You’ve Reached Sam | Dustin Thao| Book Review

Grief is a the most difficult emotion to deal with. It withers away slowly, is overwhelming and makes you question the meaning of life. Some days you might think that you are over it and then the next day it comes rolling back two-fold. This feeling of grief has been beautifully portrayed by Dustin Thao in his book, You’ve Reached Sam.

Storyline: 4.5/5

Writing: 4.3 /5

Presentation: 4/5

Overall: 4.3/5

Genre: YA/ Romance

Storyline of ‘You’ve Reached Sam’

This story begins with a heartwarming relationship of Julie and Sam. How they met and how their friendship progressed into something special. However, the story enters a dark abyss of grief and despair. Losing Sam is devastating for Julie. She can’t even meet his parents and tries to get over the pain by letting go of his things that she still has. Overwhelmed with sadness and also with guilt, she has no idea how to come out of this situation.

Deep in her despair, she dials Sam’s number one day, knowing fully well that no one will pick it up. To her surprise and shock, Sam picks up the call. She is surprised and to some extent relieved for getting another chance to say goodbye. Through his voice she starts healing. She slowly gets back to her day-to-day life. However, she now finds it difficult to connect with the people who are grieving for Sam.

Sam’s sister keeps calling her for Vigils and service, but she cannot go. She doesn’t even know what to say to her. Wrapped up in her own grief she forgets that they are grieving too and would want to have a listening ear. Later however, she gets along with Sam’s best friend who was not close to her before. She provides him with the much-needed comfort.

My Thoughts about You’ve Reached Sam

This story is tinged with magic and filled to the brim with overwhelming emotions. Every chapter pierces the heart. It is not only Julie but also Sam’s parents and his sister who are grieving. How a single death can affect so many people who were close to the person who died is portrayed. It carries a beautiful message that life goes on and teaches about letting go.

Although I will not comment much about the ending, but I must say that I liked it.

Positive Points

Dealing with grief: The story has beautifully portrayed the stages of grief in a seamless manner. How Julie went from denial to acceptance is something to appreciate. It also portrayed how different individuals grieve and move on differently.

Unique storyline: The plot of this book was very out of the box. Being able to talk to someone who has passed away is something that seems magical. However, it has not been explained as to how it was possible. This might be a turn off for some readers but for others it adds a charm to the story. I am the latter and love stories that end on a mysterious note.

Emotions and depth: This story is full of strong emotions of grief, love and guilt. It is relatable to anyone who has ever had to deal with the feelings of loss. You can actually relate to Julie and her struggle with dealing with her emotions. Their beautiful love story makes you want to ship Julie and Sam together even though you know the inevitable.

Negative points

Slow story: Although I really loved the plot, it is a slow story and might seemed dragged out in certain areas. The phone conversations between Julie and Sam are very similar everyday with no variety. Grief and emotions are the primary focus of the story and beyond that the plot does not progress much.

Julie’s behaviour: The way Julie dealt with this situation by pushing everyone away seems rather immature given her age. However, it is just a minor hiccup that some might not prefer.

Conclusion

Overall, You’ve Reached Sam was a tearjerker but comforting as well in a strange way. I would definitely recommend it to someone who is not put off by fantasy or mystery plots.