Since You've Been Gone by Morgan Matson

onyxdarkling
Jun 12, 2015
2 min read

Emily and Sloane are best friends, so Emily is confused and a little scared when, over the summer, Sloane suddenly disappears without warning or explanation. The only thing left behind is a list of things for Emily to do over the summer. Hoping that the list is the key to being reunited with her friend, Emily sets out, determined to finish the entire list, no matter how awkward, bizarre, or scary the items might be. Along the way, she enlists the help of her younger brother, a pizza delivery girl, and two boys from school.

I wasn't a huge fan of either of the girls. Sloane is a outgoing, cheerful girl who takes life by the reins and doesn't take crap from anyone. She's confident and, in theory, unpredictable. On the other hand, Emily is shy and quiet, trying not to draw attention to herself and sticking to her comfort zone. The best friends are totally different, something I've seen way too many times before. Even the way the girls develop was frustratingly unoriginal. Sloane ended up being less sure of herself that we were led to think, and Emily became so much braver.

I'm not a huge fan of contemporary romance/summer friendship novels. They all sort of blend together, and they use some of my least favorite clichés in the book world. Nevertheless, it’s summer, and I thought that it couldn't hurt to pick up at least one summer beach read like this. In the end, I was reminded why I don't have a lot of contemp. in my diet and was left frustrated and unsatisfied. The list idea interested me, but it was swept away by the whirlpool of predictability and a clichéd plot that failed to draw me in. 2/5 stars. Next I'll be giving Blood Red Road a try, and I have high hopes for the dystopian adventure.