Review for Amy & Rogers Epic Detour by Morgan Matson

"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." We had our first sunny spring day here in England last week and that totally inspired me to crack out the summer reads starting with Amy & Rogers Epic Detour. The book starts with Amy waiting for family friend Roger to come pick her up to drive cross country from her home in California to her new house in Connecticut. Amy hasn’t driven since the terrible car crash that killed her father three months ago so with her brother in rehab and their mother setting up their new home it’s up to Roger to get Amy and her car there safely. At the beginning of the book Amy and Roger are both struggling with their own issues so it comes as no surprise when the pair ditch Amy’s mom’s carefully instructed plans to take an epic detour discovering America together and facing the past along the way. This book has the perfect mix of heartbreak and fun making this a compelling feel good summer coming of age story. Morgan Matson’s writing actually reminded me of queen of summer romance Sarah Dessen’s something that will always be a win with me. This book had everything a girl wants in a summer. There’s adventure, travel, sun and a cute guy making this incredible journey with you. This book is part self-discovery, part travel and part summer romance offering a little something for every girls ideal summer read. A really nice touch to this book that makes it stand out compared to other summer novels is all the fun pictures and maps, snapshots and playlists included making the book read like a travel journal/scrapbook. It really makes you feel like you’re along for the ride with Amy and Roger watching America pass by in the pages of this book. I loved seeing Amy and Roger grow throughout the days that they’re on this trip you see how and why their destinations change them as people and it’s really great to see them shrug off the baggage that has been weighing them down, let go and have some fun. I loved Roger from the start and grew to like Amy more and more as the book went on and we find out why she is the way she is. All in all this is a fun, touching, feel good summer read that will make you want to take your own journey this summer. My Rating 4.5/5 stars Synopsis taken from goodreads