Amy & Roger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson

Summary/Cover Image from Publisher Website:

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. 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.

Review:

I don't know about you but I love debut novels. One of the main reasons why I do is because you seriously do not know what to expect, unlike, say, picking a novel up by one of your favorite authors. They can rock your socks and make you have a new favorite author or you can end up detesting the book and have an author you're not too sure about. Though either way you still get a taste of something new and exciting. Thankfully, Amy & Roger's Epic Detour was one of the former of those two ways debut novels can go because, quite honestly, it was outright amazing in a way that I loved.

This book was sweet, funny, touching, and, well, basically all the positive adjectives out there, which made this one book I could not get enough of and sure many others will feel the same exact way!

In the start of Amy & Roger's Epic Detour, I wasn't too found of Amy. I didn't like how closed off she was from the world around her and how awkward she was around others. I mean I understand why she was that way, I would be too if I was her, but it just bothered me a bit. Though as the novel progressed she began to be a better improved version of her prior self as she made amends with her past, learning how to move on yet remember, and shinned in result, leaving her to become someone I truly cared about. Adding to this, I adored Roger! He was swoon-worthy in a way that only literary male characters can be and I loved how he ended up being one of the main people along the trip who made Amy come out of her shell. While the minor characters parts were small, they still ended up leaving a big punch and made you wish that they had page space a bit longer than what they did.

As you can probably tell from the title, cover, and summary, road trips, one in particular, played a huge part in this novel and boy did I love that part. Since through Amy's POV and travel notes/emails/playlists/pictures, you get to feel like you're also part of the road trip along with her and Roger as they go through state after state facing drama and romance along the way. Lastly I loved the fact that there was bits and pieces of different state's history throughout.

And how I loved the ending, even though I hated to see this one end, since it gave you true hope of what's to come for the characters down the road and left me with one big smile on my face!

In all, Amy & Roger's Epic Detour is a debut that you shouldn't miss for anything! Though, word of warning, you'll be dying to go on a road trip along with someone as adorable as Roger when your'e done like I am now.

Grade: A+

Amy & Roger's Epic Detour is now out!

Souce: Chelsy at Big Honcho Media. Thanks!