North of Happy

by Adi Alsaid

A wealthy dual citizen of Mexico and the United States rebels against his family's strict plans for his future in the aftermath of his older brother's tragic death, an event that compels him to secure a job with his favorite celebrity chef, a relationship that becomes complicated when he falls for his boss's daughter.

• ISBN10: 0373212666
• ISBN13: 9780373212668
• Publish Date: 25 April 2017
• Publish Status: Active
• Imprint: Harlequin Teen
• Edition: Original ed.
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 288
• Language: English

Reviews

[readingwithwrin]

Family, grief and cooking all rolled into one book. Carlos has recently lost his brother and now with his dad trying to decide the rest of his life for him, he runs. He runs to a place that him and his brother always wanted to visit and while he is their he finds himself and what he wants to do. I enjoyed this book, but at times it was just a little to slow for me. I did like the recipes at the beginning of each chapter though. Overall this was a good book and I do want to read more from this author.

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[girlinthepages]

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.Many thanks to the publisher for providing a copy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review!

As a reader, I'd been curious about North of Happy for quite a while. I hadn't read any of Alsaid's previous work, but I had heard a lot of buzz surrounding both Let's Get Lost and Never Always Sometimes, so I was surprised that this one had seemed to fly under my radar. I'm also a HUGE fan of FoodNetwork, Chef's Table, food blogs, etc. so seeing a YA book explore a protagonist with similar interests (and a great deal more talent than I possess) was a draw as well.

While North of Happy definitely had a focus on food, it had a larger focus on family and dealing with death and grief, and I loved seeing how that manifested in the protagonist's desire to pursue a culinary career. Protagonist Carlos was different than his spontaneous older brother Felix in many ways, but they were linked by their passion for food. So when Carlos is grieving Felix, it's fitting that he's drawn to cooking, to creating, to a form of expression that provides not only a constructive outlet for his anger and grief and confusion, but also serves to soothe and comfort others. It also provided a lot of realistic insight into the not often glamorous life of working in a kitchen, from the late nights to early mornings, beginning at the bottom of the pack and increasing your status dish by dish (in Carlos' case literally, as he lands a spot as a dishwasher in a premiere restaurant on a sleepy island off the coast of Seattle).

Carlos' story is also one of travel and self exploration, as he leaves his birthplace of Mexico City to chase an obscure dream in the Pacific Northwest after seeing a thriving and innovative restaurant featured on TV. I am always a huge fan of novels that portray protagonist navigating two cultures and sharing in their unique experiences, and North of Happy was no exception. There's a touch of magical realism in the writing that's likely born from the protagonist/author's Latinx roots, in the way Felix manifests to Carlos in the everyday elements of his life, from animals passing by to the soap suds on the dishes he scrubs for twelve hours a day. Rather than be a commentary on mental illness, it feels like a natural part of the storytelling, a device to portray just how insular Carlos' world has become since the death of his beloved older brother, and how it fogs the way he interacts with the rest of the world.

While I loved the unique storytelling, small island setting and of course the food descriptions (especially how each chapter started with a recipe!) there were some elements of the novel that didn't impress me as much. There's a romance between Carlos and a girl he meets on the island which has its sweet moments, but ultimately felt distracting to the larger overall themes happening with grief, coming of age, career goals, etc. The book also ended on what I felt was a rather melancholy, unfair tone, that negated a lot of the work that Carlos had done over one mistake, which made me frustrated as a reader since I had spent so much time rooting for him throughout his journey.

Overall: As a foodie, North of Happy was an incredible read and one that I'd love to recommend to anyone who finds themselves watching cooking shows or chef documentaries, whether for wish-fulfillment or for practice. It captured the culture of that world incredibly well. However, the story ultimately ended in a way that was unsatisfying and I hoped for more for the protagonist. However, I definitely see myself trying more of Adi Alsaid's books in the future and would love to learn more about his own background and relationship with food/cooking, as its an element I've seen so rarely explored in YA!This review was originally posted on Girl in the Pages

[Sam@WLABB]

I really liked this one. I have been fully embracing these books, where the characters are working through some sort of grief, and this one dug it's claws into my heart early on. I really was rooting for Carlos as he was trying to move on and trying to find his passion.

Although I own three Alsaid books, this is the first I have read, and I know, after reading this, that I will be reading the other two shortly. I really loved his story telling. There were so much fun and beautiful moments, that Alsaid wrote perfectly. He also did an amazing job pulling me into Carlos' world. Every time we were in the kitchen, I could feel the energy and the passion. The food descriptions made my mouth water, and I could almost see the woods where Carlos and Emma frolicked.

Although the ending tied up some of the storylines quite nicely, and left me with some hope, I wanted a little more with one thing. It's a pet peeve of mine. It is why I love epilogues. But even with that, I can say I was fairly satisfied and happy overall.