Author: Morgan Matson
Narrator(s): Suzy Jackson
Series: n/a
Length: 10 hrs 8 mins
Publisher: Audible Studios
Publication Date: December 10th, 2010
Source: purchased audio
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Audible
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.
The perfect road trip/summer read is what I would label this book. I have tried a few road trip books this summer, with little success rate. I blame this story because little can live up to it.
Amy needs to get herself and her moms car across the United States to their new home in Connecticut . Her mom has dealt her the burden, and Amy isn’t ready to drive. Her father recently died in a car accident, so her mom enlists a friend’s son to drive her.
Roger has some issues of his own, and their trip quickly goes off course. I loved their chemistry and how their friendship grows through-out the trip. There are just so many things I loved about this book.
The scenery- Yay!!! I’ve traveled through so many states now.
The romance- A bit of slow burn guys, they are attracted to each other and you can feel the tension from one state to another.
The grief- I loved the personal issued they both faced and how they overcome them. Especially Amy over the grief of her father and the strained relationship she has with her mom and brother.
The side characters- They meet up with so many interesting people along the way, it was really fun.
The ending- I won’t spoil, but I loved how realistic it felt. Matson has that way about her endings and I’m never disappointed with the closure.
So yes!! I loved this book! And yes, I think everyone in the world needs to read it too!! I went with the Audio on this one. It was the same narrator as Since You’ve Been Gone, so I knew I liked her. I think she did a stellar job on this book as well.
About the author:
Morgan Matson grew up in New York City and Greenwich, Connecticut. She attended Occidental College in Los Angeles but halfway though a theater degree, she started working in the children's department of Vroman's Bookstore and fell in love with YA literature.
Following college graduation (and the proud bearer of an incredibly useful theater/English degree) she moved back East to attend the New School, where she received her M.F.A in Writing for Children. Amy & Roger's Epic Detour, inspired by Morgan's three cross-country road trips, was published in May 2010. It was named an ALA Top Ten Best Book, a PW "Flying Start" book, and was shortlisted for the Waterstone's Book Prize. It has since been published in five different languages and six different countries.
In the meantime, Morgan moved back to California, went back to school again and in 2011 received an M.F.A. in Screenwriting from the University of Southern California.
Her second book, Second Chance Summer, was published in May 2012 and draws largely on her experiences spending summers growing up in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania.
Morgan currently lives in Los Angeles, though she loves to travel and does it whenever she can. She is currently writing another book, to be published in 2014.
Find Morgan:
Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Tumblr | Goodreads
.PNG)
I think this is my favorite road trip book. I listened to it, too, but I really want a physical copy because there are receipts and menus and stuff from the trip that I think would be really cute to see as you're reading along. So, have you read all of the Morgan Matson books now? Does this mean you need to move on to her book(s) written as Katie Finn? ;0)
ReplyDeleteI have!!! It's time to move on and read some more of her "other" stuff. :)
DeleteI agree, the physical copy probably is cute, with all those fixins in it.
Lisa at Lost in Literature is such a fangirl of Morgan Matson and she talks about this book being one of her favorites. I have them all on my TBR. I need to finally give them a try!
ReplyDeleteLoved this one! Ended up listening to it twice actually since it was in my car and I kept forgetting to grab a new book. Loved the sexual tension although it was slow and I kept screaming in my car kiss already! And Roger going on and on about his ex was driving me nuts. I liked the guy Amy met that was Roger's ex's brother. I forget his name. Amy Matson at a singing actually said she wanted to do a companion book about him but her editor or publisher or whoever was like no.
ReplyDeleteYes! I completely agree with you! Morgan Matson is amazing! And Amy & Roger's Epic Detour is simply the best road-trip book I have read so far. I loved everything in it, from characters, their relationship and up to their travels.
ReplyDeleteAnd just to add on Jennifers comment, I am really mad right now on her publisher/editor or whoever it is that said no.
I read this book for the first time recently and really enjoyed it! A road trip book is always a draw, and the way Morgan Matson layers her story with cool scrap book style details is genius. The ending was a bit of a mood kill for me BUT I did find something really cool this week when I was taking notes for my review. Just look at the date on receipt on the last page. :)
ReplyDelete