Amy and Rogers Epic Detour by Morgan Matson

Review from the publisher:

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.

My Thoughts:

I usually read adult romance books, but have recently taken a detour of my own (pun intended), and have become involved in the YA genre.  

Amy and Roger’s Epic Detour is a debut novel for Morgan Matson. What a debut this is! I fell in love with the story just from the reviews on Amazon. What really pulled me into this book was that throughout the book there are pictures, play lists, menus, receipts, etc from the various states they visit which was an unexpected and nice touch. It really made me feel like I was on the trip with them!  

Part of one of their playlists

There are some deep issues that are brought up in the book (drugs, death, and sexual situations) but nothing too much in detail that it wouldn’t be appropriate for high school students. The secondary characters help bring the story to life as well. They have their own personalities and uniqueness that bring Amy and Roger closer together through out the trip.

I did have one negative thing to say. I felt that Amy started to piece her life back together more openly with the secondary characters then with Roger. I can see how it made sense with the story, but I still felt a little disappointed with some of the conversations that took place and who they took place with.

I recommend this book for teenagers and adults. I think everyone will get something out of this book. For me I learned fun facts about the different states they visited. :-) Pick up this book today and let me know your thoughts!

More reviews to come!

Meg

Accidentally re-read oldie but goodie

Have you ever re-read a book by accident? I always read the back of the book to see if I would be interested, and then go on amazon.com to read other people’s reviews on the book. I found the book “Where is he now?” by Jennifer Greene in a used book store and after reading the back of the book instantly had to have it. Well, later that evening when I started reading I noticed the names of the characters, their occupations, and even the first scene of the book all looked really familiar. When I was maybe up to page 20 in I knew I had read this book before. I don’t remember when or how (since I get most of my books from the library, and this one wasn’t at any of them). Did I borrow it from a friend? Did the library recently stop carrying it? Who knows? Even though I knew I had read it before, I continued to read. Here are my thoughts on what I discovered a second time around, and what I remember from the first time…

“Where is he now?” is one of those books that have charm, comedy, and real characters. Some books I have read are too predictable and the characters are too “lovey dovey” where I just can’t believe it. This book for the most part had good dialogue and character chemistry. I was disappointed that there weren’t that many scenes with the two main characters. The author vaguely brushes on two secondary characters’ re-uniting, but as for the main characters I didn’t feel that there was enough interaction with the two. They each have their own set of problems, and have to learn that the can confide in the other person and don’t have to face the world alone. A brief synopses (since you can easily read a full review somewhere else) is that a woman’s 15 year high school reunion is coning up and she starts to wonder what happened to her high school sweet heart who dumped her years ago. She finds him and learns about the man he has become. They both realize there is still chemistry between them after all these years and have to learn to trust each other or else this may be their last chance to be together (and you don’t get many third chances, let alone second chances).

I think this is definitely a book worth reading, but not buying. There are some library books I have read that I wish I could have kept, and unfortunately this isn’t one of them. It’s a nice read, but towards the end I lost interest and felt like I finished it just to finish it. I have read some other books by Jennifer Greene (Blame it on Chocolate) and that one was good too, but the ending wasn't as good as the beginning either. I think she is a good author, but the endings are definitely lacking.  What are some of the books you have bought that you wish you hadn’t? If you have read this book what were your impressions?

Next on my “book to-read list” is Beautiful Darkness by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl. I read their first book Beautiful Creatures a while ago and remember liking it. It is a YA book, but I have discovered also popular with adults. If you like the fantasy YA books (Twilight included- even though this book is not about vampires), you will like this one. One thing that really drew me to it was this book is told in the boys’ perspective. It was something new and not something you see in books. I think this series is for boys and girls since there is the teen romance between the two main characters, but there is also action and magical elements (think Harry Potter). If you have already read the first one join me in reading Beautiful Darkness. I’ll be back soon with my thoughts on Beautiful Darkness. Feel free to share yours too. :-)

See you soon!

Meg