How to Say Goodbye in Robot by Natalie Standiford

From the back cover:
New to town, Bea is expecting her new best friend to be one of the girls she meets on the first day: very cheery, very friendly, very average.  But instead, the alphabet seats her next to Jonah, aka Ghost Boy, a quiet observer who hasn't made a new friend since third grade.  He's not a big fan of people in general... but he's willing to make an exception for her.  Maybe.

Bea and Jonah are not going to have a friendship based on gossip and parties and what everybody else thinks.  Instead, their friendship comes from truth-bound conversations, shared secrets, and late-night calls to the same old-timer radio show.  They help each other and hurt each other, push away and hold close.  It's not exactly romance - but it's definitely love.  And it means more to them than either one can ever really know.


From me:
I will start by admitting that I am a little biased in my opinion of this book because it's set in BALTIMORE!!  The setting was huge for me because I recognized streets, neighborhoods, and the various places that Bea and Jonah visit.  So, so fun! 

If you are not from Baltimore, or you are not as easily excited as I am, maybe this will not be so super cool to you.  That's ok - there is plenty more to love about this book.  One of the best ways to describe the story comes right from the back cover - it's not a romance, but it's definitely the story of Bea and Jonah's love for one another.

Although I found Jonah to be a hard character to like during parts of the book, but I almost found him hard not to like... if that makes any sense.  Since the story is told from Bea's perspective, I think that I couldn't really get into his head until the end of the book, yet I still felt drawn to him and his own story.  Bea seemed to be caught in the middle of a lot of different conflicts for most of the story (ok, maybe two big ones) - having to choose between Jonah and the "normal" kids from school, having to deal with her mom's brand of crazy, while her dad works very long hours as a professor (at Hopkins!).

While the story was kind of strange in some parts, it was mostly a cute and awkward (in a fun to read) story of two people in love.  

Amy & Roger’s Epic Detour by Morgan Matson

From the flap:

Amy Curry is having a terrible year. Her mother has decided to move across the country and needs Amy to get their car from California to Connecticut. There’s just one small problem: Since her dad died this past spring, Amy hasn’t been able to get behind the wheel. Enter Roger; the nineteen-year-old son of a family friend, who turns out to be unexpectedly cute…and dealing with some baggage of his own.

Meeting new people and coming to terms with her father’s death were not what Amy had planned on this trip. And traveling The Loneliest Road in America, seeing the Colorado mountains, crossing the Kansas plains, and visiting diners, dingy motels, and Graceland were definitely not on the itinerary. But, as they drive, Amy finds that the people you least expected are the ones you may need the most – and that sometimes you have to get lost in order to find your way home.


My Thoughts:

This book was fantastic. Amy and Roger were both very believable and likable characters, who do, as the flap says, have some baggage -- Amy more so than Roger. I thought that Amy’s character was spot-on: her grief, her anger, her uncertainty. Same thing with Roger, these characters were people I wanted to get to know. 
I'm a sucker for a "finding yourself" book and this definitely fit into that category.  Both Amy and Roger have to deal with situations that will make you grow-up.  They make mistakes, they learn to cope, and they find themselves.  I won't get into Roger's deal, because it's not really discusses on the flap.  However, I will talk about Amy's issue - her father's death.  I really liked how the book used flashbacks to tell the story of Amy's father's life and death.  It gave you perspective into her family life and also helped you to understand the emotions that she was dealing with on this trip.
The book also gives some great shout-outs to regional things in the states on their trip... yippee for MD's mention... Not as cool as CA or TN, but still -- MD beat out other (larger!) states for a mention!
Anyway, this was a great summer read – not too heavy, but not complete “brain candy” either. And there are some fun playlists from their trip!  Perfect for reading out on the road...y'know, as long as you aren't the driver.


Favorite Quotes:

#1 “ ‘No,’ Walcott said simply, rolling down his sleeve. ‘It’s my home, man. You’ve got to have pride in your home. You are where you’re from. Otherwise, you’re always going to be lost.’”

I agree and disagree at the same time (quite frankly because if I am where I grew up, God help us all). But I do think that no one will understand you – your good, your bad, your quirks, your funny accent – better than the people who live where you grew up. There’s something about your hometown that makes you feel…home.

#2 “The best discoveries always happened to the people who weren’t looking for them.”

What a fantastic quote, right? I couldn’t put the rest of the dialogue in because it would give stuff away, but trust me, it’s good.


Matson, Morgan.  Amy & Roger's Epic Detour. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2010.