Helpful Score: 1
This was an amazing debut novel. It was so great going on this incredible journey with Amy and Roger. Amy is an instantly likable character. She's dealing with some really tough issues and I felt my heart break for her with every page. Amy was close to her Dad the way that I am, and I couldn't imagine something happening to him. I mourned with her the whole way. Roger was an excellent male lead, he was sweet and funny and totally squee worthy! Always in tune with Amy's needs, yet still on a journey of his own, to find out what happened between him and "the ex" that won't answer his phone calls.
As Amy and Roger go on this amazing detour of a trip I found myself wishing for a road-trip of my own! Their surprise and delight at discovering Chic-fil-A, Sonic, and Sweet Tea had me laughing out loud (this is all restaurants, etc. from my neck of the woods.). You don't realize how different even those small things can be from state to state. The blossoming feelings of the main characters for each other was subtle and sweet and totally realistic.
Amy's emotional journey was way more epic than the external one that she was on. It was such a delight to go with her through all of her emotions and the rediscovery of who she is and who she has become. She really did push through her hardships to become an amazingly strong young woman. I would have been happy for this story and their road-trip to just keep on going for several more books :-) I definitely recommend this read to any and all who love a story of perseverance and young love.
As Amy and Roger go on this amazing detour of a trip I found myself wishing for a road-trip of my own! Their surprise and delight at discovering Chic-fil-A, Sonic, and Sweet Tea had me laughing out loud (this is all restaurants, etc. from my neck of the woods.). You don't realize how different even those small things can be from state to state. The blossoming feelings of the main characters for each other was subtle and sweet and totally realistic.
Amy's emotional journey was way more epic than the external one that she was on. It was such a delight to go with her through all of her emotions and the rediscovery of who she is and who she has become. She really did push through her hardships to become an amazingly strong young woman. I would have been happy for this story and their road-trip to just keep on going for several more books :-) I definitely recommend this read to any and all who love a story of perseverance and young love.
AMY AND ROGERS EPIC DETOUR is a multiformat delight of a road trip read that will sweep you into these two teenagers stories.
Morgan Matsons writing is easy to read, fluid but not floral, emotional without melodramatics. There is huge potential for dramatics in the premisea death, an ex-girlfriend, a heterosexual boy and girl stuck in a tiny car for days on endbut thankfully descriptions are curtailed, emotions carefully doled outand all the more effective as a result.
Amy and Roger, while lacking in particularly definable characteristics or quirks that make them stand out in the genre, have one major quality going for them: their relationship is gradual, slowly strained, one of growing attraction, not the insta-luv formula we typically get. If youre looking for a real YA contemporary romance, one that gives the characters clashing histories and emotional obstacles instead of claiming to bring them together at the first look, you need to check this book out.
Finally, AMY AND ROGERS EPIC DETOUR provides a pleasant reading experience with its playlists, scrapbook-style layouts of pictures, and handwritten notes and doodles. These elements add to the realistic element of the story: you are made to feel as if Amy and Rogers road trip actually took place, and you can enjoy their journey as much as possible by adding in the musical and visual experience.
Overall, Morgan Matsons debut novel is a winning edition to contemporary YA. With a romance that actually develops, the multimedia supplements, and the feel-good magic that usually arises from a good road trip, AMY AND ROGERS EPIC DETOUR will feel as good as listening to a playlist of great new songs with your favorite person.
Morgan Matsons writing is easy to read, fluid but not floral, emotional without melodramatics. There is huge potential for dramatics in the premisea death, an ex-girlfriend, a heterosexual boy and girl stuck in a tiny car for days on endbut thankfully descriptions are curtailed, emotions carefully doled outand all the more effective as a result.
Amy and Roger, while lacking in particularly definable characteristics or quirks that make them stand out in the genre, have one major quality going for them: their relationship is gradual, slowly strained, one of growing attraction, not the insta-luv formula we typically get. If youre looking for a real YA contemporary romance, one that gives the characters clashing histories and emotional obstacles instead of claiming to bring them together at the first look, you need to check this book out.
Finally, AMY AND ROGERS EPIC DETOUR provides a pleasant reading experience with its playlists, scrapbook-style layouts of pictures, and handwritten notes and doodles. These elements add to the realistic element of the story: you are made to feel as if Amy and Rogers road trip actually took place, and you can enjoy their journey as much as possible by adding in the musical and visual experience.
Overall, Morgan Matsons debut novel is a winning edition to contemporary YA. With a romance that actually develops, the multimedia supplements, and the feel-good magic that usually arises from a good road trip, AMY AND ROGERS EPIC DETOUR will feel as good as listening to a playlist of great new songs with your favorite person.
Taken from my blog: princessbookie.com
My Thoughts: We are introduced to Amy. Shy reluctant Amy who has been through such a tragedy. She lost her father and still had a hard time adjusting. I also lost my dad so I can relate to exactly what she was feeling. She was lonely, never really being able to talk to her mom or brother about it. Everyone kept their feelings bottled up. Like things couldn't get any worst, Amy's mom pairs her up with an old friend, Roger. They haven't seen each other in years and she barely remembers him. Her family is showing the house so Amy must go meet up with her mom in another state. Roger shows up and Amy takes off with him to embark on a road trip. Things are uncomfortable at first. I mean, think about it, spending 4 days in a car with a boy you barely know! They slowly start to talk and he tells her about his ex girlfriend who broke up with him and how he didn't even see it coming! Amy starts to open up with him. I really liked how they could stay in a motel together, sleep in the same bed, but they were so tired they barely made it to the bed before they fell asleep. I liked how they faced each other when they fell asleep. Roger was such a sweetheart and I really liked him. Amy was a nice girl who just had a case of bad luck. This story was so much fun. I loved the journal she wrote on, the notes scribbled in her handwriting, and the play-lists Roger made. Most of the book I spend wondering, when are you two going to look at one another and really see each other! They had great chemistry as friends. This was a wonderful story about finding yourself and taking the next step in curing your fears, with a little romance mixed in.
Overall: Loved It! Despite it being over 300 pages I finished it in one sitting! Great book!
Cover: I really like it. I am always drawn to covers where the guy and girl are holding hands. There is just something so sweet about it.
My Thoughts: We are introduced to Amy. Shy reluctant Amy who has been through such a tragedy. She lost her father and still had a hard time adjusting. I also lost my dad so I can relate to exactly what she was feeling. She was lonely, never really being able to talk to her mom or brother about it. Everyone kept their feelings bottled up. Like things couldn't get any worst, Amy's mom pairs her up with an old friend, Roger. They haven't seen each other in years and she barely remembers him. Her family is showing the house so Amy must go meet up with her mom in another state. Roger shows up and Amy takes off with him to embark on a road trip. Things are uncomfortable at first. I mean, think about it, spending 4 days in a car with a boy you barely know! They slowly start to talk and he tells her about his ex girlfriend who broke up with him and how he didn't even see it coming! Amy starts to open up with him. I really liked how they could stay in a motel together, sleep in the same bed, but they were so tired they barely made it to the bed before they fell asleep. I liked how they faced each other when they fell asleep. Roger was such a sweetheart and I really liked him. Amy was a nice girl who just had a case of bad luck. This story was so much fun. I loved the journal she wrote on, the notes scribbled in her handwriting, and the play-lists Roger made. Most of the book I spend wondering, when are you two going to look at one another and really see each other! They had great chemistry as friends. This was a wonderful story about finding yourself and taking the next step in curing your fears, with a little romance mixed in.
Overall: Loved It! Despite it being over 300 pages I finished it in one sitting! Great book!
Cover: I really like it. I am always drawn to covers where the guy and girl are holding hands. There is just something so sweet about it.
I loved this book, great for teens, all I can really say about it. It's about a girl and a boy who happen to find themselves on a road trip from California to the North East, and well you know what eventually happens.
I was on a road trip across America while reading this book! For the road trip part, I found some tidbits exciting and similar to what I experienced on the road trip I was on.
The personal journey that Amy (the main character) had in the book is very deep and insightful. Her character also teaches the reader how to keep going when the going is rough. Her companion, Roger, is a swell person to have--I loved how he was supportive to Amy and his attitude toward the idea and adventure of the road trip they went on in the book.
I absolutely loved the drawings and the mixed cd lists in the book!
Good read!
The personal journey that Amy (the main character) had in the book is very deep and insightful. Her character also teaches the reader how to keep going when the going is rough. Her companion, Roger, is a swell person to have--I loved how he was supportive to Amy and his attitude toward the idea and adventure of the road trip they went on in the book.
I absolutely loved the drawings and the mixed cd lists in the book!
Good read!
Reviewed by John Jacobson aka "R.J. Jacobs" for TeensReadToo.com
I am proud to say this book is going on my keeper shelf. Road trip novels always held a special appeal to me, so this book was always going in my TBR. It was one of my most anticipated books of 2010. From the cover, to the first sentence, all the way to the ending - it held me in a way few books do. I am proud to say it both met and surpassed all expectations I had.
Amy is home alone in California, packing up to drive across the country to her new home in Connecticut with her mother and her twin brother, Charlie. Roger is sent with her to supervise, drive, and hitch a ride to Philadelphia himself. They were old childhood playmates, but they hardly remembered each other. Amy is barely getting over her father's recent death, and Roger is dealing with the harsh break-up of someone he thought he loved. Needless to say, we are met with two needy and complex protagonists, and they give us one heck of a ride.
What mainly follows is a series of detours. Amy and Roger decide to ride through Yellowstone, bypassing her mother's preplanned route; hotel reservations and MapQuest directions included. With caution thrown to the wind, we see these two characters change and build a relationship unlike any other. Amy deals with fears and her inability to be adventurous, as well as with a not-so-smooth mother/daughter relationship. Roger deals with trying to move on from a relationship that was never quite right, and with his new experiences with Amy.
The writing and layout of this book was, in one word, perfect. It flowed and had the fun campy quality of Johnson's 13 LITTLE BLUE ENVELOPES and the depth of BECOMING CHLOE. Out of all the road trip novels I have read, this is so far the tops in terms of writing. The reader is also treated to the occasional email or music playlist. Though they don't show up constantly, but just enough to leave a lasting impact. Oh, and the rare receipt thrown in also had a lasting effect. Let me just say that this method ties into the ending in a way that left me utterly reeling with joy.
Characterization and plot are no strangers to the power of this simple yet complex writing. Amy and Roger grow so slowly, yet exponentially, that the reader is left with a sense of completion upon finishing each chapter. The actions and growth are so subtle, yet hit the reader like the impact of an ocean wave on a tiny plastic boat. Even the side characters are perfect; their formations are great, and they don't ever feel like they are dropped, which is usually the case with novels like this. Even stationary novels have trouble with wrapping up characters, yet Matson does it with an ease and clarity that is appreciated greatly.
Quotes begin every chapter section and fit together very well with the overall theme of the novel. This book is romantic and cute, but it manages to have several layers to it. The overall themes involving traveling and home and letting go are hit hard and in just the right spots to make the reader think without over-analyzing anything in the text. Even the references in theatre and song that dot the text have meaning aside from the obvious.
A spot on the keeper shelf is nothing to this book. Really, I could give it a whole wall and it would not be enough. I loved everything about it; plot, writing, characters, themes...This book has it all. Even at hardcover, I would not hesitate to pick this book up. I would tell anyone to read it, just for the sweet romance and the idea of learning more about yourself and the people you know and love.
I am proud to say this book is going on my keeper shelf. Road trip novels always held a special appeal to me, so this book was always going in my TBR. It was one of my most anticipated books of 2010. From the cover, to the first sentence, all the way to the ending - it held me in a way few books do. I am proud to say it both met and surpassed all expectations I had.
Amy is home alone in California, packing up to drive across the country to her new home in Connecticut with her mother and her twin brother, Charlie. Roger is sent with her to supervise, drive, and hitch a ride to Philadelphia himself. They were old childhood playmates, but they hardly remembered each other. Amy is barely getting over her father's recent death, and Roger is dealing with the harsh break-up of someone he thought he loved. Needless to say, we are met with two needy and complex protagonists, and they give us one heck of a ride.
What mainly follows is a series of detours. Amy and Roger decide to ride through Yellowstone, bypassing her mother's preplanned route; hotel reservations and MapQuest directions included. With caution thrown to the wind, we see these two characters change and build a relationship unlike any other. Amy deals with fears and her inability to be adventurous, as well as with a not-so-smooth mother/daughter relationship. Roger deals with trying to move on from a relationship that was never quite right, and with his new experiences with Amy.
The writing and layout of this book was, in one word, perfect. It flowed and had the fun campy quality of Johnson's 13 LITTLE BLUE ENVELOPES and the depth of BECOMING CHLOE. Out of all the road trip novels I have read, this is so far the tops in terms of writing. The reader is also treated to the occasional email or music playlist. Though they don't show up constantly, but just enough to leave a lasting impact. Oh, and the rare receipt thrown in also had a lasting effect. Let me just say that this method ties into the ending in a way that left me utterly reeling with joy.
Characterization and plot are no strangers to the power of this simple yet complex writing. Amy and Roger grow so slowly, yet exponentially, that the reader is left with a sense of completion upon finishing each chapter. The actions and growth are so subtle, yet hit the reader like the impact of an ocean wave on a tiny plastic boat. Even the side characters are perfect; their formations are great, and they don't ever feel like they are dropped, which is usually the case with novels like this. Even stationary novels have trouble with wrapping up characters, yet Matson does it with an ease and clarity that is appreciated greatly.
Quotes begin every chapter section and fit together very well with the overall theme of the novel. This book is romantic and cute, but it manages to have several layers to it. The overall themes involving traveling and home and letting go are hit hard and in just the right spots to make the reader think without over-analyzing anything in the text. Even the references in theatre and song that dot the text have meaning aside from the obvious.
A spot on the keeper shelf is nothing to this book. Really, I could give it a whole wall and it would not be enough. I loved everything about it; plot, writing, characters, themes...This book has it all. Even at hardcover, I would not hesitate to pick this book up. I would tell anyone to read it, just for the sweet romance and the idea of learning more about yourself and the people you know and love.
