Since You've Been Gone

     

         
     Morgan Matson's books are always entertaining and fun summer reads.   Since You've Been Gone is another of her books that is perfect for the beach!  

     Emily is planning on spending the summer with her adventurous best friend, Sloane.  Sloane is full of confidence, the life of the party, and the one always looking for adventure while Emily is content to be in her shadow.  One day Emily finds that Sloane is gone.  It seems that she has moved, but did not let Emily know or leave any information as to her whereabouts.  Emily tries to contact her by phone but Sloane doesn't respond.  Then a letter arrives in the mail without a return address.  It is a list of things that Emily should do.  While some are rather mysterious (#7.  55 S. Ave. Ask for Mona), others are things that Emily wouldn't usually do (#9. Dance until dawn).  Emily believes that finishing the list will help her find Sloane.

     Throughout this book, Emily is constantly pushed outside of her comfort zone.  In the process of completing the list, she meets some great friends, finds her own confidence and own sense of adventure.  
     Although I enjoyed and recommend this book, there were some things that I found unlikely.  It is difficult to believe that a best friend could move without leaving any clues pointing to where she was going, or even that she could move without Emily knowing she was going to move.  It seems like since Emily and Sloane talk/text/visit daily, Emily would notice Sloane packing a few things or Sloane would make a slight slip. Moving is a big deal, and it seems to me it would be difficult to hide it completely from your best friend.   Apparently Sloane is able to pull it off and she manages to leave town without Emily having a clue.   There were also a few key things that happen very conveniently, such as Emily (who is very careful) running out of gas, which leads to the class president stopping to help, starting a friendship.  If you can get past these small details, the book is a great read.  

     This story is about figuring out who you are, helping friends be good friends, and taking risks.  It has adventure, friendship, and romance.  It is not a very heavy book, and one that I looked forward to picking up and reading.  It was a ton of fun!