Review Detail

YOU'VE REACHED SAM is a heart-breaking YA magical realism of grief, loss, and moving on. Julie and Sam were made for each other and fell in love in high school with plans to travel and get out of their small town after graduation. Everything changed when Sam died, and Julie is weighted by the guilt surrounding his death and with missing him. She has stayed away from the memorials and his funeral, adrift in her grief. Then, she finds a message from him and decides to call and listen to his voicemail.

However, Sam picks up the phone. The phone becomes Julie's lifeline, and she cannot stop talking to Sam through this supernatural connection. As they talk, Julie starts to connect with the other loved ones Sam has left behind and find a way to move through her grief. But how can she ever really say goodbye to the boy she loves?

What I loved: This was a really moving read about loss, grief, and guilt. Julie's pain is pervasive and will feel familiar to people who have also experienced loss. The story slowly shows her moving through it, as well as the people she is connected to who are also coping with the loss of Sam. The magical realism element of the phone calls helps Julie with moving through her grief. The way they talk and the way that echoes in Julie's life really shows the healing and appreciating the past while looking forward. Some people will always stay with us.

The book does not have any big twists - it is really what is promised at face value. The perspectives that Julie gets from Sam and her friends also adds to the story, as the reader sees the way several characters have dealt with grief and the way that their connections help with healing. The story also includes stories from the past as well as the present to give further understanding to Julie and Sam's relationship and the beauty of all the small moments.

Final verdict: A heart-breaking story of grief and loss, YOU'VE REACHED SAM is a YA magical realism read about healing and moving on. Recommend for fans of AMELIA UNABRIDGED, THE SKY ABOVE US, THE VOICE IN MY HEAD, THE GHOSTS WE KEEP, and THE TRAGEDY OF DANE RILEY.