Amy & Roger's Epic Detour

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 show more 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 show less

This book was so freaking amazing I can't get over it!! I went into it expecting a cute summery read and I didn't imagine it'd have this impact on me. It's not just cute and fun to read, it comes with more than that like coping with family's death, coming to terms with it and figuring out who you are again when something so tragic happens cause that's never easy no matter how you'd put it.
I loved the places they went and the things they saw but my all time favorite parts were the playlists and the scrapbook. The pictures Amy put in it and the receipts from markets or hotels really inspired me to do the same with my trip to India this past summer. The playlists were such a huge aspect of it and I love listening to new songs all the time show more so I really loved that. Also, the small drawings and doodles next were really cute.

After reading this book, I just wanted to go out on a road trip and just actually live and do something with my life and not be scared to explore or push my boundaries not just exist. It was really fun and fast, it pulled me in the second I started it and I just flew through it. It also had a lot of deep, meaningful things that just hit you really bad. I really loved the people they met and how they had an impact on them cause it shows how important and life changing meeting new people is even just for 5 minutes.

Amy felt really realistic and relatable which is something I really loved. I loved seeing her struggles and dilemmas and watching her develop throughout the book and how she finally came to terms with everything. I loved the way she portrayed the whole trip and how she finally started seeing that she is not the only one suffering but her mother and brother are too. I also didn't blame her for not wanting to go on this trip in the first place because no one wants to be thrown into a car with a complete stranger for hours. But I loved how it slowly worked out and they took those detours cause that started an amazing emotional journey for both of them.

Roger! oh, Roger.. He was quite the ordinary guy who you could actually meet in real life. He was really sweet and nice and just gorgeous! I enjoyed watching his struggle and finally doing the right thing. He really did have his moments though!!

The ending was just perfect as well! How they just left everything to time and didn't push anything which was actually how I was feeling at that point of my life while reading it so it was great seeing it here. I just really wish it had a sequel or even a few more chapters cause that's how amazing it is. show less

Amy Curry’s father just died in a car accident, and this tragedy has shattered her entire family. Now her brother’s in rehab, her mom’s decided to relocate the family all the way across the country, and Amy’s been left alone in California to finish her junior year. When summer arrives, Amy has to join her mother in Connecticut, but she can’t bring herself to get behind the wheel. Enter Roger Sullivan, the son of a family friend, who agrees to drive Amy on her cross-country road trip. As Amy and Roger hit the road, they decide to make a small deviation from their planned itinerary; but soon their “little detour” turns into a full-fledged adventure, and they form a close bond while exploring parts of America they never show more thought they’d see. But can they each survive the damage from their pasts and find a way to move forward?

This book surprised me, in a very good way. I was expecting a fun, fluffy, romantic novel, but it’s really more about Amy’s figurative (as well as literal) journey as she learns to cope with her father’s death. I was impressed with how well Matson described the grief and isolation that Amy feels, as well as the negative effects of the tragedy on her entire family. I also liked how the road trip is described in such meticulous detail; Matson has actually been on this trip herself, and it shows in her knowledge of the local restaurants, road signs, and landscapes. The book definitely made me want to go on a road trip of my own! Most of all, I enjoyed watching Amy and Roger’s relationship slowly unfold, and I think Matson took it to just the right place. I wouldn’t mind reading a sequel, though! I’d definitely recommend this book as a strong YA offering, and I’ll be looking out for more books by Matson. show less

It has been three months since Amy Curry, 17, lost her beloved father in a car accident. Amy was driving, and feels like it was all her fault. She now refuses to drive. Her mother has decided to move from California to Connecticut, and left Amy behind to finish out the remaining month of the school year while she sets up the house. Amy is alone at the house, since her twin brother Charlie is now in a drug rehab facility in North Carolina.

Since Amy has to get herself and the car to Connecticut and she won’t drive, her mother enlists the son of an old family friend to drive her. Roger Sullivan, 19, is a freshman in college in Colorado, but needs to get to Philadelphia to spend the summer with his father. When Roger (who is much cuter show more than Amy remembers) arrives and sees the boring itinerary Amy’s mother has prepared, he seems disappointed. Amy is so relieved he wasn’t disappointed in her that she suggests they just go their own way: “As long as we’re there in four days, does it really matter which way we go?” Roger is delighted, and they set out to see places they always wanted to go.

They also schedule a few stops that have emotional import for them; Amy wants to go places that her father loved, and Roger wants to chase after a girl he likes who broke up with him.

Pretty soon they are off on a fantastic road trip, the details of which are interspersed with mixed media entries from Amy’s scrapbook: notes, doodles, map pages, receipts, playlists, and state trivia. As a result of spending all day and all night together, Amy and Roger get to know each other very well; help each other deal with the heartbreaks they have suffered; and work together to map out plans for better futures.

Evaluation: This is just a wonderful story. Amy’s grief is palpable, but not in a way that drags down the upbeat mood of the story. The road trip details are not only fun and interesting, but will have you salivating to make such a trip yourself. And the friendships made and romance found along the way are just perfect. A great read for all ages! show less

What a fun book! First off, the romance was cute and fun and not heavy. But Amy was the real story. I loved watching her deal with her father's death and come to terms with her guilt. She grew into an adult in this story and it was so well told. I loved the extras where we were shown pieces of her travel journey. That just made the story so much more complete and cute and fun. Roger was sweet and gentle and had his own hurdles to cross on the trip. It was cleansing for both of them.

What totally surprised me is that I found myself marking quotes in this book. I didn't expect that from such a light read. But there were parts that were incredibly profound.

I highly recommend this quick read. It might even be worth a reread or two. And I so show more want to do myself one of those road trip journals. show less

Well I absolutely loved this book... Amy's been living a month in her now sold home in California while her brother is in rehab in North Carolina and her mother is in Connecticut "settling in" into their new home. The truth is after the death of her father their family just hasn't been the same and no one has once talked about what happened on that fateful day.

Amy's mother decides that Amy must come up to Connecticut before her senior year starts and she must do so by bringing the car she left behind with her. Knowing full well Amy hasn't been able to drive since her father's passing she enrolls the help of Roger, the son of a family friend, who has his own agenda for taking Amy on her trip. Filled with heartbreaking and sweet moments show more and unbelievably fantastic characters Amy and Roger's Epic Detour is a must read!

Wow! I fell in love with this story and its characters. If you know any great road trip stories please tell me because I want to read them all! Amy's having a hard time coping with her father's death which is to be expected since he only died three months ago. You get some flashbacks of moments her father and she shared - Charlie, her twin, was there too - that shows some great moments between the two. For me I mostly saw the bond between her and her father as well as the struggle of her father's loss rather than romance all the time - what a concept! You could actually feel Amy's emotions and Matson wasn't afraid to let Amy's emotions out minus one scene I wanted more out of. So most of the book it wasn't Amy constantly fixated on how cute Roger was although there were moments. The gradual strangers to friendship to romance in this story were done remarkably well. Amy and Roger were adorable together and I liked how both their journeys mixed into one.

The book had playlists, receipts, notes, and other things from the various places they visited - such a great idea to make the book feel more real for the reader. I actually didn't expect that much of a detour coming into this story but I'm glad it ended up being that way because you could really see the characters progress and have some self discovery come into their lives. I really want to go on another road trip book because of these two. I've been on kind of one myself but it wasn't as fun or as long as this one and it just reminds me of how little I've seen of America.

All in all I have only two minor complaints about this book including that certain scene I wanted more emotion to come out of as well as questionable sex scenes that occurred (I'm an old lady at heart so don't mind me). It wasn't explicit at all and really Amy was being depicted as a regular teen so it made sense it's just me most likely. Other than those two things this book was better than I could hope for. The story being centralized not on the romance but on both protagonists own journeys was a breath of fresh air. I have to make sure to keep an eye on Morgan Matson in the future. show less

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 show more 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. show less