tl;dr beautifully messy story of grief
Premise
Seventeen-year-old Julie Clarke has her future all planned out―move out of her small town with her boyfriend Sam, attend college in the city; spend a summer in Japan. But then Sam dies. And everything changes.
Heartbroken, Julie skips his funeral, throws out his belongings, and tries everything to forget him. But a message Sam left behind in her yearbook forces memories to return. Desperate to hear him one more time, Julie calls Sam's cell phone just to listen to his voice mail recording. And Sam picks up the phone.
The connection is temporary. But hearing Sam's voice makes Julie fall for him all over again and with each call, it becomes harder to let him go.
Rating
5/5 stars
Review
came into this book thinking i would cry, and i did. many times, actually.
this is a book about grief, but also letting go. letting go while simultaneously remembering. the pain of possibly forgetting someone's voice, laugh, touch, love. feeling absolutely terrified of losing your connection with them. thinking about someone and learning to move on, but always carrying a piece of them with you. cherishing the time you had. learning to live again.
i was surprised by how at peace i felt at the end. that dustin thao, while crafting this heartbreaking story, was able to round it off with some form of closure. it's the kind of closure where you know this book will stick with you for a long while after, where you're still feeling the hurt, but you slowly begin to heal.
worth the wait.
Other Info
Standalone
13+
CW: car accident, grief, death of loved one
Buy link: https://www.amazon.com/Youve-Reached-Sam-Dustin-Thao/dp/1250762030
Would I Recommend?
Yes!
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