Book Reviews, Reviews by Jennifer D.

{Series Review} Perfect Chemistry 1, 2, & 3 by Simone Elkeles

Perfect Chemistry (Perfect Chemistry #1)

By Simone Elkeles

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  • ISBN-13: 9780802798220
  • Publisher: Walker & Company
  • Publication date: 12/23/2008
  • Pages: 368
  • Age range: 14 – 18 Years
  • Review Source: Self Purchase

Find It:   Goodreads   |   Barnes & Noble
Purchase: Buy This Book from Book Depository, Free Delivery World Wide
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Overview:

A fresh, urban twist on the classic tale of star-crossed lovers.

When Brittany Ellis walks into chemistry class on the first day of senior year, she has no clue that her carefully created “perfect” life is about to unravel before her eyes. She’s forced to be lab partners with Alex Fuentes, a gang member from the other side of town, and he is about to threaten everything she’s worked so hard for—her flawless reputation, her relationship with her boyfriend, and the secret that her home life is anything but perfect. Alex is a bad boy and he knows it. So when he makes a bet with his friends to lure Brittany into his life, he thinks nothing of it. But soon Alex realizes Brittany is a real person with real problems, and suddenly the bet he made in arrogance turns into something much more.

In a passionate story about looking beneath the surface, Simone Elkeles breaks through the stereotypes and barriers that threaten to keep Brittany and Alex apart.

2010 RITA Winner for Best Young Adult Romance

 

 

 

My Thoughts on Perfect Chemistry:

 
Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles is a new and interesting take on the phrase; opposites attract. This is the tale of two seemingly different teenagers from two very different worlds on the north and south sides of suburban Chicago. This tale narrated by its two main characters, Alejandro Fuentes and Brittany Ellis.

Brittany Ellis is a typical high school student living in the wealthy north side of suburban Chicago. To her friends and other school mates, she has the perfect life, perfect family, perfect car, and perfect boyfriend, but this is a myth that she encourages to disguise the truth. At home, if Brittany doesn’t do exactly as her mother wishes, she has the deal with her mother’s intense attitude and often yelling. Her father offers no relief as he is always gone with his job at a computer company. On the few occasions’ that he is home, he does not interact with the family choosing to lock himself away in his office and continue his work. Brittany’s only relief comes from caring for her elder sister Shelly. Shelly, who has cerebral palsy, cannot function very well on her own and must be taken care of 24/7. Spending time with Shelly is the Brittany’s only real relief from the stress of her chaotic life. The chaos only worsens when she catches the eye of well known Latin Blood member Alejandro Fuentes.

Alejandro Fuentes is an eighteen year old high school student living with his mother and two younger brothers on the south side of the same city. Because his father was murdered when Alex was very young, responsibility has fallen on his shoulders to be the man of the house. This includes joining the Latin Bloods in order to keep his family safe. This also means making sure that his younger brothers, fifteen year old Carlos and eleven year old Luis, away from the same lifestyle. Though Alex does achieve high grades and has dreams of going to college and having a better life, he feels that he will never achieve those dreams. Therefore, he intends to see that his brother can have the life that he can’t. Much like the locations, his life is the exact opposite of Brittany’s. At least that’s what they believe.

Brittany and Alex’s paths first cross on the first day of their senior year at Fairfield High School when Brittany nearly hits Alex when attempting to pull into the same parking space. Their paths cross again when the two are paired together in their chemistry class leading them into a relationship neither can understand nor stop.

Simone Elkeles does a phenomenal job capturing the reality of teenage relationships and situations. She keeps the book interesting by putting the reality of teenage life into a romance novel for young adults. She also tells of the realities of gang life and how seemingly perfect lives aren’t always what they seem.  If you’re looking for a steamy teen romance about the good girl and the bad boy, who always turns out to be better than you think, Perfect Chemistry is the book you want to read.

 

 

 

 

 
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Rules of Attraction (Perfect Chemistry #2)

By Simone Elkeles

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  • ISBN-13: 9780802720856
  • Publisher: Walker & Company
  • Publication date: 4/13/2010
  • Pages: 336
  • Age range: 14 – 17 Years
  • Review Source: Self Purchase

Find it:   Goodreads |   Barnes & Noble
Purchase:Buy This Book from Book Depository, Free Delivery World Wide
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Overview:

When Carlos Fuentes returns to America after living in Mexico for the past year, he doesn’t want any part of the life his older brother, Alex, has laid out for him in Colorado. When he meets Kiara Westford, a good girl totally unlike any of the girls he’s usually drawn to, Carlos assumes Kiara thinks she’s too good for him. But will he put his pride aside when he realizes that being with Kiara might finally allow him to be his true self?

 

 

 

My Thoughts on Rules of Attraction:

 
Simone Elkeles does it again with the Rules of Attraction. Set two years after her hit Perfect Chemistry, Rules of Attraction tells the story of Carlos Fuentes and Kiara Westford.

After losing his job at the local sugar mill, Carlos family decides to send him to Boulder, Colorado to live with his older brother Alex. Upon arriving, Carlos makes it known that he is not happy about living in Boulder and intends to do anything he chooses. Upon starting at the local high school, Carlos meets Kiara.  After only a week at school, Carlos is falsely accused and nearly suspended from school. As a result, he is sent to live with Alex’s former teacher Mr.Westford and his family. Though Carlos intends not to become close to anyone, he soon finds that Kiara isn’t someone who can scare away.

Kiara is not the type of girl Carlos is used to. Instead of shopping for the latest fashion, she prefers working on her 1973 Monte Carlo, hiking the Colorado Mountains, and spending time with her parents’ younger brother Brandon and best friend Tucker. After her boyfriend Michael breaks up with her via text message, she is determined to make herself know for something other than her lack of style and stuttering. After working with a speech therapist all summer, Kiara is ready to start the school year fresh. When Carlos moves in with Kiara’s family, the pair begins a relationship that neither can explain.

Simone, once again, does a great job expressing teenage relationships and the reality of gang life. She tells the story of the newest Fuentes brother and his developing relationship with a few old favorites. If you enjoyed Perfect Chemistry, you’ll love Rules of Attraction.


 

 

 

 

 

 
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Chain Reaction (Perfect Chemistry #3)

By Simone Elkeles

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  • ISBN-13: 9780802720870
  • Publisher: Walker & Company
  • Publication date: 8/16/2011
  • Pages: 320
  • Age range: 14 – 18 Years
  • Review Source: Self Purchase

Find it:   Goodreads   |   Barnes & Noble
Purchase:Buy This Book from Book Depository, Free Delivery World Wide
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Overview:

Luis Fuentes has always been sheltered from the gang violence that nearly destroyed his brothers’ lives. But that hasn’t stopped him from other thrill-seeking behavior—like scaling a mountain in the Rockies or dreaming of a future as an astronaut.  Nikki Cruz lives her life by three rules—boys lie to get their way, don’t trust a boy who says “I love you,” and never date a boy from the south side of Fairfield. Then she meets Luis at his brother Alex’s wedding, and suddenly she’s tempted to break all her rules.

Getting Nikki to take a chance on a south sider is Luis’s biggest challenge, until he finds himself targeted by Chuy Soto, the new head of the Latino Blood. When Chuy reveals a disturbing secret about Luis’s family, the youngest Fuentes finds himself questioning everything he’s ever believed to be true. Will his feelings for Nikki be enough to stop Luis from entering a dark and violent world?

 

 

 

My Thoughts on Chain Reaction:

 
Chain Reaction is the third installment to the Perfect Chemistry Series. This book stars the third and youngest Fuentes brother Luis. Luis, the risk taker with dreams of becoming an astronaut, was able to avoid gang lifestyle. Unfortunately when he and his mother move back to Chicago his luck runs out. Shortly after arriving he befriends a known gang member and is sucked into the life that his older brother Alex worked to shield him from. Things turn worse when he discovers a dark family secret that threatens to completely destroy his plans for the future.  His love life become just as complicated when he meets north sider Nikki Cruz.

Nikki’s parents may have been born in Mexico, but that is the extent of her knowledge of the country. Add that to the fact that she is the daughter of a doctor, she has much more in common with other north siders than the Latino Bloods she attends school with. But that doesn’t stop her from dating one. Sadly this relationship does not end well which results in her believing boys can’t be trusted, especially those involved in the LB. But when she meets Luis, her beliefs are completely shattered and she finds herself more involved in the Latino Bloods then she could ever imagine.

I have heard a lot of mixed reviews of this installment. My feelings for the first two books aside, I LOVED IT! This book was great for a lot of different reasons. First reason: the characters. While my heart will forever lie with Carlos, Luis is still fantastic. Though he’s the youngest of the three brothers, he is a bigger risk taker then the other two. While its cute the majority of the time, it become annoying when he uses it to get involved with the gang. Nikki is also an interesting character. She is perfect for this storyline, but when her trust issues get in the way of her relationship with Luis, who is obviously a great guy, I found myself more annoyed with her than any other character I have ever read. But in the end, she always seems to have some redeeming quality that will get you back on her side. Second reason I love this book, characters from the last two books are part of the story without completely taking over the story. One of my favorite things about Simone is that she always lets you know about former characters. While most authors finish a book and you never hear about the characters again, Simone always lets you know about the people in the last story.

Overall, this is a fantastic series and by far my favorite. It’s a great love story in the modern gang world.  I highly recommend it to both teens and adults.

 

 

 

Series Rating

5 out of 5 Controllers

 

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