Since You Left Me

Since You Left Me

by
3.68 of 5 stars 3.68  ·  rating details  ·  56 ratings  ·  29 reviews
Everyone believes in something. Almost everyone.

For Sanskrit Aaron Zuckerman, it isn't easy to believe. Especially when all the people you care about leave.

His Dad left after the divorce. The love of his life left in second grade. His best friend in Jewish school found God and practically left the planet. Now his yoga teacher Mom is falling in love with her spiritual guru,...more
Hardcover, 320 pages
Published August 28th 2012 by EgmontUSA
more details... edit details

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.
Narc by Crissa-Jean ChappellDr. Bird's Advice for Sad Poets by Evan RoskosSomething Like Normal by Trish DollerPlaying Tyler by T.L. CostaThe Downside of Being Charlie by Jenny Torres Sanchez
YA Contemporary Male Point of View
22nd out of 55 books — 21 voters
The Fault in Our Stars by John GreenThe Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. SmithMy Life Next Door by Huntley FitzpatrickGraffiti Moon by Cath CrowleyThe Fine Art of Truth or Dare by Melissa Jensen
2012 YA Contemporary Challenge!
228th out of 254 books — 1,000 voters


More lists with this book...

Community Reviews

(showing 1-30 of 233)
filter  |  sort: default (?)  |  rating details
April
Dear YA readers, bloggers, contemporary afficionados, HURRY UP and discover Allen Zadoff. Seriously, Zadoff’s books are not buzzed or reviewed enough which makes me feel dismayed. I’m pretty sure a lot of you enjoy witty contemps with awkward, realistic male main characters. If so, you NEED to read Zadoff’s works. His latest, Since You Left Me totally does not disappoint on the humor front.
Read the rest of my review here> link goes live 8/17/12
Allen
Dec 04, 2012 Allen rated it 5 of 5 stars  ·  (Review from the author)
How do you find out what you believe in a world where everyone is telling you what you should believe? This is the issue for Sanskrit Aaron Zuckerman, the hero of my new novel set in Los Angeles. What's it like to be a religious school kid who doesn't believe? That's Sanskrit's problem, every day of his life. I'm very proud of this new novel. It encompasses a lot of my experience living in my adopted city of L.A., my complicated relationship with Judaism growing up, and my run-ins with the diver...more
Indigo
Wow. I really like this book. It is the first of Allen Zadoff’s books that I’ve read but I will definitely read more of his. It’s about a teenage boy in his junior year of high school trying to get by, to live, to figure things out.

The author gently skewers the school community for their lack of care. Teachers, students, and administrators were all rushing in to “help” Sanskrit when they believed his mother was in a serious accident. But they never actively tried to visit or give any real help....more
Paul  Hankins
Super new title from Allen Zadoff.

Sanskrit Aaron Zuckerman is on a journey to find himself. Which isn't easy when:

You have an absentee father distracted by waiting for "the big one."
You have a mother who spends most of her time upside-down.
You have a sister who extorts your money for her silence.
You have a best friend who's had a religious experience.
You have a crush on a girl so hard you can only refer to her by her initials.
You have a commitment to school life that includes wearing the appropr...more
Rachael Woohoo
Rating Clarification: 3.5 / 5

If you want to see more of my reviews, check out my blog @ Moosubi Reviews!

Disclaimer: The fact that I received a free copy of this book through NetGalley from the publisher has not affected my rating. This review expresses my honest opinions.

Whenever I read fiction that involves religion, it’s usually either as an element in fantasy (like in The Girl of Fire and Thorns) or as a presence, when a character chooses between a religious family or religion, or a true love...more
Medeia Sharif
After his parents’ divorce, Sanskrit Zuckerman lives with his ditzy mother who seems to put more time and consideration into her yoga center and her new boyfriend, a spiritual guru. Sanskrit’s best friend had a religious awakening, which Sanskrit doesn’t understand, and he pines for the girl from his past whom he still loves. Sanskrit is the grandson of a deceased Holocaust survivor. His grandfather left him money, but only on the condition that it’s used for a Jewish education. This does not si...more
Jenny
Sanskrit Aaron Zuckerman has never known what to believe in. Not family as his has been broken for years now. His only friend has turned into a religious nut. True love was shattered for him in the second grade by a girl whose name he can’t bear to say anymore. And God? Even though Sanskrit goes to a Jewish school paid for by his dead grandfather, he has a difficult time believing in a God who has never done anything for him.

Now things are looking to get worse. His already careless and inattent...more
Jenny Sawyer
Video review here: http://www.60secondrecap.com/potw/sin...

Sanskrit Aaron Zuckerman seems to spend his life losing things. Which is why it’s so strange when he tells a lie that makes people think he’s about to lose his mom…and even stranger when he discovers he may actually be losing her, too.

This coming-of-age story follows Sanskrit as he navigates ordinary issues like high school, friendships, and a gigantic crush, as well as more difficult subjects like parent-child relationships and faith....more
Mrs. S
I'm in a bit of a quandary here. See, I enjoyed this book. I liked Sanskrit's voice. His sense of humor was right on, and his uneasy place among the more-observant Jewish students and professors at his private school was interesting to me. His Big Problems--the accident he invented that got bigger than he anticipated, his mother's sudden life changes--earned his angst and my interest. And I'm a sucker for spunky tween little sisters, like Sweet Caroline. All good, right?

Well, I have a big reserv...more
Liza Wiemer
Sanskrit Aaron and Sweet Caroline (yes - for the Neil Diamond song) have the wackiest mother I've ever read in a YA novel! She's a complete loony, nut job, basketcase - you name, she's it! Oh, and sel-fish! When it comes to parenting, she's definitely a fish out of water! Boy of boy does she know how to mess up her kids. Since You Left Me had me laughing out loud and pulled on my heartstrings. Life is really crazy for these siblings, and Allen Zadoff's sense of humor comes shining through on pre...more
Sally
In the end, it's a bit hard to shelve this, which is not to say that I didn't thoroughly enjoy it! It was a very fast read, much faster than I'd been anticipating; really engrossing and snappy and fun. I got a continual kick out of Sanskrit's younger sister being called Sweet Caroline, as in their dad legit named her that, after the song. And she'd decided to OWN the name and if Sanskrit ever just called her 'Caroline' she'd holler after him, "it's SWEET Caroline!"

I loved the way the sections w...more
Lucy Maud
The Teaser: Never say "horrible" when making up an accident as an excuse. That's the first lesson that Sanskrit Aaron Zuckerman learns at the beginning of his second semester, junior year. An "accident" could be a fender bender or a narrowly avoided squirrel in the road and is easily played off later. A "horrible accident" involves medical care and probably dismemberment and requires a lot of work, sister-bribing and parent manipulation to maintain. But when Sanskrit's mother forgets a mandatory...more
Mery
3.5
Sanskrit hates his life. His parents are divorced, his best friend isn't the same since a trip to Israel and he hasn't talk to the girl he likes since second grade. Everything begins when his mother doesn't show up at a parent-teacher conference, so he decides to tell everyone a lie. But this leds to situations he wouldn't have expected and everything starts to go out of control. Now his entire school is trying to help him and is constantly asking about her mother's accident, and the only thi...more
Jessica
This is the first book of Allen Zadoff's that I have read, and I really loved his voice. Lots of humor and I love the LA setting. I felt like LA was a very real character in this book, and that was a lot of fun. I love flawed characters, and Sanskrit has a lot of problems that he doesn't always deal with in the best way. That was a lot of fun to read about.

I think this would be a good classroom library addition for me...I know a lot of kids are dealing with their own understanding of religion, s...more
Melissa
I really liked Food, Girls, and Other Things I Can't Have so I was excited when I received this one to review. It's a good book about a teenage boy with a self-absorbed mother and a fairly absentee father. When his mother doesn't show up for parent-teacher conferences, he makes up an excuse that snowballs. Characters were pretty well written. It will appeal to a very limited audience (fairly observant Jews) and has references that most others will not understand.
Kirsty (overflowing library)


Not my sort of book a all
Karen  Yingling
Sanskrit's family is a mess, and it all hits the fan when his flighty mother doesn't show up for a required parent-professor conference at Brentwood Jewish Academy. The family is already running afoul of the school; Sanskrit's divorced parents are not involved enough, and Sanskrit himself doesn't believe in God, much less in the tenants of the Jewish faith. His friend Herschel, who became very religious after a school trip to Israel, tries to keep him from completely blowing things, but can't st...more
Bookworm1858
After reading Zadoff's previous works Food, Girls, and Other Things I Can't Have (which apparently I did not review) and My Life, The Theater, and Other Tragedies, I requested this expecting another great contemporary read from the male perspective. And I would say that I found a sensitive and endearing male voice in the person of Sanskrit Aaron Zuckerman (yes that is his first name as bestowed upon him by his yoga-obsessed mother).

Sanskrit's life isn't going so well. As evidenced by the title,...more
Gary
There's a reason why I love Allen Zadoff's books.

The Story:

Everyone believes in something. Almost everyone.

For Sanskrit Aaron Zuckerman, it isn't easy to believe. Especially when all the people you care about leave.

His Dad left after the divorce. The love of his life left in second grade. His best friend in Jewish school found God and practically left the planet. Now his yoga teacher Mom is falling in love with her spiritual guru, and she’s threatening to leave, too.

In a desperate attempt to kee...more
Holly Huckeba
I read Allen Zadoff's books because he is one of the few authors whose writing makes me laugh out loud and stifle a sob. I've also recommended Allen's boy-friendly books to my teenage son, who has rewarded me by finishing them and discussing with me. If you're looking for a good read for the reluctant boy reader in your life, or if you just want to enjoy an intelligently-written YA novel, I recommend this book.
Lindsay
Sanskrit's mom has to go on record as one of the worst (well...all things considered). I had no patience for her, and none of the real issues that needed to be confronted were ever confronted. Sanskrit may be immature, but it still feels like he got the short end of the stick here. Between this and Resau's Notebook series, I think I'm done with flighty mothers for a while.

Can I get an "OH VEY!"?
Laura
Sanskrit has horrible parents. He is forced to attend a strict Jewish school even though he currently doesn't believe in God. And, in a moment of panic, he told a really big lie. Sanskrit's story is an interesting search for something or someone to believe in. And just like in real life, there are no easy answers. (Subject matter makes this one for older teens)
Karen
I am a waffler. I am a half-star giver. This book is a definite 3 1/2 stars for me. I enjoyed the writing and loved the character of Sanskrit...up until the end. Seriously, I felt like everything fell apart in the last twenty or so pages. Too many revelations and strange resolutions. Up until then, I really enjoyed it.
Jessica Capelle
It didn't seem like it would be my thing at first, but the buzz on Allen Zadoff was great and I love the books I've read from Egmont. Zadoff's writing is smart and funny and quirky and the cast of characters was so unique. This novel surprised me by how much I enjoyed reading it. I laughed out loud quite a few times, but also had my heart wrenched a few times. Will definitely seek out more of his books.
Liz Fichera
Warning. This book might make you a little crazy. It's about smart-aleck teens, absent parents who behave like they're Reality TV contestants, and God--or the idea of God. But best of all it's a coming of age of a boy unlucky enough to be named Sanskrit. A humorous, poignant read.
Maggie  Levine
I enjoyed this, but found myself distracted by the desire to reach through the pages and grab Sanskrit's mom to shake her into wakefulness.
Alethea
Liked it a lot--Zadoff does great realistic YA fiction with humor and family dynamics. Also now I really want some Indian food.
Melinda Elizabeth
Did I download the Jewish book pack or something? A lot of Jewish humour books popping up in my reading list lately. I don't mind, they have great humour!! This one was good as well, nothing to complain about :)
Scott Miller
Amazing book. I love Zadoff's writing. Well written story with great voice. Zadoff writes so young adult readers want to read more of his books.
Kate
i liked the characterization but the book overall was kind of a downer that didn't really resolve.
« previous 1 3 4 5 6 7 8 next »
There are no discussion topics on this book yet. Be the first to start one »
Since You Left Me (ebook)
683191
Allen Zadoff is the author of the new thriller series, Boy Nobody. His YA novel, Food, Girls, and Other Things I Can't Have won the Sid Fleischman Humor Award and was a YALSA selection for Most Popular Paperbacks of 2012. His second novel was My Life, the Theater, and Other Tragedies, the story of a techie hiding from life after a family tragedy. His third novel Since You Left Me is set in Los Ang...more
More about Allen Zadoff...
Food, Girls, and Other Things I Can't Have My Life, the Theater, and Other Tragedies Hungry: Lessons Learned on the Journey from Fat to Thin Boy Nobody Boy Nobody FREE PREVIEW Edition

Share This Book

Your website