Book Synopsis

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. In a passionate story about looking beneath the surface, Simone Elkeles breaks through the stereotypes and barriers that threaten to keep Brittany and Alex apart........(GoodReads)

Brittany and Alex couldn’t be any more different. Alex is a gang member from the south side of Fairfield, and Brittany lives the life of rich girl from the north side of Fairfield. Most people looking in see what they want to see, but Alex and Brittany both live with secrets that make them less than, but maybe even more than a little perfect.

Alex longs to break free from the Latino gang he’s a part of, he sees a future with college and hope but knows only in his dreams could he ever get away from the brotherhood. Brittany has a perfect exterior, beautiful, flawless and all together the golden pom- pom girl everyone wants to be, but things at home are far from flawless, with over bearing parents and a handicapped sister, Brittney is anything but the swallow rich girl most people see.

Chemistry class brings these two unlikely characters at total different ends of the social ladder together. Obviously they hate each other immediately- but there is no denying the hilarious and sexual tension between them. Watching Alex and Brittany fall in love was wonderful reading, I loved the dialog carried by all the characters, I thought the writing was fantastic and that it moved along at a nice steady pace. Elkeles brings originality to a much clichéd story and is able to showcase two different cultures so vividly and portray the importance of some serious issues including gang violence and life with a special needs individual. Also I must give props to the author for making sex a serious issue in the book, and making cheap sex not a light subject. Brittany and Alex have intense feelings for each other not only sexually but emotionally as well, the feelings are so intense nether character understands or knows how to deal with them. I was glad to see real life in the book but also real consequences and real emotional bonds that form when you sleep with a person. Eighteen year old teenagers dealing with these circumstances are easier for me as a reader to identify with rather than 15 year olds pretending to play house.

Rating

Perfect Chemistry was a highly entertaining love story and although this is YA, the characters in the novel are both 18 years old. Recommended for a mature audience (17 and up) content includes- graphic sexuality, language, gang related violence and illegal activity, drugs, drinking and social/racial commentaries.

5/5- YA, Romance