Perfect ChemistryBy Simone Elkeles
2009
357 pages
Summary: Brittany Ellis is from the north side of town. She’s popular, a cheerleader and is dating the most popular boy in school. She has spent most of her life projecting that her beautiful and rich family is perfect and flawless, despite the secret they keep. Alex is from the south side of town, where he is a member of a dangerous gang. He’s done everything he can to keep his family safe, but there are some lines he refuses to cross. When the two are put together in chemistry class, their worlds are blown open and they realize that together, anything is possible.
Review: Perfect Chemistry was a very captivating read. Despite my wariness of such a romantic novel, I was hooked from the start and couldn’t put it down. Elkeles does a beautiful job at creating captivating characters. Their shared narrative serve to fill out the story and connect readers. We see the shared insecurities, desires and the tenderness between them and are immediately pulled into their story. While the romantic relationship is the central part of the novel, the elements of Brittney’s (her sister) and Alex’s (his gang) lives make this story about so much more. This novel definitely has an audience beyond just those who enjoy romance.
Also by Simone Elkeles: Leaving Paradise, Return to Paradise and Rules of Attraction
If you liked Perfect Chemistry you might also enjoy: The Nature of Jade by Deb Caletti, Up Country by Alden Carter, No More For Us by David Hernandez, Twenty Boy Summer by Sarah Ockler, Marcelo in the Real World by Francisco X Stork, Going to Far by Jennifer Echols
Additional Info: Rules of Attraction is a lose sequel that follows Carlos, Alex’s younger brother. Also there will be a third book in the series, set to be released early 2011
Author website: http://www.simoneelkeles.net/index-web.html
Rating: W3.5/4 C4/4 P3.5/4 O3/4 PP4/4 CR4/4
Grade Level Interest: JS
If you liked Perfect Chemistry you might also enjoy: The Nature of Jade by Deb Caletti, Up Country by Alden Carter, No More For Us by David Hernandez, Twenty Boy Summer by Sarah Ockler, Marcelo in the Real World by Francisco X Stork, Going to Far by Jennifer Echols
Additional Info: Rules of Attraction is a lose sequel that follows Carlos, Alex’s younger brother. Also there will be a third book in the series, set to be released early 2011
Author website: http://www.simoneelkeles.net/index-web.html
Rating: W3.5/4 C4/4 P3.5/4 O3/4 PP4/4 CR4/4
Grade Level Interest: JS
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2 comments:
You know, I read this book and while I enjoyed it, I didn't exactly love it. I liked it enough that I'm itching to read Carlos' book but for some reason Alex got on my nerves and so did Brittany. Overall, I enjoyed this book but it wasn't my favorite.
But reading your review surely has raised some great points. Elkeles did a great job of making me connect with both characters, it was good to get the dual POV's because it let me into Alex's head and sometimes I'm dying for a chance to poke around in the hero's head.
Hi Rowena, Thanks so much for your positive feedback on this and other reviews. When I first started seeing reviews for Perfect Chemistry everything was glowing. However, since I’ve read it I’ve heard from a lot of people that their experiences were mixed. I wasn’t inlove with it, but it was pretty good. The second one is much better. Do you ever find it hard to write reviews for books you feel mixed on? I always tend to fall on the more positive side because every book has an audience. Thanks again for stopping by.
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