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

Book Title: Amy & Roger's Epic Detour

Author: Morgan Matson

Publish Date: May 4th, 2010

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

Genre: YA Contemporary

Standalone

Book Link: Goodreads

Purchase Links: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, The Book Depository

Synopsis from Goodreads:

Amy Curry is not looking forward to her summer. Her mother decided to move across the country and now it's Amy's responsibility to get their car from California to Connecticut. The only problem is, since her father died in a car accident, she isn't ready to get behind the wheel. Enter Roger. An old family friend, he also has to make the cross-country trip - and has plenty of baggage of his own. The road home may be unfamiliar - especially with their friendship venturing into uncharted territory - but together, Amy and Roger will figure out how to map their way.

Disclaimer: This was a library book.

Review:

I don't know what I was expecting with this book. I had heard amazing things about it. I had heard that it would make me cry (good because I'm a sucker for books that make me cry) I had also heard that it was a funny book with a lot of heart.

What I got was a beautiful book that sorta crept up on me. I really wasn't sure how I was feeling about the book about halfway through. I would like parts of it but then some other parts I was all "ehhh" about. But the beauty of this book basically hit me out of nowhere and before I knew it I was sobbing hysterically into the worn pages of the library book.

My heart broke for Amy. She had undergone so many changes in just 3 months. Her father was dead, her brother was in rehab and her mother was in Connecticut, waiting for Amy to join her. Amy hasn't driven since the day of the accident. The day her world turned upside down and she blames herself for the accident every single day. I wanted to hug her through the last 100 pages of the book.

Her reunion with Charlie was probably my favorite part of the book. It was at this moment that I really started to cry a lot. There were so many things Amy & Charlie needed to say to each other. So many words that had gone unspoken for months as Charlie dove deeper and deeper into drugs. As much as I loved the romance between Amy & Roger, I think I liked the reunion with Amy and Charlie even more.

Roger seriously takes swoony to a whole new level. He was absolutely adorable. He did have his own baggage though, mostly having to do with his ex, Hadley. He was clearly still hung up on her for the majority of the book, but I knew things would change by the end of the book. He didn't really flirt with Amy in the outward, bold way a lot of male college students do. But I liked that. He did things differently which was really nice to see.

This book was beautiful. Like a few other books I've read recently, most notably Something Like Normal by Trish Doller, this book had a quiet beauty to it. A book I didn't realize I needed to hug until the very end. It made me want to go on a road trip, especially since I've never gone on one before. I absolutely loved this book and the characters in it and I am excited to give it 5 stars. Go read it if you haven't already.