary YA filled with love, grief, and magical realism.
I honestly don’t know how I read reviews that made Julie out to be this terrible person, because she really wasn’t. I mean, she’s not a saint or going out of her way to do good. She’s mostly just content being in her own world and doing her own thing, which there’s nothing wrong with. Even if she was, the “before” scenes, she’s 15-17 years old, she’s allowed to be a self-absorbed and moody teenager if she wants to be, and she isn’t.
This is character driven, and has no real plot. Just a girl and the people around her dealing with loss and grief.
Brace yourself, for there be spoilers in this review. You’ve been warned.
Julie meets Sam their sophomore year when her family moves to small town Ellensburg from Seattle after her mother is fired from her tenure position. Shortly after they move, her parents divorce and her dad moves back to Seattle. Julie also hates the small town and spends her days dreaming about the day she’ll leave for Portland to start the life she so carefully planned out. Then she meets Sam and they slowly fall in love.
Now, where we begin, it’s their senior year, and they only have a couple months before graduation when Sam dies in a car accident. The grief Julie experiences is so raw and painful, I couldn’t help crying over it. She first attempts to just forget Sam by throwing out his things and deleting his texts and calls. A few hours later, she’s filled with regret and she’s frantic trying to get these pieces of Sam back but she’s too late. As a desperate act to hear his voice, she calls his number in the hope his recorded voicemail greeting is still there. That’s when Sam picks up and changes everything.
The book goes back and forth between the past, skimming through relevant relationship highlights and in the present, where Julie is trying to process her grief. She calls Sam a few times and they talk. Slowly, they both go through their own grief for the loss of one another and the future they planned.
The vagueness of Sam’s explanations were extremely irritating, but it makes sense. We don’t know what happens after death (some of us think they know for sure, but there’s no real certainty) and the fact Sam is able to call without an explanation as to how or why or where he is, just keeps that mystery alive even through this magical event that allows these two people to talk when one of them is dead.
I do wish that Julie had more depth and a developed personality. I know she’s dealing with Sam and her grief, but that’s all that’s presented in this book. In the flashbacks, it’s all how she feels about Sam. Even her friends are all Sam’s friends and cousin. There’s no piece of Ellensburg that’s hers.
I’ll admit, when Sam answers the phone for the first time, it seemed silly and hard to accept it was happening and not a figment of Julie’s imagination. I’ve always struggled with reading or watching stories that take place in a totally normal reality and just this small random act of magic happens. But it definitely grew on me and I accepted the magic completely.
I do wish that more of their memories weren’t all good ones. I mean they have arguments in the “now” times, but the book doesn’t show any past memories that are less than happy. And that makes sense, too, in a way, we try to latch on the good memories of the ones we lose and we forget the bad that came with it. But as a reader, it makes it hard to see Julie and Sam as real people. I think the remark that Sam never keeps his promises tries to remedy this for him, but it’s more of an afterthought and not strong enough.
I also think there was a missed opportunity to explore Sam’s Japanese heritage. He seems to be very in touch with his roots since he visits his grandparents in Japan every summer. Mika’s family has a shrine for their ancestors. But it’s all just brushed over. And normally it would be fine, but Julie is white and different culture mourn in different ways, these would be things she would notice. Yet it’s not mentioned? It just seems odd to me. It didn’t affect how I rated the book just a thought.
I like the idea that Sam’s calls keep out the texts and calls from her friends and mom. This is a great way to show how holding onto something that’s gone can really affect our relationships that are still around and our lives in general. She even struggles with schoolwork in the beginning of their reconnection. And once she shares her grief (the calls with Sam) with Mika, the connection with Sam weakens. Because as humans, we can’t process our grief and pain all by ourselves. And even Mika gets better when she and Julie talk about their feelings and Sam.
I saw so much of myself in Julie and who I was as a seventeen year old. The way she grieves is a lot like how I grieve loss (whether a death of a loved one or the death of a dream). I latch onto denial and anger way more then bargaining or depression. And it takes a lot to get to acceptance and letting go. And Julie is like that in the beginning. Then we see the other stages, and it’s incredibly accurate in how she’ll go from anger to denial to bargaining then back to denial. Some days she’ll laugh with her friends and other days she withdraws and lashes out. Grief isn’t linear and doesn’t have any particular order, and I think this book does a beautiful job of depicting that. And grief isn’t pretty, and it doesn’t look the same for everyone.
Julie feels regret for missing Sam’s funeral and many of her peers think she doesn’t care because she missed the funeral and the memorials that followed. She skips school for a week and students think it’s guilt not grief that keeps her away. Many students, including Julie, blame her for Sam’s death. And I think this is important to show how grief and shock looks on different people. Not everyone keens over a pine coffin. Too often death, grief, and loss are romanticized in media. That there’s life lessons and constant crying over a lover going on, and it’s just not how grief works. And people will make others feel guilty for not “grieving the right way”, just as Julie’s peers do to her.
Don’t expect things for Julie to have this amazing revelation and where these great and perfect things happen to her after experiencing this tragedy. She doesn’t go on some epic journey, the box of things she gets rid of doesn’t magically reappear, she doesn’t get any of her future plans to happen, and the pain of losing Sam stays with her always.
I’m not sure what it is that’s keeping me from giving that last half star to make it a 5 star rating, but the book is missing something or just not quite at the 5 star leve. But want an amazing debut novel. I loved it. I couldn’t just speed through it like I do with most books simply because it’s so emotional. Definitely worth the read, just check your trigger warnings.
I honestly don’t know how I read reviews that made Julie out to be this terrible person, because she really wasn’t. I mean, she’s not a saint or going out of her way to do good. She’s mostly just content being in her own world and doing her own thing, which there’s nothing wrong with. Even if she was, the “before” scenes, she’s 15-17 years old, she’s allowed to be a self-absorbed and moody teenager if she wants to be, and she isn’t.
This is character driven, and has no real plot. Just a girl and the people around her dealing with loss and grief.
Brace yourself, for there be spoilers in this review. You’ve been warned.
Julie meets Sam their sophomore year when her family moves to small town Ellensburg from Seattle after her mother is fired from her tenure position. Shortly after they move, her parents divorce and her dad moves back to Seattle. Julie also hates the small town and spends her days dreaming about the day she’ll leave for Portland to start the life she so carefully planned out. Then she meets Sam and they slowly fall in love.
Now, where we begin, it’s their senior year, and they only have a couple months before graduation when Sam dies in a car accident. The grief Julie experiences is so raw and painful, I couldn’t help crying over it. She first attempts to just forget Sam by throwing out his things and deleting his texts and calls. A few hours later, she’s filled with regret and she’s frantic trying to get these pieces of Sam back but she’s too late. As a desperate act to hear his voice, she calls his number in the hope his recorded voicemail greeting is still there. That’s when Sam picks up and changes everything.
The book goes back and forth between the past, skimming through relevant relationship highlights and in the present, where Julie is trying to process her grief. She calls Sam a few times and they talk. Slowly, they both go through their own grief for the loss of one another and the future they planned.
The vagueness of Sam’s explanations were extremely irritating, but it makes sense. We don’t know what happens after death (some of us think they know for sure, but there’s no real certainty) and the fact Sam is able to call without an explanation as to how or why or where he is, just keeps that mystery alive even through this magical event that allows these two people to talk when one of them is dead.
I do wish that Julie had more depth and a developed personality. I know she’s dealing with Sam and her grief, but that’s all that’s presented in this book. In the flashbacks, it’s all how she feels about Sam. Even her friends are all Sam’s friends and cousin. There’s no piece of Ellensburg that’s hers.
I’ll admit, when Sam answers the phone for the first time, it seemed silly and hard to accept it was happening and not a figment of Julie’s imagination. I’ve always struggled with reading or watching stories that take place in a totally normal reality and just this small random act of magic happens. But it definitely grew on me and I accepted the magic completely.
I do wish that more of their memories weren’t all good ones. I mean they have arguments in the “now” times, but the book doesn’t show any past memories that are less than happy. And that makes sense, too, in a way, we try to latch on the good memories of the ones we lose and we forget the bad that came with it. But as a reader, it makes it hard to see Julie and Sam as real people. I think the remark that Sam never keeps his promises tries to remedy this for him, but it’s more of an afterthought and not strong enough.
I also think there was a missed opportunity to explore Sam’s Japanese heritage. He seems to be very in touch with his roots since he visits his grandparents in Japan every summer. Mika’s family has a shrine for their ancestors. But it’s all just brushed over. And normally it would be fine, but Julie is white and different culture mourn in different ways, these would be things she would notice. Yet it’s not mentioned? It just seems odd to me. It didn’t affect how I rated the book just a thought.
I like the idea that Sam’s calls keep out the texts and calls from her friends and mom. This is a great way to show how holding onto something that’s gone can really affect our relationships that are still around and our lives in general. She even struggles with schoolwork in the beginning of their reconnection. And once she shares her grief (the calls with Sam) with Mika, the connection with Sam weakens. Because as humans, we can’t process our grief and pain all by ourselves. And even Mika gets better when she and Julie talk about their feelings and Sam.
I saw so much of myself in Julie and who I was as a seventeen year old. The way she grieves is a lot like how I grieve loss (whether a death of a loved one or the death of a dream). I latch onto denial and anger way more then bargaining or depression. And it takes a lot to get to acceptance and letting go. And Julie is like that in the beginning. Then we see the other stages, and it’s incredibly accurate in how she’ll go from anger to denial to bargaining then back to denial. Some days she’ll laugh with her friends and other days she withdraws and lashes out. Grief isn’t linear and doesn’t have any particular order, and I think this book does a beautiful job of depicting that. And grief isn’t pretty, and it doesn’t look the same for everyone.
Julie feels regret for missing Sam’s funeral and many of her peers think she doesn’t care because she missed the funeral and the memorials that followed. She skips school for a week and students think it’s guilt not grief that keeps her away. Many students, including Julie, blame her for Sam’s death. And I think this is important to show how grief and shock looks on different people. Not everyone keens over a pine coffin. Too often death, grief, and loss are romanticized in media. That there’s life lessons and constant crying over a lover going on, and it’s just not how grief works. And people will make others feel guilty for not “grieving the right way”, just as Julie’s peers do to her.
Don’t expect things for Julie to have this amazing revelation and where these great and perfect things happen to her after experiencing this tragedy. She doesn’t go on some epic journey, the box of things she gets rid of doesn’t magically reappear, she doesn’t get any of her future plans to happen, and the pain of losing Sam stays with her always.
I’m not sure what it is that’s keeping me from giving that last half star to make it a 5 star rating, but the book is missing something or just not quite at the 5 star leve. But want an amazing debut novel. I loved it. I couldn’t just speed through it like I do with most books simply because it’s so emotional. Definitely worth the read, just check your trigger warnings.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Car accident, Grief, Child death, and Death
nemonobody11's review against another edition
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? It's complicated
4.5
Kinda spoilers? 4.5/5
I sobbed most of this book. I think it is the hardest I have cried in years. Part of me isn't sure why it broke me so much I haven't really had any similar experiences and I don't fear nor particularly mind dying. All I know is it broke me and I'll need a few days to recover.
Side note: I saw alot of people didn't like Julie and thought the books middle part was unnecessary but, I completely disagree I think is shows both Julie coming to terms with Sam's death and also how her actions impact the people around her.
I sobbed most of this book. I think it is the hardest I have cried in years. Part of me isn't sure why it broke me so much I haven't really had any similar experiences and I don't fear nor particularly mind dying. All I know is it broke me and I'll need a few days to recover.
Side note: I saw alot of people didn't like Julie and thought the books middle part was unnecessary but, I completely disagree I think is shows both Julie coming to terms with Sam's death and also how her actions impact the people around her.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Grief, and Child death
Moderate: Car accident
alicelalicon's review against another edition
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death and Grief
nienkedekoster's review
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Loved it
I was expecting a very sad ending but that feeling wasn’t really there. This book really showed the process of grieving and moving on in such a beautiful way.
I was expecting a very sad ending but that feeling wasn’t really there. This book really showed the process of grieving and moving on in such a beautiful way.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Car accident, and Child death
Minor: Bullying and Racism
katelyn_readss's review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
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? No
4.5
oh my god i cried so much
Content Warnings
Moderate: Mental illness and Child death
nawal_reads's review
challenging
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
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
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death and Car accident
kbairbooks's review
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-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
3.25
I did not like the main character, I did not like the side characters, I didn’t like her relationship a whole bunch I really feel like Sam upheld the majority of it but even then it didn’t feel like there was chemistry. I thought Tristan was a little weird for coming on to her a little bit and man I will say I didn’t get emotional at the end so that must mean that I am connected to the story in someway but I did spend the majority of the book wishing it was over already. But I still didn’t actually cry I teared up and now I have an emotional headache but I didn’t actually cry.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Death, Car accident, Grief, and Child death
Moderate: Schizophrenia/Psychosis and Racism