Dutton Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Penguin Young Readers, has announced the forthcoming publication of You’ve Found Oliver, a companion novel to Dustin Thao’s breakout YA novel You’ve Reached Sam. The book is scheduled to hit shelves on September 30.
The titular star of You’ve Found Oliver first appeared as a secondary character in Thao’s debut You’ve Reached Sam, which became a hit, blowing up on TikTok and selling more than a million copies worldwide. But even with the success of You’ve Reached Sam, writing books in the same universe hadn’t originally been the plan for Thao.
“I always told myself that I would never continue a book [series] unless I truly believed the story was just as strong as the first,” Thao told PW. “But I did get a lot of messages, emails, and comments about Oliver, who also happened to be my favorite character. If I was to ever expand the story, it would be a story that belonged to Oliver. He was the one that never got his ending. He was the one that story was truly unfinished.”
The story takes place one year after You’ve Reached Sam and finds Oliver still grappling with the sudden loss of his best friend who he’d fallen in love with. Oliver continues to text Sam’s number to cope, and when he accidentally calls, he’s shocked to find Ben, a college student, on the other end. “Oliver realizes that this person who he doesn’t know at all, actually knows so much about him and who he is, and who he once loved,” Thao said. “Ben has heard his inner thoughts. So it’s such a strange dynamic to get to write.”
Readers can thank fellow authors Chloe Gong and Alex Aster for the inspiration for You’ve Found Oliver. The three were getting dinner one night, and Aster unknowingly arrived late at a sister location. She and Thao were on the phone together, describing an identical restaurant, but unable to find each other.
“I remember the feeling of that moment—of two people standing at the exact same spot at the exact same time, speaking on the phone, but unable to see one another, and it was just this feeling that I can’t describe,” Thao said. “By the end of the dinner, I said, ‘Guys, I know what this book is about.’ ”
You’ve Found Oliver also marks Thao’s debut at Dutton (his previous books were published by Wednesday Books). Julie Strauss-Gabel, president and publisher of Dutton, who is editing Oliver, said she encountered his work as a reader and “there was no chance that I would be anything but a fan. Dustin’s putting his heart and emotion right on through the page,” she said. “I think he’s channeling something very sincere and something very true.”
Writing with honest emotions is why Thao’s stories lean towards heartache. Readers across BookTok might be found flinging his books around their rooms in despair, but Thao said, “I think life is bittersweet, which is why I write the kind of the stories that I do. Because a lot of the experiences that my characters have are the same ones I have.”
So what can readers expect from this new installment to a beloved universe? “A very huge, magical twist,” he said (some fans have already figured it out based on the cover by artist Zipcy and cover designer Theresa Evangelista) and Thao’s unique take on happily ever after. It was his time on tour, interacting with fans, that helped shape You’ve Found Oliver’s romance story.
“I actually asked [readers], ‘Do you want only sad books?’ And they said, ‘No, we want a happy ending!’ Thao said. “Even though I wouldn't technically call it a happy ending, I would call it the closest thing to a happy ending that I am capable of doing.”
