My Thoughts: Amy and Roger's Epic Detour

Amy & Roger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson

Goodreads Summary:
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.

Genre: Contemporary Young Adult

My Thoughts:
I LOVE road trip books and this was was no exception! It was awesome!

This book is about death and loss and grieving and figuring out how to move on. It's about forgiving others and forgiving yourself.  It's about being human and defining what home actually means .  And it's hilarious and touching and sweet and did I mention funny? And I want to go on a cross-country road trip now!!

Like previously mentioned, the setting of this book is a cross-country road trip from California to Connecticut. Originally Amy's mother had a very specific, detailed route that Amy and Roger were to follow including where and when to stop.  Well, Amy and Roger decide to take a little detour and that's when things get REALLY interesting!

The author has included scrapbook style pages with pictures and drawings and fun state facts. And what would a road-trip be without music?!?  Expect playlists and jams galore! I loved "seeing" all the sights and experiencing different places through these characters. I wasn't just reading about a road trip. I felt like I was in the back seat, my feet hanging out the window, sipping on a root beer and watching the country go by with Amy and Roger.

The characters were easy to love.  They were very well developed and I loved both Roger and Amy.  I felt Amy's grief over her father's death and was able to relate to some of her feelings.  This story isn't just about Roger helping Amy move past the feelings about her father's death. It's about both of them helping each other.  And even though there is a lot heaviness there's also a LOT of lightness and laughter! Not just with Amy and Roger but with a lot of the side characters they come in contact with during their drive.

I feel like everyone needs some road-trip therapy at some point in their life.  Everything looks different when you're in  a car for 15 plus hours at a time. Things become clearer.  Right now, this book is the closest I'm going to get to it.

This is a contemporary young adult read that should not be passed up. The writing is excellent, the characters are heartfelt and lovely and real. There's depth and humor and just that feel-good feeling.

Favorite Quotes:
"I'd found out that if you pushed people away hard enough, they tended to go."

"I just needed to go someplace where I could be alone, and try to handle the fact that everything in the world seemed to be broken."

"Tomorrow will be better." "But what if it's not?", I asked. "Then you say it again tomorrow. Because it might be.  You never know, right? At some point, tomorrow will be better."

Bottom Line: Amy & Roger's Epic Detour took me on an emotional, fun, exciting, hilarious ride and I loved every stop along the way! 5/5