Review: Perfect Chemistry

Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles

Published by Walker Books

Genre: YA

$9.99 (US paperback)

357 pages

What it's about:

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 so 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.  In a passionate story about looking beneath the surface, Simone Elkeles breaks through the stereotypes and barriers that threaten to keep Brittany and Alex apart.(

My thoughts:
I've had this book siting on my TBR shelf for over a year and just never felt like reading it even though I heard it was all kinds of fantastic. I finally picked it up and gobbled it down in one sitting. I'm kicking myself for waiting so long to read this book.

IT WAS FANTASTIC! It's like Romeo and Juliet, meets West Side Story, meets awesome. I loved every minute of it. I have to admit, at one point, I had to read the last page to make sure that I liked the ending. I was worried for a minute about the characters and had to know. I immediately bonded with both Brittany and Alex. I wanted to know everything about both of them. I had to know how Alex was going to deal with being in the LB and how Brittany was going to help her sister. I was sucked in.

Because every other chapter is from Alex's  POV and he is Mexican, there is some Spanish in this book. Now, I don't speak Spanish, never taken any classes in it, but I was able to pick up on what was being said. Most of it is easy to understand in the context. That was not really a problem in this.

All in all, this book (series, actually) is amazing. I fell madly in love with all the characters and became wrapped up in this world. I couldn't put the book down.

My rating: 10/10