Scan barcode
A review by valpacheco
You've Reached Sam by Dustin Thao
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
slow-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
3.25
I decided to read “You’ve Reached Sam” as it was available online on my Libby app and I had previously heard online reviews it was a good romance. Generally, I think that the romance aspect of the book was done well. There were so many great romantic gestures from Sam that were definitely novel-worthy; my favorite was of course him giving his number to Julie in the origami cherry blossom. Besides that the concept of Julie and Sam having an opportunity to have a fleshed out goodbye process was interesting and a unique take on grief. I found that their last phone call was especially beautiful and touching, and a good way to end the book. My favorite subplot had to be Oliver admitting his feelings for Sam had been more than platonic and it generally being a non-chalant confession where we later get a nice development of a budding romance with another character, Jay. I thought that it was really well handled and super cute.
Onto what I thought could have worked better was the general pacing of the book and my investment in Julie as a main character. Because Julie is grieving for about the entirety of the book, I find it hard to get to know her and care about her grief as an individual person. I feel like I learned about who she is with Sam, but not who she is by herself and exactly why I want her to move on. I wish we had learned more about her life before Sam, particularly her family life which is glossed over quite a bit. Secondly, the book’s pacing seemed off as emotions could escalate and de-escalate on a certain issue quickly. For example, Julie instantly regretting what she said to Mika but then not taking action until MUCH later in the book. I felt those kinds of things tended to drag on. Lastly, I also found the antagonists of the book, Sam’s former friends, to be a bit one-dimensional to the point where I rolled my eyes.
I think I also read this is a debut book, so I definitely think this author has potential and I would be willing to pick up another book by them.
Onto what I thought could have worked better was the general pacing of the book and my investment in Julie as a main character. Because Julie is grieving for about the entirety of the book, I find it hard to get to know her and care about her grief as an individual person. I feel like I learned about who she is with Sam, but not who she is by herself and exactly why I want her to move on. I wish we had learned more about her life before Sam, particularly her family life which is glossed over quite a bit. Secondly, the book’s pacing seemed off as emotions could escalate and de-escalate on a certain issue quickly. For example, Julie instantly regretting what she said to Mika but then not taking action until MUCH later in the book. I felt those kinds of things tended to drag on. Lastly, I also found the antagonists of the book, Sam’s former friends, to be a bit one-dimensional to the point where I rolled my eyes.
I think I also read this is a debut book, so I definitely think this author has potential and I would be willing to pick up another book by them.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death and Grief
Minor: Car accident