Audiobook Review: Amy & Roger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson

Title: Amy & Roger's Epic Detour
Author: Morgan Matson
Narrator: Suzy Jackson
Published: May 4, 2010
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Length: 10 hrs 8 mins
Source: Purchased
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Audible

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.

Ohmygosh this book was so much fun!!  So, so awesome!  I really enjoyed it.  And yes, I do often go for this type of funny, silly contemporary reads lately, so maybe that's why I just adored it so much.  But it was just what I was looking for!!  I've been on an audiobook kick lately too... and having this to listen to while driving made it that much more enjoyable.  I have to admit I'm slightly disappointed because while listening to the audio I was told that the book has lists and pictures and other really amazing things, which obviously I missed out on since I got the audiobook. But I've decided this just means that I now need to buy the book and re-read it at some point in the future.  Problem solved! :)

Amy is struggling with the loss of her father.  She blames herself for his death, and can't seem to get past it.  The relationship Amy has with her twin brother, Charlie, is strained, to say the least.  With Charlie's drug problem it's hard for Amy to get close to him.  Amy's mother is very hard on her, making their relationship a struggle.  She feels lost and alone.  Thrown into a car with Roger, whom she hasn't seen since they were kids, didn't appear to her as something she would enjoy.  But as soon as the trip begins, so does their fun.

Oh, how I love road trip books!!!  The adventure never ends.  On Amy & Roger's trip from California to Connecticut, they make many stops along the way, visiting her places, trying new food, meeting new people and learning life lessons while doing so.  What a fun-packed excursion these two youngsters are on.  And the whole time while listening I felt I was right there with them.

I felt the narrator was perfect for this story.  Her youngish voice portrayed the characters perfectly without being overly whiny or babyish.  Since the story was basically two main characters, Amy and Roger, with a few others thrown in, she did a wonderful job of really getting inside them individually to help the reader feel as though they knew them personally.  You could feel Amy's sadness, excitement and love through the tone of voice of the narrator, and that's something I always enjoy with an audiobook.

I would definitely recommend this to anyone looking for a fun-filled road trip story, full of laughs, love and adventure!

Favorite Quote:

"It was like there was an elephant in the room. An elephant that expected us to have sex." (Hehehe... I love it!)