You've Reached Sam: The bestselling heartbreaking YA romance with a touch of magic

4.5⭐️ This book absolutely wrecked me. It’s one of those bittersweet, beautiful stories that makes your chest ache. I cried way more than I’d like to admit, but every tear felt worth it. The idea of being able to connect with a lost loved one, even just once more, even through a phone call... gods, it’s so simple and yet so powerful. I couldn’t help but think about what I’d say, if I had that chance. What goodbye I’d give. There were a few moments that felt a bit repetitive, and some parts I really wish had been explained more deeply. But honestly? The emotion this book delivers more than makes up for it. It doesn’t need to be perfect, it just needs to be felt. And this one is. It's a soft, aching love letter to grief, memories, and the moments we’d give anything to relive. I’m glad I read it.

You’ve reached Sam is an emotional journey about a young high school student Julie and her high school sweetheart Sam. Whilst trying to come to terms with losing her boyfriend she desperately rings him and discovers that she has been given a second chance to say goodbye to him. The book follows her progress of coming to terms with letting go and adapting when you lose your sense of self and direction. This book has been on my TBR for a while and I finally got round to reading it. This book did not disappoint. I loved the fact we got Julie and Sam’s full story through the past and present perspectives. Being able to see their romance throughout the years enabled me to fully feel both of their heartaches for what they had lost. ✨“Letting go isn’t about forgetting. It’s balancing moving forward with life and looking back from time to time, remembering the people in it.”✨

For some reason, I love sad and tragic books, and this book definitely was tragic. I was really connected to the two main characters and I really felt like I was Julie at some points, and feeling the emotions with her. I loved the character of Sam and reading them talking on the phone together was heartbreaking. I loved the flashback scenes of their relationship, and the way that each scene tranforms into another scene. I thought it was quite unique and conveys the sense that it's a flashback, with different images constantly flashing through her mind. The ending is great but so so sad. You kind of know the ending from the beginning, it's set up so you know what will happen, and the more you read the book, and the ckoser it comes to the ending, the harder it was to read. I was definitely crying during the last few chapters of the book. There are some great messages and inspiring quotes in this book too so it's not completely depressing. Spoilers below: If I was to change anything in the book, I have two little issues: I liked the build up of Julie listening and then working on Sam's music and how she met the ex producer of Sam's favourite band. I kind of get why it ended with the email that he had forwarded the music on to the band members, but I wish there was a better outcome, like they worked on a song and released it, so Sam would have something to hold onto, and it would be good for those who lived him too, to feel close to him. Another thing, during their phone calls, Julie always asks Sam questions about where he is, why this is happening, etc, and Sam always replies with the sams vague answers and says he can't tell her that yet. The way I interpreted that was by the end of it, we'd learn more about what's going on. Where is he? Where is he going next? But we never really find out. Why does their connection fizzle out? But I'm not too bothered about it because I guess in a way, it's realistic. Nobody knows where you go or what happens to you. But it would have been nice to use the opportunity to create something there. Anyway, great read, highly recommend!!

Okay read, not too wow.. But I cried at the end.. Because of the last message he sent.. I was expecting a different ending but it’s okay..

Wow I can’t believe this is the authors debut book. I’m so surprised how beautiful the writing was in the book to be honest when I saw it was a booktok book i picked it up for a quick easy read didn’t expect much substance but I wasn’t expecting it to be so well written and heartbreaking. The emotional parts of the book reminded me of a Kristina Hannah book -I was pleasantly surprised so don’t let the thought of this book being overhyped or being a booktok book stop you from reading it. You also can’t tell the author is male he writes the female characters so realistically and in a non cringey way. The last chapter wow I gasped out loud and felt everything the character was going through with her phone I’m not ashamed to admit I cried. I can also see this making a great sad teen film like “a fault in our stars”.

TL;DR: I sobbed for 296 pages x “I missed you. I missed you infinity.” A really beautiful story showing how grief affects everyone differently, and how letting go and saying goodbye truly is the hardest part. For how much I cried, I really did enjoy this. I've had it on my shelf for a while, but finally felt like it was time to give it a read (my subconscious must have known that I needed a really good cry). The representation of Julie's grief was really well done. I think the way she was written was really reflective of how a 17 year-old may react to a loss like that. It's such a delicate age (as much as I may have thought I was a grown-up at 17, I look back and realise that was definitely not the case) where there are so many major life changes happening all at once. I felt really connected to both Julie and Sam. While sometimes frustrated by their communication, I found it all very believable. There's no single emotion with grief, and I'm glad that Julie and Sam both got to explore multiple emotions during this book. Some slight spoilery thoughts that keep me awake at night. ✨ I can't stop thinking about the metaphor around her phone/messages and the idea of letting go. Am I reading into this too much? Probably. Julie wasn't receiving any messages on her phone when she's really latching onto her connection with Sam at the start of all this. When she begins to reconnect with those around her in the real world, she started to receive more messages?? That thought had me spiralling for a good while and make me think about how isolating grief can be, and how (at least in my experience) we only begin to truly grieve when we are able to let go a little and reconnect with those in the present. If you want a good cry, pick this one up. I'm sure I'll think about this book a lot.

This is my first book 2023 and I was a little unsure about this being my first book of the year as it sounded like it was going to leave me completely devastated. It didn't. From the start of this book it had that sadness about it that you could feel in your heart but not enough to make me cry - thankfully. This book is beautifully written the connection between Sam and Julie is beautiful and heartbreaking. To love so fiercely at such a young age and to lose that partner is unimaginable. I really loved the character of Sam even though we didn't get to learn too much about him, I loved his kindness and thoughtfulness. The character of Julie, I found a little self entitled but grief hits everyone in different ways and she had to learn to cope with her grief, which by the end she figured out how to do. Even though this book was sad throughout it didn't really hit me in the feels until the end when it was truly tearjerking. My biggest gripe about this book was the flashbacks. It was nice to get a bit of Sam and Julie history but they were such short snippets before they changed to the next scene that it felt almost pointless.

What if you could talk to the one you lost… just one more time? 💔📞 This book broke me and healed me all at once. Not ready to move on? Neither was Julie. 📚 Plot Summary Julie Clarke, a 17-year-old high school senior, has her future carefully planned college, travel, and life with her boyfriend, Sam Obayashi. But those dreams shatter when Sam dies unexpectedly in a car accident. Struggling with grief and guilt, Julie skips his funeral, avoids his friends, and even begins distancing herself from the memories they shared. One day, in a moment of desperation, she calls Sam’s phone just to hear his voicemail. To her shock, he picks up. Through a mysterious connection, Julie and Sam can talk across the barrier between life and death. These calls allow Julie to say the things left unsaid, but the more they speak, the harder it is for her to let him go. As the calls start to fade, Julie must decide whether to hold on to the past or step forward into a life without Sam while keeping his memory alive in her own way. 👤 Character Breakdown Julie Clarke - Protagonist; grieving and guilt-ridden after Sam’s death. Struggles with expressing emotions and moving on. Growth arc centers on acceptance and healing. Sam Obayashi - Julie’s late boyfriend; kind, supportive, and adventurous. Appears through phone calls from beyond, guiding Julie toward closure. Represents love, loss, and the lingering presence of those we’ve lost. Mika - Sam’s cousin and Julie’s former friend. Also grieving, but angry at Julie for skipping the funeral. Their relationship repairs as they process their grief together. Oliver - Julie’s classmate; offers quiet support. Encourages Julie to re-engage with the world. 🎭 Themes of the Book Grief and Healing - The novel deeply explores the different stages of grief shock, denial, anger, and acceptance. Love and Letting Go - Loving someone sometimes means knowing when to release them. Communication and Closure - The magical phone calls serve as a metaphor for the unspoken words we wish we could share with those we’ve lost. Friendship and Reconnection - Healing often comes through rebuilding relationships with those who understand your pain. Memory and Legacy - The people we love remain alive in the stories, memories, and influence they leave behind. Quotes from the Book 📖 If I could have just one more day with you, I’d do it all over again. Sometimes the people we love the most are the hardest to let go of. It’s not about forgetting. It’s about finding a way to remember without the pain. Even if you’re not here, you’re still everywhere with me. Goodbyes are not forever. They’re just until we meet again. Rating ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

At first i had mixed feelings. We jumped from memory to memory. It was not easy to follow for me. But then the story Fame and i’ve loved every person in this book and i wish there was more of Mika, Oliver and Tristen!!! Ouch and the little brother.. MY HEART <\3 I just had a feeling that the ending was very fast and like the begin/middle was more slow. But this did not bother me.

I've read it in german before and I had to buy this pretty english version, too! This book made me cry so many times. It is so beautiful written. This version is so pretty and really special.

El libro es muy bonito *llora de emocion* yo pensé que esa era la portada pero no, el libro es ligero y el producto llegó antes de tiempo, es de pasta dura y aunque no lo he terminado, el inglés que utiliza es muy sencillo por si quieres comenzar a leer en inglés me parece una buena elección

Came a little earlier than expected which is great!

I reserved it in good condition and the book is great and the quality is very good but I ordered it and it didn't come hardcover overall I am not upset and the books is very very good hightly recommended