A review by fiwwa
You've Reached Sam by Dustin Thao

emotional sad 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? Yes

3.25

“You called me, Julie. And I picked up. Like always."

I attempted reading this book three times and each time I fell asleep before finally finishing it overnight. I thought that was the universe's way of telling me I wasn't prepared for the misery this book would bring. I mean, based on booktok and the synopsis, it seems promising: a melancholy book that will take two weeks to emotionally recover from, or will at the very least leave with you with a small sob. But here's the sad truth: it did not. I don't even need half an hour to recover because I feel... nothing.

Throughout the book, I felt like I was just reading about Julie, a girl who is lonely after her boyfriend dies and tries to escape reality but ends up ruining things around her. Well, she was in mourning. I know everyone has their own way of grieving and the accident happened so sudden it must've stunned her, so she hide from the real world, tossing Sam's belongings and skipping his funerals and any other ceremonies held in his honor. I understand that it's hard for her, and that she thinks nothing is right at the time, but I think she can't just escape from the truth that Sam is gone, that Sam can't be there with her anymore.

Now, about Sam, if I could simply have a call with him, I would like to ask, "What's the deal, exactly? Why would you even pick up the phone the first time? Why would you talk to Julie again if you know it will be hard for her to forget you? Why don't you just come to her dream and say goodbye if that's all you want?" I honestly don't see anything so special about Sam, I wonder what makes his friends adore him so much. Not that he's horrible or anything, it's just... again, I don't see anything special in him. His character feels flat to me.

Actually, it's not just Sam. Other characters are likewise bland and God, I even hate some of them. Except Oliver and Mika, Sam's friends suck. Blaming Julie when she was just trying to cope and have some time alone? It's an odd analogy, but even Elsa from Frozen didn't even show up to her parents' funeral??? They (Sam's friends) act as if a year has passed and Julie hasn't done anything good to Sam, yet it's only been a week. She needs a time of her own and she shouldn't even be apologizing for it.

Let's talk about the plot. [ Might contain spoiler so beware! ]

Uniqueness wise, I personally think it's original. I never read or heard a story about someone who calls her dead lover just to say goodbye. But even the only thing I admire from this book is a bit disappointing. After the story ends, I still don't get what the phone call was for. Sam said he will wait until Julie says goodbye, but when she said she doesn't a want a goodbye, he insisted. What's the point? Just don't call her then, you can say goodbye in her dream.

It's weird that Sam said that they have a 'special connection' when I don't see any at all. It feels like a high school love to me. When I read the scenes about them, all I can think about was "Oh, yeah. I could tell that they're dating." but not the type of "Oh my God!! They're so in love and they're so cute!" or the ones that makes me screaming behind my pillow. Maybe they do love each other, but from the plot, I couldn't see it.

There is one thing that I was looking forward to and expecting from the book, but it didn't appear at all. I'm hoping for a scene when
Julie attempts to call Sam's phone again after not picking up his call on purpose so that they can't talk to each other again, and all she get is "You've reached Sam, leave a message!", then she finally tries to let go
or something like that. Because even at the end, I can't see Julie has moved on from Sam. Not that she has to forget about him completely, but she has to live her life, she deserves to find love again even.

One other thing that I was expecting is a plot twist. My theory began when
Oliver starts talking to Julie, buying her ice cream, and taking her to the movie. I assumed he liked her, and that he and Sam also have that special connection that allows them to communicate on the phone, and that Sam somehow asked him to take care of Julie, which is why he's doing all of that. And in one of Sam and Julie's phone talks, Sam also assured Julie that she will be okay whoever she will end up with. But it turns out Oliver is gay.
So I put that theory out of my head. And I know for sure
Tristan has a feeling for Julie. The after party and the rose even introducing her to a professor he knew she would like?? It's obvious. I hope Julie would give him a chance or at least do something more to him since she met that music guy because of Tristan.


Lastly, there are so many unanswered questions like where is Sam exactly? Why is he doing this? Why does he doesn't want Julie to share his music? Why does he always unsure with his answers? What's with the limited calls when Sam said he would wait? What happened to Julie's phone? I thought Sam would answer those questions before the last call.

I can see this book is trying to be sad and emotional, it does give me emotions, but a temporary ones. I can still sleep in peace after reading this book and wake up like I wasn't reading anything sad. With all the hype this book brings, I really hoped it could be so much better.
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