Since You've Been Gone by Morgan Matson

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

My Blog Turns One

WARNING A LOT OF CHEESINESS AHEAD

Sorry, this is a really hasty post because I really need to get off the Internet and unpack my things. Just came back from London!

Yesterday marked one year since the day I created Cuddle Reads and although I was unable to post anything, as I spent most of my day sitting on a plane, the knowledge of that lifted my mood sky high. (no pun intended)

Even though I can't really say I've been the best, or even the most punctual, blogger I can say that Cuddle Reads is one of the things that made 2015 one of the best years of my life. I created this blog because as much as I love my friends and family I couldn't always go to them to discuss the incredible book I read the other night. I needed something to unleash my inner fangirl on, share my love for a book or my disappointment in one that didn't meet my expectations (it happens). This blog helped me do just that.

Being on Cuddle Reads has allowed me to communicate with people all over the world that share the same love of books as me.The fact that, now, if I want to talk about a book I read all I have to do is go to my computer and type, is pretty freaking awesome! Also, being on the book-blogging community has opened my eyes to so many incredible novels and authors! In the past year I've actually acquired more books than I had in the last three. (..sorry mom)

So, in short, I want to thank you guys and the entire book-blogging community for allowing me to be the book crazed fangirl I am.

Tag: I Mustache You Some Questions

Thank you so, so, so much to Claire for tagging me! I'm so sorry it took this long!

 4 Names People Call Me

1. Sia

2. Soula

3. Ana

4. Stacy

 4 Jobs I Have Had

 1. I tutored my little brother for a while

2. Babysitter (though I can't say I was very good at it...)

3. TBD

4. TBD

 4 Movies I'd Have Watched More Than Once

1. The First Time (Dylan O'Brien!)

2. All the Fast & Furious Movies

3. Pride and Prejudice

4. Tangled ( My favorite Disney Movie!)

 4 Books I'd Recommend

1. Cinder by Marissa Meyer

2. The Kiss of Deception by Mary E Pearson

3. The Coldest Girl In Coldtown

4. Anna and the French Kiss

 4 Places I Have Been

1. My Room

2. My Living Room

3. .....School?

4. Other Places

 4 Places I've Lived

I haven't lived in many places so I guess I'll leave this blank for now..

 4 Places I'd Rather Be Right Now

1. My Summer House

2. London

3. Maybe at the cinema..(What can I say? I'm  a movie junkie)

4. Camp Half-Blood ;)

 4 Things I Don't Eat

1. Broccoli

2. Mayonnaise

3. Snails

4. Lamp

 4 Of My Favorite Foods

1. Pizza!

2. Shrimp pasta

3. Mushed Potatoes

4. spaghetti

 4 Tv Shows I watch

1. Teen Wolf

2. Once Upon a Time

3. Game of Thrones

4. Gotham

 4 Things I'm Looking Forward To This Year

1. Visiting London!

2. Starting a novel ( I have an amazing story that has been stuck in my mind for a few months)

c. 11th Grade

3. Magnus and The Gods of Asgard is coming out in October!

 4 Things I'm Always Saying

1. Omg..

2. Aww

3. My Books are not that many! (...denial)

4.Love ya too!

....I'm a very bubbly person...

So that was the I Mustache You Some Questions tag! I had so much fun doing this tag! Again, thank you to Claire for tagging me to do this!

I Tag Anyone Who Wants To Do This Tag!

Discussion: DNFing Books

I'd never really DNFed a book before until recently, I always managed to get through it however bad i thought it was. But, in the past 6 months or so I've marked as DNF 2 books. Which isn't a lot if you think about it but for someone who has never DNFed before it's a big number.

Anyway, that made me wonder how long it should take someone to dnf a book?

I'm a very persistent person, so I will do my hardest to finish a book even if I'm not necessarily enjoying it but even I have my limits. In both cases (Ashes + House of Secrets) I spent a good 3 months trying to get through the book at hand, until I finally decided it wasn't happening.

The worst thing about DNFing a book, and the reason I try avoiding it, is the sense of failure you get when you don't manage to finish the book. Maybe it's different for everyone else but that's what I felt when I put down House of Secrets. But I've come to understand that it shouldn't be that way because, nowadays, almost everyone have a very busy schedule and when they do manage to make time to read they should read books that they'll enjoy. 

For example, I'm a high school student and for me this year was exceptionally hard and busy so when I did have time to read a book I wanted it to sweep me off my feet. With these two books it didn't happen and struggling to get through them made fall into a huge slump..

So, I decided from now on to give every book I read a 100 page limit. When I reach it, if I feel invested in the story I'll continue reading but If I still can't get into it I'll just put it aside. 

Do You DNF Books or Do You Try To Read The Entire Book?