Early Praise:
“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
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 pulledback and couldn’t help but laugh at the dazed look
in the valet’s eyes
.
“Whoa,” he said.
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!
***GIVEAWAY***
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1 Let’s Get Lost
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1 Let’s Get Lost
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