Rules of Attraction by Simone Elkeles

Carlos Fuentes doesn't want any part of the life his older brother, Alex, has laid out for him in Boulder, Colorado. He wants to keep living on the edge, and carve his own path—just like Alex did. Unfortunately, his ties to a Mexican gang aren't easy to break, and he soon finds himself being set up by a drug lord.

When Alex arranges for Carlos to live with his former professor and his family to keep him from being sent to jail, Carlos feels completely out of place. He's even more thrown by his strong feelings for the professor's daughter, Kiara, who is nothing like the girls he's usually drawn to. But Carlos and Kiara soon discover that in matters of the heart, the rules of attraction overpower the social differences that conspire to keep them apart.

As the danger grows for Carlos, he's shocked to discover that it's this seemingly All-American family who can save him. But is he willing to endanger their safety for a chance at the kind of life he's never even dreamed possible? (Taken from Amazon)

I loved Rules of Attraction! No surprise there, because it was almost idential to Perfect Chemistry, which I also thought was amazing. I read Rules of Attraction super quick because it really draws you in; I could not put it down. I love Romeo and Juliet and West Side Story type plots so Rules of Attraction fit in that genre perfectly. It also had great characters, and ones that were a little different from those in Perfect Chemistry. Carlos is similar to his brother Alex but he's even more cocky (if that's possible). I also thought that Kiara was more relatable than Brittany because she's more average and not drop-dead gorgeous or super popular like Brittany was in the last book. (I love Brittany, don't get me wrong, but she was too perfect sometimes). There was just the right amount of romance, suspense and humor to make Rules of Attraction a great novel. And the suspense part was really nice because it kind of mixed up the book and added some action so it wasn't just a love story. I think Rules of Attraction will appeal to anyone. And I heard that this is a trilogy? If so, I cannot wait for the next book!

9 out of 10.

FTC: I borrowed this from a friend.

Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles

In Fairfield, Illinois, right outside of Chicago, the town is divided into two sections: the North Side and the South Side. All the North Siders are rich and preppy, while the South Siders are poor and are in gangs. So when cheerleader Brittany Ellis and gang member Alex Fuentes must be chemistry partners, they're sure they can never get along. But can they? As Brittany begins to shed her perfect facade and Alex loses his tough guy image, the two discover that they are more alike than they once thought and may even start to fall in love.

I loved this book. I borrowed it from my friend, who read it in one day and stayed up until 5 am to finish it. I didn't believe it was that good, but when I started reading it, I couldn't put it down. The characters were so real, that I felt like they could be actual people. Brittany is so relatable, at least to me, because she tries so hard to be perfect. Her mother expects Brittany to be the best, but it's only because Brittany's older sister has cerebral palsy and can't be perfect. And Alex is just as complex. Everyone sees him as a gang member, but in reality he's only in the gang to protect his family. He doesn't want to be in the Latino Blood, but has to choose what's right for himself vs. what's right for his family. And he's selfless enough to choose to stay in the gang for his family. This book reminded me of West Side Story, but it's a lot different. The attraction and, dare I say it, chemistry between Alex and Brittany was perfect. They fit together so well, they just had to be together. And the ending was adorable. I loved every second of this book and I think Perfect Chemistry was perfect.

9 out of 10.