Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 344 pages
Publication Date: May 4, 2010
From Goodreads:
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.
Review:
I enjoyed this book. I liked the fact that it was a road-trip book. I've always wanted to take a road trip and see a lot of the US (the problem is that I really hate driving) so it was great reading about the different places they went. I think what made this book so unique were the pictures, receipts and comments Amy left in the travel journal. And the playlists were fabulous.
I liked Roger. It was a refreshing change of pace to read about a nice guy. Now don't get me wrong, I do like the bad boy, but it was great that Roger was a good guy. (For some reason, the bad boy seems to work a lot better in paranormal novels for me). It actually would have been interesting to have Roger's POV in the novel along with Amy's.
If you're looking for a huge romance, you don't really get it (until the end). So just know that going in. Also, know that there are some serious parts of the book, given that Amy is trying to get over the death of her father, but it's not overly depressing. She's closed herself from people (even her best friend) and she learns to open up while she's traveling with Roger.
In the end, sweet, fast read and if you're in the mood for a road trip book, you'll enjoy it.
Posted by: Pam
I've had this book checked out from the library for awhile now and keep meaning to pick it up. I love road trip/summer books and I've heard great things about this one. I love that it includes mementos from their trip and that it isn't a super saccharine love story. I definitely need to make time to read it. Great review!
ReplyDeleteI did love the road trip part. I got this one from the library because I heard there were pictures and different things in the book and I was afraid that it might be messed up on my Kindle. And the romance is definitely not super saccharine. ~Pam
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