Perfect Chemistry Paperback – 1 April 2010

I read Perfect Chemistry a while back and decided to re-read it after buying the second and third companion novels. I think I may have loved it even more the second time around.Simone Elkeles writes real YA. Like Jennifer Echols, Jenny Downham and Tabitha Suzuma, Elkeles dives into the teen psyche and delivers a novel where teens talk, act, and think like real teens. And just to make her books gosh darn perfect she even gives them real problems too! There's always a fear when reading a blurb like Perfect Chemistry that you're going to lead your imagination into a bad racial divide novel that cheesifies very real and difficult issues. I am so happy to say that this is not the case.Take the heroine, Brittany - she's pretty, she's blonde, she's rich, she's popular, she's captain of the Pom Squad and she dates the hottest guy in school. But behind that glossy façade she has oh so carefully created, is a teenager that's a carer (cleaning, changing, feeding and all) for her twenty year old sister, Shelley, who has Cerebral Palsy. On top of that she has a neurotic, OCD mother who suffered from a nervous breakdown a year ago, and a father who treats their home more like a hotel than anything else. Real teen with real issues - tick!Take our hero, Alex - he's yummy, he's dangerous, he carries a Glock, rides a motorcycle and is a member of criminal gang, the Latino Bloods. But behind that terrifying persona he has oh so carefully crafted, is a teenager who loves his family, who would do anything to protect his family (after all he has been `man of the house' since his father was shot dead in front of him at age six)... even joining a gang he hates... Alex is also intelligent, longs for respectability, is loyal and scared. The gang issues brought up are not glorified or brushed over or devoid of any tragedy. In fact the gang subplot provides a great dose of suspense to the overall story. Real teen with real issues - tick!There is some curse words in Perfect Chemistry but I really feel the book would have been pretty silly if the gang members walked around minding their p's and q's all the time. I loved how the teenagers thought and acted like actual teenagers, even if that means the novel is more appropriate for older teen readers. I just don't think the story would have worked nearly so well, or felt as authentic, if Elkeles had cleaned up the language etc. That's not to say the language is overly graphic - in fact the author does a wonderful job of finding the perfect balance.Outside of the hero and heroine's individual problems, Perfect Chemistry is of course a love story. And boy is it a good one. The chemistry is sizzling, the romance well-developed and well-written, and the dialogue between Brittany and Alex absolutely fantastic.Loved, Loved, Loved.Five Massive, Massive Stars!

I devoured this book and was left in a book hangover state after finishing it with the characters still on my mind. The book cover is absolutely gorgeous and what drew me in at first, but later it was the characters who stole my heart.Perfect Chemistry is a book on star crossed lovers Brittany Ellis the perfect good girl and Alex (Alejandro) Fuentes, the bad boy affiliated gang member of the Latino Bloods. Both starting their senior year at high school. They follow their own crowds with Brittany being Miss Popular along with her hot football player boyfriend Colin, earning them the perfect golden couple status versus Alex who is known to constantly lead the bad crowd and land himself in trouble. I absolutely adored Alex and Brittany individually and together as a couple their chemistry felt so palpable and hot.Alex is cocky, unafraid, protective, walks with swagger, is sexy and a badass. The energy he permeates around him had me addicted to his character and I could not get enough of him. Brittany is sweet, caring, a hard worker who’s trying to balance her school and home life. She has a lot of responsibilities on her shoulders with no one to share her burden. Forced to work together on a chemistry project leads to not only sparks flying between Brittany and Alex, but also taunts, flirtation, games, ruffling each others feathers, developing feelings, exposure to new people, cultures, jealousy, pain, letting barriers down, danger, loss, heartache, love, second chances and a future.This book is rich in portraying real life issues facing kids growing up in two different environments. I felt the divide between the rich and poor status, the need to protect loved ones, the life and dangers of being a gang member, the inner battles of peer pressure and going against the crowd, putting up a front to please others and letting go of fears to experience real love.Perfect Chemistry is full of urban vibes and is a great teen ya/na romance book. I loved reading this, Alex’s brothers Carlos and Luis were cute. I could have done without the loss and thought the author didn’t do the character enough justice. His scene at the end just felt rushed and the epilogue was twenty-three years too late for me to appreciate the significance of the name dedication, and I needed more Alex and Brittany! Due to this and the poor editing with grammatical mistakes i.e. whole words separated with a space lead me to rate this four stars. Besides these issues I adored this book and will re-read it. Now I’m desperate to one click Carlos and Luis’s books so I can stay in this book heaven bubble.