Perfect Chemistry

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.

from amazon.com

Beth says 4.5 Stars...
This story didn't have the most original plot. There was the whole girl from the right side of town falls for the boy from the wrong side of the tracks. What made this book good was the writing. The story felt fresh and real, not like something that I'd read before. The characters were absolutely vibrant and jumped off of the page. The tension between Brittany and Alex was palpable, and I loved how they constantly battled back and forth. Their home lives were also amazingly realistic. All of this realism was accomplished by Elkeles's writing style. She blended English and Spanish effortlessly to create an authentic feeling Mexican-American community. I really enjoyed this book and definitely look forward to reading other things by Simone Elkeles. This novel was fantastic in how it created a believable reality and a fresh feeling from an old story.