Amy & Roger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson

Amy & Roger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson

Released: May 2001 

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Genre: Young Adult - Contemporary Fiction

Pages: 352

Source: Big Honcho Media

Rating: ♥♥♥♥

Amy Curry thinks her life sucks. Her mom decides to move from California to Connecticut to start anew--just in time for Amy's senior year. Her dad recently died in a car accident. So Amy embarks on a road trip to escape from it all, driving cross-country from the home she's always known toward her new life. Joining Amy on the road trip is Roger, the son of Amy's mother's old friend. Amy hasn't seen him in years, and she is less than thrilled to be driving across the country with a guy she barely knows. So she's surprised to find that she is developing a crush on him. At the same time, she's coming to terms with her father's death and how to put her own life back together after the accident. Told in traditional narrative as well as scraps from the road--diner napkins, motel receipts, postcards--this is the story of one girl's journey to find herself.

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Amy & Roger's Epic Detour is definitely a book you do not want to miss out on if you've ever wanted to take a cross country road trip. What a wonderful way to explore America without ever leaving your house! I thought the maps, playlist, pictures, and Amy's entries in her travel journal were a clever touch to really make you feel like you were with Roger and her.

Amy was pretty bland at the beginning of the novel. It made the read a bit drabby at first, but after I passed the first fifty pages - I was pretty much sold. While being on a road trip just for about a week doesn't seem like that long of a time for a person to change, it is. Knowing more and more about Roger and Amy and seeing them both tackle things in their past made the pages fly by. The plot itself isn't very fast paced, but it makes for a great character growth read. I think those that like a more action fast plot might not like this one too much.

One thing I have to point out is how much I enjoyed seeing both characters experience everything around them. Neither of the characters had really been outside of California so when they stumbled upon the Midwest (where I'm from) I was probably cracking up a bit more than I should have. Especially when they arrived at a Sonic, and had no clue what it was. Or when they hit Kentucky and never had sweet tea. (No sweet tea? You people are living without!) It was pretty neat seeing all the differences that many states have. 

After I read this book, I texted my sister asking if she wanted to make a small road trip of our own. So at the end of the month we're hitting up Graceland! So I say pick this book up, enjoy Morgan Matson's wonderful writing, and see where it takes you. Who knows, you might end up on a road trip of your own. 

♥amber