Review: Since You've Been Gone

Since You've Been Gone by Morgan Matson
 

Title: Since You've Been Gone

Series: none

Author: Morgan Matson

 

Published: Simon & Schuster; 2014

400 pages, kindle edition

 

Source: Gifted to me by Sarah

 
Rating: 4 stars
 

 Description (from Goodreads):

 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?

My Thoughts:

Since You've Been Gone was a surprisingly sweet read with a gorgeous bunch of characters that I found myself slowly falling in love with. There hasn't been much good to say about this book from my fellow readers and I really didn't have my hopes set high which made even more surprised when I found myself speedily finishing. I know one of the main problems with this is was said to be too long. It is over 450 pages which is extraordinary long for a contemporary romance, but I cannot criticise that as I honestly didn't have a problem with it. Not at a single point during the book did I need to get up for a break - a rarity for me because of my very short attention span!! - and I didn't find myself bored in the slightest. There always seemed to be something going on and I never felt it dragged on unnecessary. The other problem that readers seem to be having is that Emily is said to be too young for them to relate to. For me this wasn't a problem at all. I could easily relate to Emily, not only because she is close to my age, but because I understood her on a more personal level. I loved how she tackled the list and learnt to overcome certain fears. Her character was wonderfully developed across the book and I came to love her - always a important element in reading. Overall, while this book seems to disappoint a lot of readers, it didn't disappoint me. I thoroughly enjoyed it and will certainly be picking up more of this author's work.