Review: Since You've Been Gone by Morgan Matson

 Title: Since You’ve Been Gone

Author: Morgan Matson

Page Count: 449

Publishing: Simon & Schuster

My Rating: 5/5 stars

Synopsis: “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?” –Goodreads

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Since You’ve Been Gone by Morgan Matson is one of the most beautifully written books I’ve ever read. The story is beautifully portrayed, and the characters have been present in my mind since the story ended. I wish I would have picked this book up sooner because it easily one of the best books I’ve read thus far in 2015. This did not disappoint me with the expectation that I went into it with. It withheld my high standards, and surpassed the thoughts of what it was going to portray.

I love Emily’s character. She shows character development throughout the entire novel. She goes from this timid girl to someone who is brave and outgoing. Each time Emily accomplished one of the things on the list, she comes to terms with that she is actually enjoying pushing herself and finds that by the end of the novel that she is no longer doing these things for Sloane but for herself. Emily is so easy to relate to. For someone who suffers from anxiety and has a very hard time acting around other people, Emily has encouraged me to push myself out of my comfort zone.

I had a love/hate relationship with the long chapters in this book. I thought that the long chapters made it hard to get into in the beginning and also made it hard to pick back up, but once I got into the story I felt like reading the long chapters almost felt like watching episodes of a television series which I found to be really unique. I loved the incorporation of the playlist because it helped get into the personality of the characters without being too over descriptive.

This books has been an amazing experience and will be one of the top book of 2015. I can not wait to jump into some other work by Morgan Matson. If you have yet to read this book, then I highly recommend getting a copy as soon as you can. It is more than worth the read.