Series Sunday: Perfect Chemistry series by Simone Elkeles

Swoon, squeal, squee, etc! I love these books to the ends of the earth. I read each one in only hours. I simply cannot put how they make me feel into words. If you follow the blog on Twitter, you'll notice I  first said ‘Just finished Perfect Chemistry by @SimoneElkeles! I preceded to dance around my room squealing. An amazing book w/ lots of feels. Loved it!’ I then said ‘Is @SimoneElkeles a magical-fairy-goddess or something? I just finished her book Rules of Attraction and I can't read any other books now!’ And, after I swiftly finished the final book, I stated ‘I've accepted @SimoneElkeles as my supreme ruler. I finished Chain Reaction in a few hours flat. I won't read another book for ages now!’ Yes, that's right folks. Simone Elkeles is a magical-fairy-goddess and my supreme ruler. She is the queen of contemporary. These books take feels to a whole new level.

Gah! There are so many characters. Book one is told from Alex Fuentes and Brittany's points of views. Book two follows Alex's younger brother Carlos Fuentes and Kiara. The final book follows the youngest Fuentes, Luis, and Nikki. Let me say this, the Fuentes brothers are really something. They have the most attitude I've ever seen, attract females by the bushels, and are trouble magnets. Each character comes with their own set of problems though. Alex is in a gang when he meets Brittany. Brittany is a popular girl with an overbearing mother and handicapped older sister (whom she adores). Carlos has gang issues, along with attitude to spare, and Kiara is shy and stutters. Luis was the golden child, until he learns some secrets from his childhood, and Nikki can't get over her past. The one thing every one of them has in common is that they will do anything to A) solve their problems and B) protect the ones they love. They also have a habit of falling for the one person who's best for them, but the hardest to love in the first place. Loyalty runs deep and so does love. The Fuentes brothers often say 'Mi familia comes first'. What often gets those three into trouble is the fact that the bad guys know that they'll do anything to protect their family. Each time, towards the middle of the book, I would get crazy mad at one or both of the characters. They have this crazy thing where they almost can't help but make idiotic decisions, all part of being a teenager I suppose. Yet I still love them.

These books are filled with action, romance, and real-life issues. It addresses things that most authors will skirt around. Oh, and you can't forget the español! Because the Fuentes family is from Mexico, there is a lot of spanish in the book. It's actually rather fun trying to decipher what they're saying. Just a warning, these are definitely for older readers. There is totally adult content in there. The plot in these books is amazing. It just keeps rolling. I was interested from page one to three hundred. I felt everything that the characters did and more. I sympathized with them and could see their stories in my mind. One of my favorite parts was the epilogues. Each book has one and they are CUTE to say the least. These books were fun, deep, interesting, and everything that a reader could want. I give the series a full five stars!

Author Bio:

Simone Elkeles is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of novels for teens.  Simone’s books have won many awards including being YALSA Top Ten Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers, being named to the YALSA Popular Paperbacks and Teens Top Ten lists, and added to the Illinois “Read for a Lifetime” Reading List.  Simone also won the coveted RITA award from the Romance Writers of America for her book Perfect Chemistry.  Simone is especially proud of the fact that the Illinois Association of Teachers of English named her Author of the Year.

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Synopsis:
A modern tale of star-crossed lovers with a fresh urban twist.
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.

Titles: Perfect Chemistry, Rules of Attraction, Chain Reaction
Author: Simone Elkeles
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Number of Books: Three