This book was recommended to me because of my love for YA romances and everything that has ever aired on the Food Network, and OH MAN was this the perfect book for me. This is Adi Alsaid’s third contemporary YA novel but the first of his that I’ve picked up, a fact that I deeply regret and will promptly remedy.

NORTH OF HAPPY follows Carlos, who has just graduated from high school and is struggling with the rigid path his father has laid out for him. He’s also dealing with the death of his older brother, Felix, whose voice Carlos continues to hear. A chance encounter inspires Carlos to travel from his home in Mexico City to the coast of Washington State, where he seeks out a restaurant his brother had wanted to visit. There, he gets a job, falls for Emma, the daughter of the restaurant’s head chef, and has to figure out what he really wants out of life.

This book made my heart happy. (Directly in the center of happy, actually.) The premise had me from page one, but I was most impressed by the nuanced and thoughtful depiction of grief. The romance was sweetly swoony and the writing utterly immersive—I’m booking my ticket to the San Juan Islands right now, BTW. That is, after I finish testing every single one of Carlos’s mouth-watering recipes. If you’re looking for a perfect end-of-summer read, I highly recommend this fantastic novel.