Review | Amy & Rodger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson

Amy & Rodger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson
Published By: Simon & Schuster
Published On: May 4, 2010
Genre: Contemporary
Pages: 344
Format: Paperback
Source: Bought
Rating: ★★★½

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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.

After the death of her father, Amy’s mother has decided to move the family across the country. It is up to Amy to get the car to their new home in Connecticut, with the help of old family friend, Rodger. The two must travel across the country together, while each dealing with their own baggage. 

I had such trouble rating this book because I did enjoy it, but I didn’t love it. There was nothing that I particularly disliked about this book. I thought the plot was okay and enjoyed reading about Amy and Rodger’s adventures. However, I really didn’t think there was anything special about it.

I don’t understand the hype surrounding this book. I have heard such amazing things about Morgan Matson and this book. I appreciate that it was Matson’s first novel, but with the hype surrounding this book and her writing I would have expected more. I was slightly disappointed in the book for this reason.

I liked the characters in this book, but they weren’t amazing. I think really great characters would have made this book amazing, as it is very character driven. I did like both Amy and Rodger but I didn’t feel any strong connections to them. In fact, I found the most relatable character to be Bronwyn, who plays a very minor role in the story.

One thing I did really like about this book was the really great quotes throughout the book. Whether they were Morgan Matson’s own words, or state mottos mentioned throughout the book, there were some really great, inspiring quotes within this book.

I also really enjoyed the playlists, scrapbook style parts, etc. These features gave the book more of an interactive feel and were a very unique aspect of the book. I really enjoyed this part and think it really added to the book.

Overall, I am still unsure how I feel about this book. I definitely didn’t hate it, but I didn’t love it either. It was an enjoyable read, with an inspiring message and some great quotes and interactive aspects. However, for me it did not live up to my expectations and the hype surrounding it.