Since You've Been GoneAuthor: Morgan Matson
Standalone
Genres: Contemporary | Young Adult
Release Date: 6th May 2014
Publishers: Simon and Schuster
No. Pages: 449
Source: Borrowed
Rating:
Buy From: Amazon | Book Depository | Barnes and Noble | Waterstones
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? Okay, 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..
For some reason, I stopped going to the libraries, then one day I decided I would go and have a look at my local one that had recently been redone up, only to come away with 3 books. Since You've Been Gone was one that I had wanted to read for a while, when it comes to people raving about books contemporary seems to be the only genre where if everyone loves it, it must be great. I mean when it comes to these type of books there isn't much that can go wrong right? its almost always a coming of age book that focuses heavily on friendship and love, so of course I was going to add it to my TBR list when I saw how much great feedback it got. Yes, this book is in a way a coming of age book with a friendship focal point but what makes this book great is it's so much more than that.
Meet Emily, a shy girl who doesn't take any risk, does everything she's supposed to and just gets by, that is until she meets Sloane. Sloane's life is completely different to Emilys, she makes friends easily, her parents are always away doing lavish things and wears vintage clothes, while Emily's parents are play writers and reclusive when they have ideas, in this instance when they say opposites attract they mean it because they hit it off instantly and become attached at the hip. Now fast forward to present day, Emily receives nothing but a to do list from her best friend who's just up and left without a trace leaving Emily completely lost and alone.
On the list is some pretty out there things for Emily to do, and while trying to complete her first one, apple picking at night, she bumps into Frank Porter and his friend Matthew Collins, and enlists the help of the duo in order to complete the list. What may have started out as just a partnership slowly over time begins to form into an unlikely friendship.
I think my most absolutely favourite thing about this book was the friendship, don't get me wrong but the love side to it was also really good but the friendship? god damn they were so well done. the character development in this book is so brilliant, everything down to the secondary characters and even though Sloane isn't anything but a memory and a flash back, her personalty shines so much and we really get a feel for the type of person she is. Everything down to the love interest was in a way unconventional. The main love interest isn't your typical boy in a contemporary novel and it was like a breath of fresh air. Did I still swoon? of course I bloody swooned, the slow building relationship is so beautiful and so well timed that I dare you not to.
I have compared Morgan Matson's writing to that of Sarah Dessen, and that was only half way through. The joy I find with Dessen's books is reading a coming of age book that balances love and friendship perfectly while still managing to create such a well executed story , and I'm so glad that after having titles by Matson on my TBR pile for a long time, the first one I had to pleasure of reading was Since You've Been Gone. I was in a reading/blogging slump for a while, this book just pulled me right out of it.
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I desperately want to read this! I've heard so much about this including that it's full of lists? I love lists lol s I can't wait to read this. Nice review :)
ReplyDeleteIt has a lot of list's because it's centered around the young girl completing a to-do list, so if you like list I would highly recommend it, it just so happens that its a pretty good book too :P
DeleteI have had this book sitting forlornly on my shelf since the summer - the time when I actually planned to read it! I've heard so many good things, but I think I'm scared that it's been a bit over-hyped for me. I don't do super well with bubble gum fiction (YA that doesn't have a lot of depth or that's just too... teenagery, for lack of a better way of putting it) and I'm worried I'll end up finding this disappointing. It sounds like I really should give it a shot, though, and I like that the standout for you was the friendship rather than the romance. That bodes well! (Also isn't the cover the coolest? I love how there's another image inside the dust jacket. Super fun.)
ReplyDeleteIf you think it's over hyped for you, which I did for myself, maybe wait another few months to read it so it's not all you hear about and that way your opinion's are your own. Honestly though, it's not perfect but it was pretty damn close for me haha. The romance wasn't even a big thing in the book, through out all I was actually wondering if anything was going to happen, but in a good way you know?. The cover is really cool. Unfortunately for me I didn't get to see it in person because it was a paper back I borrowed from the Library, but I do want the book and fully intend on getting the book for my own. (Hardcover of course ;). )
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