Amy & Roger's Epic Detour

by Morgan Matson

Hardcover, 2010

Status

Available

Call number

813.6

Genres

Young Adult

All Topics

Fiction

Collection

Your library

Publication

Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers (2010), Edition: 1, Hardcover, 352 pages

Description

After the death of her father, Amy, a high school student, and Roger, a college freshman, set out on a carefully planned road trip from California to Connecticut, but wind up taking many detours, forcing Amy to face her worst fears and come to terms with her grief and guilt.

User reviews

LibraryThing member lenoreva

After her father's death in a car accident, Amy is no longer driving. So when her mother needs Amy to transport her car from California to their new home in Connecticut, she enlists the son of a family friend, Roger, to drive with Amy across country. But instead of following her mother's carefully

planned itinerary, Amy and Roger embark on a series of detours and work through their respective issues along the way.

I love road trips, so I was really excited to read this one - and it didn't disappoint. The narrative arc ended up just as a I predicted it would, but the journey there continually surprised and delighted me.

Of course it helped that Amy and Roger travelled some of the same roads I have - it was fun for me to reminisce about my own road trip experiences. But it wasn't just that. Both Amy and Roger were characters imbued with an amazing presence and I enjoyed watching them make their own discoveries. They also had a great rapport and dialogue that cracked me up.

I loved the people they met along the way. Bronwyn and her clothes obsession! Derek and Drew - the Kansas boys who loved Kansas. Lucien and his topiary.

And I can't end the review without mentioning Roger's epic playlists. From the songs I know, I have a feeling Roger and I have very similar music taste, so I can't wait to listen to a bunch of these songs and hopefully discover new favorite tunes.

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LibraryThing member ssalach21

I was conflicted with this book prior to reading it. I had heard so many great things that I, of course, wanted it to be great. But I was also worried that maybe it wouldn't be that great and I'd be disappointed since I was expecting so much. But that turned out not to be the case! This was an

exceptionally well written book, with not a single thing that I disliked. From the characters, to the format (playlists and such), to the plot. I was thrilled that it turned out to be such a wonderful read.

Amy and Roger meet up when Amy has to travel from California to Connecticut, where the family will now live. Since Amy doesn't drive, Roger, the son of one of Amy's mothers old friends, takes up the task. They travel across the continent, stopping to see the sites, friends, exes, and siblings. Along the way they have fun, find trouble and eventually find themselves. It's full of adventure, romance, love and loss. It's a story with heart that lifts you right up.

I think this is going to be one review that is better left short and sweet then long and obnoxious, because I really just want to ramble on and on about how much I love it. It's books like this one that have probably turned me from a YA Paranormal fanatic to a YA Contemp fanatic (not that I don't love paranrormal.. I do.)

As soon as I finished this I wanted to force it upon anyone that would take it. And I still am. =P It really is a wonderful book and is definitely something I will be reading again.

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LibraryThing member abbylibrarian

I just thought this book was delightful. More to come on my blog.

LibraryThing member brandileigh2003

This was a PERFECT summer kickoff read. It was a great blend of light and angst, and I sped through it, and loved every minute. I like that the angst was centered on something other than boy drama-- though I love it, sometimes its good to have other things take center stage. I loved how we got to

see Amy bloom, and that she realized she is not who she wants to be and that she is withdrawn. Roger one of those great literature guys-- the ones that we wish really exist, who is a great blend of fun and seriousness. He know when to push and when to let off.

SPOILER alert

Though it seemed inevitable, at least to me, that Amy and Roger would get together, I like that she comes to terms at least somewhat with her emotions and that she isn't obsessed over him the whole time. It helps that he had a love interest that needed closure, which he got, and then the tides turned romantically.

Oh and I LOVED the part about the moose. I laughed SO hard.

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LibraryThing member CorLostForWords

Source: Received for review from publicist. Many thanks goes to Loretta from Simon & Schuster for sending me this book for review. I received this book free of charge in exchange for an honest review.
My rating: 5/5

Amy is having a hard time dealing with her father's death. She hasn't been able to

get behind the wheel since, and she ultimately blames herself for his death. Unfortunately, her mother is relocating the family to Connecticut, and needs someone to drive the car from California to their new home. Amy still isn't up to driving, and so, Roger enters the picture. Amy vaguely recognizes Roger as the kid who lived down the street many years ago. Roger's mother, and Amy's for that matter, have decided that Roger and Amy should bring the car back, together. Things get interesting when they decide to deviate from the original plan, and take a few detours of their own.
I enjoyed this book immensely. Amy is such a poignant character. I felt heartsick for her, and sympathized with her. It was truly a joy to watch her develop under Matson's firm hand. She seemed to come to life, and poured her heart out for the reader to see. She seemed so real. I think Matson captured the angst, and turmoil of a teenager's heart perfectly.
Roger was also absolutely brilliant, and he was a true gentleman. Sure, he's a guy, but he happens to be one of the good ones. He and Amy both seemed to complement each other beautifully. It was captivating to watch their personalities unfold, and see how they meshed, as they had been almost complete strangers before they embarked on the road trip.
Matson weaves together bittersweet emotions, sorrow, hope, and a sense of finding yourself within this remarkable journey. The road trip wasn't just a trip, it was also about the journey to finding oneself after adversity, to knowing who you are, and realizing that there is always hope. Things will get better, maybe not today, or tomorrow, but one day.
I also absolutely loved the sense of adventure within this book, and thought that it, as well as the playlists offset the sad tone created, therefore making it an even more enjoyable read.
All in all, this was an incredibly heartwarming read that runs the gamut of emotions. You'll be laughing, crying, and singing along to the songs while reading this book. It truly is a detour worth taking.

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LibraryThing member carma91

First of all, I am a sucker for cute YA romance books, so when I first read the summary for this book, I had a feeling that I would like it. And as it turned out, I did. It’s a very enjoyable book. Amy and Roger are really nice characters, and at the beginning I found myself thinking up theories

about Hadley and what had happened to Amy. I really liked the road trip part of it. I’ve never really been on a road trip, or been to the States much, so it was really cool to read about these places. It made me want to go see them! I also liked the play lists and extra bits in the book, like the pictures and receipts and facts about the different states. They made it really interesting, and when a little batch of extra things came up, I found myself getting a little excited, haha. Plus, I’ll never say no to new music to try out. All in all, it’s a good book. I read it really quickly, and whenever I was doing something else I’d just want to keep reading! I’d recommend it to anyone who likes good YA romance and/or the books by Sarah Dessen (because this one reminded me of her books).

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LibraryThing member katiedoll

Oh gosh, how do I even sum up my love for this book with words? To start off with, I wasn’t expecting it. A book about a road trip? How exciting and enthralling could that possibly be? But it completely took me by surprise and left me flabbergasted when I found that putting it down was nearly

impossible.

Amy’s character is closed-off and quiet, while Roger is a bit more outgoing and boisterous. The first few chapters of the road trip are a bit awkward, but instead of their personalities clashing, they start to rely on each other. After that, the relationship that forms is one that will be on a lot of my favorite lists for a long time. Roger is funny and Amy is sarcastic, and I loved every second of it.

Another thing I absolutely loved was the visuals. Several pages of the book are devoted to flyers, schedules, emails, purchases/lodgings receipts and pictures of the places that they visit. It also included hand-written pages of Amy & Roger’s road trip play-lists, which featured hilarious doodles from Roger. The book still would’ve been amazing without it, but I thought it was incredibly neat to actually see what we were reading and I hope more novels take notice! (At first, I thought somebody actually drawn Roger’s doodles into my copy before sending it to me!)

Overall, I thought this book was fantastic. Cracked into my top ten favorite list, even! Amy’s slow but progressing reveal of her past and Roger’s determination for his uncertain future with his ex-girlfriend makes for a great adventure that will evoke so many emotions. I definitely recommend this to anyone and everyone.

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LibraryThing member gubry

I didn't know what to expect, other than the fact that there were going to pictures in this book, etc. One thing I knew was that I really liked this. A lot. It was funny, sweet, surreal, a lot of things really. It makes me think of what I'm going to do tomorrow, because I'm going on a long car ride

to San Jose which is 6 hours.

I didn't know what to think of Amy, other than the fact that she seemed awkward and how she closed off others. I wondered if she ever replied to Julia, I hope so, because that would be disappointing. As things moved on, she developed and became a better person. I still can't believe Charlie's her twin though, they are not twin material. Roger was definitely interesting from the start to the end. The only thing that bothered me was Hadley, which was later solved. Speaking of Hadley, I wonder what's going to happen to her brother since it was obvious that he liked Amy.

I haven't really read many road trips, only fictionpress, but I know I did enjoy them. It made me sad when I didn't really know many of the people Roger listens to, so I was always waiting to see if I knew any. The pictures were nice to see, travels notes and quotes were interesting because I liked knowing what they did. The romance really starts close to the ending point, but it's still worth it.

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LibraryThing member stephxsu

Amy’s father’s recent death in a car accident has left Amy retreating into herself. The problem comes when she needs to join her mother in their new home on the other side of the country. Enter Roger, a slightly older family friend who also needs to make his way across the country.

As the two

near strangers embark on an epic road trip, throwing Amy’s mother’s strict driving directions out the window and instead going where they want, working through Amy’s grief and Roger’s hang-up over an ex-girlfriend, they learn that healing may not be so far off after all…even if it does take a cross-country road trip to attain it.

AMY AND ROGER’S EPIC DETOUR is a multiformat delight of a road trip read that will sweep you into these two teenagers’ stories.

Morgan Matson’s writing is easy to read, fluid but not floral, emotional without melodramatics. There is huge potential for dramatics in the premise—a death, an ex-girlfriend, a heterosexual boy and girl stuck in a tiny car for days on end—but thankfully descriptions are curtailed, emotions carefully doled out…and all the more effective as a result.

Amy and Roger, while lacking in particularly definable characteristics or quirks that make them stand out in the genre, have one major quality going for them: their relationship is gradual, slowly strained, one of growing attraction, not the “insta-luv” formula we typically get. If you’re looking for a real YA contemporary romance, one that gives the characters clashing histories and emotional obstacles instead of claiming to bring them together at the first look, you need to check this book out.

Finally, AMY AND ROGER’S EPIC DETOUR provides a pleasant reading experience with its playlists, scrapbook-style layouts of pictures, and handwritten notes and doodles. These elements add to the realistic element of the story: you are made to feel as if Amy and Roger’s road trip actually took place, and you can enjoy their journey as much as possible by adding in the musical and visual experience.

Overall, Morgan Matson’s debut novel is a winning edition to contemporary YA. With a romance that actually develops, the multimedia supplements, and the feel-good magic that usually arises from a good road trip, AMY AND ROGER’S EPIC DETOUR will feel as good as listening to a playlist of great new songs with your favorite person.

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LibraryThing member allawishus

I enjoyed this one a lot! Amy is a 17-year-old dealing with her father's recent death; Roger is a college sophormore who just got dumped by his girlfriend - together they have to drive across country to get Amy to her Mom's new house in Connecticut and Roger to stay with his father in Pennsylvania.

It's a road novel - we get a little bit of local scenery, local diner faves, local highways, etc. It's also a romance - we get to see Roger getting over his girlfriend, and Amy learning to drop some of her defenses and let Roger in a little bit. I thought it had a really believable emotional arc - the main thrust of the novel is Amy learning to deal with her grief, and I felt it was really emotionally honest. I think the book could have been fine without the romantic aspects - in the end I felt that Amy and Roger had come to a very deep friendship and love for each other without having to have that final "cumulation" so to speak. But whatever, it was still cute and believable. Really lovely.

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LibraryThing member ylin.0621

After her father’s death the family is moving to Connecticut. Her mother left Amy the reasonability to bringing the car all the way from California and enlisted the help of Roger, an old family friend’s son, who needs to make his way to Philadelphia. But Amy and Roger decide to make a few

detour stops because a road trip of life. Each stop has a meaning and each stop leaves behind a few memories.

One thing that makes Amy and Roger’s Epic Detour is the fact that it is less of a novel and more of scrapbook. It includes receipts, photos, doodles, and playlists with a narration that switches from past to present. It brings forth a personality that the characters’ can’t.

The characters of course are unique. After the accident that killed her father, Amy no longer drives. The detour/road trip helps her carry some of the weight and guilt off her shoulder as she tells random strangers/new acquaintances the tragic news. It’s a progression of breaking down whenever the prospect of the news comes up to openly acknowledging the truth. We follow Amy on her journey of inner strength and it is worth commemorating.

Roger is a rather sweet boy traveling across the country just to get closure with an ex-girlfriend. The shirtless scene *thumbs-up*, but I don’t have much to say about him except that he’s sweet and caring and nice.

The biggest flaw in my eyes was some of the stops: more than necessary. The plot seemed to drag a bit in the beginning and in the middle. The end I felt was great in regards to pacing. The next flaw was the formatting. I love the collage of receipts and photos, but some were ill-placed and interrupted the flow of the story. I would read a paragraph and get cut off in the middle of a sentence for some collages 2-3 pages that promptly lost my train of thought.

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LibraryThing member BrandisBookMusings

Amy's family fell apart two months ago with the death of her father. Her mother left their home in California for Connecticut to prepare for their new life and her twin brother Charlie is in rehab in North Carolina. Family friend Roger, whom Amy barely remembers, will driver her across America to

Connecticut on what is supposed to be a short road trip. Amy and Roger have a better idea. They will embark on the most epic detour ever! Along the way they will learn more about themselves than they ever imagined and just possibly the power that comes with forgiveness and love

This book was so good! Amy's pain and all of the little everyday things that reminded her of her dad were heartbreaking. The even more touching part was that her pain was believable. On a personal note, I was able to relate and found this very believable just having lost someone close to me. Ms. Matson conveyed these bittersweet reminders perfectly. This story also showed the all too true way that some families fall apart when tragedy strikes. This is where Roger comes in and is the perfect person to help Amy with her grief. Roger was a good edition to the story. His troubles and drama were the perfect foil to Amy's sadness. I absolutely loved the little editions of photos, receipts, and state facts scattered throughout the book.. Normally I don't like these "detractors" in books, but these added a bit of authenticity to the book. I found myself wishing I could've been on the trip with them. In the end, this story left off with the perfect conclusion; the uncertainty, possibility, and hope for the future.

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LibraryThing member ericajsc

Grief is difficult to put on a page, especially when it is fresh. If it is all consuming, the character can be rather one-dimensional; if it is lightly painted, it comes across as disingenuous. Matson strikes a balance between the two with Amy, making her grief a believably huge part of her life,

but not the thing that defines her. While it is obvious that she’s fraught with sadness and guilt over her father’s death, who she is inside, the person she was before this tragedy, still shines through the dark cloud that’s settled over her.
The relationship between Amy and Roger plays out naturally. There’s no question that being forced to take a road trip with someone who is practically a stranger has the potential to be awkward, and theirs is definitely filled with awkward moments, especially since Amy is so closed off to the whole experience from the beginning. However, as she begins to open her eyes to the fact that Roger is actually a pretty decent guy, she slowly lowers the walls that she put up to keep him (and others) out. Once this starts happening, it’s pretty obvious that there is something between the two of them, but neither of them is in a position to explore what that may be.
As Amy and Roger ignore the itinerary her mom made, they embark on a journey to go and do what they need to do in order to move on in their lives. For Amy, that’s seeing places that meant something to her dad; for Roger, it’s chasing down a girl who broke his heart. Along the way they meet and reconnect with people who take them in and teach them about new places and traditions. Every single one of these people, from the lady working at a convenience store to the brother of Roger’s ex-girlfriend, adds depth to the journey that Amy and Roger are on.
Forgetting the great writing and character development for a moment, the greatest thing about this book is the road trip aspect of it. Their trip has what every great road trip needs: first-class playlists and delicious food. I mean, seriously, I’ve never read a book that made me want to eat as much as this book did!
This book isn't an action-packed adventure of a trip, but instead is a healing journey for both Amy and Roger. It's not flashy, but it's full of heart

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LibraryThing member perpetualpageturner

I feared reading this book for two reasons. The first reason is because I was afraid the eternal travel bug in me would take over my body and I'd find myself in my car for an impromptu road trip only to realize I left home without any money and clean underrooos. The second reason I feared reading

this book was because it seemed to be everyone's favorite and I was afraid I'd be one of those oddballs that didn't enjoy it.

The good news is that neither of these things happened to me. I was rather fond of this book and the furthest I ventured out was to get some Chick-fil-a after reading this book. Don't get me wrong though. The whole time I kept bugging the boyfriend about how I wanted to go on a road trip across country and "Oh, look how cool this place is" and "oh my gosh I am so jealous because I always wanted to see this." HINT HINT HINT.

I'm a big fan of travelogues and novels that involve traveling or road trips so this instantly held my attention. The kicker with this book is that the narrative journey was enhanced by the mementos, doodling, pictures and playlists from their trip. (Sidenote, Roger and I are so music soulmates. I realized, by the end of the book, that 99% of the songs on his playlists were on my IPod.) I truly felt like I was sitting down with a good friend who was sharing a scrapbook with me of her cross country shenanigans and giving me the dirty deets about her adventure with Mr. Perfection (Roger) himself.

As much as I was interested in the road trip aspect of the book I was truly interested in the grief part. I've shared a lot on this blog about losing my mother so I'm always drawn to these books where children lose parents. I guess sometimes it's cathartic, that even though it's fiction, to know I'm not alone. Perhaps I'm trying to validate my own grief and see how it compares. It sounds weird, I know, but for some reason I just can't help myself to examine how grief is portrayed in fiction. I thought Matson did an excellent job in handling the grief aspect of this book. It felt raw and authentic like grief is. It's confusing and you find yourself wondering how you should be feeling and it just builds up until that intended moment when it becomes released from the depths of your soul. That moment, for Amy, just happened to be on the road with a fantastic guy like Roger to let it all out to. :P

Amy and Roger felt so real to me. I could connect easily with both of them and I really loved how their relationship developed--realistically. I don't want to give too much up about how their relationship progresses but most people are aware, from the summary on the book, that there is a romantical element to this book and I loved every part of it. I really enjoyed the ending and found it to be fitting. These characters would so have been my best friends when I was this age. A road trip book is always a good start but you need interesting characters and thankfully we got this. I mean, you wouldn't want to go on a real road trip with two duds who sat in silence and never veered off the beaten path. Well, I wouldn't. I like spontaneity.

Final thought: This book was the nicotine patch to my travel addiction. Wanderlust at its finest. I truly felt the thrill of sitting wide-eyed, with my hair blowing and the music blaring, and staring out the open window trying to take in all the sights before me only to realize that I couldn't possibly take it all in. I loved being able to be on the road, albeit vicariously, but it pacified my annoying little travel bug. Read this book if you tried to read On the Road (one of my favorite books), for the promise of a good road trip, but couldn't quite take the stream of consciousness writing or the meandering plot and wanted some sweet romance and a bit more action. 4.5 stars.

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LibraryThing member molliekay

Amy's dad has been dead for three months and she feels more alone than ever. Her brother is in rehab in North Carolina and her mother has started a new job in Connecticut, leaving Amy to fend for herself for a month in California. Her mother hires Roger to drive Amy (who refuses to drive after the

fatal accident that killed her dad) from CA to CT. She has planned out a route for the two, but Roger and Amy vote to create their own, and what happens along the way makes this a truly epic detour.

I'm a big fan of road trip books, and this does not disappoint. Who knew that discovering your own country can be as fun? Amy and Roger make the perfect cross-country duo, and their progression as characters makes the book shine.

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LibraryThing member francescadefreitas

Amy's Dad is dead, killed while she was driving. And there is nothing or no one that can make her feel alive again. So a road trip with a stranger sounds like her worst nightmare. But Roger has troubles of his own, and together, they deviate from safe and careful plans and take unexpected roads

across the country.
This was a love song to fast food, it made me so hungry for chips!
With my music collection stalled in the 90s, I'm a little tired of books where play lists are major characters - I'm not sure how much subtlety I missed by not recognising the songs. But I enjoyed Amy, and I found her struggle to feel normal, to feel anything again after her dad dies and her family fell apart. Roger didn't feel like a full character to me, more standard teen romance hero guy.
Overall, this was a fun trip, and I'd give it to teen romance fans.

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LibraryThing member Kayla-Marie

This made a great summer read. Though I didn't think the relationship between Amy and Roger was anything special and though I thought the drama that Amy was experiencing over the death of her father was too overdone (it made it seem as if there would be this huge bombshell dropped on you about the

circumstances of his death in the end but it was all very predictable), the road trip was really fun to read about. If you can read this book and not suddenly have the urge to get into your car and drive across the country, then there's something wrong with you.

I just have to say that I think it is so funny how sweet tea can be considered an unusual drink. The way Amy thought about sweet tea when she first heard of it made it sound so alien, though I know first-hand how foreign sweetened iced tea can be to Californians. Reading that scene with Amy reminded me of a trip I took to Santa Barbara with my Mom from our home in North Carolina. I had lived in California for seven years, but the past two years I had lived in NC made me forget a few things about the Golden State. So when I mistakenly ordered sweet tea at a seafood restaurant one night, the waitress gave me such a weird look as if I had just asked for wheatgrass and tobasco mixed into chocolate milk or something equally crazy. All I wanted was a pre-sugared tea!!

This book is great for recalling past memories of travelling, but also for inspiring you to plan future trips.

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LibraryThing member danijohns

Amy & Roger’s Epic Detour is a perfect book for summer. It has all the elements for a great summer read: a cross country road trip, romance, and it takes place in the summer. While most summer books are quick, fun reads, Amy & Roger’s Epic Detour offer much more.

What drew me into the story

were the characters. Amy felt like she could be any girl dealing with the loss of her father and guilt over his death. Her emotions were so raw and true at points in the story that I was crying along with her. While reading, I often wanted to just reach out an give Amy a huge hug to help her with all the emotional baggage she was carrying. Luckily Roger was there to help me do that. Which brings me to Roger. While the story is told from Amy’s point of view, the reader still gets to learn and understand Roger. Like Amy, Roger is dealing with issues of his own, stemming from his recent break up. While Amy and Roger do not know one another well before the trip, they find out they are a lot more similar than they think and they form a friendship that helps both of them heal.

While the story takes places over a course of a couple of days, the relationship formed between Amy and Roger feels genuine. Morgan Matson did a good job creating Amy and Roger’s relationship and taking it from friends to something a little bit more. The romance did not suddenly pop up out of no where going “Hey look we love each other all of a sudden!” but instead played out very naturally, building a relationship that blooms to romance in the end.

This book is a must read for summer. It is a beautifully written book, truly capturing the emotions of grieve, guilt, love, and loss. Everything feels truly real and relatable, therefore pulling you into the story, taking you on this cross country road trip, filled with detours, along with the characters.

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LibraryThing member novellavialli

I really enjoyed reading this book and now desperately want to go on a road trip of my own!

LibraryThing member thehidingspot

First off, I absolutely adored this novel. Romance and road trips are like the siren call of chocolate, I'm unable to resist. Throw in the complication of the recent loss of a father by way of car accident and you've got a story I need to read. I love a happy ending, but the struggle and pain of my

main character is what makes it all worthwhile.

This novel is especially unique in that playlists and artifacts from the road trip are scattered throughout the book. The playlists were absolutely amazing! Roger and I (and the author!) have similar taste in music, so I was familiar with many of the bands and songs. I was intrigued by the ones I didn't know, which led to looking them up and finding many new bands and songs to love! One of my favorite road trip scraps is from early on in the novel, when Amy and Roger stop at Yellowstone. They choose to go on a guided activity hike in which they must periodically stop and write poems. Needless to say, they aren't taking their assignment very seriously and their poems are hilarious. Plus, the reader has their first peek at Amy and Roger's chemistry. Having these extras was not only fun, it added another dimension to the characters.

Morgan Matson did a wonderful job of creating her characters. So often, characters only really have one dimension or the author doesn't give the reader anything to allow them to connect and know the characters. Each and every one of Matson's characters had a story... they each had something that made them linger in my mind. It isn't often that I can finish a novel and remember each minor character as well as the main ones, especially weeks after I've read the novel. Matson's mastery makes me want to stand up and applaud! I felt such a connection to to each character, that I can honestly say that if Matson decided to write a novel about any one of the characters in Amy & Roger's Epic Detour, I'd read it in a heartbeat.

Amy and Roger's relationship is one of my all time favorites. Their back and forth banter and concern for one another completely won me over and left me smiling. I love when I'm reading a novel and I know that two characters are perfect for one another, but the characters haven't realized it yet, and then, suddenly, it clicks for one of them. You can pinpoint that moment when they know that they belong with that person and regardless of whether they began their epic detour with a completely different intention, it has delivered them to the place, and person, they really needed.

I feel that I must add, that the loss of Amy's father and the current shattered state of her family are not solved by her unexpected romance with Roger. I'm extremely appreciative of this detail, as there are novels in which the main character's problems suddenly disappear because she's met a boy. Amy finds love on her epic detour, but, ultimately, it is the people she meets and stops to see along the way that help her move forward with her life.

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LibraryThing member rrhsmichelle

Amy & Roger's Epic Detour was about 97% enjoyable for me. The other 3% well, we'll get to that.

The premise behind the book is simple: boy. girl. road trip. But Morgan Matson took the story so far beyond where I thought it would go, in a great, great, great, GREAT way. Amy is a fantastic character,

and her growth throughout the novel is evident and expertly developed. She truly goes on a "journey" from point A to point B, not just physically, but emotionally and mentally. I find that many young adult books tend to gloss over a character's development. Authors tell us that yes, in fact, Cynic A is now compassionate and open to anything, but there's not always a lot in the middle that truly expresses the depth of change. Amy experienced plenty of these moments, and I often found myself crying along with her as she tried to deal with her feelings and resentments.

The road trip was also a fun element to the book as well. The "journal" that Amy & Roger kept added another dimension to the novel, and it was fun to get to know the places on the route that they took. If I had to say one thing about it, though, it would be that there seems to be this idea that we don't have Sonic Drive-In's and Chick-fil-A's in California? I mean, I've never been to a Chick-fil-A, but I know they exist and wouldn't be completely flabbergasted by one's appearance on the horizon. I could relate to the moment at Sonic, though, when Amy asks Roger, "How do you do this?" I said the same thing the first time I went to one. But that one was, in fact, in California.

If I have one real complaint about this book (the bulk of that 3%), it is Roger himself. I know you can't have Amy & Roger's Epic Detour without Roger, but he grated on my nerves. He's lovesick and it's annoying. He's kind of a stalker, and it's annoying. He's a huge whiner, and it. is. a. nnoy. ing. I know his ex-girlfriend was supposed to be the villain here, but I honestly started to feel sorry for her. I've had an ex who called and texted and e-mailed incessantly after we broke up, and it is just not cool or attractive or flattering in any way. It's actually kind of awkward and scary and it makes you not want to leave the house because, who knows, crazy-person-who-can't-take-a-hint might be sitting out there waiting for you. I understand that he had unfinished business with his (ex)girlfriend, but, and this is only my opinion, he was not written in a way that made me want to feel sympathetic. The notes on Roger that I took as I read go from bad to worse:

Roger seems like kind of a whiner. (pg. 98)
Roger is getting really annoying. (pg. 146)
I hate Roger. (pg. 215)

Luckily for Roger, the rest of the book was so great that his presence really doesn't affect by opinion of it that much. And maybe I'm being too hard on him, but it is really hard to sympathize with a character who reminds me so much of someone that I don't like.

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LibraryThing member RivkaBelle

Review originally published on my blog AWordsWorth.blogspot.com

Amy's life is essentially in shambles. Three months ago her father was killed in a car accident, and she's not driven since. This complicates matters immensely, since her mother has moved to Connecticut, and Amy has to "drive" their car

cross-country to their new home. To make matters worse, her twin brother Charlie is in rehab in North Carolina. Needless to say, Amy is a mess - even without being forced to conquer her fear of driving. The solution to the quandary? Recruit Roger, the son of a long-time family friend, to drive Amy and the Jeep from California to Connecticut. Roger has secrets of his own, however, and their trip takes an unexpected turn when Amy takes him up on the half-joking suggestion to "take a detour".

Amy and Roger's Epic Detour is an amazing road trip. Really. They take turns picking destinations, and make all kinds of discoveries along the way: discoveries about America, and about themselves. From the Loneliest Road in America to the deliciousness of Chick-fil-A, Amy and Roger are taking each mile of the trip as it comes, never knowing what awaits them. As Amy gradually adjusts to being around people again, she starts realizing that things can't stay bottled inside forever. She and Roger make a true connection, and he helps her gently but steadily break down the walls she put up and deal with the raw emotion she's kept hidden so long. This isn't all Amy's story however, and Roger learns to see past his own mistakes and look more clearly at life. In finding the best eats and chasing down windmills (a`la Don Quixote), Amy and Roger's epic detour becomes a literal journey to new life.

I enjoyed the reading experience: the text is broken into 'segments' by pages from Amy's travel journal. These include the playlist mixes that Roger creates, factoids about the states they travel through, and pictures of things along the road. The pictures are actual photographs that Morgan Matson took when she made the same road trip - which I found to be a very nice touch. At times, the story feels a bit intense, but not overwhelmingly so - especially considering the stuff Amy is working through. The full story of the accident, as well as other memories and instances she has pushed down, spins out slowly, in flashbacks, that match the pace of Amy's journey through the pain and into healing. I don't always like flashbacks, but these are clearly marked as such, and work very well with the story itself. Amy & Roger's Epic Detour is a light summer read that had enough substance to prevent it becoming "fluff," and I find myself wondering what other adventures the pair will have.

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LibraryThing member jinkay

ROAD TRIP!

amy and roger's epic detour is a story about moving on, finding one's self and finding happiness in the most unexpected places. reading this made me want to go on my own epic detour a-la amy and roger, to chart my own adventure and create my own playlists. speaking of playlists, roger's

are brilliant! i'm downloading ALL the songs he listed that i don't have yet. the addition of the scrapbook-like entries and store/meal receipts are fun and quirky. awesome book!

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LibraryThing member abigailyow

It came to me as surprise that Amy and Roger's Epic Detour is the author's debut novel. Really, can the woman write or what?This book was one of the best YA novel I've read in awhile and I thought it to be on par with my other favourite YA authors such as Tabitha Suzuma, Jay Asher, Melina Marchetta

and Jennifer Brown (even if her latest book proved to be slightly disappointing).The story starts out with Amy going on a road trip with Roger, her used to be neighbour, from California to Connecticut. During the journey, they both find out more about each other, reconnect with themselves and discover the road to tomorrow.I found the writing simple and succinct. I also loved Roger's playlist and the food that they ate. The pictures, scrapbook, bills and posters were a delightful addition to the story. It made the book more engaging. The characters were a wonder to read. They were fully fleshed out and I was continuously turning pages to see what would happen to them next. Amy's pain was believable and not in the least contrived. Roger's dilemma was also realistically played out. The only beef I had with the novel is that it ended too quickly and had me wanting for more! ;]All in all, this a wonderful book that I would recommend to anyone who loves a good YA novel.

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LibraryThing member KatieHeflin

Amy's father has just passed away in a tragic accident and for the past few months following his death, she has become a former shell of herself. Her mother is distant and moves to a new state to get away from the memories of her beloved husband and leaves her teenage daughter behind to help sell

their old house. But her mother needs her car so she prints Amy a driving route and tells her daughter that Roger, Amy's long forgotten child-hood friend, will be road-tripping with her most of the way to bring the car to her mom. Amy doesn't want anything to do with people at all but she is forced to go along with this road trip. She has always been the good daughter and done as she was told, quite opposite of her twin brother who has always been a mess. Saying no to her mom is impossible if she's going to keep her perfect daughter reputation. Things are awkward at first with the smoky hot Roger but slowly and surely they start to become easy friends. From the get-go, they change the route. Amy's mom came up with the most boring road trip route so they decide to have a little fun. Amy can tell Roger is hiding something as well and as the story unravels, they find that things that bother them the most are nothing that they can't face together. It was a beautiful story and I cannot wait to read more by Morgan Matson. Plus this book has ALL kinds of extras: road maps, receipts of food purchased, music lists, and the cover is so pretty. The publisher did an amazing job on this book!

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