Amy & Roger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson

"When you're on a road trip, life is all about the detours..."

I discovered this book because of a post I saw on Tumblr. It was quote from the book. I wanted to know where the quote was from so I Googled it and found Amy & Roger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson. I didn't want to read it at first because within the description it states that Amy finds Roger "unexpectedly cute". That just struck me as odd or a cliché. It's very much implied when it's a story about a boy and a girl that one of them finds the other attractive. Even if they start off hating each other, eventually they fall in love. It's the basis of every love story at least every teen love story. I also didn't want to read it because Amy is entering her senior year of high school and I'm a college sophomore, half way done too. I didn't want to read about someone younger than me. The last reason I was hesitant to read Amy & Roger's Epic Detour was because of the incident in Amy's past that is the reason she's taking a road trip with Roger. Her father dies, prompting her brother to act out and instantly causes her mother to want to move across the country. What a typical story, I thought. I've seen this story so many times and I wasn't convinced that Morgan Matson could write it differently. Also, the title is kind of lame. To me, it sets up the book to be epically excellent and if it's not then what an epic disappointment.

Imagine how surprised I was when  I opened Amy & Roger's Epic Detour and couldn't put it down! It's probably the most engrossing young adult fiction I've read since the Being Nikki series by Meg Cabot. I absolutely loved that Amy and Roger went on a road trip. I want to go on a road trip with my friends; whether it's across the country or just to Texas. Of course my circumstances will be for fun and not move because I lost a parent. I liked that every detour they took was significant to either of them. The detour cities helped the reveal a little bit of their characters. I also loved the music in Roger's playlists. I knew most of the artists, but I also got introduced to new music. I love getting introduced to new music.

At first, Amy is a little too whiny and self loathing to me. I understand why, but I thought it was a bit exaggerated. Amy also seemed a little too clueless. It could be seen as dramatic irony, but it was beating me over the head. However, Amy clearly had the most character development. By the end of the book I think Amy grew up. Now that I think about it, Amy reminded of Devin Brochu's and Rainn Wilson's characters in Hesher (2010). Roger was my favorite character because he is the most intriguing male character in a young adult novel I've read. He was perfect; not only his looks, but his personality and all that he did. All his secrets and baggage weren't laid out for us to see like Amy's. That's always a plus in my book when you keep a little of the character to the character and slowly reveal it to the reader.

From the first page I totally imagined this book as a film. It's totally set up for one. The situation, the characters, the music is already all there. I would love to get the rights and turn it into a feature length teen dramedy. Amy & Roger's Epic Detour is just asking to be turned into an independent film. I wonder if Morgan Matson is making any moves to get this made into a film.

My initial thoughts on Amy & Roger's Epic Detour were completely false. Which is the only thing I could ask. The best thing that could happen to me while reading a book is to have my expectations blown up and find that the book is the complete opposite of what I thought.

Amy & Roger's Epic Detour is a must read! It doesn't start off slow, I got really into it (literally all I wanted to do was read it) and I never wanted it to end. But the way it ended was as perfect as ending could get.

If I were to update my Reread List Amy & Roger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson would definitely be added.