SINCE YOU'VE BEEN GONE: A Review :)

"In a well ordered universe..."

(Spoiler free! go read!)

TITLE: Since You've Been Gone
AUTHOR/s: Morgan Matson
PUBLICATION DATE: 6th of May, 2014
AVAILABLE AT: Amazon | The Book Depository

"Since you've been goooooneee, I can't breathe for the first timeeee..."

Bet you know that Kelly Clarkson song dont'cha? It was actually the first thing that popped into my head when I saw Morgan Matson's new novel Since You've Been Gone. And after battling with myself whether to read it or not (since I already have tons of titles wanting to be read), I ended up reading it afterall! :)

Emily was pretty sure that she'll have the best summer ever until her best friend disappears on her. No texts, calls directed to voice mail, nothing to lead her to Sloane. Except this list. A list of thirteen things that Emily hasn't done before. Could this be the key to Sloane's disappearance?

With the help of a few new friends, can Emily find her way back to her best friend or will she retreat back to her shell without Sloane?

A missing best friend. A crazy list. A summer filled of surprises. Sounds good, right? Those are exactly the things that enticed me to read Morgan Matson's Since You've Been Gone.

At first, it was really slow. I found the first few chapters boring and was ready to drop it at around 20% into the book but then again, DNF's aren't my thing so I continued and I am totally glad that I did! After the so-so parts, thing actually got exciting and I found myself hooked! I couldn't put it down! I don't know how the shift from "meh" to "awesome" happened. I just know that it did.

The list kept the story moving but the side plots are as interesting. The pre-Sloane Emily kind of reminds me of myself (Maybe I DO need a Sloane in my life) Initially, I didn't like Sloane's character. She's just too lively and active for my taste but eventually, I found myself warming up to her. Then there's Frank. I'll keep this short. He's just fangirl-worthy. Seriously, he's just THAT. He's got the brain, the looks, the personality. Total package. Collins and Dawn are pretty cool too! 

My heart sympathizes to Emily and  eventually Collins because I know how it feels to see your best friend losing time for you and doing things with somebody else.The perfect balance between the romance-theme and the friendship-theme kept me reading and the fact that some of my guesses were wrong made me like the novel better. I even picked up a lesson or two (or more) along the way. 

"Do you ever feel that way? Like some days take five years, and others are over in like a minute?" -Dawn

"Nothing worth doing is easy, (...) Especially not in the beginning." -Frank

"(...) They all have these people. They have o learn from them. But then they have to find their own strength and go it alone." -Doug

"You're so scared of things sometimes, and for no reason." -Frank

"But you can't help who you fall for. The heart wants what it wants." -Collins

"I don't think you have to do something so big to be brave. And it's the little things that are harder anyway." -Emily

"It just gets hard, always being someone's second choice." -Collins

"You can't just leave people behind because you think it's going to be too hard to commit to a friendship." -Emily

"I know things might not work (...) and I know it's scary, but the things that are worth it are." -Emily

All in all, Since You've Been Gone has been a very good read. It made me smile for several times and it tugged at my fangirl heartstrings during some moments and I think that's important. The way a book makes you feel.

The playlists were awesome too! I get excited whenever I see a song I know in the mixes :) The ending was perfect! 

So even though it was a rough beginning, I still enjoyed it very much. 4/5 rating for Morgan Matson's Since You've Been Gone :)

4/5 rating :)