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 :)