Let's Get Lost by Adi Alsaid

My edition: eBook
First published: 2014
Pages: 352
Source: Harlequin UK via Netgalley, thank you!

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.“ First line: “Hudson could hear the car’s engine from blocks away.

Thoughts: “I’m going to see the northern lights” expresses Let’s Get Lost’s main protagonist, Leila. Travelling in her bright red car, Leila’s strong desire of wanderlust inevitably leads her into the lives of four strangers; aspiring doctor Hudson, rebellious and edgy Bree, down on his luck Elliot and bewildered Sonia. Quick, sharp, and an engaging read, Let’s Get Lost teaches the importance of: fate, young love, and most importantly, discovering yourself. 

Beginning in Vicksburg, Mississippi, free-spirited Leila runs into mechanic and also aspiring doctor Hudson, who takes great pride in his hometown and it’s sheer beauty. Similarly, in the eyes of Hudson, Leila is beautiful but also mysterious and “a jumble of contradictions”. Captivated by Leila’s good lucks, Hudson asks why Leila is planning to travel so far, to which Leila explains: “I’m going to see the Northern Lights… I’m going up as far north as I can”. In collaboration with Hudson’s character, Leila and her motivation to travel so far alone intrigued me. Almost a developing mystery case, the beginning of this book had me hooked to its storyline: where will Leila’s journey eventually end? Why is she travelling so far north? Who will she meet on the way? All these questions swarmed through my head and I couldn’t wait to find out the answers.

As aforementioned, there is a recurring theme in Let’s Get Lost of self-discovery. Quickly into the novel we realize that each stranger Leila meets on the road, has his or her own personal and emotional crisis. Often we’re informed that love, or lack of, is the motivation to most of the characters problems. But Leila sympathizes nonetheless and tries to solve any issues these strangers may have, imitating the role of a fairy godmother or in some cases, a partner in crime (literally).

Initially Leila’s character interested me the most, but Hudson soon became my favourite. His story was real but not exaggerated, which I found with some of the other characters of this novel. Although he made a completely vacuous mistake, he was sweet, honest and loyal and I really warmed up to him. His point of view was the first of the novel, and his section definitely provided a solid foundation for Let’s Get Lost’s overall direction of plot.

Unfortunately, as more characters were introduced, the less realistic this book became. Without going into specifics, I found that some major events of the novel were left unresolved, and therefore, forgotten. Also, I had a hard time believing that everyone in this novel was so openly trusting – especially Leila who allows four strangers into her car. Similarly, it appears as if the male characters of this story only trusted Leila in the first place because she’s was ‘good lucking’ which highly aggravated me.

Although Let’s Get Lost can be slightly implausible, it was also sweet, quirky, and definitely an engaging read, regardless of the character’s shallow attitudes. I particularly liked the evenly divide of the characters stories and therefore, it read more like a collection of novellas rather than a whole novel. The focus of the characters own personal journeys was intimate and fascinating, and Alsaid’s writing style heavily reminded me of one of my favourite authors, John Green (especially his novel Paper Towns). This may not have been a five star rating from me, but I know many people have adored this book, and I’m intrigued to see which direction Alsaid takes his writing next (pun intended).

Overall rating: ★★★½