Amy & Roger's Epic Detour
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4.5 • 143 Ratings
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- $8.99
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- $8.99
Publisher Description
There were three things Amy Curry didn’t expect out of senior year. First: her father’s death. Second: her mother’s decision to relocate to the East Coast. Third: Roger Sullivan.
After her father’s sudden death, Amy’s mom has decided to start anew—in Connecticut, just before the start of senior year. And she’s decided that it’ll be Amy’s job to get the car from California to Connecticut.
The only problem? Amy hasn’t gotten behind the wheel since the car accident that took her father’s life.
Enter Roger, a family friend, tasked by his mother to help Amy drive across the country. Amy’s not pleased to be driving across the country with a boy she barely knows, but as Amy gets lost on her cross-country adventure, she must confront the past she’s running from, come to terms with the grief of losing a parent, and learn how to open her heart in order to find herself again.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In the summer following her junior year, Amy is nursing the loss of her father in a car accident and the burden of believing it was her fault. With her mother relocating the family to Connecticut and her brother in rehab, Amy is left to get the car from California to their new house. But since the accident, Amy won't drive. Enter Roger, the 19-year-old son of a family friend, on his way to visit his father in Philadelphia. After a few bumps, Roger and Amy are on their way he to help her face the grief and truth about her father's death, and she to help him move on from a painful breakup. Debut author Matson ably evokes the places, tastes, and tunes of this unforgettable cross-country trip, and the incorporation of b&w photos, receipts, playlists, sketches, and quotations about the states they pass through make it feel all the more real. The duo's budding romance is especially satisfying given the deliciously slow speed with which it builds. A near perfect summer read that should leave readers with a thirst for travel and romance. Ages 12 up.
Customer Reviews
Ok
This book is good and I would not add anything to make this story better except I want more ROMANCE!!!!!! It only happens at the end and it feels rushed. I understand that they were strangers at the beginning and they cannot just start being lovers but the book could have been a bit longer to see the romance at the end. I love the character Roger tho and he is just so sweet and caring. This is not the first book I have read by Morgan Matson and I have read Second Chance Summer and Save the Date. This one was was my second favorite, first being Save the Date. That being said I cannot wait to read Since you been Gone and The Unexpected Everything.
Sweet and fun contemporary YA romance
This was a sweet and fun contemporary YA romance. The plot was fairly predictable, but the main characters, Amy and Roger, were likeable and interesting. Amy struggles with her grief/guilt regarding the death of her father and the upheaval of her home life, while Roger is dealing with the heartbreak of being blind sided by a break up. The story itself was not overly angsty or super heavy. I thought the inclusion of snapshots, receipts, drawings, and music play lists was also a fun addition to document the trip. It really made me feel like I was on the trip too and I enjoyed finding out little tidbits about each of the states they visited.
I liked the way that Amy and Roger's friendship and relationship developed and that through games like 20 questions they got to know each other instead of any kind of instalove. Yes, the time period was still quick (just a few days), but when you spend every minute with a person, everything accelerates. Amy and Roger helped each other deal with their emotional baggage and I enjoyed watching their friendship turn into more. Roger's gift to Amy at the end was so cute too!
*SPOILER*
One thing that I do wish though is that the author would have left their end of book hook-up out. Amy's first time with her college age boyfriend when she was devastated by the loss of her father, was handled really well and was believable. Her night with Roger on the other hand, felt sloppy and rushed (even though the book was leading up to this event). Perhaps that was the point though? That Amy was taking charge of her life and doing what she wanted? I just felt like it could have been explored more, especially after Roger's response at the end was essentially, "let's not worry to much about it and what will be, will be." I guess I was just expecting/would have liked something more definite to their relationship status at the end, but that's just me wanting a HEA.
I did like that there was a resolution between Amy and her mother as well as with her brother. I was glad to see Amy take charge and start down the road to mending their relationships and family. Overall, Amy and Roger's Epic Detour was an entertaining and quick read, that left me itching for an epic road trip of my own.
Good book
I definitely wish they realized they liked each other earlier but otherwise it was such a good book 100% recommend