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What Is The Detour Book About?

2025-12-05 10:02:07
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5 Answers

Victor
Victor
'The Detour’ by Libby Bodeen got my attention with the title. It’s about a girl whose plans for a fun weekend go wrong. At first the story seems like your typical teen drama – rich girl with parents who don’t understand her. But then her life becomes a fight to survive. The kidnappers are horribly normal which makes them even more horrifying than usual kidnapper-types. As for the heroine, Livvy, she’s intelligent but not perfect and makes mistakes. I also think it’s important to note that she’s scared too. It’s a very simple novel: 1 setting, 1 time frame and a young girl against her doubts. It’s a great YA version of ‘Room’ and ‘Taken’. And the twist at the end about her family? Brillinant!
2025-12-07
Owen
Owen
Detour by S.A. Bodeen is a wild ride of a novel that follows the story of a 17 year old girl, Livvy, who is kidnapped while on a trip to Italy with her family. The story is told through two perspectives, the present day where Livvy is trying to survive and escape her captors, and through flashbacks of her past where the reader learns why she was chosen. Detour is a great book for a number of reasons, but most notably because of the transformation of the main character from a rich and sheltered girl to someone who can rely on herself to make it through a number of very rough situations. The setting of the Italian countryside is a beautiful but eerie backdrop to the rest of the novel. The book is not just a good thriller but also explores a number of aspects of family and what a person is willing to do to in order to survive.

Throughout the book, there is an uncertain sense of reality as we, the reader, try to distinguish between reality and Livvy’s made-up memories. She reminds us that we can’t always believe our memories. This book is written in much the same style as ‘Gone Girl’ but with a much younger, fresher voice. The Detour is a fast-paced read that does not slow down once the detour happens. Bodeen really develops Livvy from a rich, sheltered girl to someone who is determined to fight to survive and in the process, comes to terms with her family. The ending is really satisfying, yet unsettling.
2025-12-09
Owen
Owen
THE DETOUR by Sami Bodeen – review. THE DETOUR by Sami Bodeen was a surprise for me. I was expecting an easy little read to pass the time, instead I found myself affected deeply by it. We get to read this privileged girl’s views and experiences, she’s inexperienced but very sharp-witted. The body of the story revolves around a kidnapping incident and is therefore tense but there are also moments of great relaxation while we learn more about Livvy and her past – especially about her mom. The kidnappers drive her through the beautiful Italian countryside (nearly a character in itself). As for the themes, I thought that Bodeen handled the one of trust with great skill. We see the Rather Privileged Young Woman learn the hard way that not everyone who smiles at you is a friend. It’s a quick and highly affecting read that will stay with you long after you’ve finished it. It’s even made me wary of who I might meet in my next roadside diner.
2025-12-09
Yara
Yara
This story has really gotten under my skin – it’s the kind of story that could be about any typical teenager, easily annoyed by her stepmother, and then one minute she’s trapped in a stranger’s home with her life in danger, and the next she’s been coaxed out of there by her own wits to find out why she was ever there in the first place. Along the way, you are introduced to the baffling and sometimes brilliant motives of her captors, with huge clues and tiny breadcrumbs dropped at you slowly. And throughout it is written in the clearest, most direct style – no unnecessary description – that makes for the fastest read possible of 200 odd pages of your worst parent nightmares. I love it because it’s about a smart kid outwitting a system – so if you’re into that sort of thing too, this is great. There’s an especially brilliant scene in which Livvy comes to realize her love of photography is going to save her or something.
2025-12-10
Gemma
Gemma
I just finished reading ‘The Detour’ by Jane Bodeen and it was such a great read! It’s told from the perspective of a teenage girl, Livvy, who thought she was off on a fun European tour with her family, but instead she wakes up in a creepy cabin with no idea how she got there. As she struggles to come to terms with her situation, the reader is introduced to her panic and resourcefulness as she tries to work out who her captors are and how to escape. I loved how Bodeen was able to make me feel Livvy’s desperation for human contact as well as her physical discomfort – cold floors and empty stomachs aren’t much fun. But The Detour isn’t just a story about escape. It’s also a mystery and as Livvy tries to work out why she was taken, the reader is taken on a twists and turns journey. Some of them are more surprising than others, but they all feel realistic and therefore more suspenseful. In the end I read it in one sitting, not knowing until the very end whether the bad guys were her wealthy family or something more sinister. It’s a great psychological thriller with a dash of wanderlust. So great in fact that I wouldn’t recommend reading it before your next vacation.
2025-12-10

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