Ethan Domani had planned the perfect graduation trip before tragedy put his life on hold. Smothered by survivor¿s guilt and his close-knit family, he makes a break for the open road. He doesn’t know what he’s looking for, but he’s got the whole summer to figure out who he misses more: his boyfriend, or the person he thought he was. It¿s just him and his memories . . . until he almost runs over … over a hitchhiker.
Nick Hamilton made some mistakes after his younger brother died. His violent ex-boyfriend was the most dangerous, and the one that got him shipped off to Camp Cornerstone¿s pray-the-gay-away boot camp. His eighteenth birthday brings escape, and a close call with an idiot in a station wagon. Stranger danger aside, Nick¿s homeless, broke, and alone. A ride with Ethan is the best option he¿s got.
The creepy corners of roadside America have nothing on the darkness haunting Ethan and Nick. Every interstate brings them closer to uncharted emotional territory. When Nick¿s past shows up in their rearview mirror, the detour might take them off the map altogether.
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Loved this book…the sense of humor of the characters, their fragility and their strengths.
I didn’t think I’d enjoy this one being that the protagonists are very young 18/19 but I did enjoy their humor and I got involved with the predicaments they found themselves in. Because of the constant verbal jousting it got a bit wordy but there’s enough action and angst to keep one turning the pages. Both main characters have enough background story to be interesting and the shadowy stalker is enough of a menace to make you worry for the guys’ safety. A worthwhile read.
Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team
Sarah –
This is the story of an unlikely romance between Ethan, a recent high school graduate, and Nick, the hitchhiker he picks up on the first night of his graduation road trip. Neither boy is what he seems and both boys have endured unthinkable traumas.
I immediately loved both Nick and Ethan. The first taste of adult freedom is a heady rush and the joy they both take in their relatively mundane and predictable travels is contagious. I quickly grew bored of the road trip (why do Americans get so excited about travelling through their own country?) but the boys are funny and sweet and innocent and damaged and sometimes tragic. I fell hard for them both.
Beyond the road trip, this is a young adult/new adult book with very heavy adult themes. At 18, Nick and Ethan have both survived horrific experiences and the authors don’t shy away from the emotional fallout. Both kids feel real and their emotions are often raw, unfocused, and complicated. The humour and the banter between Nick and Ethan keeps the story lighter than their issues suggest; but while I thoroughly enjoyed their story, this isn’t always an easy read.
Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of Detour (Transportation #1) by Reesa Herberth & Michelle Moore to read and review for Wicked Reads.
I don’t know exactly what I expected when I began Detour, but it certainly wasn’t what I got. This book was so much better than I ever imagined. Though the blurb hints at an intense hurt/comfort story, the cover conveys a light-hearted fun vibe, and I didn’t know if I should expect more fun or more angst. I also hadn’t read anything by either author before, so I definitely wasn’t expecting to fall into a gripping story with fantastically interesting characters facing their personal demons and painful pasts. Somehow the authors managed to balance that pain and tragedy with a fun lightness laced in puns and youthful humor making this an unexpected addition to my must-reads of 2018.
Detour details two new adults on a healing cross-country journey. There are many pockets of wisdom or self-realizations that will speak to all readers’ hearts, but what struck me most was Ethan and Nick’s growth during their road trip. I appreciated the honest explorations of their grief and guilt, and liked that the characters were personable and relatable, while also being believable as young men. I so enjoyed watching these two find each other and themselves. As the book closed, I couldn’t help but think “this can’t be the end”, not because it was left unfinished or I had too many unanswered questions. Rather, I was just sad to let go of Nick and Ethan. Detour definitely will stick with me and as it’s the first in a series, I absolutely can’t wait for more. If you at all enjoy books about personal journeys and growth, don’t hesitate to grab this title.
*Reviewed for Alpha Book Club*