Let's Get Lost
by Adi
Alsaid
Release Date: 07/29/14
Harlequin Teen
Summary from Goodreads:
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.
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.
EXCERPT
After half an hour
of aimless driving, the air hadn’t cooled at all. The faux-velvet seats had
become uncomfortably sticky, so they decided to park and stretch their legs for
a bit. Seeking solace from the heat, they chose a spot under the shade of a
tree with long, low-hanging branches that reached out over the street like
protective arms.
Across the
road from them, surrounded by a ten-foot white wall that stretched farther than
Bree could see, was the Kansas City Country Club. The landscaping outside was
immaculate, everything bright green and evenly trimmed, bushes rounded into
perfect spheres. Every now and then a car would drive up to the lone valet
attendant. The people getting out of the cars were dressed up, the men in
expensive looking suits, cuff links, and pocket squares, the women decked out
in jewelry and brand-name handbags. A big, golden Mercedes came up the
driveway. A car like that had never once stopped to pick Bree up when she was
hitchhiking.
“I bet that
Mercedes has some pretty sweet AC,” Bree said.
“I bet,” Leila
said. She wiped at the sweat on her forehead. “It looks like there’s some kind
of event going on.”
The sun was still
high, the sunset a couple of hours away. Bree felt her shirt stick to her lower
back.
“Yeah . . .” Bree
said, her voice trailing off. “You think they’d mind if we borrowed it for a
little while?”
Leila turned to
Bree, arching one eyebrow. “It would be nice to drive around with some
air-conditioning for a bit. Why? Your soul getting itchy again?”
They
watched the valet attendant get into the car, drive about fifty feet up the
driveway, and turn into the parking lot that was hidden from view. After a few
moments he reappeared, trotting back to the entrance, waiting for the next car
to show up. He left the keys of the Mercedes on a hook next to about two dozen
other sets of luxury-car keys.
“We’ll just borrow
it for an hour,” Bree said. “They won’t even notice it’s gone.”
“I’m not so sure
about that. Rich people have a weird sixth sense about their belongings.”
“It’ll just be a few quick laps on the
highway.”
“Quick because there’ll be someone
chasing us?”
“No one will be chasing us.”
“I know,” Leila
said. “I’m stalling because I’m nervous.”
“Hey, I’m not gonna
deny you the right to be nervous. But once you’ve dealt with your nerves, I
think you know what we have to do.”
“What do we say if someone catches us?”
“That we were dying
of heat stroke and it was a medical emergency,” Bree said.
Leila paused. “Then
we’ll come right back and leave it exactly where it was before?”
“Same parking spot.”
Another car was
coming up the street, likely headed for the club. The girls looked at each
other, grinning like madmen. Bree could feel her heartbeat speed up.
Bree opened the
door. “Come on, we’ll grab the keys when the valet’s parking this car.”
Leila took a few
deep breaths, as if she was about to try swimming a long distance underwater.
“Seize the Tuesday,” she said.
They jogged
across the street and hid behind the outer wall of the country club. When they
heard the valet start pulling the car around, they left their cover and walked
quickly up the driveway. The keys were hanging unprotected, as tempting as pies
cooling on windowsills. Bree reached them first, grabbing the set with that
recognizable Mercedes symbol glinting silver in the sunlight. It was almost disappointingly
easy.
“Just act like you
belong here,” Bree said as they walked into the parking lot. “The best ID in
the world is a smile and a wave.”
The weight
of the keys in her hand already felt so gratifying, more than her entire duffel
bag of stolen goods had. She couldn’t wait to get into the car, to start the
engine, to drive around and pretend that cold air had been their only
motivation.
“Can I help you guys?”
The valet appeared
up ahead, a couple of rows over. He wasn’t badlooking, Bree thought to herself.
He was goofy in his valet’s vest, his white button-down shirt more shoved into
his pants than patiently tucked. He had the kind of facial hair that can’t
quite yet be more than scruff.
“We just need to
get something out of the car,” Bree said, not slowing down.
The valet squinted
at them, noticing the keys in Bree’s hand. She closed her fist tightly against
them, as if he might try to take them away from her forcefully. She wondered if
they could outrun him.
“Oh,” he said,
starting to walk in their direction. “Are, uh, are you guys club members?”
“My parents just
forgot something,” Bree said, pointing vaguely in the direction of the golden
Mercedes. Leila followed Bree’s lead, but the valet kept walking toward them,
as if he meant to cut them off. He’d pulled his cell phone out of his pocket.
“Okay,” he said, but it was clear that he wasn’t going to leave them.
Shit, Bree thought, sensing an impassable obstacle. Then she
remembered how easy it had been to just walk away with all they’d stolen at the
convenience store, how that guy pumping his gas had looked at them. The
Mercedes was only about three cars away now, close enough that the remote would
have no trouble unlocking the doors. She met the valet’s gaze,
searching his rather pretty eyes for something besides suspicion.
“Can I ask you a
question?” she said, stepping right up to him.
“Um,” he
said. They were standing by the Mercedes now. The valet’s gaze went from the
car, to Leila, to Bree, who was now less than an arm’s length away. “Sure.”
“When was the last time you felt really
alive?”
“What?”
Without another
word, Bree put her hand on his waist and pulled herself toward him. She kissed
him with abandon. Despite what had happened, Bree still believed in reckless
kisses. She pulled back and couldn’t help but laugh at the dazed look in the
valet’s eyes.
“Whoa,” he said.
“Reminiscent of John Green’s Paper
Towns and road trip novels that feature a teen paving the way to
adulthood, Alsaid’s debut is a gem among contemporary YA novels.” – School
Library Journal
“Five love stories, beautifully woven
together by a special girl in search of adventure, hope, and full
appreciation of life’s simple pleasures. A do-not-miss. ” – Justine Magazine
“Moving and poignant.” - Glitter Magazine
“An entertaining and romantic road-trip
debut.” – Kirkus
"Leila's quest to find the Northern
Lights takes readers on a captivating cross-country journey, where four
strangers' adventures collide into one riveting tale of finding yourself." ―YABooksCentral.com
“This will likely be a popular summer hit, especially for older teen about to embark on their own journeys of self-discovery.” –Booklist
“This will likely be a popular summer hit, especially for older teen about to embark on their own journeys of self-discovery.” –Booklist
About the Author:
Adi Alsaid was born and raised in Mexico City, then studied at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. While in class, he mostly read fiction and continuously failed to fill out crossword puzzles, so it's no surprise that after graduating, he did not go into business world but rather packed up his apartment into his car and escaped to the California coastline to become a writer. He's now back in his hometown, where he writes, coaches high school and elementary basketball, and has perfected the art of making every dish he eats or cooks as spicy as possible. In addition to Mexico, he's lived in Tel Aviv, Las Vegas, and Monterey, California. A tingly feeling in his feet tells him more places will eventually be added to the list. Let's Get Lost is his YA debut.
Let's Get Lost Website!
Adi Alsaid was born and raised in Mexico City, then studied at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. While in class, he mostly read fiction and continuously failed to fill out crossword puzzles, so it's no surprise that after graduating, he did not go into business world but rather packed up his apartment into his car and escaped to the California coastline to become a writer. He's now back in his hometown, where he writes, coaches high school and elementary basketball, and has perfected the art of making every dish he eats or cooks as spicy as possible. In addition to Mexico, he's lived in Tel Aviv, Las Vegas, and Monterey, California. A tingly feeling in his feet tells him more places will eventually be added to the list. Let's Get Lost is his YA debut.
Let's Get Lost Website!
Author Links:
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