Review: Since You've Been Gone by Morgan Matson

Title: Since You've Been Gone
Author: Morgan Matson
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Release Date: May 06, 2014
Source: Purchased
Find it Here: Amazon, Goodreads

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...

My Thoughts: 

As I have said in previous reviews of Morgan Matson’s books, I am a huge fan of Morgan Matson. She writes the perfect summertime books that always get me in the right summertime mood. So, of course, to kick off this summer I had to read Morgan Matson’s latest summertime feel good book, Since You've Been Gone!

I love books, especially contemporary, when the main character completely comes out of her shell by the end. She goes on a journey and does things she would never have imagined doing before and realizes what she has been missing all along. And Since You’ve Been Gone is just that book! Emily’s best friend Sloane up and leaves without a note or a phone call as to her whereabouts. Until Emily finds a postcard in her mailbox with a list of things for Emily to complete during the summer. Emily is convinced this list will reveal where Sloane has moved to. But, of course, the list is compiled of things that Emily would never do. As she makes her way through the list, she makes some friends along the way and realizes she doesn’t need Sloane by her side to be happy.

As much as I loved the story and all the characters, Emily was a bit annoying in the beginning. She moped around the house because she was sad, she didn’t tell anyone about Sloane and she literally struggled to put a sentence together when conversing with a stranger. But once the story really started to delve into her life and got into how her parents acted, it turned out pretty good.

One of the reasons why I enjoy Morgan Matson’s books is because they usually make me cry but that was not the case with Since You’ve Been Gone. Nothing that was super emotionally devastating happened so it was just a nice feel good book. I’m definitely looking forward to more Morgan Matson in the future!