Since You've Been Gone by Morgan Matson Book Review

    Since You’ve Been Gone by Morgan Matson is a YA realistic fiction novel. It was published in 2013 by Simon & Schuster. It has 4.1 stars on Goodreads. Here are my thoughts.

    Since You’ve Been Gone is about a girl named Emily whose best friend, Sloane, goes missing in the beginning of the summer. All she leaves behind is a list for Emily to complete. The items range from apple picking at night to skinny dipping. Emily decides to complete the list, because she believes that when she finishes, Sloane will come back.

    The plot of Since You’ve Been Gone is unusual. Emily goes through many odd challenges that Sloane left for her. She also makes new friends and realizations about herself along the way.

    The main characters in Since You’ve Been Gone are Emily, Frank, and Sloane. The character development is heartwarming. Emily learns to speak her mind. Frank becomes more comfortable with himself. Sloane realizes that the amount of money she has doesn’t define her. These characters are relatable because they all struggle with being themselves.

    The writing of Since You’ve Been Gone is pretty good, but I wasn’t a big fan of the way Emily’s shyness was portrayed. The dialogue in Since You’ve Been Gone changes throughout the book. Emily starts out with not being able to hold conversations, but by the end of the book she is more self assured.

    Overall, I would give Since You’ve Been Gone 3 stars. I liked the bits of Emily and Sloane’s history peppered throughout. I would have liked for more character development from Sloane at the end of the book. I would recommend this book to anyone looking to read about adventure, friendship, and romance.