You've Reached Sam

It is the new year, but there are still books from 2025 that I 

wanted to read and didn’t get around to them. 

You’ve Reached Sam by Dustin Thao is one of them.  This is a 

YA novel following 17-year old Julie Clark. She has plans for her future. They involve moving out of her small town and attending college in the big city. She also wants to spend the summer in Japan. The plans include her boyfriend Sam. The plans change when Sam dies.

In order to get past the heartbreak, Julie skips the funeral, throws out his belongings, and does all she can to forget him. It doesn’t help that there is a message left for her left in the yearbook.

Julie calls Sam’s cellphone to hear his voice. Something unexpected occurs. She calls the phone and someone answers. The person on the other end is Sam.

Released in 2024, Dustin Thao also released a novel in 2025 called You’ve Found Oliver.

Originally Published on January 8, 2026