Amy & Roger's Epic Detour

"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."  - Synopsis from Goodreads 

I liked loved Amy & Roger’s Epic Detour. I’d heard about this book awhile ago and never had the chance to read it. It was released last 2010 and I've read so many good reviews about it so I figured I should start reading it since I love road trips and the likes. My instincts about this book is right, it won't disappoint. This book is like a breath of fresh air amongst other contemporary books.

First, let's talk about Amy, the main character and the one who narrates the story, she is amazing. She’s flawed, very relatable and real. After finishing a few chapters of the book, I guessed that the story line will focus on Amy’s journey to finally coming in to terms with what has happened to her family after their traumatic loss. You can see how little by little she's starting to remove herself from the ghost of her past and start living again. At the time she started to let go of her fears and learn not to blame herself with the accident, she realized that it's the only way she can totally move on.

As for Roger, he is SO awesome. To be honest, I did not think of him as the swoon-worthy, smile-can-kill-you kind of guy but I actually thought of him as a captivating and more realistic guy. He’s an inexplicably decent guy, but there's a small catch, he has a baggage of his own. And it kinda took me a while to fall for him and see his good heart.

One of my favorite things about the story is that Amy doesn’t immediately fall for Roger. I was expecting Amy to immediately confide in Roger about everything, he will comfort her, they will be closer to each other and that's where the relationship would start to grow. But that's not the case, she finds strength in herself first, which is amazing. It showed that women doesn't need men to feel okay, to feel complete. And the first time she shared and talk about her father is with a total stranger, just because she felt ready to talk about it at that moment. Unknowingly, the Amy and Roger became close and showed vulnerability to each other, showed their true self and that's when their feelings gradually got stronger through the remaining days of their trip and that was a distinction I really admired.

Another thing that I need to talk about is the road trip scrapbook. Scattered throughout the book, there are pages of collected pictures, hotel and diner receipts, notes, and music track lists, which Amy and Roger have compiled on their journey to Connecticut. Those little things, those little moments are what really made their trip, which made it worthwhile. The idea of the scrapbook is so amazing. I would definitely make one if I go on a road trip with my friends and loved ones.

Morgan Matson did not give us a concrete ending, on how the story ends. There's no indication as to what happened with Amy and Roger's relationship. And I honestly think it's a good idea to leave it that way, to leave it open ended. To let the readers imagine and visualize on how they want the story to end.

With a lot of regret, it took me long enough to finally pick this one up. I should've read this book a long time ago. Amy & Roger’s Epic Detour is the one book that you should not pass up.

Verdict: 8.5/10