Review: Amy & Roger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson

Title: Amy & Roger's Epic Detour
Author: Morgan Matson
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing
Pages: 344
Release date: May 4th 2011
Genre: Contemporary YA; romance
Source: Bought at The Book Depository
Find out more: Amazon ; Goodreads

Goodreads description:

Amy Curry thinks her life lucks. 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.

First sentence:

I sat on the front steps of my house and watched the beige Subaru station wagon swing too quickly around the cul-de-sac.

My rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Reading this book was so much fun. I've never been on a real roadtrip, but I love reading about them. Amy & Roger's Epic Detour made me want to find a real-live-Roger and go on a road-trip across America immediately, stopping everywhere they did! I just love the whole idea for this novel, combining the physical road trip with an emotional journey.

The two main characters are probably what I liked best about this novel. Amy is so easy to relate to and understand, even though you don't know her whole story from the beginning on, and Roger is the perfect male lead. What made them so special, though, is their chemistry. Their romance is positively swoon-worthy, but I love how realistic it still is. I thought their romance would have seemed forced, since they only really know each other for a few days, but the development of their relationship is somehow really natural. Amy's character growth is remarkable - again something I wouldn't have though possible because of the short time we read about her. It's great how she develops and manages to deal with her issues in such a short time while still seeming realistic.

I also loved the pictures, maps, playlists, notes, etc. - I was kind of wary of that (what's so interesting about a receipt?), but I did end up enjoying that aspect - it really helped convey the roadtrip feel. The guide to road trips at the back of the book is adorable, too

The writing, however, is flawed. It's not terrible, but it's not really noteworthy, either. I would have liked some more insightful narrating to match the great idea and protagonists of this novel.

One thing I thought could have been elaborated on more are the secondary characters. While I loved Amy's relationship with her dad (that whole storyline is heartbreaking), I never really got her mom and Charlie. Their roles seemed kind of strange - at one point of the novel, Amy says her mom always keeps out of arguments, then later she's described as the one who always takes charge. Charlie is supposed to be the favorite of their parents, perfect and smart and all of that, while Amy's always second place, then later Amy says she can't cause any trouble because Chalie causes enoguh trouble for the both of them. To me, that just doesn't make sense, so it was hard for me to understand or relate to her problems with her family. I would have liked to know more about the situation at the beginning and how her relationship with her mother and brother changes along with Amy's character growth.

Despite these problems I had with the novel, Amy & Roger's Epic Detour is a great read. If you're a fan of road trips, you should definitely read this one - it conveys the feeling perfectly. I also recommend it if you're a fan of realistic character growth and romance. Now I just need to check out the songs on Roger's playlists!