After Reading: Perfect Chemistry

By: Meradeth Houston on 5:18 AM

By Simone Elkeles

At Fairfield High School, on the outskirts of Chicago , everyone knows that south-siders mixing with north-siders can be explosive.  So when Brittany Ellis and Alejandro “Alex” Fuentes are forced to be lab partners in chemistry class, this human experiment leads to unexpected revelations – that Brittany ’s flawless reputation is a cover for her troubled home life, that Alex’s bad-boy persona  hides his desire to break free from gang ties, and that when they’re together, life somehow makes more sense.  Breaking through the stereotypes and expectations that threaten to keep Brittany and Alex apart, Perfect Chemistry takes readers to both sides of the tracks in a passionate love story about looking beneath the surface.

Okay, I loved this book. It was mushy, had a sappy ending, and the plot may have been a bit on the predictable side (hello 10 Things I Hate About You, and ya know, the Shakespeare play that's based on that I'm feeling too lazy to go look up). Anyhow, the reason I loved it? Totally and completely reminded me of high school. I mean, I went to a school in a small town that had a very similar dividing line between the haves, and have-nots. Often this was split right down the race line. Because I went to school in Spanish up until middle school, I found it a tricky line to live on. I worry, looking back, that I was a royal snot at times, but in my defense, I was young and never saw it anyone as "other"--just not someone I didn't want to be friends with. Anyhow, I'm blabbering. At times, the Spanish was a bit forced, but overall Elkeles does a good job capturing the Spanish household, with all it's complexities and warmth. I'm going to have to check out the next book, though I'll be honest, I'm going to do so without the dust-jacket. The covers on this book were really not to my liking, and my husband laughed at them every time I had the book out... :)