Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles

 

One of the teens working at my library told me that I “HAVE to read this book!!!” …and I am so glad I did (I finished it in one day because I just couldn’t put it down.)  It is a West Side Story redo…he’s a member of the Latino Bloods and she’s the pretty captain of the cheerleading squad.  And while it seems like this story line has been done to death, the author makes it feel new.  I also loved that while this is part of a trilogy (each book is about one of the Fuentes brothers) the author completes each story line…no annoying cliffhangers at the end.  I have the next book on request at the library and the sixteen year old in me is swooning in anticipation.

 

From School Library Journal

Grade 10 Up—Told in alternating narratives, Perfect Chemistry portrays a romance between two unlikely lab partners. Brittany is her Chicago high school's "golden girl" but few of her friends know that her parents are totally dysfunctional and that she is highly invested in caring for her physically and mentally disabled older sister. Alex is a member of the Latino Blood, but he wishes he could leave gang life and pursue a college career. The plot thickens as Alex accepts a bet from a friend that he cannot bed Brittany by Thanksgiving. Smoldering doesn't quite do justice to the romantic banter that sparks between them. As the story unfolds, Alex is incarcerated and later hospitalized. Raw language and Spanish phrases that Anglo readers might feel obligated to investigate further are peppered throughout. The pace picks up too quickly at the end, leaving readers wondering if they missed something as time that has previously been marked day by day begins to clip along in five-month increments. Overall though, this is a solid romance that's suitable for reluctant readers.—Leah Krippner, Harlem High School, Machesney Park, IL
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