[Review] You've Found Oliver - Dustin Thao

Summary: It’s been a year since his best friend, Sam, died. Even though Oliver knows he won’t get a response, he can’t stop texting Sam’s number, especially as the anniversary of his death approaches.

Then one day he accidentally hits the call button, and someone picks up.

The voice on the other end isn’t Sam. Sam’s number was reassigned and a stranger has been receiving Oliver’s private and vulnerable messages for months. But Ben, a college student in Seattle, won’t remain a stranger for long. When they finally meet in person, their spark is undeniable. Everything seems perfect until Oliver discovers something strange might be keeping them apart.

Dustin Thao’s star-crossed return to Ellensburg, WA is a sliding-doors romance sure to break your heart wide open. (Pub Date: Sep 30 2025)

This book was good! 

I was one of those who fell in love with the premise in You've Reached Sam, the first in this series, but felt disappointed in the execution. But I always felt it was too bad, that there could be more in this story. Maybe that's why I was excited to get this companion book. Moreover, I did remember Oliver from the first book and was curious to see how his happy ending would be, and also glad for him to get the chance of one.

3.5 rounded up to 4.

I've gotta say it's been a while since I last read a book this fast. The story made me wonder how things would happen. To my luck I didn't remember much of the summary, so I was even guessing what the problem would be to keep Oliver and Ben apart. And it was exciting the way the supernatural gets introduced. It gave me the chills.

Oliver was a great character and Ben was very cute too so it was easy to cheer for the couple. But I wish we could have learned better about Ben. Even Oliver's situation isn't all that clear, and the focus was almost exclusively on how Oliver is grieving Sam, refusing to live in the present. 

If anyone has watched The Lake House or the original Il Mare, the first half may seem predictable, but don't worry, the plot differentiates itself later on. However, at the same time, it was when I felt disappointed. Not in that I wanted it to be just like those two movies, but that the consequences could have been better explored. I wasn't reading it to be amazed, I just wanted a sweet love story, but it was promising, and I not only wanted more and better but I knew it could have been delivered.

In any case, it's still very cute. I was in love with the book and these two. It's too bad it's over and I'm not sure we can get a third in the series. Even if it's not possible, please, write more books.

Honest review based on an ARC provided by Netgalley. Many thanks to the publisher for this opportunity.

Rating: 4 out of 5.