Review : Since You've Been Gone by Morgan Matson

Summary (from Goodreads) 

Title : Since You've Been Gone
Author : Morgan Matson
Publication Date : May 6th 2014
Publisher : Simon & Schuster
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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...

 Personal Thoughts 

There have only been a select few books that have made me reflect about the characters and the story long after I've read the last page and Morgan Matson's Since You've Been Gone ,friends, was that kind of read. It's an honest, emotional and stunning coming-of-age story that somehow managed to seep into my core and managed to pull at my heartstrings.

Emily was someone I effortlessly became attached to from our first meeting. Her emotions and fears were raw and cut through me. I was Emily when I was younger. I was the shy, insecure and timid girl who was terrified of exploring the world outside my surrounding. When Emily's best friend Sloane disappeared without a word, she was devastated because Sloane has been that rocket that propelled her to become more open and pushing her to do things she normally wouldn't. Emily's despair and anguish as she waited for Sloane's calls or texts were very much perceptible. She was the kind of character who was attached to the hip to her best friend and for her, imagining a world without Sloane was painful. Slowly though, with the help of a list that Sloane left for Emily, she began to see the side of her world that did not involve Sloane. Morgan Matson wrote Emily's growth throughout the book beautifully. It was a subtle kind of growth that only made my smile get bigger and bigger as I turned the pages throughout Emily's adventures. It says a lot about an author's talent when you find yourself much more invested in the character's life and happiness than your own life.

Emily's character wasn't the only one that Matson beautifully fleshed out though. Since You've Been Gone had a secondary cast of characters, who were as fantastic as Emily. Honestly, this might have been Emily's story, but I felt like we were getting everyone else's story as well, which made me incredibly happy because I'm a big fan of characterizations. One of my favorite thing about Since You've Been Gone was the growing relationships between Emily and the other characters, whether it was the growing bond with her brother, or her blossoming friendship with Dawn, Collins and Frank. Matson developed all of these relationships through and through. I love how with the help of these relationships Emily became a much stronger individual who didn't rely one specific person. My favorite scenes involved her and her friends carrying out the items on her list. I, especially, adored the skinny dipping scene. Her romance with Frank was also the sweet and slow-burn kind, exactly how I love my romances. Frank did have a girlfriend at the start and Frank and Emily's relationship did go into the cheating zone for a minute there, but I thought both the characters handled it maturely when they realized how wrong it was. More than anything though, Since You've Been Gone is the story of Emily's growth from this introverted girl into this bold beautiful character who wasn't afraid to tell the world how she truly felt. The beauty of this book lies in its simplicity. Morgan Matson has the sort of writing that is smooth, but is easy to get lost in.

Writing down my feelings about a book I loved is something I find excruciating, because putting across my emotions isn't an easy task. My review, honestly, doesn't do the book any sort of justice. Since You've Been Gone made me laugh, it made me cry tears of happiness and it made me swoon hard. It's the kind of book that was a complete emotional experience and I just want to shove it in everyone's faces and lock them in a room until they've finished reading it.

Rating

Cover : 4/5
Plot : 5/5
Characters : 5/5
Writing : 5/5