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

Book Review : Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles

Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles

Product Details:

• Reading level: Young Adult
  
• Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster UK, April 2010
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1847388051
• ISBN-13: 9781847388056
• List Price: £6.99

At Fairfield High School, on the outskirts of Chicago , everyone knows that south-siders mixing with north-siders can be explosive. So when Brittany Ellis and Alejandro “Alex” Fuentes are forced to be lab partners in chemistry class, this human experiment leads to unexpected revelations – that Brittany ’s flawless reputation is a cover for her troubled home life, that Alex’s bad-boy persona hides his desire to break free from gang ties, and that when they’re together, life somehow makes more sense. Breaking through the stereotypes and expectations that threaten to keep Brittany and Alex apart, Perfect Chemistry takes readers to both sides of the tracks in a passionate love story about looking beneath the surface. {Read more about Perfect Chemistry.}

Falling in love has never been so beautiful...Simone Elkeles has created a romantic love story between two teenagers who are so different, yet so similar in Perfect Chemistry.

Brittany Ellis has it all - she's beautiful, rich, and has a gorgeous boyfriend. But appearances can be deceiving. Underneath her glorious, perfect facade, she is burdened by the strict demands of her mother and she has to prevent her parents from sending her disabled sister, Shelley away.

Alejandro (Alex) Fuentes is a gangster from the Latino Blood. His sole aim of joining the gang is to protect his family. But deep down, he wants to get out from the gang and be successful in life.

Two people who are at opposite sides of the world are brought together in a Chemistry class. At first, there is only hatred for each other. But as they start to understand each other deeper, a mutual bond forms between them. Will Alex follow the steps of his late father on a journey with no return? Is Brittany willing to reveal her deepest secrets to Alex? Will they be together at last? You'll have to read this book to find out!

I love this book! It's so good that I can't stop reading it! In my opinion, the relationship between Alex and Brittany is very well-written. It's very plausible, and the teenage angst instilled is in a suitable amount. Each chapter is told from alternating point of views - Alex's and Brittany's. This enables readers to judge the characters' situations based on both their perspectives and get a more exact idea of their different ways of thinking and lifestyles. Both narrators are quite good, but sometimes it's hard for me to understand what Alex is speaking because I don't understand Spanish.

Although this book is mainly about the romance between Alex and Brittany, it actually tells us that we cannot judge a book by its cover, nor a person by his or her appearance. It also reflects the various social issues that exist in our society, such as drug abuse and gangsterism.

One good thing I noticed about this book is that Simone never try to impress readers with flowery writing. She uses her words as a medium to express her ideas in a clever and honest way --- and look, she has done it so brilliantly in Perfect Chemistry! The epilogue of this story will leave readers smiling in delight. I never expected that to happen!

As a conclusion, I'm in love with this book and the characters. I'd definitely give it 5 stars! The mere thought of Rules of Attraction (Perfect Chemistry #2) fills me with excitement and anticipation!

*Please note that there are adult contents, gangsterism and profanity in this book. I suggest parental guidance for teenagers under 18 years of age.

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I want to thank Kathryn from Simon & Schuster UK for sending me a paperback copy of Perfect Chemistry for this review! Thank you so much, Kathryn!

Meet Simone Elkeles

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.

Buy Perfect Chemistry (paperback) at:

Simon and Schuster UK / The Book Depository

Links:
Simone Elkeles' Website
Perfect Chemistry Website