Emily is about to take some risks and have the most unexpected summer ever in this new novel from the bestselling author of Second Chance Summer and Amy and Roger’s Epic Detour.
Before Sloane, Emily didn’t go to parties, she barely talked to guys, and she didn’t do anything crazy. Enter Sloane, social tornado and the best kind of best friend—someone who yanks you out of your shell.
But right before what should have been an epic summer, Sloane just…disappears. No note. No calls. No texts. No Sloane. There’s just a random to-do list with thirteen bizarre tasks that Emily would never try. But what if they can lead her to Sloane?
Apple picking at night? Okay, easy enough.
Dance until dawn? Sure. Why not?
Kiss a stranger? Wait…what?
Getting through Sloane’s list will mean a lot of firsts, and with a whole summer ahead of her—and with the unexpected help of the handsome Frank Porter—who knows what she’ll find.
Go Skinny Dipping? Um…
Customer Reviews
Most helpful customer reviews
15 of 15 people found the following review helpful.
Emily's Awesome Summer
By K. M. Martin
Emily's summer plans are all thrown into disarray when her friend Sloane disappears. Emily is used to being known as Sloane's friend. Following in Sloane's wake lets her take part without having to put herself out there. Sloane is the brave one, the one who can make every day seem filled with excitement. Sloane and Emily have been friends since ninth grade.Shortly after Sloane's disappearance, Emily gets a letter from her which gives her a list of things to do. They had exchanged such lists before. But before, the lists always ended with instructions to find the other and tell them about the adventures. Emily decides to complete Sloane's list in the hopes that it will tell her something about where Sloane went.Emily never expected to find herself and her courage by doing so many things that scared her. From kissing a stranger to dancing all night, Emily has an action-packed summer. She also gets to know Frank Porter along the way. Frank is the All-American, class president, over-achiever from their high school. Emily didn't think he even knew her name. She also makes friends with the girl who works at the pizza place next to where she has her summer job and Frank's best buddy Collins too. The four of them spend the summer hanging out and checking off the items on Emily's list.This was a fast-paced wonderful story about growing up and learning who you are. I loved watching Emily face her fears and learn to face the world without Sloane breaking the trail for her. It was a great story about friendships old and new. I thoroughly enjoyed this wonderful story.
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful.Another gem from Morgan Matson!
By Irish of Ticket to anywhere
I love Morgan Matson's books and have have been eagerly waiting for Since You've Been Gone since it was first announced. Since You've Been Gone is told in the style that you would expect from Matson with very real characters and issues and the pages just fly by. I loved Emily and related to her a lot as she embarked on her journey of finding herself after her best friend, Sloane, disappears. I enjoyed her new friendship with Frank, Collins, and Dawn. I especially loved Collins and his adorkable quirks and wish there had been more scenes with him. I also thought that Frank was really sweet and the opposite of every bad boy attitude filled male lead that seems to fill books these days. The plot was a cute contemporary as Emily attempts to check off various tasks sent to her on a list from Sloane. As such, Since You've Been Gone is a little less serious that Matson's other books. While there are issues and things that Emily needs to work on they aren't as soul hitting as say the events in Second Chance Summer. My only real complaint is that it was over too soon and there were still some story threads that felt a little unfinished. Overall though I think that fans of Matson's books will enjoy this one as well.
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful.Since You've Been Gone - Best friends, Lists, and Unexpected Romance
By Sara
I adore everything Morgan Matson writes and SINCE YOU'VE BEEN GONE is no exception. When Emily's best friend Sloane and her family suddenly disappear from town, leaving nothing behind but a list of 13 random things for Emily to accomplish, Emily is lost. Her most recognizable trait is that she's Sloane's friend, but now that Sloane is suddenly gone, Emily doesn't know who she's supposed to be. And the list? Sloane was always sending Emily off with lists of dares, but, now that Sloane is the one that's gone, Emily's only hope is that the list will somehow lead her to Sloane, wherever she is. Emily is determined to accomplish everything on the list, even the things she's terrified of, like riding a horse. With the help of the clean cut, perfect Frank Porter, Emily will cross all 13 dares. Over the summer, she'll conquer her fears, make new friends, let loose, and, unexpectedly, now that Sloane is gone, understand her in ways that she never did before.I LOVE this book. At the beginning of the novel, Emily only defines herself in relation to Sloane, but, by the end, she's her own person. She becomes braver and more herself than she's ever been before. Her journey is really, really inspiring, but underneath all of that, Sloane and Emily have a really wonderful relationship that actually grows in important ways after Sloane mysteriously leaves town. Absence makes the heart grow fonder and, in this case, smarter.One of my favorite elements of the novel was the look at family it offers. Emily's family isn't perfect, but she comes to realize how loving and enviable her home life is in comparison to many of her friends'. Sloane and Frank live in perfect houses and have traditionally successful parents, from the outside their lives look perfect to Emily, but she soon comes to learn that it really is what's inside that counts... that her messy, crazy, theatrical family is nothing to scoff at.Now somebody write me a list of dares that will change my life!
