Since You've Been Gone is my first Morgan Matson book, and needless to say, I'll be devouring the copy of Second Chance Summer I already own very soon. 
 This is the kind of summer I think everyone wants to have when they're a teenager. Parts of it aren't the most ideal - i.e. best friend disappearing into thin air - but Emily has so many new experiences and adventures that I could only have dreamed about at her age. Her emotions are all over the spectrum during her summer vacation but, ultimately, she finds out a great deal about herself when she isn't just under the label of "Sloane's best friend". In addition, she makes amazing new friends and learns to overcome her fears. 
 I absolutely loved this book. Emily's best friend Sloane disappears overnight and leaves Emily completely and utterly lost. Emily is used to being the sidekick to Sloane's outgoing persona and that's fine with her. But without her best friend to bounce off of, there's a void. As a huge fan of all things lists, I was all aboard Sloane's unconventional challenge to Emily - a summer bucket list of experiences outside her comfort zone. What made this book stand out for me was the fact that I felt like I was accomplishing tasks right alongside Emily. Matson's writing draws the reader into the experiences and the emotions and made me wish I could be there too. 
 The new friends that Emily makes during this epic summer - Frank, Collins and Dawn - were all fantastic to me, especially Frank. This guy is a mix of all things cute and quirky and smart and fun and is just the person Emily needs to motivate her to complete Sloane's list. He's a more complicated person than who he appears to be and I fell 100% in love with him. 
 Since You've Been Gone is one of my favourite books of the year so far and has already made me a fangirl for Morgan Matson. This is an absolutely fantastic story of Emily's growth as a person, as she becomes more comfortable with who she is and who she wants to be. With great bonuses of a slow-burning romance, fun experiences, and fabulous new friends to boot!