{ARC Review} Let's Get Lost by Adi Alsaid
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Book Review,
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Title: Let's Get Lost
Author: Adi Alsaid
Published: 29th July 2014
Age Group: Young Adult
Genre: Contemporary
Source: eARC provided by Harlequin Australia for fair & honest review
Rating: 4/5
BLURB:
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.
This Book Was Like Reading 5 Companion Novellas
REVIEW:
The story:
Reading this book was like reading 5 companion novellas rather than 1 regular novel. The story follows Leila on her road trip to see the Northern Lights and along the way she meets 4 strangers, and we see how Leila affects each of their lives in very different ways.
First we meet HUDSON, a young mechanic on the eve of an important college interview. Leila and Hudson spend the day & night on a fun and romantic filled adventure, leading Hudson to question his future.
Next up we meet BREE, a runaway free sprit. Bree is still very much a child, not wanting to accept responsibilities for consequences. And as a result Bree gets Leila into some sticky situations!
We move along to ELLIOT next, a sweet as can be 'good guy' out on his prom night. He's all set to tell his best friend he's in love with her, but things don't got according to plan. Enter Leila. Together they set out to get Elliot his HEA movie ending. So sweet!
SONIA's story was next, and her's was probably the most well developed. With an interesting backstory it allowed for stronger characterisation. After her boyfriend died over a year ago she's struggled to move on with her life despite meeting a new love. She's ridden with guilt over falling for a new man and is afraid others will judge her for moving on. I loved seeing her grow in the short time we get to spend with her.
And finally we get to hear LEILA's story. After helping all her new friends in their lives, it's time for Leila to address her own issues and take control of her life. It's very difficult to say much about her story without revealing a major spoiler, but it was definitely worth the wait to find out what motivated her road trip.
The characters:
All the character's were unique and fun (albeit a little unrealistic), but what I found the most interesting was seeing how Leila affected each other their lives as she travelled through. However for the majority of the book I felt very disconnected from Leila, knowing very little about her life or her personality. Leila's characterisation was very subtle and it's not until the last section of the book that we really get to know her. I loved her vibrant personality and just wish we could have seen more of her.
The romance:
There was a little romance sprinkled in here and there, with Leila & Hudson, Elliot and his best friend and Sonia with her new boyfriend. But the book really focusses on the relationships between Leila and each of the strangers she meets on her road trip, rather than romance.
The writing:
Told in a slightly unconventional way, I was left undecided about the writing style for the majority of the book. While I enjoyed the unique approach of having 5 different 3rd person POVs focussing on each character I felt that it limited the character development and most importantly the plot development for Leila's story. The first half of the book is very slow and it took me a while to really get into the book. After reading Leila's POV in the last section, I think I would have preferred the book be told from her perspective all along.
FINAL WORD:
I'm still a little torn about my feelings with this book. It was quite slow to begin with and a little difficult to connect with the characters, and a lot of what happens is quite unrealistic, with characters not really acting their age. However, it was a still a fun and lighthearted summery read. If you like a light contemporary YA, then give this one a go!
CONTENT:
Sexuality: mild-medium / some heavy kissing and mention of sex
Violence: none
Language: mild-medium / occasional f word
Drugs & alcohol: mild-medium / mentions of drug use and 'stoners'
Have you read any books with 5+ mini stories?
What are your favourite road trip novels?
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i'm quite looking forward to reading this book, it reminds me of paper towns by john green which i really enjoyed :)
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