Leaving Paradise by Simone Elkeles

 

3 Stars!

To sum it up: Nothing has been the same since Caleb Becker left a party drunk, got behind the wheel, and hit Maggie Armstrong. Even after months of painful physical therapy, Maggie walks with a limp. She has no social life, and a scholarship to study abroad— her chance to escape everyone and their pitying stares— has been canceled.

After a year in juvenile jail, Caleb’s free... if freedom means endless nagging from a transition coach and the prying eyes of the entire town. Coming home should feel good, but his family and ex-girlfriend seem like strangers.

Caleb and Maggie are outsiders, pigeon-holed as "criminal" and "freak." Then the truth emerges about what really happened the night of the accident and, once again, everything changes. It’s a bleak and tortuous journey for Caleb and Maggie, yet they end up finding comfort and strength from a surprising source: each other...


*crickets chirping*


I've probably been sitting here a good five minutes, feeling clueless on what to write in this review. I liked this book. ...And I truly can see why others thought this was a very emotional and well-worthy read. But for some reason, I was so up and down with this novel. Let's just go ahead and get the ugly stuff out of the way: Throughout quite a bit of this book, I was bored- I just didn't really connect with the characters, and the writing felt stiff and unconvincing at times. I think one thing that prevented me from giving this book more than three stars, was the lack of romance. Now don't get me wrong- it was there. But there just wasn't enough for my taste. The story seemed to revolve more around struggles, than actual romance. I just couldn't help but feel slightly disappointed, because I couldn't really feel the chemistry between Maggie and Caleb- I never really understood what it was that made these two characters fall in love, and I just never felt that must needed, explosive chemistry. In my romance novels, I need to feel that earth-shattering connection. But for me, the characters in this story felt a bit one-dimensional for me at times, and I was never convinced of Maggie and Caleb's feelings for one another.

Overall, this seemed to be more of a story about forgiveness, and growing up in the midst of obstacles and challenges being faced, rather than a romance. This was my first book by Simone Elkeles, and it definitely won't be my last. Even though this story didn't really work for me, I enjoyed her writing style- she truly is a gifted author in that aspect. For me though, this just ended up being one of those so-so reads, that was ultimately forgettable.


PS: I'm still undecided on if I plan on reading the sequel to this story, Return to Paradise- I'm curious to know the challenges Maggie and Caleb must face and over-come to get their happy ending, but I just can't bring myself to really care enough to want to continue on with this next book. Decisions, decisions...  

 

Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles

4 Stars!

To sum it up: 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...

Before I go into this review, here's who I tended to picture while reading this story:

 

Brittany

Alex

...I'll admit, I was a little hesitant about reading this book- To be quite honest, one reason is because I was afraid since the hero/heroine were both still in high school, that the entire book would have a bit of a... well... immature feel- but aside from a few cheesy lines here or there, this book was pretty good! Oh, and if you're curious by what I mean when I say "cheesy" and "immature", here's an example:

"Come on Colin... we don't need these pathetic lame-o's anyway."

Pathetic lame-o's. ...Enough said.

Aside from all that, I really liked this book, although it didn't really blow me away, which is probably one reason why I don't really have much to say while writing this review. One of the things I liked most about this story however, was the importance that was placed on outside appearances- we've learned from the story-line, that they're not always what they seem, and you should never make judgments based on appearances alone. Alex is a character with many different layers- he's your typical bad-boy. A tough gang member. Loyal friend. And a good student, although he tries to pretend he's anything but. Brittany on the other hand, may look like she has it all on the outside, but just like everyone else, she struggles with many issues, mainly revolving around her family.

One thing that I really loved, was the fact that the narrative flipped from Brittany's perspective, to Alex's- this really gave you a glimpse into what was going on through both of their heads. Heck! Who does't like to get the best of both worlds while reading a romance novel? I felt that the pace of the novel was done really well, and I was truly immersed in this story from start to finish.

Simone Elkeles is an exceptional writer- her style of writing is as addictive as the story being told. Oh, and she definitely had me falling head-over-heels in love all over again, for those bad-boys! *sigh* ...This was a slightly predictable, but fun romance- and although I wouldn't say this story would win any rewards on originality, I liked it just the same :)