Let's Get Lost by Adi Alsaid

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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.

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 one has been burning a hole on my bookshelf for the last two years before I finally got to it. You know how sometimes you just need to be at the right place and time for something? This is one of those instances. I think I was finally ready to lose myself in this charming and adventurous story that delivers remarkable insight in the unlikeliest of ways.

There are just some people that come into our lives and however brief their stay is, their impact on us is everlasting. Such is the case when Leila befriends these four individuals, on separate stops, during her epic roadtrip to see the Northern Lights. Each of their encounters are from the strangers' point of view. In Leila, each of them finds a confidant, a person who champions them, a cohort in mischief and a good listener. She is what they need at THAT very moment in their lives. While Leila is like a miracle angel to them, she remains a mystery until her story is explored in the last few chapters of the book.

I was amazed by the ease with which Leila managed to immerse herself into her new friends’ worlds and get along with them.  She’s so incredibly personable and trusting. She has this way about her that puts them at ease that they trust her implicitly. I could picture each person in each town she said goodbye to, scratching their heads wondering, “did that really just happen?” Every one of them she comes in contact with is at a crossroads in their lives. By the time this carefree stranger is on the road again, her new friends see things with greater clarity. 

As engrossing as their individual stories are, it’s Leila’s at the end that’s the most intriguing. She’s still searching and waiting for a connection to something she desperately wants to find again. I won’t say anything further - just that she may tug at your heartstrings a little. Her sweetness and optimism remains, she’s just changed. 

Reading Let’s Get Lost gave me a sense of wanderlust. It was enchanted by every one of their stories and realized that I was able to connect with them on a certain level. Through Leila and her new friends, I also got to participate in some hi-jinx fun and enjoy their camaraderie. All the critical praise that's been heaped upon it is well-deserved. It’s such a rewarding story; I hope you’ll give it a try!

~ Bel