Book Review: Amy & Roger's Epic Detour

Title: Amy and Roger’s Epic Detour 

Author: Morgan Matson

Genre: Young-adult, romance, contemporary 

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing

Publication Date: May 4, 2010

Synopsis: 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. Read more ...

Review: There seems to be a lot of buzz about Amy and Roger’s Epic Detour online, this summer. So, obviously I had to pick it up and see what all of the hype was about. Let me tell you that it lived up to my expectations and was the prefect summery read (unlike The Summer I Turned Pretty).

The setting of the novel – a road trip - was very well executed, and made me want to jump in the car and go! It was clear from reading that Matson had spent a significant amount of time researching the trip that Amy and Roger would detour on, and I felt that this brought the novel to life. I loved reading about all of the road trip details and felt like I was experiencing them with them.

I also really enjoyed Amy and Roger as characters, and found them both to be very likable. Amy, although flawed, was never annoying. Although, I found her self-blaming to be somewhat exhausting towards the end of the novel, I found her endearing and relatable. Roger on the other hand, was definitely crush worthy. He was funny and sweet, and had great taste in music! I really liked watching as their relationship blossom and change. My only problem with Amy and Roger would have been that they both fell in “love” way too fast. I know that it sort of had to happen in the span of the road trip, but I felt that there was a little bit of a case of Insta-Love going on. 

In addition to Amy and Roger, I also found the other characters that we joined periodically on the journey well developed and unique. They all added insight to Amy or Roger’s character and were generally great additions to the novel.

Although there were some cute moments some sexual tension that is eventually resolved, Amy and Roger’s Epic Detour was not your ordinary light summer read. Amy is clearly grappling with the death of her father, and the role she played in it. I loved how this unfolded throughout the story and how Amy eventual comes to grips with reality and begins to heal. Additionally, I enjoyed how Amy interacted with her mom and brother throughout the novel. I think that Matson did a wonderful job exploring grief through Amy, Charlie and their mother. Also, both how grief affected each individuals and the family unit as a whole. This was quite a powerful topic, but I think Matson balanced it well with the Amy and Roger romantic story arc.

Despite the fact that Amy and Roger’s Epic Detour was slightly predicable and formulaic (road trip + boy and girl having NO OTHER OPTION than to share a bed repeatedly + 1 make-over + some family drama = contemporary YA romance), I really enjoyed it. Laugh-out-loud funny and impossible to put down, Amy and Roger will hopefully inspire you to take a road trip, or at least live life a little more daringly. 

You might also enjoy: The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants by Ann Brashares or The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen
My Rating: 4.5/5.0