Description

If I Stay meets Your Name in Dustin Thao’s You’ve Reached Sam, a heartfelt novel about love, loss, and what it means to say goodbye.

• Plot Overview:
  • Seventeen-year-old Julie Clarke has her future planned with her boyfriend Sam: moving out of their small town, attending college in the city, and spending a summer in Japan.
  • Tragedy strikes when Sam dies, shattering Julie’s plans and leaving her heartbroken.
  • Desperate to move on, Julie skips Sam’s funeral, throws out his belongings, and tries to forget him.
  • A message from Sam in her yearbook brings memories flooding back.
  • Julie calls Sam’s cell phone to hear his voicemail but is shocked when Sam picks up the phone.
  • This temporary connection allows Julie to hear Sam’s voice again, making it harder for her to let go with each call.
  • The novel explores the question: What would you do if you had a second chance to say goodbye?
• Accolades:
  • A 2021 Kids’ Indie Next List Selection
  • A Cosmo.com Best YA Book Of 2021
  • A Buzzfeed Best Book Of November
  • A Goodreads Most Anticipated Book
• Reviews:
  • NPR.org: “This book will absolutely make you cry. Make sure you’ve got a box of tissues handy, and I mean a full box.”
  • Associated Press: “You’ve Reached Sam punches directly in the chest during countless moments that hit right on target.”
  • Julian Winters, award-winning author: “You’ve Reached Sam is a hauntingly remarkable debut. Every tear you will shed reading this book will be worth it.”
  • BuzzFeed: “If you like your contemporaries with a tiny piece of magic, this emotional YA is perfect for you.”
  • Booklist: “Thao skillfully marries a quiet, elegiac novel about grief with a provocative sf conceit. A poignant and moving read.”
  • PopSugar: “Have your tissues at the ready when you dive into Dustin Thao’s emotional novel You’ve Reached Sam.”
  • The Young Folks: “The writing is captivating and beautifully done, immediately drawing readers into imaginative and well-developed scenes. A beautifully written exploration of grief… You’ve Reached Sam is an impactful debut.”
  • Young Adult Books Central: “A heart-breaking story of grief and loss, You’ve Reached Sam is a YA magical realism read about healing and moving on.”
  • Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books: “…this debut novel will draw readers in and shatter their hearts in the best way.”
  • Culturess: “A heartfelt story about love, loss, and grief, Dustin Thao’s bittersweet novel You’ve Reached Sam will likely make you shed some tears.”
  • SheReads: “A touch of magic, first love and loss, this is the story of romance and heartache.”
  • The Nerd Daily: “You’ve Reached Sam is a quiet exploration of grief and the ways in which we cope with losing the ones we love too soon. If you’re in need of a good, cathartic crying session, this one’s for you!”

About the Author:

• Dustin Thao is a Vietnamese-American writer based in Southern California.
• He graduated from Amherst College with a B.A. in Political Science and is pursuing a PhD at Northwestern University.
• You’ve Reached Sam is his debut in young adult fiction.