Amy and Roger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson

It's summertime!!!  And this was seriously the PERFECT summer read.  I feel like I have kicked off my summer the best way possible....reading a really good book!!!

Publisher: Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers
Date Published:  May 4, 2010
Number of Pages: 344

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.  (from Goodreads)

This was great!  I was semi worried about this book, because I am only on chapter 2 of Since You've Been Gone, which is Morgan Matson's newest book, and I am not enjoying it.  And I'm primarily not enjoying it because of the writing style.  But this was wonderful, and I loved Amy.  Roger was a great main character and the connection between them was very well written and I enjoyed that it wasn't insta-love or anything like that.  They are barely friends for half of this trip.  I love that.

I am going to take fault with the fact that SEVERAL of the flash back chapters I had to completely skip over, because they really weren't necessary.  I got everything she was trying to say straight from her conversations and from her thoughts.  The family dynamic in the flashbacks I understood, but it felt so pushed and forced and I feel like blah blah blah because my brother didn't want to go to Graceland and here's 3 pages about how hard he pushed not to go.  Didn't need that.  Sorry.

Overall, I enjoyed the story, the little tidbits about where they went and receipts and things of that nature. I absolutely LOVE Roger for how he is towards Amy though everything.  I don't think I could do a road trip being the only one driving, though I have done it before just not cross country.  All the people you meet along the way were great, and I loved Roger's friends.  They were all so quirky I kind of wished I had them in my life.

                                   4 out of 5 Happy Clouds :)

If you are looking for a very quick summer read, perfect for the beach or pool or lake or kiddie swimming pool in your backyard, this is the book for you.  Highly Recommend.