Since You've Been Gone by Morgan Matson

Rating: 3.5 Stars

Summary: When Emily's best friend disappears, leaving only a to-do list behind Emily has to figure out what to do with her life. 

I really enjoyed Since You've Been Gone.  It was a quick, cute, fun light read that was both engaging and interesting. I especially loved the theater aspect to it, something I don't think I've really ever read before.

 I only really had two problems with it, it's predictability (which is pretty much inevitable in YA romance) and the characters. They weren't really complex, with some having absolutely no flaws, while others would have one big flaw that was resolved. Also, now that I think about it, some sub plots were kind of useless, made a bigger deal than they should've, or didn't arise to be anything. This book wasn't anything that stood out to me, it wasn't amazing or thought provoking but I did get me out of a reading slump, which is always good. I also heard a lot of hype around this book, which probably affected my experience with this book too. 

The Summer I Wasn't Me by Jessica Verdi

Summary: When lesbian, Lexi, is outed to her mother she goes to a pray-the-gay-away camp and falls for someone she shouldn't.

Stars: 4

I gave this book 4 stars instead of 5 for little reasons. The writing isn't the best, it's a little cheesy, but I went into it knowing that. The ending was a little rushed, the beginning a little long but it wasn't a huge deal.  Also, the romance trope- angst-for-the-entire-book-and-then-they finally-get-together-and-the-last-page annoyed me. I wanted a sneak off into the woods, making out behind the bible, and in the church attic, passing dirty notes when pastor isn't looking type of thing but alas, I was let down. 

Overall, it was a great read. It was funny, touching, and the characters were great. Every single one of them were fledged out and intriguing. It was a quick read too. I read it in one sitting, refusing sleep until I finished it.  Some of the figurative language was so unique I did a double take, but it seemed like that only happened in the beginning chapters. I would definitely recommend this to someone who doesn't read much, as it was quick and easy, yet still really good.