Review: Perfect Chemistry

Title: Perfect Chemistry
Author: Simone Elkeles
Pages: 357
Rating: 5/5

At Fairfield High School, on the outskirts of Chicago, everyone knows that south siders and north siders are't exactly compatible elements, So when head cheerleader Brittany Ellis and gang member Alex Fuentes are forced to be lab partners in chemistry class, the results are bound to be explosive. But neither teen is prepared for the most surprising chemical reaction of all - love. Can they break through the streotypes and misconceptions that threaten to keep them apart (Cover Blurb).

I don't even know what to say about this book except for the fact that I absolutely adored it. This was definitely the best read of 2009, and I'll be hard pressed to find another one that I like more before the year is up.

I originally bought this book because of the cover. There's just something about a guy with a nice tattoo on his arm that makes me go all week in the knees. It sat on the shelf for a month or so, until I picked it up early Monday morning before heading off to work. By one in the afternoon, I was in love with a gang banger. However, despite being in love with Alex Fuentes, I was still able to really enjoy the character of Brittany Ellis.

Brittany seems to have the perfect life to everyone on the outside. Money, great clothes, a BMW, and the most popular boy in school at her side. But on the inside, she's falling apart. Her home life is in shambles, things with the quarterback of the football team are not quite working out, and she's been paired with Alex in chemistry.

In Alex though, Brittany is able to truly find herself. She finds her voice. She learns life isn't a popularity contest. She falls in love with the bad boy from across the tracks, and everything changes. Alex also has changes to make, but his are much more tough. Elkeles description of his struggle with gang life and normal life is superb, and kept me reading from the first page.

This is simply a modern Romeo and Juliet story, but with so much more. I did a bit of research tonight when I got home and found out that a sequel is coming out called Rules of Attraction in May of 2010 and I'm already looking to pre order it. I'm also going to check out her other novel Leaving Paradise. If it is half as good as Perfect Chemistry I'm in for a heck of a ride!