Customer Reviews

Perfect Chemistry

5 star:		(176)
4 star:		(36)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

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.

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.

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

Sigh. I'm in love with yet another fictional male character: Alejandro Fuentes. As a Mexicano gang member with a desire to make something more of himself, he's your typical bad boy trapped in a life he doesn't want. Enter Brittany Ellis: head cheerleader with a seemingly perfect life, who ends up falling for Alex against her better judgement.

Could I put this book down? Even for five minutes? No, I could not.

I'm a sucker for epic, forbidden love stories, so it's no surprise that I loved Perfect Chemistry. It's like a modern Romeo & Juliet, only with gangs and high school. Simone Elkeles has a brilliant writing style that hooked me from the first page, and there's no way for me to describe it other than compelling and addictive.

I love Alex and Brittany, and I seriously didn't want the book to end. I even liked the epilogue which was a bit cheesy, yes, but oh so satisfying. The classic love story is one we've all seen before: two people from different worlds meet, and, against all odds, fall madly in love with each other. Elkeles has mixed this one up a bit, and has added depth and intrigue to her characters, making them both immensely likeable and realistic.

Perfect Chemistry touches upon some important messages and themes, including race, disability, and acceptance. Each character confronts their imperfections, learns what it means to be in love, and how to deal with the consequences and sacrifices that inevitably accompany it.

I can't think of anything else to say here, as I've still got that 'wow' feeling you get after reading a great book. If you're a fan of the romance genre, I highly recommend you get yourself a copy of this. You won't be disappointed!

I really enjoyed this book and the more I read it sort of reminded me of S.E. Hinton's book, The Outsiders. Alex reminded me of the character Dallas from The Outsiders if Dallas had ended up having a relationship with Cherry. I absolutely loved Alex's character and it was heartbreaking to see what he had to go through to try and protect his family and the sacrifices his friends make for him. Brittany's character was also touching as you watch her love for her sister and it was great to see her realize that she did not have to be the "perfect" daughter and deny herself happiness. I haven't had any exposure to gang life and have not read many books about it so the look you get into the lives of the people who get sucked in and see what might have been if they had the chance to go straight or leave that life behind is eye opening. It breaks the stereotype of what gang bangers are like. This was an excellent book that I highly suggest, especially for those who loved The Outsiders.

Brittany Ellis and Alejandro Fuentes go to Fairfield High on the outskirts of Chicago. And that is the one and only thing they have in common. She is the captain of the pom squad. He is a member of a local gang. On the whole, they could be categorized as Less Than Thrilled to be made lab partners in chemistry for the entirety of their senior year. What follows is a fair bit of verbal sparring, a healthy dose of teenage angst, and a whole helluva lot of sexual tension. Forced to spend time together outside of school working on their final project, Alex and Brittany discover more about each other than they ever wanted to know. Soon they are forced to decide just what they will do with their newfound knowledge. I, for one, couldn't wait to find out. Okay, so I knew from the moment they met exactly what they would do with it. But, honestly, I was enjoying myself way too much to care.

So, yeah. This thing is the real deal. It's star crossed lovers against the world. It's passionate pleas and rising music. It's West Side Story (Special Edition DVD Collector's Set) sans the whole love at first sight bit. In fact, these two kids despise each other. They're both smart, sexy, and very very troubled. And they have several sizeable barriers to cross before they can even begin to take each other seriously. Is it sappy and predictable and overwrought? Yes. Did I love it? Oh, yeah. Why? Because, quite simply, Simone Elkeles made me believe in these two. I wanted so much for them. And, even though I knew it would, I could not stop reading until I was sure things came out all right for them in the end. Suddenly I was fourteen years old again and falling in love with Romeo and Juliet (Folger Shakespeare Library) for the first time. There's nothing like that feeling and it was nice to have it back for just a little while.

Edited version from my blog review commentary: http://mrsvsreviews.blogspot.com/2009/01/perfect-chemistry.html

While Alex views Brittany as Miss Perfecta, she sees him as a big bad gangster with a reputation that makes everyone at the high school fear him. The trailer available on the author's website and YouTube had me rolling, knowing that it was an exaggeration of stereotypes showing the way the two characters viewed each other before being forced to get to know each other. I also always love a good Romeo and Juliet style romance.

This book is explosive. I picked it up to read a couple pages during a quick lunch break. I picked it back up in the evening and did not stop until I finished it. Elkeles had believable characters and she could Spanish slang and teen conversations well. It also had alternating voices, which I almost always enjoy to see different points of view. I was very satisfied with the pace of the book and the ending. There was a lot of humor mixed in with drama. I felt the extreme emotions along with the characters.

Alex is a gang member from the wrong side of town. Brittany is the beautiful and popular girl from the right side of town. Brittany and Alex are so different that when they get sat next to each other in chemistry they hate each other but that quickly changes as they discover they have more in common than first thought. this fantastic book is told threw the alternating views of Alex and Brittany. i loved this book and reccomend it to everyone who loves a god YA romance.

Perfect Chemistry brings us into the lives of Brittany and Alex, two seemingly very different people from opposites sides of town. She's rich, he's poor - she's white, he's latino - she's popular, he's in a gang. So what happens when they get paired up as chemistry partners in school and are forced to be around each other?

Oh, starcrossed lovers never gets old with me! What IS it about the boy from the wrong side of the tracks or the girl who everyone thinks is vapid and shallow but is secretly awesome? This is told from both Alex and Brittany's points of view and I don't think the book would have worked well without it. If things had been one sided, you might have thought less of the person whose perspective wasn't being told. I loved seeing how they started at two different points, went through their separate journeys, and then finally came together and met halfway. Don't shy away from this book if you think it's "just another starcrossed lovers' tale" - it's so much more than that! It's about what people are willing to do for those that they love.

I definitely recommend this book for contemporary fans, especially if you love a great LOVE story because Ms. Elkeles sure does know how to make things steamy!

Can I just say that I literally JUST finished this book and I already wanna pick it back up and read it again? ( I just might) Can I also add that this book is now my Favorite? Oh and that its perfect? and that I might just freak out over this book for a very long time?

ya this book was THAT good, I don't even think I could write a review good enough to give this book its justice...it was honestly just so compelling and so beautiful, it makes you realize you can never judge a person based off of how they look..or even act. It makes you realize any love is possible

That is literally all I'm gonna write...cause to me it seems pointless to write a long review when in the end it wont even sum up how good and how much I loved this book.

Blah I am just gushing with happiness over this book! :D MUST READ.