Review Detail

What I Loved:
Warning: the chapters in Since You’ve Been Gone are almost all really long. The first two chapters together are 90 pages. I warn you of this, because I generally really struggle with long chapters. It’s a sign of how good Since You’ve Been Gone is and how much I was enraptured that it didn’t really bother me in this case. Plus, I think the chapter breaks are really logically done for how Matson is telling the story. Each chapter is an item off the list, until the ending anyway, which is when the chapters get shorter.

What list? Well, Emily’s best friend Sloane disappeared suddenly, despite a summer of plans ahead of them. With no clue where Sloane has gone, Emily keeps calling and not getting an answer. They’ve been inseparable for two years and Emily’s seriously concerned. Then a letter arrives, consisting solely of a list. Sloane did this when Emily left on vacations too, giving her a list of things to do to break out of her shell a bit or see more of the local culture. The fourteen items on this list, sent without a return address, are things Sloane would never do left to her own devices, like skinny-dipping, kissing a stranger, and stealing something.

Emily and Sloane were besties, and they had their roles. Sloane was the dynamic leader and Emily was more of a sidekick. She liked it that way, but she also doesn’t know how to be without Sloane. They’d had their own little world and now Emily’s abandoned and friendless. Without anything else to cling to, as her parents become absorbed in the writing of a new play, Emily throws herself into doing all the things on the list, hoping that this will magically bring Sloane back.

As you might expect, the list leads Emily on a journey of self-discovery. Along the way, she makes friends: Frank Porter, Dawn, and Collins. She becomes a bit more confident and able to talk with people. She dares and becomes a better person for it. There are setbacks and painful realizations, but the journey is ultimately one of growth and hope. I also really love the way that Matson resolved the arc surrounding Sloane. I was a bit afraid Sloane would be some sort of MPDG, but the ending is perfect. The way the dares actually are accomplished is a lot of fun as well, very often not occurring the way that Emily had planned.

Speaking of perfect, this ship may have caused me some pain, but I love it dearly. Matson achieves the slow swelling of feelings so well. It wasn’t something I shipped from the beginning, but the emotions came on me gradually, just as they did on Emily. Oh, I also very much am on the Dawn/Collins ship, though those two have some serious apologizing to do to Emily for reasons.

What Left Me Wanting More:
I mean, I would have liked shorter chapters, but they were also perfect for the story, so mostly nothing!

The Final Verdict:
Since You’ve Been Gone is a touching story of a girl looking for her friend and finding herself. It’s a novel of reevaluating first impressions and really getting to know people. Also, it’s wonderful and will make you sing Kelly Clarkson for hours.