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45 of 45 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
The perfect element for an enoyable reading experience, December 26, 2008
This review is from: Perfect Chemistry (Paperback)
Alex Fuentes is gang member from the south side of Fairfield, and Brittany Ellis is a privileged girl from the north. Each have a status and a reputation to uphold at Fairfield High, but they also have secrets--for Alex, it's the desire to break free from the Latino Blood gang and his tough image and succeed in life. Brittany's life may look perfect from the outside, but at home, her parents are struggling to deal with Brittany's handicapped sister.
Brittany and Alex are on the opposite ends of the social scene spectrum, but that doesn't stop their chemistry teacher from making them lab partners. It's hate at first sight for both, but as they learn more about each other and slowly move beyond the stereotypes, they'll discover completely new people.
Perfect Chemistry is the classic love story of two utterly different people falling for each other, despite their initial loathing. Elkeles breathes new life into the old tale, giving it a fresh teenage perspective by interchangeably writing in both Alex and Brittany's point of view, keeping Perfect Chemistry fresh and evenly paced. The plot is realistic and sweet without being cliché, and the dialogue is perfect; gritty, and genuine. Each side is portrayed objectively, and though Alex and Brittany's relationship does move at a fast pace, their thoughts, insecurities, hang-ups, and urges all ring true and are easy for nearly any teen to identify with.
Though it is an important part of the book, the romance doesn't dominate it: strong themes of acceptance, diversity, courage, and independence are also present, making for a powerful read that boldly faces the consequences of gang life, and offers an unflinching look at how difficult it is to extricate oneself from it. Elkeles has created a riveting and strong novel with an important and relevant message and a romance hotter than any exothermic reaction.
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16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Classic Bad Boy Meets Good Girl, February 11, 2009
This review is from: Perfect Chemistry (Paperback)
I really enjoyed this novel by Simone Elkeles. It was essentially a story of forbidden love, an almost epic romance, but put into a YA novel. There is the "bad boy" Alex, who lives in a lower income area and is a member of a gang. He has his issues in his life, but has a tough/bad reputation at school. Then, there is the "Golden Girl" Brittany, who seems to have the perfect life, but really, she doesn't. And, unlike some girls in her positions, she is not spoiled or self-centered. Of course, they are made for each other.
I am a sucker for these kind of stories, loving Veronica Mars and Logan Echols kind of pairings (from the TV show Veronica Mars). So, even though it has a fairly predictable plot, if it's what you want to read, pick this up!
The characters are really well done, in my opinion. I do not personally know any Spanish speaking gang members, but I do know that some of the Spanish in the book should not be repeated in a polite setting (so, there is a feeling of realism in the book). I thought both Alex and Brittany were very well-developed characters who grew with each other in the book.
The writing style is easy to read and very engaging. I picked up the book and could not put it down, finishing it in one night.
There are some sad/hard/slightly graphic parts to read in the book, but it is expected. I had fairly high expectations for this book, having read Leaving Paradise, and felt they were exceeded. While it is not an original idea, I loved it and would recommend it to anyone wanting to read a very well done teen romance.
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20 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Strong start....but a weak finish, December 24, 2009
This review is from: Perfect Chemistry (Paperback)
Perfect Chemistry is one of those books that I first heard about on Twitter. The buzz was all good so I found myself picking up a copy one day at the bookstore. Then as with so many others it got lost on Mt TBR. Then a few weeks ago there was some chatter among friends on Twitter about Bad Boys - love them, hate them and just what makes a well drawn Bad Boy. There are two main categories of Bad Boy, you've got the creepy stalkerish boy of Twilight and Hush Hush and then there are the ones that do bad things but deep down they have a good heart. It's the later of the two that I prefer and its that later category that Alejandro "Alex" Fuentes from Perfect Chemistry falls into. I became intrigued with all the Twitter talk about Alex and so decided to move Perfect Chemistry up a few notches on Mt TBR and initially I was really impressed by it.
Perfect Chemistry is life a modern day Romeo and Juliet or maybe West Side Story would be a better comparison. The two main characters are star-crossed lovers who have many obstacles to over come in order to be together - both outside influences and internal ones as well. Brittany initially reads as a bit shallow but as her story progresses you do learn that there is more to her then her perfect exterior. There is also more to Alex than his gang affiliations. Alex is different then the others in his gang he is smart, doesn't really mind school and has a secret dream to go to college. He's realistic and knows that the cards he was dealt won't really allow for that, but if it doesn't happen for him then maybe he can makes things just a little bit better for his two younger brothers. Both who see the gang way of life through rose colored glasses. They know their brother is in one and if its good enough for him then why not them?
I thought that the way the relationship progressed between Brittany and Alex was well done and believable and I found that I couldn't stop reading their story. But as the book moved closer to its conclusion its like they became stuck on repeat. Brittany was only happy when Alex did what she wanted and when what she wanted was for him to leave the gang she couldn't understand that it wasn't as easy as say quitting a job. Its around this time that the book started to slip for me. The realism of the beginning started to wan and move into unrealistic territory and the end just became too perfect. Too sacchariny sweet and too much like a fairy tale. By the time I finished the epilogue I had gone from loving the story to merely liking it. I think my end rating may have higher if it wasn't for that epilogue. I had similar issues with the epilogue for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows. Both were unnecessary and both seemed as though they were trying to hard. Perfect Chemistry isn't a bad book and its not a waste of time to read it. I would just strongly suggest that the reader stop reading before the epilogue.
As originally posted on my blog Ticket to Anywhere on 24 Dec 09
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