Perfect Chemistry

Title: Perfect Chemistry
Author: Simone Elkeles
(C) 2009
Publisher: Walker and Company
ISBN: 978-0-8027-9822-0
357 pp.

Can I gush? Cause I'm going to sit here and gush about these books for the next four posts.

You were warned.

The cover attracted me. The title attracted me. The whole back of the book attracted me and I knew I'd never be happy until I read this book.

Imagine the suburbs of a major city. Most of them are pretty typical. They have a nice side and a not nice side. Where Brittany lives, it's rich, it's white, it's perfect. And where Alex lives, it's poor, it's diverse (in this case predominately Mexican and Latino), and you fight for survival. So how the heck are these two ever going to get together, much less see eye to eye?

Well, that would be giving away the book and I don't plan on doing that. Instead I'd really like to tell you about some elements that make this book stand out.

1 - The format keeps you moving forward. Chapter 1 comes from Brittany's perspective. Chapter 2 switches to Alex. It goes back and forth from there. This shift really allows you get to know each character in a personal way.

2 - LIFE IS NOT PERFECT! There is continual pressure on these two from home, from school, for all these negative outside influences, even from each other. Don't get me wrong, I love a happy ending, but that doesn't mean that getting there will be filled with rainbows and unicorns.

3 - The characters have flaws. They make stupid decisions. Even though I genuinely have nothing in common with them, it's those flaws and those mistakes that help me relate to them. It makes me root for that happy ending all the more.

4 - The woman wrote an epilogue that takes place 23 years later. I love her just for that.

This, and the next 3 books I'm going to talk about, are billed as Teen Romance. I don't consider myself much of a romance reader. I have a few on my shelves and I'll pick one up occasionally if a friend lends it to me, but I am far from being addicted to them. It wasn't the romance that drew me into this book, and it wasn't what kept me reading page after page late into the night.

It was the clash of cultures; the struggle to keep moving forward that had me hooked. It speaks of a place and people that are dear to my heart. It was someone else speaking out about injustice and forgiveness that made me want to share this book with you. If you believe people can be forgiven; that they can move forward after making a bad decision, then you're not alone.