Finde mich, Oliver: Die Fortsetzung des hochemotionalen Weltbestseller-Liebesromans "Bleib bei mir, Sam".

You've Reached Sam #2

by Dustin Thao, Bernadette Ott (Translator)

Olivers Die Fortsetzung des hochemotionalen Weltbestsellers »Bleib bei mir, Sam«

Oliver ist im zweiten Collegesemester und trauert noch immer um seinen besten Freund Sam. Heimlich schreibt er ihm weiter Nachrichten, obwohl er weiß, dass Sam nie antworten wird. Als er sich am Jahrestag von Sams Tod entschließt, die Nummer endgültig zu löschen, ruft er sie versehentlich an, und es meldet sich Finn, der Sams alte Nummer übernommen und Olivers Nachrichten gelesen hat. Die beiden freunden sich an und beschließen sich zu treffen. Doch als Oliver zum Treffpunkt kommt, steht er vor einem geschlossenen Diner. Oliver meint, versetzt worden zu sein. Tatsächlich aber leben die beiden nicht genau zur selben Zeit ...Dustin Thao hat mit seinen Romanen Millionen Fans zu Tränen gerührt. Nun bekommt Oliver, Lieblingsfigur vieler Fans aus »Bleib bei mir, Sam«, seine eigene Geschichte.Alle Romane des Autors bei
Bleib bei mir, Sam
Finde mich, Oliver
Warte auf mich, Haru

Genres: Romance, Young Adult, LGBT, Contemporary, Queer, M M Romance, Fiction

321 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 30, 2025

About the author

Dustin Thao is a Vietnamese American writer based in New York City. He graduated from Amherst College with a B.A. in Political Science, and is currently in a PhD program at Northwestern University. He writes contemporary fiction, and his debut novel You’ve Reached Sam is a New York Times and USA Today bestseller.

Reviews

[Dustin Thao]

Breaking news: Oliver and Julie are back for another heartbreaking adventure :) The world of YOU'VE REACHED SAM continues in this equally emotional story with a magical new twist. Yes, you will see all your favorite characters and where they are one year after Sam's death. While both stories are deeply connected, they can actually be read in any order!

Hope you guys love the cover! I asked my publisher to give me Lover meets Evermore vibes and they definitely delivered.

[Alexia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having loved "You've Reached Sam" and having mixed feelings about "When Haru Was Here" I entered this one with high expectations, and it did not disappoint.

This novel had a more lighthearted and uplifting vibe compared to the author’s previous works. While there were moments that brought a few tears to my eyes, the overall tone was much happier. Even though it tackled the complexities of grieving for someone you loved deeply and the intricate journey towards healing, the narrative felt more optimistic and hopeful.

The author has a remarkable ability to portray the variety of grieving experiences and how the healing process differs for everyone. The plot unfolded in a charming slice-of-life format, which I absolutely adore, showcasing characters as they tackle everyday challenges and navigate through life's ups and downs.

Oliver was such a relatable and likable protagonist; there wasn't a single moment when he irritated me. He embodied the characteristics of a fan-favorite side character who transitions beautifully into the lead role. I found myself rooting for him throughout the story. Ben was another standout character—caring, a true green flag, and charming. I appreciated his passion for the things he loved and how the author gradually revealed layers of his personality, which made him feel authentic and relatable.

Their relationship was delightful and healthy, filled with open communication and mutual respect. This is the kind of relationship dynamic I cherish most—where the couple navigates challenges together, supporting and uplifting one another.

However, I must admit that the ending left me a bit mad, prompting me to drop a star from my rating. I had an inkling that that would be the ending, cause it's typical for the author, and while I didn't hate it, I found myself wishing for a different one.

In conclusion, this book filled me with warmth and hope, leaving me with a sense of contentment that I truly loved despite the ending.

[Marieke (mariekes_mesmerizing_books) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sometimes, time feels like it’s moving faster than I can catch up to it. Like everyone’s left on the train while I’m still standing at the platform, waiting.

You’ve Found Oliver isn’t just a sequel. It’s easily readable as a standalone and is literally You’ve Reached Sam meets When Haru was Here AND a glimpse of What Happens in Amsterdam. Plus, it’s the least heartbreaking of the three.

This cover is gorgeous and shows so well what this story is about. I feel I’m writing an extension on the review I wrote before this one about Abdi Nazemian’s Exquisite Things. Both stories are about love and how we perceive time, hold on to the nostalgia for what’s been, instead of living in the now, or even having dreams and move forward.

Oliver’s mind is constantly in the past, still with Sam, his best friend who he lost almost a year before. Time is moving on, and Oliver has to follow, but he somehow gets stuck while still texting Sam’s number, not having friends other than Sam’s girlfriend, Julie, and not knowing what to do in the future. Then he accidentally calls Sam’s number and Ben picks up.

Only when we stop trying to pin it down, does time begin to move in another direction.

I love Dustin Thao’s writing. It’s vivid and palpable, and I gobbled up the words and sentences. To be honest, though, for a while I felt this was a nice story, but nothing more. It’s not a full-on tearjerker. It even felt pretty light. But the more I read, the more I realized there was so much happening between the lines. And maybe that fits Oliver’s story so well. This story forces you to think deeper, to peel off the layers. When you just lose someone, you’re allowed to cry. But when time moves on, the people around you expect that you move on, too. You probably cry less, but that feeling in your chest when you see that person again, talk to them, hold them, doesn’t disappear that fast. But burying yourself in the past might also mean missing so much you’d love. Which means we need to let go. Oliver needs to let go even though it’s hard to do so. And, d*mn, that last part made me cry.

I’m learning a home is more than the house you live in. It’s something you make yourself. With the people you meet, the places you go.

If you’ve read this story, I want to talk to you about two things. I thought there were some mistakes related to traveling from one place to another. But now I think Dustin Thao did it on purpose.

And I really want to talk about that ending, especially to people from … I loved it so much! If you’ve read it, you know what I mean.

Thank you, Rafa from Penguin Random House International, for one of my most anticipated 2025 releases!

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[veerali · Rating 3 out of 5]

gayness and sadness into one book was all i needed.

[Bookish Boy]

Dustin Thao is going to make me cry again 😭😭

[quynh~vi! ᯓ★ (ia )]

i saw a hard cover special edition of this book but my mom literally said ‘i don’t want you reading stuff like that’ so online pdfs i go 💔

[Cora · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review!

I really enjoyed this book! The plot was great, the characters were so fun, and the story was really entertaining.

Oliver was a great main character, he was so funny and entertaining to read about. He was such a great character, and kept being nice to people even if they treated him so badly.

Ben was such a great love interest too. I thought there was just so much character between these two characters.

The story was very fun and cute. I definitely would recommend this book to anyone who wants a cute and supernatural romance. The story was quick paced and had me hooked most of the time, especially in the last half.

There were a few things that I thought were sort of left a loose ends that were left, I’m not gonna put them in this review because the book hasn’t come out yet, but I thought they probably could have been summed up in just a few more pages.

All in all, this book was really good, and I think you would definitely like it if you like You’ve Reached Sam.

[alex (semi-ia for theatre)]

gay. gay. gay. gay. need. read. now.

[Jan Agaton · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was so happy to be back with these characters. another beautiful story by Dustin Thao. the ending made me feel the way the ending of 500 days of summer makes me feel & idk how to properly explain that lol

[Fernanda (ivyfer_isreading) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was a little apprehensive that this wouldn’t work as a standalone(I haven’t read You’ve Reached Sam), but it can definitely be read without the first book. I’m struggling to think what I can say about You’ve Found Oliver because it is one of those books best read without knowing anything about it.
It is a little sad, less than I was expecting it to be, very reflective if you let it be. It is a ya book but if you open your mind it can be meaningful and move you quite a lot. I was misty eyed by the end, I must admit. The writing is simple but good, really fast paced and can easily be read in one sitting.
I don’t know what else I can say without giving too much away.

Thank you Netgalley and Penguin Young Readers Group for the ARC.

[Lance]

E-ARC generously provided by Dutton Books for Young Readers in exchange for an honest review. Thank you so much!

Bless the Read Now period this title had on Netgalley omg.

Curious about this one… I wonder if it’s a tearjerker like Thao’s other books 👀

[lilly ♡ (semi-hiatus, slumpy)]

OMG I GOT THE ARCCCC!!!

[Sotiria Lazaridou · Rating 4 out of 5]

You’ve Found Oliver is a novel steeped in tenderness, one that reaches instinctively for the emotional pulse of loss, memory and the complicated act of moving forward. it carries the unmistakable DNA of You’ve Reached Sam, in the sense that it has the same yearning for connection across the boundaries of time and grief, but filtered through a quieter, more introspective lens. it’s a book that understands emotion deeply, even if it doesn’t always articulate it with linguistic precision. my 4-star rating reflects that paradox: while the story stirred me profoundly, especially in its closing chapters, it fell just short of the luminous subtlety that made Dustin Thao’s debut unforgettable.

the emotional atmosphere of You’ve Found Oliver is its greatest triumph. from the very beginning, there’s a sense of stillness and of suspended time, as though every moment is cushioned in a soft melancholy. the writer crafts scenes that ache with understatement, particularly during the silence between words and the small gestures that carry immense meaning. by the time the novel reaches its conclusion, the emotion feels earned rather than engineered. the final chapters, in particular, shimmer with a quiet grace, as they capture the way grief transforms rather than ends and the way love persists in altered forms. it’s a novel that leaves you heavy-hearted, yet strangely soothed, as if you’ve been allowed to touch something raw and human and walk away unscathed.

and yet, for all that emotional precision, the prose itself often feels too plain. Dustin Thao’s writing in You’ve Reached Sam balanced simplicity with lyricism and a softness of tone that mirrored the fragility of its themes. in You’ve Found Oliver, however, that balance falters. the vocabulary is sparse, the syntax sometimes pedestrian and there are passages that feel as though they’re holding the reader’s hand too tightly, afraid of ambiguity. the story deserves a more daring language to match its depth, since it occasionally feels trapped within its own gentleness. there are moments when an emotional revelation arrives, but the phrasing doesn’t quite carry the weight it should. the feelings are immense, but the sentences can feel too light to hold them.

the fact You’ve Reached Sam is in my top 3 favorite books ever inevitably raised my expectations. that earlier novel felt almost alchemical: delicate yet devastating, a meditation on grief that trusted silence as much as speech. I came to You’ve Found Oliver hoping for that same alchemy, that same balance of heartbreak and transcendence. what I found instead was something more grounded, more cautious. it’s a story that understands emotion, but doesn’t quite surprise it into life. the echoes of Sam's absence are unmistakable, but where Sam felt like standing in the storm, Oliver feels like the morning after: gentle and reflective, but a little dimmer.

still, the thematic fabric of the novel is rich. Dustin Thao continues to explore the intersection of love and loss, but with a new emphasis on self-recognition, specifically how we reconstruct identity after the pieces of our past no longer fit. there’s also a subtle thread about forgiveness, both of others and oneself, that runs quietly beneath the narrative. the story suggests that healing isn’t a matter of forgetting, but of learning how to live alongside the ghost of what once was. in that sense, You’ve Found Oliver is less about romance than about reconciliation, not necessarily with another person, but with one’s own heart.

despite its stylistic limitations, the book’s emotional integrity is undeniable. it feels sincere in a way few contemporary romances do: not sentimental, but genuinely vulnerable. it doesn’t pretend to have the answers, but it simply inhabits the ache and lets it speak. while it may not reach the haunting perfection of You’ve Reached Sam, it offers a quieter, more human truth: that even imperfect words can still carry perfect feeling.

in the end, You’ve Found Oliver is a novel that may falter in language, but never in heart. its simplicity, though sometimes frustrating, also allows for honesty and its emotional core beats are steady and real. I didn’t find in it the same magic that made me love You’ve Reached Sam, but I did find something else, something more gentle, humble and deeply comforting. it’s a story that lingers not because of how it’s written, but because of how it feels and perhaps, in its own imperfect way, that’s what makes it worth remembering.

[fer bañuelos · Rating 2 out of 5]

ESP:

*2.5*

Gracias netgalley por la copia avanzada!

Saben, estoy más triste de lo que me gustaría admitir.

A ver, yo adoro Has Llamado a Sam. Cuando Haru Estuvo Aquí no me gustó casi nada. Entonces, You've Found Oliver llega en un punto donde estoy 50-50 respecto al trabajo del autor. Y pues...

Esta es una novela compañera a Sam, donde seguimos a Oliver, su mejor amigo, quien lidia con su muerte mandándole mensajes de vez en cuando. A veces contándole cosas de su día a día como si nada hubiera pasada, otras atacado por el luto y por la pérdida. Hasta que un día estos mensajes son respondidos, no por Sam, pero por Ben, quien es el nuevo dueño del número. Y eso no es todo: estan separados en el tiempo, una diferencia de 6 meses los amenaza cuando empiezan a volverse más cercanos.

Yo he leído a Dustin Thao desde sus inicios (incluso antes amixes porque todas sus novelas las he podido leer en copias avanzadas) y siempre me he sentido atraído por sus conceptos. Las historías que plantea prometen bastante; son la combinación perfecta entre romance, sufrimiento, coming-of-age, toques especulativos. Una mezcla perfecta para mi. Pero, vez con vez, siempre termino decepcionado por su ejecución. Y con Oliver me volvió a pasar.

Se siente soso, incompleto en partes y flojo en otras. No me creí el romance, pues siento que el fuerte de Dustin Thao nunca ha sido elaborar en ese aspecto de los sentimientos de sus personajes. En el grief y el luto, hell yes, pero el resto siempre se queda corto, asi como su estilo de escritura. Es DEMASIADO sencillo para mi gusto. De hecho, se siente sin inspiración en ocasiones, pues son simples oraciones componiendo un parrafo. Cero elaborado y muy choppy.

Y ahí es donde radica mi problema: me encanta la idea del libro, pero mientras lo leía simpletemnte estaba meh . Nunca logró encantarme, pues desde un inicio estuve desconectado porque simplemente no logro encajar con como narra el autor. Oliver me parece, por falta e una mejor expresión, desangelado. Ben como interés amoroso tenía potencial, pero el romance se siente apresurado y sin mucha construcción. De hecho lo que más me gustó del libro es ver el punto de vista de Oliver respecto a Sam, y su dolor tras su perdida, pero cuando lo mejor del libro es lo que se menciona el protagonista del libro anterior es cuando sabes que hay un problema.

El tema de los 6 meses nunca termina de explorarse a profundidad. Más bien, no hay explicación. Queda mucho a la imaginación del lector y siento que tal vez esa fue una salida facil para el autor. El final final sí me gustó, porque siento que eso es algo que Dustin Thao siempre ha sabido hacer muy bien. Los últimos 2-3 capítulos de sus novelas eatttttt, pero en este caso no fue lo suficiente, porque el resto del libro se siento tan... plano.

Me gustó más que Haru (que digo, cualquier cosa me gustaría más que Haru porque de verdad ese libro no fue para mi) pero creo que he llegado al punto donde tengo que admitir que los libros de este autor no son para mi, lo cual ME DUELE PORQUE TIENE TODO PARA SER DE MIS FAVORITOS Y NADA MÁS NO DA.

Con este me despido del autor. Estoy seguro de que si releo Sam ahorita no me gustaría como antes, pero prefiero quedarme con el buen recuerdo de ese, y entender que fue la excepción, más no la regla.

ENG:

*2.5*

Thank you Netgalley and publisher for providing me with an advance copy to review!

You know what, I'm saddened that this didn't end up being better.

You've Found Oliver is a companion to You've Reached Sam, and this time we follow Oliver, Sam's best friend as he deals with his death by texting his old number, sometimes just to pretend that nothing has happened and other times overwhelmed by grief. One day this texts are answered, not by Sam but by Ben, the phone number's new owner. But something's amiss: they are separated by time, 6 months to be exact, something that will begin to threaten them as they grow closer.

I loved Sam, but I heavily disliked Dustin's sophomore novel, When Haru Was Here, so the odds were 50-50 when I started this one. And, in the end, I finished it feeling... whelmed. Not overwhelmed, nor underwhelmed. Just whelmed. And I think it was because it felt like such an anticlimatic ride from the beginning all the way to the end.

I've decided that Dustin Thao's books just aren't for me, which hurts me more that I would like to say, I love his ideas, the concepts of his books, the universes he creates, but the execution is always lacking. In this novel the romance feels baseless, the plot rushed, the concept of the mcs being separated by time unexplained and the character underdeveloped. Ben had lots of potential as a romantic interest but the author never dives deep enough in him to make me root for the romance. Oliver is very uninspiring as a lead and, actually, my favorite parts of the novel are the little scenes we get revolving around Oliver's grief towards Sam, and when the best part of the book are the very minimal sections of the last book's man character you know there's a problem.

I like the ending, that's something I always have enjoyed about Dustin's books. The last 2-3 chapters of his novels are very, very good, but it just wasn't enough to save this one. Because the whole book felt a little... too flat. His writing style doesn't help as well, as it is as simple as they come. Please give me something a little bit more stylistic! It feels too choppy and lacks emotion because of it.

I don't think I'll be reading anymore books by Dustin Thao. I ended up enjoying this a lot more than Haru (thankfully), but I keep having the same issues over and over again. I have a feeling that if I reread Sam I probably would not enjoy it as much, so I prefer to leave the good memories of that one as they are, but it has become crystal clear that that book was the exception and not the rule.

[Pierce Samuel ✞︎ (My Girlfriend's Ver.)]

Pre-Review: Thank you to Net-Galley for the arc!!

[sarah سارة (free me)]

OH MY GOD YES THERES MORE

[reverie]

dnf @ 20%

this was... a pain. a new to me author that will most likely never be touched again. the writing is so ridiculously stunted and simple that it felt like i was reading bullet point summaries of the scenes, rather than the actual scenes themselves. after a few pages i told myself i'd give it until 30% in before throwing in the towel. around 20% i jumped to the end, saw that the resolution to everything wasn't worth this suffering, and decided to put the book down for good.

maybe someone else will like it. it reads more like middle grade than YA, but maybe some people don't mind that. maybe i'm just too picky! who knows. this just really wasn't it for me 😓

[Maddie · Rating 3 out of 5]

this one did NOT make me cry like YRC, which is actually a good thing bc another time travel magical realism (@ jeneva rose) to make me sob is probably would be too much for me rn

initially, i was slightly put off by the simple writing style here. these definitely don't read like college kids, and i don't know that they're the target audience either.

i was definitely pulled in by the debacle presented in this book, and it reads super fast! overall, im glad i got the opportunity to read it. it was sweet and fun, but not overly emotionally devastating.

**thank you to Penguin Teen for the ARC copy**

[dominick]

WHAT THE HELL, WHEN DID THIS COME OUT????

[cyd · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for a honest review. This stunning sequel to you’ve reached sam tugs at all the heartstrings while making you feel warm and fuzzy inside. although this book is nowhere near as heartbreaking as you’ve reached sam i found it an interesting exploration of grief,healing, and the infinite possibilities of life. this book is the literal definition of i’ll find you in every lifetime. my only complaint is that the parallel universe part of this book isn’t really explained all that well but it definitely doesn’t take away anything from this book. i can’t wait for it to come out in the fall so everyone can experience it!! this author truly has no misses

[Joycelyn°❀⋆⋅˚₊‧ ୨୧ ‧₊˚ · Rating 3 out of 5]

it was so good until the ending 😭😭

[౨ৎ careena ౨ৎ (life of a showgirl!! ❤️‍🔥) · Rating 4 out of 5]

this book was really cuteeee

idk if it’s a writing choice but the sentences were really short and i surprisingly enjoyed it 😼

this book was so confusing but that’s probably my fault 💔


3.75 stars!! ⭐️⭐️⭐️✨

[rosie (jason todd's version)]

pre-release
wait wait wait PAUSE!!! NOBODY TOLD ME A NEW DUSTIN THAO BOOK IS COMING SOON??? 😀 (such a beautiful cover too… omg i need to reread you’ve reached sam now omg omg)

[Nao · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.75

Nie było to nic wyjątkowego, relacja była słodka ale Ben wydawał się zbyt idealny ;/ mało emocji ogólnie wykazywał, wiele było kwestii albo raczej dziur fabularnych które nie miały sensu i zastanawiałam się czm główny bohater o tym nie pomyślał (spoilerowo np czm nie szukał Bena w swojej linii czasu jak już ogarnął co się dzieje?) były jakieś dramatyczne momenty ale bardzo lekkie i bez szału mi weszła ta książka.

Ale napisana bardzo przyjemnie bo czyta się ją błyskawicznie.

[Quilted.reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

If You’ve Reached Sam shattered my heart, You’ve Found Oliver somehow pieced it back together then broke it all over again in the best way. This sequel follows Oliver, who’s still grieving his best friend Sam a year after his death. Unable to stop texting Sam’s old number, Oliver is stunned when a stranger named Ben finally answers. Ben, an astronomy student in Seattle, has unknowingly been reading Oliver’s most vulnerable messages for months. What starts as an unexpected connection blossoms into something beautiful until Oliver uncovers a secret that could pull them apart. Tender, heartfelt, and just as devastatingly romantic as its predecessor, I loved this one even more than the first.

[littlefox (not as active) · Rating 3 out of 5]

~3.5 stars ~

A sweet read with lovable characters! 3.5 stars because the writing was too simple, it felt as though the monotone writing style did not match the tone/theme of the book in some parts (especially the scenes involving grief). Some issues with Thao's writing voice can be attributed to potential editing errors that have hopefully been corrected by now, but most of the tone seemed to be a conscious choice.

[TeeReads · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars

You've Found Oliver is a follow-up to You've Reached Sam, but this time we get to follow Oliver, Sam's best friend, while he navigates college, the aftermath of his first relationship, his lingering grief over Sam, and life without Julie, his only friend, while she studies abroad. Oliver's story felt so relatable and real with such raw emotions. Learning to go through life without someone you love deeply is hard, and I think Dustin Thao really encapsulates the reality of those emotions. Oliver perseveres, and I loved seeing that for him. Ben and Oliver are so great, and I honestly wouldn't mind getting to see more of them.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[˚୨୧⋆｡˚ ⋆ Val ˚୨୧⋆｡˚ ⋆ · Rating 3 out of 5]

I finished this SO fast 😭

°❀⋆.ೃ࿔* Spoiler Free ! °❀⋆.ೃ࿔* (Unless you haven't read YRS)

This book is the sequel to You've reached Sam, AND GUESS WHAT ? I MADE IT THROUGH A DUSTIN THAO BOOK WITH SOBBING MY EYEBALLS OUT ! This is such a beautiful book about loss, grief, moving on and fate. You get to see Oliver and Julie's friendship blossom, as well as see them both slowly move on with their lives.

ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ Oliver ˏˋ°•*⁀➷
Oliver truly deserves the world, between silently loving Sam and letting him go for Julie, it was so nice to finally see him move on and get a love interest, but GOSH THE TEXTS HE SENT WERE SO SAD. I feel so bad for him 😭. Seeing him connect with Ben even with all the problems that were thrown their way, and seeing their relationship flourish is just the most emotionally healing thing after the TRAUMA i suffered from YRS. *cough cough* Dustin Thao I'm still waiting on that therapy cheque 😒.

ੈ✩‧₊˚ Ben ੈ✩‧₊˚
So…Ben. Do you happen to be bi ? JOKES (maybe 🤭) but come on, you can’t blame me. HAVE YOU SEEN THE COVER ? HE LOOKS LIKE A K DRAMA STAR. And he’s SUCH a gentleman, he’s trusting, he’s kind, he’s caring… Oliver you lucky lucky boy. Honestly ? There’s not much else I can say without giving spoilers so… have fun reading this when it comes out guys ! 🫶

[Bee¹⁷ .ᐟ ֹ ₊ ꒱ || ia mental health break :)]

pre-read thoughts 💭.𖥔 ݁ ˖: OMG I CANT WAIT FOR THIS TO COME OUT! You’ve reached Sam is one of my top favorite books even though it made me sob my eyes out so I definitely have to read this one now (hoping it’s not too sad lol)

[Alya]

The cover???😍❤️‍🩹 can't wait to be emotionally destroyed with another read by Dustin🫠