• Home
  • Tinkering Pages
  • Bookish Lists
  • Bookish Tags
  • Flashback Friday Books
  • Bookish News
  • About The Bookish Fairy
  • Review by Title

The Bookish Fairy

Young adult, magical realism, and every book in between infused with fairy dust...

Save the Date by Morgan Matson

September 23, 2018

Save the Date by Morgan MatsonSave the Date by Morgan Matson
Published by Simon Schuster on June 5, 2018
Genres: contemporary
Pages: 432
Buy on Amazon, Buy on Barnes & Noble, Buy on Books & Books
Goodreads
five-stars

Charlie Grant’s older sister is getting married this weekend at their family home, and Charlie can’t wait—for the first time in years, all four of her older siblings will be under one roof. Charlie is desperate for one last perfect weekend, before the house is sold and everything changes. The house will be filled with jokes and games and laughs again. Making decisions about things like what college to attend and reuniting with longstanding crush Jesse Foster—all that can wait. She wants to focus on making the weekend perfect.

The only problem? The weekend is shaping up to be an absolute disaster.

There’s the unexpected dog with a penchant for howling, house alarm that won’t stop going off, and a papergirl with a grudge.

There are the relatives who aren’t speaking, the (awful) girl her favorite brother brought home unannounced, and a missing tuxedo.

Not to mention the neighbor who seems to be bent on sabotage and a storm that is bent on drenching everything. The justice of the peace is missing. The band will only play covers. The guests are all crazy. And the wedding planner’s nephew is unexpectedly, distractingly…cute.

Over the course of three ridiculously chaotic days, Charlie will learn more than she ever expected about the family she thought she knew by heart. And she’ll realize that sometimes, trying to keep everything like it was in the past means missing out on the future.

Catfairy’s Booktape

Morgan Matson is my playlist soulmate and if I had to hire the perf DJ to my wedding Morgan Matson would be my girl! Here is the collection of songs in Morgan Matson’s book and the songs I selected from the massive list!

Catfairy’s Thoughts

If I read this book the year while I was planning my wedding I would have probably eloped! This book brought me back to the wedding anxiety craziness that is known as the last few days before the wedding! Save the Date was my most anticipated summer book of the year and I gobbled up this book like Charlie’s favorite strawberry glazed donut! 

While I was reading this book, it felt like one of those crazy Chevy Chase movies only this time it involved a wedding! Everything that you can possibly think of went insanely wrong in this wedding and there were some parts that made me so livid, I almost questioned whether these things could actually happen at a wedding! If I had to endure half of what the bride had to go through in this wedding I would have rescheduled the whole wedding for the next year! 

Catnopsis

“I looked at everything that was there—everything our mother had done, for good and bad, this whole world she’d brought into existence with some paper and ink.”

-Charlie Grant

Charlie Grant is planning to spend the perfect weekend planning and attending her sister Linnie Grant’s wedding with her big crazy family. There are many new developments happening in Charlie Grant’s life with her family moving out of the house they grew up in, her mother retiring from her famous comic strip that is based on her real family, and Charlie going away to college. Instead of focusing her energies on all the new developments, she puts her energy into helping her sister have a smooth wedding weekend. Until the wedding planner dips out due to fraudulent activity and the wedding weekend plans are anything but smooth! 

Since the wedding player escaped, the wedding service “Where There’s a Will” steps in to provide their services. Bill works for his uncle’s company “Where There’s a Will” and Charlie teams up with Bill to help set up the rest of the wedding. They have no idea the fun that is in store for both of them from mixing up suits and wedding decorations, Journey Tribute bands, supermarket cake, unanticipated adorable pets, and the hilarity of everything going wrong almost all the way to the end of the book!

Through the wedding madness, Charlie realizes that her family isn’t the way they seem in her mom’s comic strip. Charlie is forced to take off her rose-colored glasses and learn about what true change is all about…

 

Meet Charlie (played by Maude Apatow)

 

via GIPHY

Charlie is the queen of denial and living in her own idealized version of her family life. She is holding on to her romanticized versions of her past and keeps pushing away her future. Little does she know that reality is coming for her whether she is ready for it or not…

(On another random note, Maude Apatow could totally be Morgan Matson’s daughter right?!)

 

Meet Bill (played by Luke Benward)

“I know Charlie, I didn’t just get here.”

-Bill

Bill was described as having a Matt Damon kind of snub nose and I think Luke Benward is perfect for this role!

Bill is the perfect person that you can rely on when you’re under a ridiculously messy situation such as mixing up Australian themed children’s party decorations and ruined wedding cakes! He is adorable in every sense of the word and he is there for Charlie for every step of the way. Bill is that guy who is uber cute, reliable, sensible, and you don’t realize how amazing he is until he spontaneously dances with you in the middle of a supermarket! Who can resist a Bill?! And that name…gives me the My Girl feels for reals…

 

Waffles and Maple Syrup

One of the best parts of this book is that there is a dog named Waffles and an actual CAT named Maple Syrup in an actual Morgan Matson book (Who is a registered dog lover btw?! Love this!)?!!!! The dog’s name Waffles is based on her mother’s comic strip. I have a love for beagles because I used to have a beagle named Scooby and my heart will forever be with him. My parents still have a cat named Ringo Starr and Scooby and Ringo Starr were best buds back in the day. After all, you can’t have a Waffles without a Maple Syrup!

My own Maple Syrup and Waffles!

 

Catfairy’s Pop Culture References

Matson described this book as a Father of the Bride meets The Family Stone! She was right on point with her references because the book has the comedic aspect of The Father of the Bride along with the warm and fuzzy feelings of having a big family for The Family Stone.

 

via GIPHY

Matson’s Writing

Matson’s character development in this book was absolutely impeccable! The fact that the time span of this book was set over a wedding weekend and the author had to alter Charlie’s perspective on the concept of change is incredible. As an author, it must have been difficult to write about a character who had to accept the reality of change over a three day weekend and I commend Matson for achieving this in her writing in such a flawless manner. All of Morgan Matson’s books are always set over the summer season but I love that Matson’s writing balances the light and fun with the extremely heartfelt. One of the reasons why I continue to read Morgan Matson is because she always creates new and unique aspects in her books such as the comic book strip which is classic! This was a different kind of book for Morgan Matson because this time instead of focusing on the romance there was more of a focus on the family which was such a refreshing read! Who doesn’t love the antics of a big family along with the complicated natures of it too?! 

Catfairy’s Final Thoughts…

“How was it that you only fully realized what you had when it was gone? And I knew there would be new friends, new experiences, maybe even amazing adventures ahead of me. But I felt like I needed, for just a moment, to appreciate what I was–what we all were–leaving behind.”

-Charlie Grant

Charlie is probably one of the characters that I can really identify with. I can identify with how Charlie creates things in her mind that has never really happened and continues to live in her own alternate reality. This book taught me so much about the importance of family and how the love of a family continues to go on despite the changes that inevitably come throughout life. 

I highly recommend this book to anyone that wants to read about a fun loving family going through many unexpected changes. One of the things I love most about this book is that it taught me that change is always imminent in life and if we chose to live in the past instead of accepting change we miss so many amazing things. 

 

 

 

five-stars

15 Comments
Filed Under: Catfairy Categories<3, Reviews by Title Tagged: antics galore, change, heartfelt summer read, matson summer, summer of matson, summer wedding, the family stone meets father of the bride, wedding craziness, wedding madness

Amy and Roger’s Epic Detour

October 18, 2017

Amy and Roger’s Epic DetourAmy and Roger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson
Published by Simon & Schuster on May 4, 2010
Genres: YA Contemporary
Pages: 344
Buy on Amazon, Buy on Barnes & Noble
Goodreads
five-stars

Amy Curry is not looking forward to her summer. Her mother decided to move across the country and now it's Amy's responsibility to get their car from California to Connecticut. The only problem is, since her father died in a car accident, she isn't ready to get behind the wheel. Enter Roger. An old family friend, he also has to make the cross-country trip - and has plenty of baggage of his own. The road home may be unfamiliar - especially with their friendship venturing into uncharted territory - but together, Amy and Roger will figure out how to map their way.

Catfairy’s Bookmix

“I’d like to dream my troubles all away on a bed of California stars…” ***

-Wilco

Just like Morgan Matson’s book Since You’ve Been Gone this book has an epic summer road trip playlist! The last time I read Since You’ve Been Gone I cataloged almost EVERY SINGLE SONG FROM THAT BOOK and put it into a Spotify playlist! No joke…but it took me almost three hours to do this! I learned my lesson from Since You’ve Been Gone because if I were to actually set up a playlist from every single song from Amy and Roger’s Epic Detour I would probably spend five hours setting it up and AIN’T NOBODY GOT TIME FOR THAT! So I set up 50 songs for this playlist instead versus 160 for the SYBG book! This playlist has a mix of songs that I love such as the Talking Heads song Road to Nowhere (You can’t have a cross-country road trip without the Talking Heads song “Road to Nowhere!”) , songs that I just now fell in love with and can’t get out of my head (HELLO WILCO!), and songs where the title just captured me and I had to add it! Enjoy this playlist because when you listen to it you will truly feel like you’re in the backseat of Amy and Roger’s Epic Detour!

Catfairy’s “Epic” First Thoughts

If anyone knows me, you will know that I am absolute trash for a Morgan Matson book! Ever since I picked up Since You’ve Been Gone I have been 100% devoted to this woman and she is my go-to author when I am feeling blah about life and I need to be in a sunshine “life is good” kind of mood! (I haven’t read Second Chance Summer yet and I heard that book will not bring much sunshine instead it would just leave me in a pool of tears like a sad melted ice cream cone. Better off saving that book for next summer!) Although Amy and Roger’s Epic Detour left me only with tears of happiness and contentment and luckily it didn’t bring on the tears!

Amy’s and Roger’s Epic Detour was like the road trip that I wish would never end! I took quite a while to finish this book so I definitely stretched that road trip out a bit too far but I loved every single second of Amy and Roger’s journey. The struggles that the characters went through was emotional and it had the whole coming of age kind of feel which is something that I just LIVE to read about. I love books where the characters realize that even though life has struggles it’s important to use those hard lessons to push themselves to continue to move forward in life! Sometimes the “detours” can be life altering and well worth the ride!

Catnopsis

“California is a garden of Eden, a paradise to live in or see. But believe it or not, you won’t find it so hot if you ain’t got the do-re-mi…”

-Woody Guthrie

Everything begins with Amy and Roger when they go on a cross-country trip from California to Stanwich, Connecticut.

Amy’s mother put their family home for sale where she lived with her father and brother. Sadly, her father has passed away and her brother is in rehab. Everything in Amy’s world is lonely and empty and all she wants to do is hide from the world including the girl she used to be…

Her mother has already settled herself down in Stanwich, Connecticut and Amy’s taking care of their house while it was going through the process of being sold.

Finally, it is time for Amy to begin to her new life in Stanwich, Connecticut and her mother has arranged for her to take the road trip of her life…

The only problem is that since her father’s death Amy doesn’t drive. Amy’s mother decides to arrange someone to drive which turns out to be the son of an old family friend named Roger. He will be driving cross country with Amy. And so it begins and Amy and Roger are about to embark on the most life-changing detour of their lives literally and figuratively…

Meet Amy (Played by Shailene Woodley)

“He who transplanted sustains…”

-Kansas Motto

Amy is a lost soul and figuring out how to deal with the loss of her father and the person she used to be. She used to be an outgoing person with boyfriends, friends,  and was an aspiring actress who frequently got the lead of her school plays.

Since her father’s death, Amy feels like her whole universe is meaningless. Her spark for life has dimmed and all she wants to do is hide in her Anyone Can Whistle shirt and her old jeans.

At first, all Amy wants is to get the road trip over with until she falls for Roger and she never wants the road trip to end…

Meet Roger (Played by Logan Shroyer)

“The best discoveries always happened to the people who weren’t looking for them. Pinzón, who stumbled on Brazil while looking for the West Indies. Stanley happening on Victoria Falls. And you. Amy Curry, when I was least expecting her.”

-Roger

Roger is that guy who has that natural air of confidence about him. That is until you go on a road trip with him and you realize that he isn’t perfect but he is as close to perfection that you can ever get.

Currently, Roger is trying to deal with his own heartbreak. He just got dumped and he is currently trying to find closure.

Roger is the complete package of the perfect book boyfriend who has a thing for explorers, is allergic to goodbyes, has a huge appetite, and an amazing talent in making EPIC playlists! This guy is my mixtape soul mate and the girl that dumped him is insane because his taste in music is just enough for me to marry him!

Catfairy’s Pop Culture References

Amy and Roger’s Epic Detour reminds me of one my favorite road trip movies of all time “Mad Love!” The playlist was also insanely good and they had a romantic and intense adventure that the two of them would never forget!

Matson’s Writing

Honestly, I can’t gush enough about Morgan Matson’s gift for plot and character development! The relationship between Amy and Roger isn’t insta-lovey at all and she really fleshes out the characters. Matson doesn’t rush into the action and focuses more on the inner conflict of both of these characters. She enveloped me into the emotional journey of Amy and Roger from the beginning to the very last page and left me grinning from ear to ear at the end of it all.

Catfairy’s Final Thoughts

“To the stars through adversity.”
-Kansas State Motto

I thought this book had so much to offer! The books that I adore the most are books that contain mixed media! The mixed media in this book was so interactive and I felt like I was right there with Amy and Roger in the Sunshine Mart gas station, lost on the loneliest road in Nevada, and eating a burger with them at In-N-Out! The description of the diners made my mouth water especially since where I live in Miami there are virtually no diners. The people they meet along the way were interesting characters and I love how they help Amy and Roger grow throughout the story. Of course, the one thing that topped the whole book was the playlists! I highly recommend reading this book with the playlists in the background!

Amy and Roger’s Epic Detour will forever be the book that made me feel so many emotions! I felt the pain of Amy’s loss and the exhilaration she felt when she was able to push through the pain and find herself in the process. I felt Roger’s heartbreak and inadequacy and I loved how he found the strength to realize his own worth.

This story is also about a family that fell apart and are now slowly finding their way back to one another. Throughout the road trip, Amy realizes that her life is waiting for her and that she doesn’t have to hide anymore. Matson’s book is about breaking down those barriers and realizing that true love can resurface even through tragedy. The story of Amy and Roger is about literally ditching that itinerary and taking those detours where frankly…life really begins.

FIVE CHARLIE CHUCHI STARS!

FOLLOW ME @charliechuchi

View my Pinterest board of Amy and Roger’s Epic Playlist to view my bookcasting, quotes, book art, and Amy and Roger’s epic adventures!

 

If you list this post…

 

 

 

 

 

five-stars

Leave a Comment
Filed Under: Reviews by Genre, Reviews by Title Tagged: coming of age, epic playlists, roadtrip, summer love, summer road trip

Follow Me On Twitter

If you like my blog…

Currently Reading

Cast in Firelight (Wickery, #1)Story Genius: How to Use Brain Science to Go Beyond Outlining and Write a Riveting Novel (Before You Waste Three Years Writing 327 Pages That Go Nowhere)A Dash of Trouble (Love Sugar Magic, #1)Once Upon a QuinceañeraWell Met (Well Met, #1)
Visit my shelf on Goodreads

Reviews by Rating

five-stars
The Sun is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon
Save the Date by Morgan Matson
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi
The Thorn Necklace

four-half-stars
Analee, in Real Life by Janelle Milanes
Everything, Everything

four-stars
Roomies by Christina Lauren
The Dreadful Tale of Prosper Redding

three-half-stars

three-stars
I See London, I See France (GIVEAWAY INCLUDED)
Lucky in Love

two-half-stars

two-stars
Fangirl
An Abundance of Katherines
The Razvak Hunter

one-half-stars

one-star

half-star

Browse By Tag

analee becky albertalli book event books and books Christina Lauren contemporary ya coral gables Daisy Jones & The Six dawsons creek elizabeth acevedo erin morgenstern fantasy flb francesca lia block Girl Goddess #9 in real life Janelle Milanes jenny han kasie west lara-jean Latinx Rep leigh bardugo lgbt love magical-three-monday-reads magical realism morgan matson motown nanowrimo Nina Moreno red romance Save the Date simon Taylor Jenkins Reid the starless sea The Victoria in my Head tomi adeyemi vintage weetzie bat white With the Fire on High ya ya contemporary young adult

Made With Love by Boutique Web Design Studio · Copyright © 2021

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.Ok