Summary
It was Sloane who yanked Emily out of her shell and made life 100% interesting. But right before what should have been the most epic summer, Sloane just…disappears. All she leaves behind is a to-do list.
On it, thirteen Sloane-inspired tasks that Emily would normally never try. But what if they could bring her best friend back?
Apple picking at night? Okay, easy enough.
Dance until dawn? Sure. Why not?
Kiss a stranger? Um...
Emily now has this unexpected summer, and the help of Frank Porter (totally unexpected), to check things off Sloane's list. Who knows what she’ll find?
Go skinny-dipping? Wait...what?
Review
This is my first time reading a Morgan Matson book and I have to say this author is already becoming one of my favourites . Since You've Been Gone is one of the cutest and funniest contemporaries I've read in a while. It's about breaking out of your shell, doing things out of your comfort zone and it also centres around friendship.
The book was laugh out loud funny at many occasions and I found myself liking each and every side-character. I love how they stood out and they weren't just there to make the MC shine.
Emily was a great protagonist. I could really relate to her when it came to her shyness and her awkwardness and I loved seeing her develop from a girl that hid in her best friend's shadow to someone more confident and out going. She was flawed,of course, but that's what made her more real and fun to me.
Also, Frank was like a breath of fresh air. Usually in a book with a shy, reserved main character the person who helps her break out of her shell,and also her love interest, is a 'bad boy' (am I the only one who seems to come across this type of books, all the time?) and although I can't say I don't enjoy a good bad boy it does get tiring after a certain amount of time to read about them. Frank, on the other hand, was so sweet and funny and adorable!
I love how the romance was slowly built. Frank and Emily were purely friends for the majority of the book, getting to know each other. Their relationship was so incredibly cute! Frank supported Emily and even helped her complete that list, however crazy some of the things in it sounded, because he knew how important it was for her. Their romance was definitely one that left me with a cheesy smile permanently stuck on my face.
This book actually also inspired me to go out running... a bit irrelevant, I know, but no other book has managed something like that before (take into account I'm a very lazy person)! In the book, Frank and Emily have these daily running laps which were going on for the majority of the book and since I was on vacation, in a small village, I decided why not do it myself! I applaud you, Matson, I applaud you.
Lastly, I feel the need to add that...I loved the list! It was so crazy and fun!
Overall, Since You've Been Gone was an amazing contemporary full of funny, cute moments and great characters! I adored it!
Publisher : Simon & Schuster
Publication Date: May 6th 2014
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Pages: 449
Format: Paperback
Rating : 5/5
