Book Review : Rules of Attraction by Simone Elkeles

Rules of Attraction by Simone Elkeles

Paperback, 324 pages

Published April 27th 2010 by Walker & Company
Available at The Book Depository at $9.31

Synopsis

When Carlos Fuentes returns to America after living in Mexico for the past year, he doesn't want any part of the life his older brother, Alex, has laid out for him in Colorado. When he meets Kiara Westford, a good girl totally unlike any of the girls he's usually drawn to, Carlos assumes Kiara thinks she's too good for him. But will he put his pride aside when he realizes that being with Kiara might finally allow him to be his true self?

Review

I. LOVE. THIS. BOOK. In this book, the second Fuentes brother - Carlos returns to America and meets a down-to-earth, studious good girl by the name of Kiara Westford. At first, Carlos seems to dislike Kiara, but later, he discovers that this girl is kind and one-of-a-kind. She wears sluggish clothes, has her hair constantly tied up in a ponytail, and like Carlos himself - loves challenges. Kiara, despite not feeling any attraction towards Carlos initially, can't stop herself from falling in love with Carlos after she glimpses different sides of him and observes the real person behind his bad-boy facade.

I don't know why, but I just love the conversations between Kiara and Carlos. They are witty and funny at times - but never boring. The characters' development is also well penned by the author. We have Carlos, who is protective towards his loved ones and is actually losing hope about having a bright future, Kiara, who has a minor speech problem and is close with her family members, little Brandon (Kiara's 6 y/o brother) who is cute, innocent and extremely excited over the prospect of having Carlos staying in their house, as well as Mr. and Mrs. Westford, who are kind and accepting and treats Carlos like their own son.

Just so you know, the cover actually portrays a scene in the book, where Kiara and Carlos kissed in the rain, which is uber romantic. However, parents should take extra care in letting their children read this book because this book has some *coughs* inappropriate scenes between two unwed teenagers. In my humble opinion, this book, along with Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles are must-read books, but if you think you can't handle the profanity, drugs, alcohol and teen sex, you'd better wait until you're older before picking up this book in the bookstore.

Rating:

About The Author

Simone was raised in the suburbs of Chicago. She attended the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign where she earned a Bachelor’s of Science in Psychology and then Loyola University-Chicago where she earned a Master’s of Science in Industrial Relations while working for a manufacturing company creating diversity programs for their employees. In her spare time she’s a hockey mom and an active Girl Scout leader specially trained in outdoor education. She also spends time mentoring other teen and adult authors.

Links
Simone Elkeles' Website
Perfect Chemistry Website