Release Date: December 23, 2008
Publisher: Walker Books for Young Readers
Source: Library
Reviewed by: Nahomi
Rating: 4 stars out of 5
Goodreads Summary:
"When Brittany Ellis walks into chemistry class on the first day of senior year, she has no clue that her carefully created 'perfect' life is about to unravel before her eyes. She's forced to be lab partners with Alex Fuentes, a gang member from the other side of town, and he is about to threaten everything she's worked to hard for: her flawless reputation, her relationship with her boyfriend, and the secret that her home life is anything but perfect.
Alex is a bad boy and he knows it. So when he makes a bet with his friends to lure Brittany into his life, he thinks nothing of it. But soon Alex realizes Brittany is a real person with real problems, and suddenly the bet he made in arrogance turns into something much more."
As I write this review I feel a little torn because there were several things that were done very well and other that for me were a little distracting. Simone Elkeles is a very talented writer and executed this novel very well. I love when novels are written in dual point of views but this one takes the cake; Elkeles is the master of the dual point of views. The transitions were very smooth from chapter to chapter and I was never confused as to who was speaking. The author does a phenomenal job integrating Spanish into the text which is not that easy to pull off with out being distracting.
On to the story part, the plot moves along well and there were enough twists in the story to keep me interested and curious to find out what happens in the end. The scenes were well set and believable and the language was appropriate for the characters' age. I really love that the author took the time to include an epilogue. I always want to know what happens after a story ends.
I had a few issues that kept me from giving Perfect Chemistry a higher rating. The biggest issue was the Mexican slang which was a turnoff for me. I'm Latina and can appreciate Spanish, Spanglish and a lot of variations of the language but some of the terminology used put me off. I felt that Brittany and Alex were a little generic and stereotypical. I also could never get into the whole gang thing.
Apart from those few issues , this novel was very well written and I would recommend it to anyone. It's a quick read that will leave you feeling nice and happy.
Quotes:
"If you could wish on a star right now, what would you wish for?" I asked him.
"For time to stop."
"Why?"
He shrugs.
"Cause I could live forever at this moment."
"Kiss me to see if we still have it. 'Cause you own my heart, soul and everything else in between."
Goodreads Summary:
"When Brittany Ellis walks into chemistry class on the first day of senior year, she has no clue that her carefully created 'perfect' life is about to unravel before her eyes. She's forced to be lab partners with Alex Fuentes, a gang member from the other side of town, and he is about to threaten everything she's worked to hard for: her flawless reputation, her relationship with her boyfriend, and the secret that her home life is anything but perfect.
Alex is a bad boy and he knows it. So when he makes a bet with his friends to lure Brittany into his life, he thinks nothing of it. But soon Alex realizes Brittany is a real person with real problems, and suddenly the bet he made in arrogance turns into something much more."
As I write this review I feel a little torn because there were several things that were done very well and other that for me were a little distracting. Simone Elkeles is a very talented writer and executed this novel very well. I love when novels are written in dual point of views but this one takes the cake; Elkeles is the master of the dual point of views. The transitions were very smooth from chapter to chapter and I was never confused as to who was speaking. The author does a phenomenal job integrating Spanish into the text which is not that easy to pull off with out being distracting.
On to the story part, the plot moves along well and there were enough twists in the story to keep me interested and curious to find out what happens in the end. The scenes were well set and believable and the language was appropriate for the characters' age. I really love that the author took the time to include an epilogue. I always want to know what happens after a story ends.
I had a few issues that kept me from giving Perfect Chemistry a higher rating. The biggest issue was the Mexican slang which was a turnoff for me. I'm Latina and can appreciate Spanish, Spanglish and a lot of variations of the language but some of the terminology used put me off. I felt that Brittany and Alex were a little generic and stereotypical. I also could never get into the whole gang thing.
Apart from those few issues , this novel was very well written and I would recommend it to anyone. It's a quick read that will leave you feeling nice and happy.
Quotes:
"If you could wish on a star right now, what would you wish for?" I asked him.
"For time to stop."
"Why?"
He shrugs.
"Cause I could live forever at this moment."
~B&S~
"Kiss me to see if we still have it. 'Cause you own my heart, soul and everything else in between."
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