Q&A: Dustin Thao, Author of ‘You’ve Reached Sam’

We chat to Dustin Thao, debut author of the upcoming YA contemporary You’ve Reached Sam, which has lovingly been dubbed “sobfest 2021” by Bookstagram. Following a heartbroken girl whose boyfriend Sam died unexpectedly, things take a turn for the confusing when she calls his number to hear his voicemail one last time – and instead Sam picks up, giving them a second chance at goodbye. We got to ask Dustin about his favorite scene to write, upcoming projects and so much more!

Hi, Dustin! Thank you for chatting with us! Tell our readers a bit about yourself!

Hi! Thanks so much for having me. I am the author of You’ve Reached Sam which is my debut novel with Wednesday Books. I write contemporary YA stories with hints of magic. I am also a PhD student at Northwestern University where I study critical media literacy.

Lightning round: what was the last book you read, the last song you listened to and the last movie you watched?

• Song: Easy on me by Adele
• Book: A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman
• Movie: Luca

If you had to describe You’ve Reached Sam with one song, which one would you pick?

Field of Gold – the Eva Cassidy version (if you know, you know)

Now, tell us more about You’ve Reached Sam! What can readers expect?

You’ve Reached Sam is a story about grief and second chances. It’s a story about a girl named Julie who calls the boy she lost to hear his voicemail one more time, and he answers the phone, temporarily reconnecting them. Neither of them understand how the calls are happening. All they know is at one point, they both have to say goodbye. It’s an emotionally journey, one that explores the complexities of grief and moving forward, and I hope readers find it meaningful. Maybe you’ll shed a tear or two.

What inspired you to write You’ve Reached Sam?

The premise of You’ve Reached Sam is something I kept with me for a long time. Getting to speak with someone you’ve loved and lost. A second chance to say goodbye. It’s something we’ve all thought about at one point or another. It’s a story I definitely took my time with. And the truth is it was the story I really wanted to tell. Grief is a difficult topic to write about. Since I drew from some of my own personal experiences, the writing ended up being cathartic for me. I definitely had someone in mind as I was writing. To be honest, as I was writing You’ve Reached Sam, I wondered if anyone would ever read this. But I knew I had to write it anyway. And I’m glad it all came together in the end.

You’ve Reached Sam is your debut novel. What has been your favorite part about the writing and publishing process so far? What are you most looking forward to once readers are able to hold your book in their hands?

My favorite part of publishing is working on the cover! You always hear stories about bad author experiences with book covers, so I’m very lucky my publisher really cared about a shared vision. I remember sending them photos and mood boards, thinking they would ultimately go to the void. But the cover they sent back was ever better than I could have imagined. I can’t believe we got Zipcy to illustrate! She is a brilliant artist and it truly feels liking holding a piece of art in my hand. I really hope readers feel the same way about the cover! So many thanks to the the art director at Wednesday Books!

Grief is quite a difficult topic to discuss. How did you go about writing and planning Julie’s emotional journey?

I really took my time with You’ve Reached Sam. It’s a story I kept restarting over and over again. It actually took me a few years to write. I think that gave me a lot of time to think through her emotional journey. When it comes to exploring grief, I did my best to be as honest as I knew how, and that meant drawing from some of my own experiences of loss. Julie has a particular way of navigating through her grief, one that might not resonate with everyone. Her process is slow and frustrating and raw. This is why it was important to explore characters like Mika and Oliver to show us how grief manifests differently in other people. Each of them have their own connection to Sam and their way of moving forward. I hope readers can find someone they can connect to.

I loved how we got to learn more about Sam and Julie’s relationship through flashbacks and their conversations. Without spoiling too much, what was your favorite scene to write between the two of them?

I’m glad you brought up the flashbacks because they were my favorite parts to write. I imagined them as montages, like we often see in movies. I’ve never seen them done in books before so this was my attempt at it. It was a lot of fun writing the transitions as it moved from memory to memory. I think these chapters were moments when I got to be my most creative. I had to think really visually. I even have songs that go perfectly with each one. Maybe I’ll share them one day.

With You’ve Reached Sam releasing soon, are you already working on another project? If so, can you share a sneak peek with us?

I am currently revising book 2 which I hope to announce very soon! It is contemporary YA that explores similar themes to You’ve Reached Sam. It’s a standalone, but may or may not exist in the same universe. It’s comped as We Are Okay meets WandaVision, so expect another emotional story with a hint of magic.

Last but not least, do you have any book recommendations for us?

For emotional reads, I recommend Picture Us in The Light by Kelly Loy Gilbert and Tell the Wolves I’m Home by Carol Rifka Brunt. For a happy read, I loved The Summer of Everything by Julian Winters.

Will you be picking up You’ve Reached Sam? Tell us in the comments below!