Book Review | Since You've Been Gone

S I N C E  Y O U ' V E  B E E N  G O N E
B Y  M O R G AN  M A T S O N

This was one of those books which I saw on one of the tables in Waterstones and read the blurb and thought I've got to read that as Kelly Clarkson's same titled song started playing in my head.




T H E  P L O T

What would you do if your best and only friend suddenly disappears at the beginning of the summer leaving nothing but a slightly cryptic list of things to do this summer, things you would never do unless your best friend was there with you?
Emily is heavily reliant on her best friend, Salone, and they are polar opposites but it works. As we see Emily go through the list she was left, you realise that she hid behind Salone and wasn't her own person but we see her grow and become more confident in herself, battling fears and making healthy friendships along the way, including with the school's class president Frank Porter and his best friend Collins.

M Y  T H O U G H T S

I really enjoyed this book, especially seeing Emily grow as a person. I loved the relationship between her and her younger brother Beckett who loves to climb and be active. Normally, you see the younger sibling not really being accounted for and there as a hurdle for the protagonist but in this book you see a healthy and quite realistic take on a brother/sister relationship; Emily just wants her little brother to have a good summer and be happy.

The relationship between Emily and Frank was one to make you feel all gooey and shows you not to judge a book by it's cover. Frank was class president and very focused and smart and, essentially, Emily thought he would be a bit of a bore. I  loved how they shared they're contrasting musical tastes and that their running playlists were shown in the book (I'm a music nerd, what can I say!)

This book has the why not do it element about it, making you want to go out and take chances and just have fun. To me, it also promoted being yourself and not being afraid of being yourself; let people like you for being you.

I D E A L    R E A D I N G   S P O T
This is a definite book for summer, preferably read on the beach with the warm sun beating down on you (but remember sun cream guys!)

R A T I N G
 * * * * *
   5 star