Middle Fuentes brother Carlos is sent from Mexico (where he's joined a gang) to Colorado to live with reformed older brother Alex. Much of what I just wrote can be applied to 'Rules of Attraction,' which is set three years later. She also does a superb job of conveying the sensual, intoxicating side of that love without ever crossing the line into tawdriness or inappropriateness. Yes, this plotline has been done to death, but author Elkeles expertly captures the angst, desperation, and world-shaking importance of first love. 'Perfect Chemistry' works because it hits every star-crossed love note perfectly. Throw in an escalation in Alex's gang involvement, violence, falling in love, vulnerability, rejection, and heartache, and you get the idea here.Īlthough it can be incredibly obvious at times - of course the tough guy is sweet of course the popular girl is scared of course all their fighting is hiding true love of course Brit's boyfriend is a lout etc.

On Brittany's side, her rigid perfection is a cover for a troubled home life, and, despite having a (jerky) boyfriend, she finds herself thinking about Alex and his secret sweet side all the time. Alex stupidly makes a bet to score with Brittany before Thanksgiving, but in trying to bring the most perfect, popular girl in school down a notch, he actually starts caring for her. They instantly hate each other, bickering constantly, which only masks the intense attraction they both feel. In 'Perfect Chemistry,' Latino gangbanger Alex Fuentes is paired as a chem lab partner with white cheerleading captain Brittany Ellis. The characters resist the unexpected pull, outsiders (and occasionally family members) are opposed, events conspire to keep the lovers apart, a tragic event occurs, and, ultimately, we get our well-earned happy ending. Ok, so in the barest of plot outlines, both books feature a poor bad boy with a heart of gold who falls in love with an innocent, good girl from the other side of town. These books may be light and a bit trashy, but they're fast-paced, addictive, and rewarding in their own way. Despite soap opera plots, cliched setups, and mostly flat characterizations, I gobbled both books up. I slightly preferred the first book, 'Perfect Chemistry,' over its successor, 'Rules of Attraction,' but I'll admit I thoroughly enjoyed both novels. Although the particulars are different, each book is basically a steamy, updated version of the star-crossed love story featured in 'Romeo and Juliet' (or 'Pretty in Pink' or 'She's All That' or 'West Side Story' or.

I'm reviewing together the first two books of Simone Elkeles' 'Perfect Chemistry' trilogy.

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