Amy & Roger's Epic Detour

The plan is a quick, efficient drive. It does not survive the first state. Roger has his own reasons for wanting a detour, an ex-girlfriend in North Carolina who left without explaining why, and Amy is quietly glad of any reason to delay arriving at a new life she does not want. Their route stretches through Yosemite, Colorado and Graceland, and the strangers in the car slowly become friends.

Matson captures the oddness of being stuck in a small space with someone new: awkward silences, shared playlists and diner meals that turn into confessions. She also takes Amy's grief seriously. Flashbacks reveal her father's death and her guilt about it, and the trip becomes a way to talk about what she has refused to face. Amy's twin brother's struggles are handled gently. The book is sprinkled with playlists, receipts and snapshots that make the journey feel real.

Some readers find the pace slow at first, but the slow-burn romance and the road itself are the pleasure. A strong first novel by the author of Since You've Been Gone. About 343 pages in the Simon & Schuster paperback.