Holy sh*t. This book emotionally destroyed me, yet it means everything to me now. I have never, in my life, full blown sobbed while reading a story before. Dustin Thao’s way of stirring up real and raw emotions in the reader cannot be understated; Julie and Sam’s story was heartbreakingly beautiful.

Starting with Julie, I loved her character. I know a few people didn’t care for her because of the way she dealt with grief, as well as living up to certain expectations, but Thao showed that grief isn’t a one size fits all approach; we need to be more sensitive and understanding of others - just because we wouldn’t or wouldn’t think to do certain things out of grief, doesn’t mean it’s the same for everyone. I also liked how Julie was a planner (I’m the same way) and the discussions of enjoying the moment/what you have now and not letting life pass you by were emphasized to her and therefore, to me. As for Sam, he was SO sweet and loved Julie to the ends of the earth. It really showed. I just kept thinking about how young he was and how much of his life he’s going to miss out on. This reiterated the fact that it’s devastating when anyone dies, but especially a young person. 

I also wanted to say that this story posed so many thought provoking questions. Specifically, what would you do if you had the opportunity to speak with your deceased loved one on the phone consistently? You can see the pros and cons this had on Julie and her life, as well as Sam and it made me think twice… that’s all I’ll say. 

Final Thoughts: This is easily one of my favorite books of 2022. Drop what you’re doing and read this if you can handle the content. The exploration of grief, heartache, acceptance/rejection, yearning, and not wanting to let go of the past is brilliant. Dustin Thao, I need another book ASAP because this was incredible, lol. Thanks for making me ugly cry! Especially during that ending/epilogue.