Maggie and Caleb just went through the worst year of their lives. Hit by a car and starting life over with a limp, Maggie never thought she would forgive Caleb. But she did-and fell in love. What they shared was real. But Caleb wanted to be free from the past-and a terrible secret: he wasn't the one who hit Maggie. So he left Paradise-and Maggie-forever.
When Maggie and Caleb run into each other in a different town, they can't deny their true feelings. Will Maggie let Caleb get away again? Or will Caleb face the truth and return to Paradise?
Rules of Attraction by Simone Elkeles (2010) - review
Rules of Attraction: The sequel to Perfect Chemistry!
When Carlos Fuentes returns to America after living in Mexico for a year, he doesn’t want any part of the life his older brother, Alex, has laid out for him at a high school in Colorado . Carlos likes living his life on the edge and wants to carve his own path—just like Alex did. Then he meets Kiara Westford. She doesn’t talk much and is completely intimidated by Carlos’ wild ways. As they get to know one another, Carlos assumes Kiara thinks she’s too good for him, and refuses to admit that she might be getting to him. But he soon realizes that being himself is exactly what Kiara needs right now.
Thanx to the lovely and intelligent Christine, who raved about "Perfect Chemistry", I've become a huge fan of Simone Elkeles' books. This is the 3rd one I've read, and it's amazing, and I've discovered each one is better than the last.
Carlos has been staying with his mother and other family in Mexico, but while there, he's lived the life of a hard partier: drugs, girls, nightclubs, even getting involved with a local gang. His family thinks it's time to get him away from that dangerous world, so his mother sends him to Colorado to go live with his older brother Alex (from "Perfect Chemistry"). Of course Carlos is totally against the idea, and doesn't want to leave, but at the moment he has no choice. However he plans on breaking away first chance he gets. No way he's gonna stick around and be some goody two shoes and end up pussy-whipped and stuck in a dead-end job like Alex.
On his first day at school, much to his disgust at being treated like a child, he's assigned to be shown around school by Kiara Westford, the plain, quirky daughter of Alex' college professor. Carlos can't quite figure her out, though he notices she can't resist a challenge, but before he gives it much thought, he's distracted and his interest is captured by the most popular girl in school, super confident Madison Stone. This girl is one fine mamacita, and as bold and experienced as he could ask for. And if she's up for a little recreational fun, the kind he's been missing since he left Mexico, all the better.
Being good-looking and charismatic, it doesn't Carlos long to get into the groove, and soon gets himself invited to a wild party at Madison's house. Despite his brother's warnings, he has no intention of curbing his bad boy activities, though he's surprised to discover he's not quite ready to jump into things with Madison quite yet. He still intends to buck the system and find his fun where he can while forgetting about Kiara and her weird relationship with Tuck. He's not looking for anything permanent. He wants his old life back and is resentful of having to follow any rules that he didn't make.
But with Carlos' penchant for attracting trouble, it isn't too long his boring life heats up when he's busted for having drugs in his locker at school. Drugs that don't belong to him. His choices are severely limited when he's placed into an outreach program with the condition that has him moving into the Westford house. Now he's faced with a whole new set of rules to follow.
Because he's not looking for anything serious, Carlos has a difficult time acknowledging his growing feelings for Kiara, and he has properly trouble expressing all the emotions she stirs up inside him, so instead of being mature and open about it, he denies them and acts out, trying to get a reaction out of her. He intends to push Kiara away, but at the same time he just can't let go. Meanwhile Kiara is scared to get hurt, but she's also human and helpless to the way she feels. She sees glimpses of the man Carlos could be, and it only makes her want more of that.
But beyond his feelings for Kiara, Carlos has significant problems. Now that he's finally figuring out what he wants - something meaningful and long-lasting - his old lifestyle keeps creeping in, and he tiredly realizes that he just can't walk away from the gangs. They'll never let him go, not when he's a hot commodity in the drug world. So he has some hard choices to make, choices that could endanger the lives of the people he loves most...
My thoughts:
I've been jonesing for this book ever since I finished "Leaving Paradise", which I absolutely loved. I was eager to get back with the Fuentes family again, though I wondered how Simone could possibly re-capture the magic she created in "Perfect Chemistry". It was off to a rocky start when I first met Carlos, and thought he was a first-class jerk. Despite almost losing his brother Alex, who jumped out of the Latino Blood, Carlos had a chip on his shoulder at least a mile long, and wasn't afraid to show the world just how pissed off he was. This boy needed to be taken down a notch or two.
Enter Kiara Westford. This girl is unique in her own way. She doesn't wear makeup and runs around in unflattering t-shirts and hiking boots when she's not trying to fix her car. She likes doing her homework, and she's a big fan of rules. I liked Kiara a whole lot because she stays true to who she is. We don't all of sudden see her start to dress differently or get a makeover. It's her individuality and guts that finally get through to Carlos. It's apparent right from the start that Carlos intimidates her with his outrageous comments and hot body, but she doesn't back down from him easily, oftentimes using silence to deflect his comments and her studies to ignore him. And this is what gets them both into a little trouble, because Carlos doesn't like to be ignored.
I loved how as he slowly begins to fall in love with Kiara, he also starts to care for her family. After spending so much time rolling his eyes and wishing like hell he was anywhere else, the Westfords manage to sneak past his defenses and he begins to enjoy the time he spends with them. He starts to feel like he belongs to something really special, and it shocks him to realize that this family of near strangers begins to think of him as one of their own.
One thing I couldn't help but marvel about as I was reading this book was how Simone could write about the most mundane and everyday things in a scene, yet she makes it sparkle and grabs your attention almost immediately. I found myself quite taken with just how ordinary yet love this story was. One of the reasons I love YA books so much is because of all the emotion that is packed into a couple hundred pages, and Simone excels at writing such stories.
It caught me a little off-guard to acknowledge the effectiveness of the sexual tension between Carlos and Kiara, which was so potent and alive that it was like a force all its own, but it's also romantic and natural. It felt strange because these are two teenagers, and I felt somewhat guilty for getting caught up in it, but at the same time, I could recall quite clearly those intense feelings from when I was a teenager 20 years ago. It is telling how a YA romance can be so much more exhilarating to read than some of the adult books out there. It's that overall connection between the main characters that keeps me so enthralled.
However as wonderful as this book was, it's not without its flaws, most notably the epilogue, so similar to the one in "Perfect Chemistry". I admit, itt had me rolling my eyes. From what another blogger (Mollie) told me, these are quite popular in teen stories - perhaps the whole soulmate thing - but it felt cheesy to me. Still, even that wasn't enough to detract from my complete enjoyment of the story.
This pastSaturday I had the opportunity to meet my favorite YA author, Simone Elkeles. For those of you who may not know, she wrote the amazing "Perfect Chemistry", as well as another YA favorite of mine, "Leaving Paradise". Her latest book, which I finished moments before the signing (it's amazing!), is my current favorite of her's.
Here are just a few of her releases. I've read 3 of her books so far, and I highly recommend each of them.
The crowd wasn't very big, but Simone took her time with each person, especially the teenage girls, and I was impressed with her patience and enthusiasm.
Simone and me (isn't she adorable?)
I think other than the parents, I was the only adult, but I didn't mind. I could hear comments from parents praising the book and how it got their teen reading, and from school teachers who said that "Perfect Chemistry" was still the top-read book in their school. There were also several librarians there as well. It's pretty cool to hear adults being so positive about these books. They certainly didn't have this kind of reading material when I was a teen.
Here are Alex (Alexander F. Rodriguez) and Carlos ( Giancarlo Vidrio) from Simone's Perfect Chemistry trilogy. I just had to get a poster of these 2 young hotties ;)
I got to chat for a few moments with Simone about the books, and let her know how much I enjoyed them, and that it was another adult and fellow reader - Christine - who brought her books to my attention. Christine, hon, I truly appreciate it! I am such a huge fan, and I have you to thank for that :)
One of her characters in "Rules of Attraction" is a young gay man named Tuck, and I was curious to know whether or not she would be writing a gay YA story. It appeared the thought hadn't crossed her mind, but you just never know, right?
Anyway, it was quite a pleasure meeting Simone. She was lively and funny and totally focused on whoever was standing in front of her. I'm sure she understood how it is for some teens to be shy and uncomfortable, and Simone was wonderful with each person.
Funny sidenote: while standing in line I noticed this guy there who looked very familiar. It turned out to be Simone's husband, but what was funny was that I actually knew him from the building where I work! So he noticed me and came over after I had my books signed and asked me if I worked for --- and we got to talking. Of course I tried to hit him up for some future books LOL.
Srsly, a GREAT day. And to make it even better is that Simone will be at the Chicago Spring Fling this upcoming Saturday. April is shaping out to be an awesome booksigning month.
If you ever get the chance to meet Simone, please do. She is truly amazing :)
Book release alert: Rules of Attraction by Simone Elkeles
The sequel to Perfect Chemistry!
Rules of Attraction:
When Carlos Fuentes returns to America after living in Mexico for a year, he doesn’t want any part of the life his older brother, Alex, has laid out for him at a high school in Colorado . Carlos likes living his life on the edge and wants to carve his own path—just like Alex did. Then he meets Kiara Westford. She doesn’t talk much and is completely intimidated by Carlos’ wild ways. As they get to know one another, Carlos assumes Kiara thinks she’s too good for him, and refuses to admit that she might be getting to him. But he soon realizes that being himself is exactly what Kiara needs right now.
I know Katiebabs has already posted the trailer, but I'll post it here for the tiny chance there's one person who visits here that doesn't visit Kate LOL.
Or if you can't see it here for any reason, here's the link
And I am beyond excited to see that Simone Elkeles will be having a signing in the Chicago area on April 17th. Squee!!! So if anyone in the area can make it, I'd love to meet you! And Emmanuelle, if you come all the way from France to meet your family and get the chance to head out this way, I'd be thrilled!!!
Rules of Attraction (sequel to Perfect Chemistry) Book signing! April 17, 2010 - 2:00pm Barnes & Noble- Lincolnshire, Illinois 920 N. Milwaukee Avenue Lincolnshire, IL 60069 (847) 793-8740
What happens when the person who damaged you for life....
Caleb Becker spent the past year in juvenile detention.
Maggie Armstrong spent the past year in hospitals and physical therapy.
Two teens who were scarred one fateful night are going to have to face their greatest challenge yet - meeting up with each other again.
....becomes the person you trust the most?
I believe it was Christine who was the first person - at least from what I recall - who raved about Simone Elkeles' Perfect Chemistry, a book which I had to read and ending up loving so much. That experience immediately made me want to go and glom Ms. Elkeles' backlist. And what I found was this wonderfu book.
When we first meet Caleb, he's just about to be released from juvenile detention, where he was sent for driving drunk and being involved in a hit and run accident. It's been a scary, long and lonely year, and he never wants to go back there. But going home isn't easy either, as he has to try and fit back with his family after being gone for nearly a year, and things aren't the same, though his mother tries to pretend they are.
The person Caleb hit with his car was Maggie, his next door neighbor and sister's best friend. Maggie once had many friends and was active on the tennis team, but all that changed one horrifying night. Now she keeps to herself and tries to ignore the whispers and stares of her classmates. As long as she can hold out until her trip to Spain, then she won't have to deal with living next door to the boy who ruined her life.
However as much as Caleb and Maggie would like to avoid each other, circumstances keep bringing them back together, much to Maggie's dismay. She can't stand to see Caleb slipping back so easily into his old life, reconnecting with his buddies, and even taking up with his old girlfriend again. Not when everyone thinks she's the freak responsible for sending him away. She's more determined than ever to escape Paradise and maybe reclaim some of her old life back.
Despite what it looks like, Caleb isn't adjusting so easily, and a part of him is anxious to make things right. Will he get the chance to be forgiven, or is it way too late for that?
My thoughts:
I think I have to say that I actually liked this book even more than Perfect Chemistry. And that's pretty hard to imagine, since that book was so incredibly satisfying. Maybe it was just the mood I was in last week, but this story really struck a cord with me. I felt torn because it was obvious that both these young people suffered greatly from the tragedy they experienced, and in the aftermath was a huge divide. Former friends no longer spoke to each other, neighbors became strangers. And still others were unable to cope very well at all and tried to pretend it never happened.
Such a simple story, yet Simone Elkeles writes in an utterly hypnotic, absorbing way. I felt Maggie's emotional pain, and ached for all she'd lost. I even sympathized with Caleb, and as I got to know him better, understood that he wasn't a completely bad guy. I liked that these characters are not stereotypical teenagers, and that sometimes they are more mature than adults, yet in other ways, just scared kids trying to fit in. Sometimes it's easier just to go along with the flow, even if it's not going in the direction that makes sense to you anymore.
There's a lot going on in this story, about trust, and loss, and letting go. It choked me up, and made me laugh. Sometimes I even longed for those days, while at the same time I felt very grateful I never have to go back there ever again.
I don't think I can do this story much justice, so instead I will highly encourage you to read it for yourself, and see if you consider it to be as engaging and as poignant as I did. Plus, I've discovered that it's quite lovely to read a story and not know exactly what to expect, so while I could recap the story and reveal several non-spoiler details, I believe I would be giving away moments that are much more rewarding to discover for yourself. It's one of the reasons I tend to avoid reviews more and more these days.
I don't think I'm giving anything away when I tell you that the sequel to this book will be out later this year. And if you're in the Chicago area, please note that Simone will be at a booksigning on April 17th! I definitely plan on attending, so I can personally thank her for writing the kinds of stories I wish I'd read as a teenager.
So if you are in the mood for a simple yet moving story, pick up this wonderful treasure. I think you might really find a lovely little story here :)
A fresh, urban twist on the classic tale of star-crossed lovers.
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.
I admit that I don't read much YA romance anymore, not since I was a pre-teen to be exact, but from time to time I'll pick up something that intrigues me or has been given rave reviews by a fellow reader, especially one whose opinion I trust
Such is the case with "Perfect Chemistry". Blogger Christine had been talking about this one awhile back, and it definitely got me interested. The fact that it was set in Chicago piqued my curiosity even more. Then I read the back cover blurb and just knew that this was a book I had to read. Finally, this past weekend, I did.
"Perfect Chemistry" was a quick read for me; I devoured it in less than a day, but don't let that fact fool you. True, it's not filled with complicated dialogue, but it is a deeper story than one would imagine. It's cliche' in that you have the perfect princess matched up with the ultimate bad boy - in this case an acual gang member - yet it's endearingly fresh and bittersweet.
Brittany Ellis is the so-called perfect princess, and of course it's not surprise she's dating her perfect counterpart, golden boy Colin Adams. They've been apart all summer, but surely this was true love, so of course they pick up where they left off as they start their first day of senior year. But Brittany didn't count on a run-in with the most dangerous boy in school, Alejandro Fuentes, or that they would end up as partners in Chemistry class together.
Alex Fuentes has a tough life, one made more difficult by the fact he's the man of the family, and would do whatever it takes to protect his family, even if that means joining a gang. He has no illusions about his chances of going to college or getting away from the dangerous neighborhood he and his family live in. Girls like Brittany Ellis think they're better than everyone else, and he's no more thrilled than she is when they are assigned as lab partners. But maybe, just maybe, he can teach this rich bitch a lesson, and still look cool in front of his friends.
Yet the more Brittany and Alex are around each other, the more they both realize that each is acting a part, portraying an image to the outside world that doesn't really exist. Learning this about each other really opens their eyes to how similar they really are, but how can two people from drastically different worlds ever be more than enemies?
My thoughts:
A book like this reminds me why it's good to read Young Adult stories. As Christine mentions in her review, the story is written where each chapter alternates POV of Brittany and Alex, so it's told in first person but we see both sides of the story without having scenes repeated. So even though we don't really have each side to every event, the storyline was easy to follow and we get a strong idea of how each character reacts to what is happening to them. Written this way, it read rather quickly. It was very engrossing, actually, and I barely could put the book down. It's deceptively simple, yet hooks you from page one and holds on tight. These are the best kinds of stories.
Now this book is not breaking fresh ground here. There are no revelations here, but that's okay. What really impacted me was the vulnerability and honesty of these two young people. Brittany is in no way silly or vapid, other than the persona she adopts in public. Deep down she is a smart, caring young woman who loves her handicapped sister more than anything and is just trying to get by without the rest of the world finding out how screwed up her family is. Alex is tough and cocky, and he has his violent moments, but inside he yearns for what he believes he'll never have; a chance to make something of himself and protect the family he feels responsible for taking care of. Instead of shirking responsibility and only living for the moment like so many young guys his age are doing, he goes to school, and has a job. But he realizes it's only a matter of time that his decision to become a gangbanger will drastically change his whole world and a line will be crossed that he can't walk away from.
What I also liked about this book is that it doesn't take the easy way out. Answers to Brittany's and Alex's problems just don't miraculously appear at the last possible moment, and each of them has to deal with the obstacles and challenges between them rather than counting on having them easily resolved. It's messy, but more effective for having not followed the easy, predictable path. At the same time, it's hopeful. There is no tragic ending here for our young lovers. Some might say this is a safe read, but that's okay. Not every good story out there has to be tragic.
And as much as I enjoyed "Twilight", this book easily surpasses that one in evoking my stronger emotions. I still can't get it out of my head. Sure, there's all those intense, rollercoaster feelings you'd expect in a romance between two teenagers, but it's not so obsessive that it's creepy. It's not overly cynical and rampant with sex and drugs and bad behavior, but it doesn't shy away from those issues either.
Simone has a sequel coming out in May of 2010, called "Rules of Attraction". After reading "Perfect Chemistry", it's definitely on my TBB list.
