Since You've Been Gone by, Morgan Matson

Summary:

The Pre-Sloane Emily didn't go to parties, she barely talked to guys, she didn't do anything crazy. Enter Sloane, social tornado and the best kind of best friend—the one who yanks you out of your shell.But right before what should have been an epic summer, Sloane just... disappears. No note. No calls. No texts. No Sloane. There’s just a random to-do list. On it, thirteen Sloane-selected-definitely-bizarre-tasks that Emily would never try... unless they could lead back to her best friend. Apple Picking at Night? Ok, easy enough.Dance until Dawn? Sure. Why not? Kiss a Stranger? Wait... what?

Getting through Sloane’s list would mean a lot of firsts. But Emily has this whole unexpected summer ahead of her, and the help of Frank Porter (totally unexpected) to check things off. Who knows what she’ll find?

Go Skinny Dipping? Um...(Via Goodreads.com)

Pages: 449

Release Date: May 6th, 2014 

Review:

    Since You've Been Gone is the perfect book to read during the summer. You can read the book anytime during the year, but it has a better impact during the summer. I rated Since You've Been Gone five stars out of five stars and it is now one of my favorite contemporary books of all time and one of the best books I have read so far this year. 
    While reading Since You've Been Gone, I felt like I could do anything. Now I really want to try something I would never have done before. I love reading books that make me feel great and make me see the world differently. 
    I love Morgan Matson's writing style, it was easy to follow and I did not want to put the book down. I read Since You've Been Gone in two days which surprised me since it was 449 pages long, but it did not feel that long of a book. The story flowed perfectly and I really want to check out Morgan Matson's other book, Amy & Roger's Epic Detour. I highly recommend reading Since You've Been Gone. 

*Spoiler Section*

     

    I could really relate to Emily. Lately, I have been going through some friend problems with a friend who I have been best friends with for nine years. Our friendship reminded me of Sloane and Emily, because, we seemed to be attached at the hip, called one another constantly, always hung out, etc. She was not like Sloane and suddenly disappeared out of thin air, but she changed and we quickly became less close. It sucks not being close to her after almost nine years of friendship, but I did get some good things out of breaking apart. Like Emily, I made new friends and did things I had never done with her. I became less dependent on her and was able to do fun things without her. I loved how Emily grew as a character and became her own person, not someone Sloane made her be. Unlike my friend and I, they became friends again. Maybe not exactly how their friendship used to be, but neither of them are the same person they used to be. That is how I hope it will turn out for me.

    I loved that Emily's family was featured a lot in the book. In most books, their family is in the background and not touched on. But, we got to see Emily's crazy play writer parents and her height defying little brother. Her family was so funny and I was glad I got to read about them. I do feel bad for Emily sometimes because they are a bit embarrassing, but they always want what is best for her. 

    I love the cover of Since You've Been Gone. It captures the summertime feelings and I love the inside and outside pictures on the dust jacket. The beautiful pictures tie into the story. I really love that the cover has things in the picture that are mentioned in the book. It shows that the cover designer(s) learned about the book that they were trying to present, which seems rare when thinking about book covers and the content of the books. The cover was perfect and I wish there were more out there like this one.

    Collins, Frank, and Dawn are friends that I could see myself having. I loved that Emily completed the list and was able to make friends along the way. It really shows her character development throughout the book. She goes from having one best friend for two years to making three new friends in a matter of weeks. I am proud of Emily for making new friends and finishing the list. I was worried at the beginning that she would not end up completing it. But, I was happy she ended up proving me wrong. 

    It was neat that every so often she would have a flashback of something. It was nice to slowly learn about Sloane, Sam, and Gideon than learn about them quickly in the span of a few pages. It pulled out the suspense and you were able to come up with theories of what happened between the four of them.

    In a well-ordered universe, we would get a sequel to Since You've Been Gone. The book left off in a perfect spot, but with most contemporaries I still want more. I want to see more of Frank and Emily's and Collins and Dawn's relationships. Also, I want to see what will happen with Emily and Sloane's friendship. But, the ending was satisfying and I am glad that Emily is hopefully going to take more chances. 

    Since You've Been Gone was fantastically written, fun, exciting, and was the perfect summer read. I am excited to read more of Morgan Matson's books and I will hopefully take some risks this summer!
    On a side note, I met Morgan Matson at Book Con this May (my review and pictures from Book Con: http://www.littleredsreviews.blogspot.com/2014/06/book-con-2014.html). She was so nice and it was a pleasure to meet her. 

~Casey