A review by oliviabrcka
Since You've Been Gone by Morgan Matson

adventurous funny hopeful lighthearted reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

It's hard to really even know where to start with this book! Every Morgan Matson book I read just solidifies my immense love for her writing and Since You've Been Gone is no exception. I LOVED this book!!! 

The main character, Emily, is a shy, quiet girl with a bit of social anxiety. Because of this, she likes to live in the shadow of her best friend, Sloane. They spend nearly every day together, and Sloane has come up with some grand plans for the summer. However, Emily comes back from a family trip to find Sloane missing, with no warning and no way to contact her. Two weeks later, Emily receives a letter from Sloane containing a summer bucket list. Hoping that the list might help her get answers about Sloane's disappearance, Emily begins to check off items on the list. Throughout the story, Emily goes from being in shy and in the background to a fully confident main character with friends and a vibrant joy. Emily's character reminds me a lot of myself and my own role in my relationship with my best friend. This plot really got me thinking about what I would do if my best friend disappeared, and it was cool to see Emily grow and find herself despite Sloane's absence. 

I still can't discount the other characters! Sloane is an ultra-cool, vintage character with her own imperfections, and it was cool to see Emily go from seeing her as this larger-than-life perfect girl to just her best friend that is dealing with her own stuff. Frank is high-achieving, and I think we all know a Frank. However, Emily's perception of him changes as she discovers that he isn't just Frank Porter the class president, but he is Frank, her friend and a real person. I loved Dawn and Collins. I liked that Collins had to realize his own romantic troubles and I liked watching their relationship grow as well. Emily's family was cute and felt very realistic as well. 

One of the things I loved most about Since You've Been Gone was it's accurate depiction of friendships. It explored old and new friendships, ones within families and ones that turn romantic. It showed how random little moments or meetings can introduce you to your best friends, and how sometimes friendships have to bend or change to adapt to new circumstances. I am a sucker for a good friendship plotline and Matson certainly didn't disappoint! 

I also thought that the themes surrounding shiny exteriors and not-so-shiny interiors was super intriguing and well-done. Sometimes this theme can be really overdone, but although it is quite prevalent in this story, I really enjoyed what it added. We can see this in Sloane's life, how everything appears to be so effortless and glamorous, but in reality, her parents are never home and they are living off of the generosity of others. It is shown in Frank's life, how most see him as the over-achieving class president with his longtime girlfriend, but he's really a normal teenage dude with some relationship issues. You can see it in his parents' marriage: their business is booming and they seem picture perfect, but they are getting divorced and can't even live in the same house as one another. I felt like this whole theme was done tastefully and really added to the rest of the story. 

Overall, I just loved this read so much. Though it was slow-moving at times, I really didn't even notice and I enjoyed what all of those little moments added to the story as a whole. I loved the friendships (and romantic relationships) built over time, and I loved Emily's arc of self-discovery. I am so excited to read more of Morgan Matson's books but I never want to put this one away!