I love to travel. In fact, I have been to all but 3 of the 50 states and 4 of the 7 continents. And I really like a good road trip. There is not a better way to see the United States than to drive across it. It is amazing how vast, varied and beautiful our awesome country is. Amy and Roger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson is a story of a road trip. When Amy's father is killed in a car accident, her life is turned upside down. Even though she has lived all her life in the same house in California, Amy's mother suddenly gets a job and moves to Connecticut. Her twin brother deals with the death through drugs and is sent to a treatment center in North Carolina. Amy finds herself finishing her school year up while living alone in California. When the school year is over, her mother has arranged for a Roger, a family friend, to drive with Amy from California to Connecticut. She has the trip all arranged with reservations at hotels along the way. However, Amy and Roger have other plans. They take an "epic detour" that takes them through Nevada on the loneliest highway, to Colorado to visit Roger's college, through Wichita, KS, to Louisville to visit Roger's girlfriend and end with a trip to Graceland to see the King. Of course, in Wichita, they eat at Nu way and enjoy Freddie's frozen custard.
It is fun to read about the details of their journey. However, this book is more than a road trip. It is part love story, but more than that, it is about Amy trying to deal with her father's death and Roger trying to come to grips with the end of a relationship. Both have to find a new beginning without someone they loved dearly.
