You've Reached Sam

by Dustin Thao · 2021

Seventeen‑year‑old Julie Clarke has her future mapped out—college, a move to the city, a summer in Japan—until a tragic accident claims her boyfriend Sam. Grieving and desperate, Julie skips Sam’s funeral and tries to erase his presence, but a hidden note in her yearbook pulls his memory back into her life. In a moment of longing, she dials Sam’s old cell phone, only to hear his voice on a voicemail that somehow answers back. Each call pulls her deeper into a bittersweet connection that blurs the line between memory and the impossible chance for one more goodbye. As Julie wrestles with love, loss, and the haunting question of whether she can truly let go, Dustin Thao’s heartfelt novel explores the fragile power of saying farewell and the ways we cling to the voices that still echo in our hearts.