Then You Were Gone

*I won a copy through a First Reads giveaway *

I'm not sure how I feel about this book. It wasn't bad by any means, but it's not something I'd go on discussing for days on end with my friends, as I usually do when I land a great read. 

Adrienne's ex best friend, Dakota, whom Adrienne hasn't spoken to in 2 years, disappears.  Dakota is the dark Goth rocker chick that the usual HS kids are attracted to. She has a wild streak and is pretty much selfish in that she demands a lot of attention from Adrienne, but never gives anything back in return. Throughout the story Adrienne struggles with 2 key issues: 1) Though she is fully aware of Dakota's faults, she struggles to be more like her 2) She has a love/hate thing going for Dakota, but ultimately she misses her and wants to find out what has happened to her.  

The book in not centered on Dakota's disappearance as much as it is on how Dakota's influence on Adrienne has turned Adrienne from the all-American girl teen to a Dakota-like outsider. The story is most interesting when it focuses on Dakota's disappearance and clues are gathered – there's a bit of suspense that keeps the story moving at a fast clip. However, Adrienne's ‘I wanna be like Dakota, even though I hate her' attitude makes the story a little less interesting and quite boring.  Unfortunately, that's pretty much what the book is about. The truth about Dakota is unveiled at the end – but not in a suspenseful way at all.