Book Review and Giveaway: Amy & Roger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson (+ Lenore's Road Trip Playlist)

After her father's death in a car accident, Amy is no longer driving. So when her mother needs Amy to transport her car from California to their new home in Connecticut, she enlists the son of a family friend, Roger, to drive with Amy across country. But instead of following her mother's carefully planned itinerary, Amy and Roger embark on a series of detours and work through their respective issues along the way.

I love road trips, so I was really excited to read this one - and it didn't disappoint. The narrative arc ended up just as a I predicted it would, but the journey there continually surprised and delighted me.

Of course it helped that Amy and Roger travelled some of the same roads I have - it was fun for me to reminisce about my own road trip experiences. But it wasn't just that. Both Amy and Roger were characters imbued with an amazing presence and I enjoyed watching them make their own discoveries. They also had a great rapport and dialogue that cracked me up.

I loved the people they met along the way. Bronwyn and her clothes obsession! Derek and Drew - the Kansas boys who loved Kansas. Lucien and his topiary.

And I can't end the review without mentioning Roger's epic playlists. From the songs I know, I have a feeling Roger and I have very similar music taste, so I can't wait to listen to a bunch of these songs and hopefully discover new favorite tunes.

AMY & ROGER'S EPIC DETOUR is now available in hardcover. You can find out more about it at the publisher's website.

I have a signed copy of the book up for grabs to my readers in the US. Just leave me a comment and tell me a favorite song of yours that you like to blast in the car. I'll leave the contest open until 11:59 pm CST on June 7th. Contest is sponsored by a publicity company.

And for a bit of inspiration, here's my own 20 song road trip playlist!

"Daniel" by Bat for Lashes

(sample lyric: And in the golden blue car you took me to the darkest place you knew and you set fire to my heart)

"Rewind" by Better than Ezra

(sample lyric: In my car we are superstars. Run your lipstick down your chin while up ahead we saw such a crash. Right there a song became a soundtrack for this space in time.)

"Drive" by Bic Runga

(sample lyric: No boy, don't speak now, you just drive. Take me through, make me feel alive.)

"Hunter" by Bjork

(sample lyric: If travel is searching and home what's been found, I'm not stopping. I'm going hunting.)

"Behind the Wheel" by Depeche Mode

(sample lyric: Oh little girl, there are times when I feel, I'd rather not be the one behind the wheel.)

"Tonight We Fly" by The Divine Comedy

(sample lyric: Tonight we fly over the chimney tops skylights and slates. Looking into all your lives and wondering why happiness is so hard to find.)

"Retread" by Embrace

(sample lyric: My girl is just a retread, I lost her when I hit the brake. Our love hit science fiction levels, now I'm bending cause I made a mistake.)

"Sink to the Bottom" by Fountains of Wayne

(sample lyric: Cars on the highway, planes in the air. Everyone else is going somewhere.)

"We Could be Kings" by Gene

(sample lyric: We could be kings, the planet is ours. With love on our side, and the keys to my car. Storm through the city - oh let's drive - hold tight!)

"Pace is the Trick" by Interpol

(sample lyric: I've seen love, and I followed the speeding of starswept night.)

"Eet" by Regina Spektor

(sample lyric: You spend half of your life, trying to fall behind. You're using your headphones to drown out your mind.)

"Leaving New York" by REM

(sample lyric: It's easier to leave than to be left behind.)

"The Cold, the Dark, and the Silence" by Sea Wolf

(sample lyric: So we're lost, we're lost out here on the plains, my love. It's only wind and ice and trees that wave from above.)

"1979" by Smashing Pumpkins

(sample lyric: With the headlights pointed at the dawn, we were sure we'd never see an end to it all.)

"There is a Light that Never Goes Out" by The Smiths

(sample lyric: Driving in your car, I never, never want to go home.)

"Your Ex-Lover is Dead" by Stars

(sample lyric: Captured a taxi despite all the rain. We drove in silence across Pont Champlain. And all of the time you thought I was sad, I was trying to remember your name.)

"Tyler" by the Toadies

(sample lyric: We can drive to anyplace, day and night to cross this state.)

"Hotel" by Tori Amos

(sample lyric: King's Solomon's Mines. Exit 75. I'm still alive.)

"Highwayman" by Willie Nelson

(sample lyric: I was a highwayman. Along the coach roads I did ride.)

"See-Saw" by Youth Group

(sample lyric: Planes go across the sky of Petersham. One day I will see all the hope that's stored in them.)

I'd love to hear yours, even if you don't enter the contest!