by Morgan Matson
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Publication Date: May 6th 2014
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Pages: 448
ISBN: 9781442435001
Genre: Young Adult | Contemporary
Source: ARC
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The Pre-Sloane Emily didn't go to parties, she barely talked to guys, she didn't do anything crazy. Enter Sloane, social tornado and the best kind of best friend—the one 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. On it, thirteen Sloane-selected-definitely-bizarre-tasks that Emily would never try... unless they could lead back to her best friend. Apple Picking at Night? Ok, easy enough.Dance until Dawn? Sure. Why not? Kiss a Stranger? Wait... what?
Getting through Sloane’s list would mean a lot of firsts. But Emily has this whole unexpected summer ahead of her, and the help of Frank Porter (totally unexpected) to check things off. Who knows what she’ll find?
Go Skinny Dipping? Um... (Goodreads)
Emily’s best friend Sloane and her family have disappeared, and no one seems to know where they have gone. Did they go on a spur of the moment family vacation? Possibly, but with Sloane not answering her calls or text, Emily is starting to get worried. That is, until a peculiar to-do list arrives in the mail from Sloane. It is a list of tasks for Emily to do, some of which she would never actually consider doing, like skinny dipping, for instance. But with the help of some new friends, she may just be able to accomplish them all.
I found Emily to be an extremely relatable character. She’s painfully shy and a bit introverted, and doesn’t have many friends other than Sloane. There were a few things in the book that Emily went through that were painfully awkward, but that just made me connect with her even more. I really enjoyed watching Emily grow throughout the story, and achieve all the tasks that were on the list. I think each achievement gave her a boost of confidence that she definitely needed. I cheered for her every time that she marked something off her list, I laughed with her when she and the crew did something super funny, and I even teared-up a few times for her, for when she just felt like everything was going wrong. Emily is one of those really great characters that will stick with me always.
The new friends that Emily made in the book were pretty great. Collins and Dawn were great as secondary characters, but the best would definitely have to be Frank; sweet, swoon-worthy Frank. I think he was a big part of helping Emily finally find herself. I loved the interactions between them, and all the moments that they shared together. It was really sweet.
The storyline for the book was really fun to read, and was definitely addictive. Not often does a book manage to grab me the way this one did. I honestly could not put the book down, not that I even wanted to, and I stayed up well into the night to finish it off. I just HAD to know what was going to happen next, and how the book was going to end. It definitely had me hooked, and made for an excellent read!
Overall, I really, REALLY enjoyed this book! If you don’t already have it on your list, I definitely recommend that you add it. It was especially make for a great summer read. I can’t wait to check out more books by Matson ASAP!
Happy Reading!!
Amy & Rogers Epic Detour | Second Chance Summer
Great review! This book is now on my "to read" list!!
ReplyDeleteWonderful review! I've heard great things about this book as well as the author. I really need to get to reading one of her books! Hopefully I will this summer!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you loved it! It's on my TBR, and I'm hoping that it's a fantastic summer read (especially since I just read Open Road Summer, which is definitely a good kickoff to summer reading). Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
ReplyDeleteThis one looks super cute, and I'm really looking forward to reading it. I'm glad you enjoyed it! Glad to hear there are great secondary characters!
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