North of Happy by Adi Alsaid

Title: North of Happy
Author: Adi Alsaid
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Publication date: April 25, 2017
Pages: 368
Source/format: e-ARC from publisher and author as part of the North of Happy ARC Hop

Rating: ☆☆☆☆

Synopsis (from goodreads.com):

New from critically acclaimed author of LET'S GET LOST and NEVER ALWAYS SOMETIMES. In the wake of his brother's untimely death, a teen chef runs away from home to find his true path in life.

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.

M Y  T H O U G H T S
 
"The world is a much bigger place than you realize," he said with a smile. "We're going to explore it." - ARC of North of Happy

Carlos Portillo lives in Mexico and has a close relationship with his brother, Felix. One of the things the brothers bonded over was finding the perfect taco. Over the course of a night, they would visit restaurants to find the perfect taco. However, things go astray and it ends up in Felix's death. Felix is the one who told Carlos to live life to its fullest and to explore the world. Don't just settle for what's in front of you but to get up and run with what you have to take it to the next level.

Carlos follows Felix's words and travels to the United States to visit Provecho, a restaurant in Washington State that he's seen on TV prior him leaving Mexico. Felix is always with him giving him advice to follow his dreams. Carlos meets Emma who works at Provecho and she is his helping hand to introduce him to Provecho as well as Washington.

The family dynamics is quite interesting in this book. Carlos follows the steps of his brother to explore to world. His mother tries to get him to come back home. Both parents are upset Carlos decided to get up and leave. But of course when family health is involve, Carlos will relocate back to his family

I have been following Adi Alsaid's books since Let's Get Lost. By far North of Happy is my favorite novel written by Alsaid. With careful research about working on the line, he incorporated his love for food in the best way possible.

Each chapter is titled after a recipe and includes the ingredients to make the recipe. I found this to be a very unique way to title and to introduce each chapter. Because the book is heavy on Carlos working his way up the line, food has an importance in the novel. Each recipe is significant to the plot of each chapter. Each chapter is a recipe of life.

Reading North of Happy is like sampling the cuisine with Anthony Bourdain and Chef Ramsey. Maybe it might not be as intense but food is an essential to life. Food is the essence of what it means to be living and it's the substance that keeps us going. Many cultures bond over food during many events and gatherings. It fuels us. As Felix mentions, "You will feel full to your soul." "A taco that makes you hungry for life and that makes you feel like you have never been more alive. Nothing short of that will do."

North of Happy will satisfy readers who love food, traveling and new beginnings. I can guarantee you that your mouth will be watering after reading this novel and your taste buds will be wanting to savor every chapter.

Never Always Sometimes by Adi Alsaid

Title: Never Always Sometimes
Author: Adi Alsaid
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Publication date: August 4, 2015
Pages: 320
Source/format: ARC from NAS ARC Hop

Rating: ☆☆☆☆

Synopsis (from Goodreads.com):

Never date your best friend
Always be original
Sometimes rules are meant to be broken

Best friends Dave and Julia were determined to never be cliché high school kids—the ones who sit at the same lunch table every day, dissecting the drama from homeroom and plotting their campaigns for prom king and queen. They even wrote their own Never List of everything they vowed they'd never, ever do in high school.

Some of the rules have been easy to follow, like #5, never die your hair a color of the rainbow, or #7, never hook up with a teacher. But Dave has a secret: he's broken rule #8, never pine silently after someone for the entirety of high school. It's either that or break rule #10, never date your best friend. Dave has loved Julia for as long as he can remember.

Julia is beautiful, wild and impetuous. So when she suggests they do every Never on the list, Dave is happy to play along. He even dyes his hair an unfortunate shade of green. It starts as a joke, but then a funny thing happens: Dave and Julia discover that by skipping the clichés, they've actually been missing out on high school. And maybe even on love.

My Thoughts

I've read Adi Alsaid's debut Let's Get Lost and wasn't super blown away with it. However, I was super excited to read Never Always Sometimes and when Alsaid mentioned about an ARC hop, I jumped on board. Instead of just having ARCs float around the country, Alsaid wanted a way to bring readers together. Alsaid decided to have send ARCs to readers where we share a bit of ourselves with each other. That's right, Alsaid lets bloggers vandalize his ARCs! It's a way for everyone who reads Never Always Sometimes to connect with the previous readers and to leave notes for the next reader. For more information about the Never Sometimes Always ARC Hop, please check it out here.

Never Always Sometimes is such a sweet book about two friends David (Dave) and Julia who live in San Luis Obispo, Califronia. The day before high school starts, they make a list of high school clichés that they will never do called The Nevers aka Dave and Julia's Guide to an Original High School Experience.

Almost four years later pass by and it is getting hard to avoid some of the items listed on The Nevers. Dave suggested doing the list and Julia finally agrees. As Julia's mom puts it, there is "no point of living a life less ordinary if you don't know what the other side looks like" (ARC, page 99). Dave and Julia cross things off The Never list like dyeing their hair a color found in a rainbow or go on an epic "life changing" road trip. These clichés bring Dave and Julia closer than ever before.

This book is a cute read about a friendship between a boy and a girl. It's about the journey of enjoying the moment and doing something spontaneous. Dave and Julia enjoy each other's company and they are pretty much inseparable. I love the humor Alsaid includes in this book. Dave and Julia are likable characters. The things they say are hilarious. I was laughing so much at the ridiculous things Dave and Julia did throughout the book. They have guts! I would never in my life do most of the things on The Nevers list. FYI, this book has unrequited love and cheating. Although, I do not like cheating in books I read, the outcome of the actions are realistic.

I love how at the end of the book, Dave and Julia create The Always list for clichés they should embark on in college. Although the novel takes place during the academic year, Never Always Sometimes makes a great summer read. I highly recommend this novel if you are looking for a endearing contemporary.

Looking Ahead: Never Always Sometimes Cover Reveal

Image from alloyentertainment.com

Adi Alsaid just mentioned on Twitter about his new book Never Always Sometimes. The cover was revealed earlier today. The novel has a release date of August 4, 2015. I am looking forward to this novel. Even though Let's Get Lost wasn't my favorite, I hope I like this one. The synopsis looks promising.

According to Alsaid on Alloy Entertainment's site, he mentioned the following:

"We are six months away from the release of NEVER ALWAYS SOMETIMES, but as I learned with LET’S GET LOST, it’s never too soon to start the journey! Or is it sometimes too soon? Just kidding, as always. Okay, I promise that’s the last of the bad title-based jokes in this post.

I’m thrilled to be presenting the cover of my second novel, and so excited for everyone to get to meet Dave and Julia. The night before high school started, these two loner best friends came up with The Nevers, a list of clichés they promised themselves never to do. They didn’t want to change in high school, didn’t want to become like everyone else. But now it’s March of Senior year, and time is dragging on. Out of sheer boredom—or maybe something else—Dave and Julia decide to check off every item on the list, confident that they avoided turning into high school cliches. Their adventures lead them to parties, road trips, and to a handful of unexpected realizations about the people they’ve spent four years avoiding.

NEVER ALWAYS SOMETIMES was a lot of fun to write, especially because of the chemistry that naturally developed between Dave and Julia. After the sprawling, ensemble-cast feel of LET’S GET LOST, it was great to change gears and zoom in on two people that are as close as it gets (though not that close; Never date your best friend was the last item on the list). It’s an intimate book, and—dare I set myself up for people disagreeing?—a funny book. I hope readers, new and returning alike, will fall in love with Dave and Julia like I did, and discover that, every now and then, it’s okay to embrace the clichés."