Amy and Roger’s Epic Detour

Author: Morgan Matson

Genre: Fiction, Romance, Contemporary.

Editorial: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

Year: 2014

Ranking: 4,5 / 5

Synopsis

Amy Curry is not looking forward to her summer. Her mother decided to move across the country and now it is Amy's responsibility to get their car from California to Connecticut. The only problem is, since her father died in a car accident, she is not 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.

The Author

Morgan Matson grew up in New York City and Greenwich, Connecticut. She attended Occidental College in Los Angeles but halfway through a theater degree, she started working in the children's department of Vroman's Bookstore and fell in love with YA literature.

Following college graduation, she moved back East to attend the New School, where she received her M.F.A in Writing for Children.

Amy & Roger's Epic Detour, inspired by Morgan's three cross-country road trips, was published in May 2010. It was named an ALA Top Ten Best Book, a PW "Flying Start" book, and was shortlisted for the Waterstone's Book Prize. Her second book, Second Chance Summer, was published in May 2012 and draws largely on her experiences spending summers growing up in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania. Her third book, Since You've Been Gone, was published in 2014. And in 2016, She published The Unexpected Everything.

Personal Experience with this Book

I am totally hooked with Morgan Matson. This was the month in which I read almost all her books; and I say almost because I still lack "Second Chance Summer", which I am currently reading. I will not get tired of the stories of this author.

Amy and Roger was a book that I loved. This book is the story of a "Road Trip". I've only done one road trip and it has been one of the best experiences I've had in my life. I really liked the history of both Amy and Roger. The reasons on why they wanted to do that detour were interesting.

Roger seems to me a very successful romantic interest. His personality is very outgoing, he seen to be a funny guy and is not problematic, making it very good a companion for Amy at this stage of her life. He has his little problems, like any boy his age, but nothing that time cannot fix. I think he is also a very mature and very focused guy.

Amy is a little conflicted about herself during this trip. She is still dealing with the death of her father, she feels guilty and has alienated her friends and even her own family to not have to face having to talk about how she feels. I liked to see how Amy turned to her roots, that girl she was before the death of her father but as in version 2.0 and also see how it grows over the course of the trip.

I liked how Morgan built the friendship first. This is something that I really like about Morgan’s books because all her romances always have an emphasis on friendship and trust rather than just chemistry as a couple. Amy does not realize but she falls in love with Roger with the passage of time and Roger, although the reader does not see it completely, gives us some small hints of what he feels well.

The end of the story is very open; however, it is not an end that had me upset. I think it is a realistic ending. Although it left, me wanting to see more about the story of these two guys and I think I join the group of those who say they want to see a second part of this story.

Like all the books I've read from Morgan Matson, I recommend this because it addresses several important issues (Dealing with the death of a family, friendship, relationship between brothers, noxious Relations in pairs and rediscovering oneself). I recommend it because I was amused to read it, because it is a light reading, and because I think it is worth it. Perhaps you will feel you want to go on a road trip with your friends after finishing it and I recommend you to follow this book’s playlist, because it is awesome.