A
Barbie-perfect rich girl falls for the poor Latino gangbanger across town.
I've
never read a star-crossed lovers cliché that was more urban life sensitive and
still believably YA. The fact that Alex Fuentes
was in a gang and collected drug money debts should've made me dislike him. Then there was Brittany, the
head cheerleader with problems. Poor little
rich girl, right? I should've totally
hated her, too.
But
I didn't.
And
here's why: Both main characters had redeeming qualities and both ran far
deeper than their labels. People always want
to put labels on characters, but in Perfect Chemistry, Simone Elkeles gives her MCs dimension, real emotions, real flawed
reactions, that make it hard to fit them inside a box.
I
love how the whole catalyst for this story was the two MCs getting paired up
for a chemistry project. So simple, and
yet…J I liked how Elkeles made it more interesting
by putting Brittany's jerk of a boyfriend one lab station over. Alex and Brittany both make mistakes, but
that's what makes them more endearing. They
both fight and deny their emotions, but to me, it makes them sound more like
teenagers.
Brittany
was made so much more likable by the presence of her sister, Shelley. From the first few pages, we find out that
Shelley is mentally handicap and can't perform basic functions like feeding
herself or speaking in full sentences. But
Brittany loves her and has taken the time to learn her nonverbal cues. Brittany tries to maintain this perfect image
for her parents just so they won't sent Shelley away--a threat that hangs over
her head daily. I just loved the
interaction between the sisters.
Alex
has two younger brothers and a mother who refuses to call him anything besides
Alejandro, his given name. The family
dynamic was tight-knit, and yet they still had problems. Alex doesn't want his brothers to be like
him. He's doing everything he can to
protect his family in a place where you're either part of the gang or you're a
target. His romance with Brittany provides
them both with an escape.
The
romance was on point. It developed at a
good pace but wasn't a case of insta-love.
I really enjoyed seeing these two characters break from their expected
roles and finally accepting their attraction to each other.
And,
personally, one of the things I liked best was: Fairfield High reminded me of
Neptune High J Any other Veronica Mars fans in the
house?? Alex totally reminded me of
Weevil. *sigh* Eli "Weevil"
Navarro was one of my favorite characters, riding on his motorcycle, running
his biker gang, getting into trouble but having V's back the whole time. I miss Veronica Mars--but I seriously miss
Weevil <3 <3 J
Perfect
Chemistry
has romance, drama, and little hints of the funny. Would definitely recommend this to anyone
in the mood for a YA romance that takes the well-worn star-crossed lovers cliché
and still manages to give the reader something fresh and exciting!
Happy
reading,
Ninja
Girl
