Dustin Thao will follow up his young adult novel You’ve Reached Sam with a spinoff slated for a 2025 release, Variety reports.
Dutton Children’s Books won an auction for the rights to the new novel, which has the working title You’ve Found Oliver.
You’ve Reached Sam, published in 2021 by Wednesday Books, tells the story of 17-year-old Julie, whose boyfriend, Sam, dies in a car accident. Wracked with grief, she calls his cell phone to listen to his voicemail greeting—and he answers. A critic for Kirkus called the novel, which became a hit with readers on TikTok, “a rambling tale about grief that will appeal to patient, sentimental readers.”
You’ve Found Oliver will follow the titular character, Sam’s best friend, as he connects with the new owner of Sam’s phone number.
“Oliver is a supporting character in the first book and he’s a fan-favorite and he’s also one of my favorites,” Thao said. “When the book was finished, and when it came out, in the back of my mind, I always knew that he deserved his own story…The story of Oliver was important because he’s the only character that didn’t get closure. He was left with a lot of questions, especially around the death of his best friend, Sam, and that was a story I really wanted to explore.”
Michael Schaub is a contributing writer.
