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A review by abbeyroad1410
Since You've Been Gone by Morgan Matson
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I have such conflicting feelings regarding this book because I truly enjoyed it, but there was cheating involved which always makes me feel a bit icky.
To start, I really loved the book's message that sometimes you need time apart from your best friends to truly grow into the person you need to be. The focus on independent growth is a very important plot for a book directed at teens who tend to travel in packs and I really like that element to it.
Additionally, there were a lot of really great things to keep my attention. The playlists were a very cool addition (and had really great music on the). I liked that the lists were put in a font that could have been handwriting. My favorite part was the flashbacks. I feel like I put this in a lot of reviews, but I think flashbacks are such a good way to show how a character's actions are influenced by the past without them just monologuing their backstory at you for several pages. I think the flashbacks are very effectively used here.
Another thing, I loved the characters of Emily, Frank, Dawn, and Collins. Not only could you see the differences in their personality, but you could also see how their personalities worked together to bring them out of their shells or help them open up about their insecurities with each other. The friendship and the characters felt very honest and real.
Now for the things I didn't like so much. I hate cheating as a plot device to get characters together. This novel does get a slight reprieve from the scathing review that I gave One Day in December, however, because you could feel how guilty the characters felt about it, so it didn't fully impact the way I viewed their character as a whole. I honestly think my biggest gripe with this was how avoidable the cheating was. The novel literally could have had Lissa break up with Frank on his birthday and this whole thing could have been avoided. Additionally, I like that the novel immediately has Dawn call Emily out for her actions because it feels less like the character's actions are acceptable.
My one other issue was with the plot elements the novel leaves hanging such as: Do Emily and Dawn ever make up? Additionally, as someone from South Carolina, the fact that River Port is not an actual town bothers me. I think it especially bothers me because Charleston is mentioned. There is a Riverport community in Hardeesville, so I kind of just ignored that while reading the novel.
Overall, I think this is a really well-written book. I think that I would have really enjoyed it as a teenager, and I enjoyed it now.
To start, I really loved the book's message that sometimes you need time apart from your best friends to truly grow into the person you need to be. The focus on independent growth is a very important plot for a book directed at teens who tend to travel in packs and I really like that element to it.
Additionally, there were a lot of really great things to keep my attention. The playlists were a very cool addition (and had really great music on the). I liked that the lists were put in a font that could have been handwriting. My favorite part was the flashbacks. I feel like I put this in a lot of reviews, but I think flashbacks are such a good way to show how a character's actions are influenced by the past without them just monologuing their backstory at you for several pages. I think the flashbacks are very effectively used here.
Another thing, I loved the characters of Emily, Frank, Dawn, and Collins. Not only could you see the differences in their personality, but you could also see how their personalities worked together to bring them out of their shells or help them open up about their insecurities with each other. The friendship and the characters felt very honest and real.
Now for the things I didn't like so much. I hate cheating as a plot device to get characters together. This novel does get a slight reprieve from the scathing review that I gave One Day in December, however, because you could feel how guilty the characters felt about it, so it didn't fully impact the way I viewed their character as a whole.
My one other issue was with the plot elements the novel leaves hanging such as: Do Emily and Dawn ever make up? Additionally, as someone from South Carolina, the fact that River Port is not an actual town bothers me. I think it especially bothers me because Charleston is mentioned. There is a Riverport community in Hardeesville, so I kind of just ignored that while reading the novel.
Overall, I think this is a really well-written book. I think that I would have really enjoyed it as a teenager, and I enjoyed it now.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Infidelity