North of Happy {by Adi Alsaid}

Title: North of Happy
Author: Adi Alsaid
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
Genre: YA Contemporary
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
source: ARC Hop

Carlos Portillo has always led a privileged and sheltered life. A dual citizen of Mexico and the US, he lives in Mexico City with his wealthy family where he attends an elite international school. His friends and peers-fellow rich kids-have plans to attend college somewhere in the US or Europe and someday take over their parents' businesses. Always a rule follower and a parent pleaser, Carlos is more than happy to tread the well-worn path in front of him. He has always loved food and cooking, but his parents see it as just a hobby.
When his older brother, Felix--who has dropped out of college to live a life of travel--is tragically killed, Carlos begins hearing his brother's voice, giving him advice and pushing him to rebel against his father's plan for him. Worrying about his mental health, but knowing the voice is right, Carlos runs away to the US and manages to secure a job with his favorite celebrity chef. As he works to improve his skills in the kitchen and pursue his dream, he begins to fall for his boss's daughter--a fact that could end his career before it begins. Finally living for himself, Carlos must decide what's most important to him and where his true path really lies.

I loved Alsaid's first book Let's Get Lost, but DNF'd his second, Never Always Sometimes, so I was interested to see where this third book fell. Fortunately, I loved it. It's a story about grief, family, and lots and lots of food. I always seem to enjoy food/restaurant based books, and this one did not disappoint. Warning: you will probably be very hungry during the reading of this book.

Pros:

• I loved that this was a YA with a non-American protag. It was so very interesting to see through the lens of privilege of someone not living in America, and how that looks to the rest of the world. 
• Did I mention the food? I loved getting a behind-the-scenes look at the inner workings of a restaurant and how one actually starts from the bottom to work their way up. I also loved the chapter headings, and I'm pretty sure some of the descriptions made me actually drool.
• Carlos is still grieving the death of his brother. Grief can be a very hard subject to tackle, and I think the author did a good job. Grief will look different for everyone, and I appreciate the author showcasing that.

Cons:

• Our love interest was very one-dimensional. She seemed very much like your manic-pixie-dream-girl and I wish we could have gotten some more depth and character out of her.
• I didn't feel as if the parental relationships were fleshed out well enough, both for Carlos and Emma. We know that Carlos and his dad have issues, but not getting to see much of his relationship with his parents made it hard to empathize/understand. Same for Emma; we know she and her parents don't get along the best, but the relationships were never as fleshed out as they could be.
• The plot itself fell a little flat, for me. 

This book was still very fun and cute. I'm not sure if felt as deep to me as maybe the author meant it, but it was still a very enjoyable read.

Other books by this author:

Adi Alsaid:

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

Let's Get Lost {by Adi Alsaid}

Title: Let's Get Lost

Author: Adi Alsaid

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Five strangers. Countless adventures. One epic way to get lost.
Four teens across the country have only one thing in common: a girl named LEILA. She crashes into their lives in her absurdly red car at the moment they need someone the most.
There's HUDSON, a small-town mechanic who is willing to throw away his dreams for true love. And BREE, a runaway who seizes every Tuesday—and a few stolen goods along the way. ELLIOT believes in happy endings…until his own life goes off-script. And SONIA worries that when she lost her boyfriend, she also lost the ability to love.
Hudson, Bree, Elliot and Sonia find a friend in Leila. And when Leila leaves them, their lives are forever changed. But it is during Leila's own 4,268-mile journey that she discovers the most important truth— sometimes, what you need most is right where you started. And maybe the only way to find what you're looking for is to get lost along the way.

If you follow me on Twitter or anything, you might have seen how I was so incredibly excited for this book. I could not wait to read it. So when I won a copy, I'm pretty sure I squealed out loud. And I'm so happy to say that even with all my built up expectations for this book, it did not really disappoint.

This book is told in five parts, which makes it so unique and adds depth to the story. While the story is mainly about Leila's trip north, it is also about these four other kids she meets on the way there, and how her life intersects with theirs.

The story starts with Hudson--genius kid who loves working in his father's mechanic shop. Then, we meet Bree, a runaway with no plans for her life, other than living in the moment. Next comes Elliot, who was not having the prom night of his dreams. And lastly, Sonia, who is living in the shadow of her boyfriend's death. Each of these characters were so different and unique. They didn't blend together or sound the same. Each had their own voice. While some were easier to relate to than others, some just more likable than others, they were all still fun to read about.

And of course, Leila herself. (I think Gaby called her basically a fairy godmother, which is kind of how I imagined her while reading. Thanks, Gaby.) Leila was unique because we first got to know her through four different perspectives before getting to her own POV. It definitely added a bit of mystery and curiosity, because we know nothing about Leila, only what she tells everyone else. And I will say, I was not expecting what her actually story was.

Road trips, finding yourself, this book has everything to love. This book was also very thought-provoking, and emotional (not in a tears way, necessarily, but in a wow that was pretty deep way). But, it wasn't all serious. There were also plenty of laughs, and fun times. I would say that this book, even with its more serious issues, it still just a really great feel-good book.

Alsaid's writing style will definitely draw you in. I think everyone could find someone to relate to. And while some plot points were definitely unrealistic or a bit too much, this book was still a very fun read and I loved it.

Adi Alsaid:

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads