You've reached Sam by Dustin Thao Summary

You've Reached Sam by Dustin Thao Summary

You've Reached Sam A 17-year-old girl, Julie, met a boy called Sam. Sam and Julie were in the same class. They met each other and then became very good friends. Slowly, they started meeting more and more and eventually fell in love. They used to live together and had decided their future together—what they would do after school. They were planning to shift to a big city, attend the same college, do a part-time job, and live in an apartment.

Sam was thrilled about making music, and Julie wanted to be a writer. Sometimes, Julie used to help Sam write his lyrics, and they were each other’s companions. But don’t they say our lives don’t always go according to our plans? The same thing happened here. Sam meets with an accident and dies. Julie is left broken.

Julie was not ready to accept that he had died. Because of this, she didn’t even go to his funeral, didn’t visit his house, and didn’t send flowers—because she believed he was still alive and could never leave her. Due to this, everyone in her school criticized her. Many people, even in Sam's elder brother’s house, were saying that Sam died because of her.

In an attempt to forget Sam, Julie throws away all of his belongings. But she starts missing him a lot. Then one day, Julie calls Sam’s number, and it rings. Unexpectedly, someone receives the call—and it’s none other than Sam.

Initially, Julie is shocked. How is this happening? If Sam has died, how is he answering the call? She asks him how he can receive the call, and Sam replies that even he doesn’t know how this is happening. But he tells Julie not to tell anyone about their phone calls—because if she does, the connection between them might break, and they may never be able to talk again.

So Julie keeps their calls a secret. Sam tells her that they were not able to say goodbye to each other, and this is their last chance—a second chance to say goodbye. Julie can take as much time as she wants. She is very happy. She tells Sam everything that is happening in her life.

This continues for many days. Sometimes it feels like Sam might come back. That everything they planned together would come true. But all that was not possible—because Sam was dead. He tells her that she needs to move on in life. He is never coming back. He reminds her of her dreams—that she wants to become a writer and live her life.

Julie tells him, “What about you? You also wanted all this. Why didn’t you do it?” Sam responds, “I also wanted all this… but I can’t do it now. It’s not possible anymore.”

Eventually, Julie understands. She has to live her life. They say goodbye to each other. But it’s difficult for Julie. Sam tells her that their connection will break only when he calls and she doesn’t answer. So he makes her promise that when he calls for the last time, she will not receive the call.

Julie promises. And when Sam finally calls, Julie is heartbroken. She is sitting in one place, struggling not to attend the call. Every part of her wants to pick it up, but she had promised. So she doesn’t receive the call. In that moment, their connection breaks—and they are no longer able to talk.

So, this book You’ve Reached Sam is a TikTok sensation. It is very popular on TikTok, Bookstagram, and other platforms. This book is really good. But the story is… I mean, I was expecting more. I was expecting a lot, but it didn’t deliver like that. There is no real plot twist in it.

The story is beautiful, but it’s all very linear. The writing style is very easy—anyone can read it, and it’s simple to understand. But I felt that if the book had a few more twists, it could have been more interesting. I thought maybe Julie had a mental illness, or that the conversations with Sam were part of a dream—but no. She was really talking to him.

Still, that part felt a bit strange to me. The entire book is from Julie’s point of view. It may make you feel a lot of emotions. For me, I didn’t cry that much. The last part is very emotional—when Sam tells Julie not to receive his call anymore, that he has to go—that part is very emotional. But that’s it. It’s not a very long book. It’s just a story.

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