Amy and Roger’s Epic Detour

By: Morgan Matson

Narrated by: Suzy Jackson

Length: 10 hrs and 8 mins

Publisher's Summary

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.

©2010 Morgan Matson (P)2010 Audible, Inc.

I'm J E A L O U S!

I am supercalifragilistic jealous of their epic detour. MAN did I ever want to be on it. If you love America, travel, hot boys, unexpected "detours", full interesting characters, fun, laughter, music, love ECT. Then this is the book for you.

Its inspiring, fun, heavy, and lighthearted. I KNOW! Narrator was also great, not distracting and a good flow.

So what are you waiting for? Get to it!

5 of 6 people found this review helpful

The narrator saves the day

All I was hoping for was a nice, quick summer reading, however I found myself struggling to make some progress with this book since it was so dull.
Thank heavens I picked this audiobook up and ended up enjoying the story, otherwise I suspect I would have not finished it.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Slow and a bit boring

What disappointed you about Amy and Roger’s Epic Detour?

The pacing was just so slow. I realize not a lot of action can happen during a (realistic) road trip, but even the conversation was at a snails pace. They played 20 questions a lot, too. Uh, yeah...no thanks.

Any additional comments?

This is going to be quite a short review, I fear. I am having difficulty coming up with words for my opinion on Amy & Roger's Epic Detour.

Amy Curry was in a car accident several months before the start of this story. An accident in which her father died. With her brother, Charlie, shipped off to rehab and her mother across the country setting up a new house...Amy is alone. She is waiting out the end of the school year then will be transported from California to Connecticut. Transported by a virtual stranger. Roger.

Roger is on his own journey of sorts. Recently the victim of a breakup, he hopes to track down in ex-girlfriend in the hopes of winning her back. Driving Amy cross country is a means to an end.

What they each find on this trip was and unexpected bond, unexpected feeling and an eventual healing. The healing of Roger's broken heart and Amy's broken soul.

Amy & Roger's Epic Detour should have been a great story. It could have been filled with great moments, fun filled adventures and heart breaking confessions. Unfortunately, it was filled more with boredom than anything else. The pacing was entirely too slow for me and the playlists at the beginning of most of the chapters had me rolling my eyes. No college kid would have all those songs on his ipod. I'm being nittpicky, I know. Sue me.

There were a few smiles to be had and a couple of sweet moments but they were far too few. The narrator, Suzy Jackson, did a fine job though...so, there is that.

3 of 4 people found this review helpful

A very cute, very fun summer read.

A very cute, very fun summer read. Perfect for fans of Wanderlove by Kirsten Hubbard. The ending was a little un-realistic (for me) but I enjoyed the book as a whole.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Excellent

Would you listen to Amy and Roger’s Epic Detour again? Why?

Yeah absolutely because it has a great plot and I really felt connected to it

What was one of the most memorable moments of Amy and Roger’s Epic Detour?

YEAH .. it is one of my top favorite books and it entered my heart easily .. breath-taking story

Have you listened to any of Suzy Jackson’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

no .. but she is very very talented and hope to listen to more performances for her

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

actually I listened to it in two sittings each part in one sitting and I finished it in the same day .. it was very special in my heart

Any additional comments?

thank you Morgan Matson can't wait to read your next book :)

2 of 3 people found this review helpful

Loved the balance of light & cute with deep

I’ve actually only read one other Morgan Matson book so far (SINCE YOU’VE BEEN GONE) and I’ve found her writing to be fun, enjoyable, a true to real life. I basically have all of her books on my TBR so when this book came up in an Audible sale, it was a quick pick for me and I was excited to read it!

AMY & ROGER’S EPIC DETOUR was so cute and also very deep at the same time. I didn’t expect tragedy to be involved (no spoiler — it’s why the book happens in the first place) so I might not have picked it up so eagerly if I had known that but I also like that I didn’t know that because I could have missed a really wonderful book. I tend to trust authors who have good reviews or whose works I’ve already enjoyed so I just kind of jumped into this one and I’m really glad I did! The book starts after the death of Amy’s father and I’ve been avoiding a lot of books surrounding death/tragedy/disease, etc to keep things positive and fluffy and happy and surprisingly, this book was both at the same time.

I loved the dynamic between Amy and Roger and how it grew throughout the book. The two start out as near strangers (they used to know each other as kids but barely) and despite only really knowing each other for a few days, their feelings for each other didn’t feel like instalove. Being stuck in a car with someone for several days allows you to get to know them and know them well within a short period of time so I found that quite realistic and positively adorable. They had their shared interests, their differences, a few quarrels, and a lot of really cute moments. I really enjoyed how their friendship and relationship developed as the story went on!

There was also so much more to this book than just the romance. Amy is forced to embark upon this road trip to take the family car from her old home in California to their new home in Connecticut, but she also makes some important life decisions on her own (and with some enlightenment from Roger) and really matures along the way. The death of her father has severely shaken the family, of course, and Amy starts to come to terms with his death, how it happened, and what it means to continue on with life and how to enjoy it without him there. She learns what it means to be an adult and take on responsibility for your actions, how to make better relationships, and how to make decisions that are best for her, even if they’re not the easiest ones to make.

I loved the depth in this story and the character growth while still having that fluffy, happy feeling of a super cute relationship. AMY & ROGER’S EPIC DETOUR was such a fun and wonderful read — oh, and let’s not forgot about the high school/college flashback with all of the amazing road trip playlists! Morgan Matson incorporated music in this book in the form of playlists and everything from Amy’s musicals to Roger’s indie rock took me back to 2010 (when this book was written — I didn’t realize it was that old!) and had me feeling some epic nostalgia too!

Oh great, now I want to take a summer road trip

If you could sum up Amy and Roger’s Epic Detour in three words, what would they be?

Fun, cute, adventure

Which scene was your favorite?

I loved the scene where Amy visits her brother in rehab! It was such a huge scene for her, and the narrator did an amazing job with it

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

It made me tear up a bit at times. I was at work though, so I couldn't really let it all out

Any additional comments?

This narrator was so amazing and absolutely perfect for this cute, summer contemporary romance!

A seriously fun adventure.

With people you can enjoy being with. Great story. This is the first of this authors books I have listened to, but will definitely try more. The audio performance was fantastic.

Hallie's review

I really liked this book! I am glad i didn't start on this one though. Although it was really good. I loved going along with Amy and Rodger on there road trip. I loved how she put Amy's POV like how she was scared of what Rodger would think of her like any 16 year old girl would.

A fun road trip adventure!

Amy has had a difficult time lately. Her father died in a car accident, her brother is in rehab and her mother has fled to Connecticut. Now that school is over, Amy is expected to drive across country with Roger, a friend of the family. The only problem is Amy is too scared to get behind the wheel since the accident. So with Roger behind the wheel, they ahead across the country. With Amy dealing with her grief, Roger has his own reasons for wanting to take a detour. Thus they take the detour of their lives and learn more about themselves then they thought was possible.

I bought Amy & Roger's Epic Detour over a year ago and its been sitting on my audio shelf for a while, unlistened to. I decided I was in the mood for some contemporary YA fiction and picked this one up. I don't listen to a lot of contemporary YA fiction, maybe 1-2 books a year. I love paranormal, fantasy, dystopia and science fiction in the YA genre, but not a lot of contemporary fiction. So I went into this one with a little hesitation. I came out the other side with a huge appreciation for Morgan Matson and this great story.

Amy & Roger's Epic Detour is the best road trip book ever. It is told from Amy's point of view, and includes songs they listened to, places they visits and each state's motto. I'm an Australian that now resides in Canada, and I've only visited 2-3 US states. I felt like I was experiencing the US for almost the first time as Amy and Roger take a trip from California, through Nevada, Colorado and so many detours until they end up in Philadelphia and Connecticut.

It was a great road trip full of self-discovery and I enjoyed listening, watching each of their stories unravel. Amy & Roger's Epic Detour was at times emotional, especially as Amy unravels the full story of her father's death. She meets people she never thought she'd meet, and she starts the road to recovery and healing from the loss of her father. It was a beautiful, beautiful story that makes me want to hop in a car and head somewhere!

This was my first time listening to Suzy Jackson and I liked that her voice was just young enough to match the idea I had of Amy's voice in my head. She really put all the emotion into the narration that was in Morgan Matson's words and made it a very enjoyable experience. I will definitely pick up another audiobook narrated by Suzy Jackson.

I'd recommend Amy & Roger's Epic Detour to not just fans of YA fiction, but anyone that wants to remember that great feeling of hoping in the car and driving, and making those detours that make life interesting.

Amy & Roger's EPIC Detour

This is the very first audiobook I have ever listened to. I don't really remember why I was avoiding them, but I certainly won't be any more.
I loved being able to listen to a book but still being able to do other things, like go out, tidy and other general things that I wouldn't be able to usually do with a book in my hands.

Suzy Jackson's narration was superb. Each character had a different, distinct voice that meant you could easily tell them apart. Her voice was fantastic and she sucked me into the story, making me imagine the scenes that were being read out. I could picture everything in my head as she was talking, like a movie, and I really enjoyed it.

So Amy & Roger's Epic Detour is basically about a girl who's father died in a car accident. Her mother decides to move to Connecticut and leaves Amy at their old house. So Amy goes on a road trip to Connecticut with an old friend Roger that she hasn't seen in years.

This was such a cute, love story with some deeper storylines intertwined. Like Amy coming to terms with her fathers death, discovering herself again and her relationships with her mother & her twin brother - Charlie.

This isn't the first book I've read with a road trip in it, but it was certainly the best. I loved discovering the states in America that they were driving through along with them - since I'll probably never be able to do it myself. It was such a fascinating experience. I actually found myself wishing there had been more time for them to discover more of America - but that was mainly because I didn't want the book to end.

Amy developed a lot throughout this book. At first, she was this shy, reserved girl who completely blamed herself for her fathers death and just wanted to be by herself. But as the story went on, Amy started to come out of her shell and become a different person. She grew more confident and became such a fantastic character. I loved learning more about her and her family through her flashbacks.

I knew I was going to love Roger from the second we met him. He was such a sweet, friendly character and he really helped Amy on this trip. He helped her discover herself again and come to terms with what happened on the day of the accident. He was funny and charming and always knew what to do to cheer Amy up. The sock sliding in Walmart was one of my favourite scenes.

I definitely DEFINITELY recommend this book. I think I enjoyed it a lot more on audiobook than I would have if I'd read it. It still would have been great if I'd been reading it in book form, but the audiobook was just brilliant. Everything about it just sucked me in and I didn't want to stop listening to it. It was just such an amazing story & a fantastic journey.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Gentle & healing, this is already a firm favourite

How long do you have to wait before deciding something is an all time favourite? Because this definitely just made the list