REVIEW {42} - Amy & Roger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson

Amy & Roger's Epic Detour
By: Morgan Matson
Paperback, 344 pages | Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
My Rating: 5.00/5.00 Stars | Goodreads Rating: 4.06/5.00 Stars
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WHAT IT'S ABOUT: 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.

MY THOUGHTS: There is just something so perfect about a Morgan Matson novel. You can expect awesomeness, and it will be delivered. She manages to do Contemporary Romance perfectly - there's no insta-love, and her character's are each flawed and struggling in their own ways. In Epic Detour, we have Amy Curry - fresh off the loss of her father in a car accident that she is convinced was her fault; and Roger Sullivan - who is still reeling from a recent breakup. They are thrown together on a cross-country road tour, and of course, they both get more than they bargained for.

For the past month, Amy has been living alone - her father is gone, her twin brother is in rehab, and her mom picked up and moved to Connecticut - which is the destination of the road trip with Roger. She is horribly depressed, blaming herself - wallowing in a pool of self-pity, and basically has become an empty shell of herself. She's abandoned all of her friends, including BFF Julia who is officially giving up on her. 

 "The best discoveries always happened to the people who weren't looking for them."

Roger is back in California from Colorado, where he attends college, and is heading to Philadelphia to spend the summer with his father. He was dating Hadley Armstrong - the pretty girl who's M.O. is to leave guys high and dry, with no explanation of why it went bad. She's basically not a nice girl. But Roger needs closure - and wants her back. He agrees to this road trip thinking he can drive to Colorado and win Hadley back. 

Day One - Amy and Roger decide to throw her mother's four day itinerary out the window, and make their way from California to Colorado, stopping to see the sights. What they find on the way is more than either thought they'd get.

***

I cannot tell you how much I seriously HEART this book. It is so perfect, well, except for the end - I want MORE! Please, write a sequel, Morgan, I beg of you! I need to know where our characters end up after this. 

  

I picked this book off my shelf looking for a light read, which I did and didn't get. Sure, there's the contemporary part of this book, but there are some pretty hefty topics in this book too - death, addiction, breakups, and finding yourself - and your way out of grief and depression. Matson does this is such a wonderful way too, mixing the good with the bad. You can feel Amy or Roger's despair one second, and the next you're laughing. It's wonderful! 

WOULD I RECOMMEND IT? Oh my gosh, YES! In a heartbeat, I would recommend it to any Contemporary Romance lovers looking for a five-star read.

Happy Reading,

Laura