Amy & Roger's Epic Detour (YA)

Amy & Roger's Epic Detour. Morgan Matson. 2010. Simon & Schuster. 343 pages.

I sat on the front steps of my house and watched the beige Subaru station wagon swing too quickly around the cul-de-sac.

Meet Amy Curry and Roger Sullivan. Two strangers who are about to bond on a cross-country trip from California to Connecticut.

The Curry family is in crisis. Amy's dad died in a car accident. Her brother, Charlie, is a drug addict. He's in North Carolina in rehab when the novel opens. Her mom? Well, she's in Connecticut preparing for the move. She's setting up the new home and leaving her daughter, Amy, to get the old house ready to sell. How's Amy doing? Well, she's coping. Barely. So long as no one asks her questions about how she's doing. Or questions her about the accident. Or offers condolences. And she still can't bring herself to drive. Her mom has arranged--with Roger's mom--for the two to drive together. Roger will be heading to Philadelphia to spend the rest of the summer with his dad. And he doesn't seem to mind doing them a favor. Turns out Roger has plans for this trip as well...

What Amy didn't expect was for Roger--the boy she barely remembers in the first place--to have turned into such a cute guy. She also didn't expect to throw her mom's plans out the window on the first day. For the trip to be detour after detour after detour as two teens embark on a soulful journey together looking for some peace of mind.

I liked this one. I liked both Amy and Roger. I liked how the relationship develops. I love how talking to Roger, being vulnerable, frees Amy up and enables her to start the healing process. I didn't love everything about this one. But I did like it.

© Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews