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The Night We Said Yes #0.5
Matt's Story
We've seen Ella's story in The Night We Said Yes, but now we'll hear Matt's tale in this e-original novella from Lauren Gibaldi.
Seventeen-year-old Matt had the perfect life in Orlando. He met the girl of his dreams, rocked out on bass in an awesome band, and partied with the best group of friends he could ask for. But then his family gets a call and he has to move back to Texas—immediately. Now stuck with no possibility of ever seeing his friends in Orlando again, Matt is ready to give up. But can he open up his heart to new friends and a second chance?
Epic Reads Impulse is a digital imprint with new releases each month.
Seventeen-year-old Matt had the perfect life in Orlando. He met the girl of his dreams, rocked out on bass in an awesome band, and partied with the best group of friends he could ask for. But then his family gets a call and he has to move back to Texas—immediately. Now stuck with no possibility of ever seeing his friends in Orlando again, Matt is ready to give up. But can he open up his heart to new friends and a second chance?
Epic Reads Impulse is a digital imprint with new releases each month.
91 pages, ebook
First published August 4, 2015
About the author
Lauren Gibaldi
8 books314 followersPublic librarian and author of THE NIGHT WE SAID YES, MATT'S STORY (a Night We Said Yes novella), AUTOFOCUS, and THIS TINY PERFECT WORLD, all with HarperTeen / HarperCollins. Fan of dinosaurs and cheesy jokes. And you.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
August 30, 2015
My instincts tells me that the next story will end up tragically.
August 4, 2015
Love love loved this. I'm so happy we got a glimpse into his head and how things were happening for him. Especially loved Cindy and Kat.
August 4, 2015
This novella was so perfect. It had everything I didn't know I needed and I am beyond glad it exist! If you've read (and loved) THE NIGHT WE SAID YES, I really, really recommend you pick up MATT'S STORY! If you haven't read TNWSY, what are you doing? Get on that!
September 18, 2015
Matt's Story really helps to fill in the blanks in The Night We Said Yes. It's a perfect example of a book that is needed to help you really understand the actions of the characters in the first book - very reminiscent of what readers found out when they read Veronica Roth's Four. In Matt's Story, readers find out what happened to Matt in the year in between the breakup with El and the re-connection with El. They will root even more for El to give Matt that second chance and want to learn more about what will happen with Matt and El in the future. Gibaldi's writing is crisp and poignant and this reader will look for her books in the future.
February 26, 2016
I always love reading the other side of stories and was glad to see that Matt got to work on things
August 26, 2015
This short story/novella fills in a little bit about Matt and where his mind was during the 6 months he and Ella were apart. Not a stand alone but good at giving us a little perspective into Matt.
March 17, 2017
2 stars.
This is the prequel to the first book and I pretty much only read it because of that. I wasn't really all that crazy about the first book but I wanted to see if this would change my mind about the main reason I didn't like it.
Welp, it didn't. It really only made me dislike the first book more.
I don't even know what to say, Matt is being kind of stupid but teenagers have the tendency to be dramatic and while that's a habit that's stuck with me pretty much for life I don't think even I was that dramatic.
Honestly, the only thing that saves this is Kat and Cindy. I loved them and how organically they were portrayed.
Wouldn't reread, would recommend if you've read the first novel.
This is the prequel to the first book and I pretty much only read it because of that. I wasn't really all that crazy about the first book but I wanted to see if this would change my mind about the main reason I didn't like it.
Welp, it didn't. It really only made me dislike the first book more.
I don't even know what to say, Matt is being kind of stupid but teenagers have the tendency to be dramatic and while that's a habit that's stuck with me pretty much for life I don't think even I was that dramatic.
Honestly, the only thing that saves this is Kat and Cindy. I loved them and how organically they were portrayed.
Wouldn't reread, would recommend if you've read the first novel.
November 22, 2015
Lauren Gibaldi has done it again! For those of you who don't know, Matt's Story is the novella that goes with The Night We Said Yes. Matt's Story follows Matt during his time away living in Texas. In these short 63 pages we get inside Matt's head and see why he decided to keep to himself so much. New friendships are made and some old ones are mended. I'd say this novella is all about growth and how sometimes it's better to let people in and let them help you even when you don't want to. Lauren does a wonderful job of creating characters you'd want to interact with, they're just so realistic. I wanted to hug Matt, but also knock some sense into him most of the time. Plus Kat and Cindy were awesome. I'd love to be surrounded by the joy that they seem to radiate. I definitely recommend picking up The Night We Said Yes and then this wonderful novella. I can't wait to see more work from Lauren Gibaldi. She's seriously wonderful.
August 30, 2015
If you read The Night We Said Yes, then this is a worthwhile addition. Matt's rationale for the way he was while leaving was always stupid to me but this made me like him a little more.
Kat and Cindy are awesome. I'd read a book about them :)
Kat and Cindy are awesome. I'd read a book about them :)
October 25, 2015
3.5 stars for sure. A short little glimpse into Matt's head that I really enjoyed. Makes me want to reread TNWSY soooo much.
August 24, 2015
Matt's pity party and woe-is-meing was agonizing to read. Argh. Why so emo? All he thinks about is me me me me me. UGH.
Shelved as 'august-reading'
August 1, 2015IT'S SO CLOSE NOW I CANNOT KEEP WAITING
December 4, 2015
Good addition to the original story! Kat and Cindy were weird at first but they grew on me. It was nice getting inside Matt's head a little bit more but I'm still not sold on his excuses.
August 27, 2015
So glad to read Matt's side of the story. Well, i probably will have a good night sleep since everything is clear now :)
July 29, 2016
A cute read, but not really necessary at all... Don't really feel like I learned anything important about Matt's character from this.
August 5, 2015
I need more Matt!!! Loved hearing his side of the story.
March 4, 2018
"The Night We Said Yes" was from Ella's POV, but this is Matt's POV of the time he was away in Texas. If you haven't read the first book, I'd suggest doing so in order to understand this one.
I was glad to see his side and what happened with him while he was away, it gave me more of a feel for his character and better understanding. I do wish this had been added to the book at the end as a bonus physical read.
I was glad to see his side and what happened with him while he was away, it gave me more of a feel for his character and better understanding. I do wish this had been added to the book at the end as a bonus physical read.
June 8, 2018
Corta y linda. Vemos el PV del posible Prota del siguiente libro y sus motivos porque decidió irse sin decir nada.
Acompañado de Cindy & Kat y sus actitudes burbujeantes, le dan un toque divertido a la narración y la vida de Matt.
Acompañado de Cindy & Kat y sus actitudes burbujeantes, le dan un toque divertido a la narración y la vida de Matt.
June 6, 2017
La true, me gustó mucho mas esta novela corta que la principal. Me hizo querer y saber un poco mas a Matty Matt Matt. Super tierna y reconfortante.
December 20, 2017
J'ai bien aimé avoir le vécu de Matt après son départ d'Oregon. J'aurai bien aimé avoir son point de vue sur ses retrouvailles avec Ella (pousser un peu plus loin la nouvelle).
June 5, 2018
Nice to get the back story for the book. The fact this took me so long to read is why I don’t read e-books. We just don’t work.
February 20, 2017
I love getting to know his POV!
January 29, 2016
While a reader might select this story after reading The Night We Said Yes with the expectation of obtaining further insights into Matt’s character, the revelations provided are somewhat muted. When reading The Night We Said Yes, Matt seems a rather aloof and distant character. Through his interactions with Ella, it is apparent that he has difficulty in communicating his thoughts and feelings. “Matt’s Story” shows the reader the depth of this awkward aloofness. Again the author plays with the idea of truth or dare. Though it is a game he is willing to play, Matt is unwilling to apply it to his own life circumstances. As a result, Matt is passive throughout and willingly lets circumstances take control. In a way, this allows the reader to question the veracity of his feelings towards others.
Unfortunately, as with The Night We Said Yes, the timeline of this story affects the conflicts that occur. Matt’s external conflicts with his friends, as well as his brother are muted as a result of the various shifts in time. The reader doesn’t get to experience these important relationship developments, though we’re told they’ve occurred. Arguably, this also can negatively impact Matt’s moment of catharsis and internal self-revelation, which should have been such a momentous moment for him and for the reader.
That said, this is a short story. Through this medium, it achieves what it set out to do, namely, provide the reader with further insights into what took place during Matt’s six month disappearance, and what led him to the course of action he takes in The Night We Said Yes.
Unfortunately, as with The Night We Said Yes, the timeline of this story affects the conflicts that occur. Matt’s external conflicts with his friends, as well as his brother are muted as a result of the various shifts in time. The reader doesn’t get to experience these important relationship developments, though we’re told they’ve occurred. Arguably, this also can negatively impact Matt’s moment of catharsis and internal self-revelation, which should have been such a momentous moment for him and for the reader.
That said, this is a short story. Through this medium, it achieves what it set out to do, namely, provide the reader with further insights into what took place during Matt’s six month disappearance, and what led him to the course of action he takes in The Night We Said Yes.
August 2, 2016
3 stars
This is a companion novella based on The Night We Said Yes, told in Matt’s POV and covers the events after he abandons his girlfriend and best friends in Orlando to move to Houston. Nothing too compelling happens that we don’t already know about, but it delves into how he comes to terms with his situation at home, his friendship with Cindy and Kat, and what eventually leads him to return to Orlando to reunite with his friends.
This is a companion novella based on The Night We Said Yes, told in Matt’s POV and covers the events after he abandons his girlfriend and best friends in Orlando to move to Houston. Nothing too compelling happens that we don’t already know about, but it delves into how he comes to terms with his situation at home, his friendship with Cindy and Kat, and what eventually leads him to return to Orlando to reunite with his friends.
January 10, 2016
I enjoyed reading this story from another perspective. It was nice to see what prompted Matt's decisions, but I felt like it was mostly confirmation of what I'd already surmised from reading the original story. Worth reading if you love the characters and enjoy a series, but the plot isn't really furthered by the novella.
August 5, 2016
Okay.
This wasn't really what I was expected ing but it was still nice. I was expecting more about him and Ella. But it was still good to hear about his time away. I wish the original book actually was written from his and Ella's point of view but I liked hearing something from Matt.
This wasn't really what I was expected ing but it was still nice. I was expecting more about him and Ella. But it was still good to hear about his time away. I wish the original book actually was written from his and Ella's point of view but I liked hearing something from Matt.
December 23, 2015
This is just a quick little novella that gives you an insight to Matt's side of the story. (This is a side story from the book The night we said yes.) I really liked seeing where he was coming from. I wish it would have given a bit more but this was nice to read.
February 12, 2016
Loved it
Really loved this book. It was interesting to see what Matt went through when he left Orlando because I wondered about his story all the while reading the night we said yes.
Really loved this book. It was interesting to see what Matt went through when he left Orlando because I wondered about his story all the while reading the night we said yes.
June 29, 2016
Easy read, you could finish in 2 hours or so easily but I just didn't have the time to. Doesn't spoil the book but of course my recommendation is to read after. I liked seeing his perspective. As far as novellas go: A.
August 5, 2015
3.5 stars
Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews