Seventeen-year-old Julie 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. Desperate to hear his voice one more time, Julie calls Sam’s cellphone just to listen to his voicemail. And Sam picks up the phone.
What would you do if you had a second chance at goodbye?
Filled with a diverse cast of characters, the heartache of first love and loss, and the kind of friends that can get you through anything, plus a touch of magic, You've Reached Sam will make an instant connection with anyone looking for a big emotional romance of a read. (Pub Date: Nov 09 2021)
Julie has lost her boyfriend Sam to a car accident, for which she feels she's partially to blame. Right as she's trying to get rid of all of their memories together, her phone suddenly connects to Sam. They'll be able to talk for some time he can't inform how long, so it's her chance to actually say goodbye to him. However, the more they talk, the less she feels ready for it.
It's a beautiful story about grieving and trying to move on. And it really made me cry at some points that weren't the ending. The journey was so beautiful, when it was the end of the book, I just felt fulfilled. It's a quick book, I haven't been able to read much and yet I think I finished this in two or three days. Though emotional, it won't feel too much. At the same time, I'm not sure it is recommended to those not ready to deal with heavy themes like the death of a beloved one, or if it could be exactly what the person needs.
I can't say I was in love with Julie, the main character. We get to enjoy the beginning of their romance even before we know he'll die (though it's obvious from the title, the cover, the summary... lol), but that beginning was weak, in my opinion. I'm really not sure the two had that much chemistry. Luckily, one, the book doesn't waste much time on that, and two, romance is not the point. While Julie's love for Sam and vice-versa felt shallow from what we read, her grief made me wonder if the book itself wasn't some therapy for the writer. I have no information to know, but it all read very real, it felt personal enough. This is not a story that used death as a plot device, like it was the trend some years ago with books made just for you to cry a lot. It's focused on the steps of grieving, which sometimes are forward and others, backward.
In all, yes, it could have been better, there could have been more interesting events. But the writing, the feeling of development were already beautiful enough. I think this is the kind of YA that can easily be read by all ages, even if you're not the usual fan of the read.
Honest review based on an ARC provided by Netgalley. Many thanks to the publisher for this opportunity.
Rating: 4 out of 5.
No comments:
Post a Comment