Between the Bookcovers

Author: Morgan Matson
Published: May 4, 2010
Pages: 352
Rating: 5/5 Stars


Four months ago Amy Curry had a perfect teenage life. Now her Dad is dead, her mother has moved across the country and her twin brother is in rehab. To top it off her mother expects her to drive across the country with a stranger. The book opens as Amy meets Roger, a college guy who has problems of his own. They decide to detour from the trip Amy's mother planned and see the country as they make their way from California to Connecticut. The book follows their road trip and their discovery of each other along the way.

Morgan Matson has created such an engaging story that I was sucked right into the backseat and went along for the ride. There was no fast paced action to pull you along, but I still was so drawn to the book that I could not put it down. Instead, it was the story and the characters that kept me reading. Amy and Roger's characters had so many layers, it was a joy to see them revealed as the trip progressed. The secondary characters were equally well developed, from the video game player on a quest to the topiary creating teen, each was unique in their own way. The slow building romance followed the pace of the journey, and was wonderfully done. The journal kept along the way was genius, it added so much to the story, from the receipts to the doodles, it allowed us to peak into the journey through the minds of Amy and Roger. And the play lists helped set the mood of the trip as it progressed.

This was a great book about grief, friendship, heartbreak and romance. It tells the story of how to move on with life by letting go. And it reminds us that the best discoveries are the ones we make when we aren't looking for them. I suggest you read this one, it is a journey you will not want to miss.

Rating: Outstanding, don't miss this one.