First Published: 23rd December 2008
Pages: 257 (paperback)
Publisher: Walker Books
ISBN: 0802798225 
Book Depository – Amazon UK – Amazon US – Amazon AU

Synopsis 

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.

Review 

To say that I loved Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles would be an under statement. I adored this book, I don’t know if it was that one of the main characters was a bad boy or just simply the writing, it had me captivated from the very start. I read Perfect Chemistry quite a while ago, and while thinking about this book, while I am just so tempted to read it again, the only thing stopping me is the 22 books on my tbr shelf.

I really enjoyed the plot, the whole concept of the story intrigued me just form the synopsis and as soon, as I picked the book up I couldn’t put it down, I read the whole book in 2 days. I just couldn’t put it down. It wasn’t even the “forbidden romance” that really got my attention but everything else behind it.

I really loved the insight we got on gangs, just the way Elkeles wrote all about, and how she turned this character of Alex, that’s a gang member to be likeable, even loveable, someone that we could somehow admire. She gave has the insight about how, sometimes people don’t want to be in gangs that are forced to, in one way or another. When I think of gangs, it’s drugs, drive-by’s, you know what I mean, but I never really got what made people join gangs, why do they do the stuff that they do. And yes I know that books aren’t real, but still the concept behind the gangs is. 

I really enjoyed Alex’s character, he was this ‘Bad Boy/Good Boy’  wrapped up into one. Bad Boy on the outside, good on the inside . He had this tough outside that was hard to break, but when he did, we got to know the real Alex.

I have different feelings for Brittany I both loved and disliked her. Her character was very complex, was a very real character but at some points I wanted to yell at her to slow down and take everything in. Don’t rush. She didn’t get that angry at the end and I know if that was me, I would be kinda furious but in saying that, if Brittany was just that little stronger, a little more fierce I would have loved her to bits.

I also enjoyed the dual POV’s. We got to know not only Brittany and Alex on the inside, but how they thought of each other, how they effected each other.  How life affected them. It made me really think about them. I think I connected more with the characters this way, I felt for them. If it wasn’t in dual perspectives then I don’t think I would have understood Alex as much as I did.  I wouldn’t feel for him as much, same going for Brittany.

Despite the  differences between the two characters, they were so much more alike than I would have ever guessed. It still seems impossible and yet I’ve seen it!  They were perfect for each other, they are like chocolate cake and ice cream, perfect. They could understand each other like others can’t.

Elkeles’ writing was captivating, it was smooth, one word just flowed into another, page to page. She didn’t just write a novel about a love strong, about a forbidden romance, it was so much more… it was about life lessons, the saying of ‘Don’t judge a book by it’s cover’ 

Perfect Chemistry  made me laugh, brought me to tears, it pulled me into the world. It is a fantastic contemporary romance that relies not just on the romance.

Quotes;

“You are the one girl that made me risk everything for a future worth having.”

“We’re actors in our lives, pretendin’ to be who we want people to think we are.”

I Give Perfect Chemistry a 4.5 Stars out of 5. 

Have you read Perfect Chemistry, what did you think of it?