Rules of Attraction

Title: Rules of Attraction
Author: Simone Elkeles
(C) 2010
Publisher: Walker and Company
ISBN: 978-0-8027-2085-6
324 pp.

Isn't that a lovely cover. These scene does happen in the book too.

So, something I forgot to mention in the last post. There is some gang violence, some use of profanity, and yes the characters have sex. Don't let your grade/middle schooler read these books. I don't care how well they can read, there are just some of the things the characters in these books end up facing that they aren't ready to read about yet.

That being said, don't let those things turn you off from these stories either.

Rules of Attraction is the sequel, following Alex's brother Carlos. At the end of Perfect Chemistry, Alex's family packs up and moves back to Mexico. There, Carlos (the middle brother), gets into trouble and is shipped back to America to live with Alex in Colorado.

Do you think Carlos will be able to make decisions that keep him out of trouble there?

HAH! The boy has a bigger ego and even bigger attitude than Alex did in high school. I absolutely adore him!

Well, when bad decisions put the lives of his family and a new friend in danger, Carlos learns quickly that sometimes you have to rely on others, and sometimes it's alright to put your faith and trust in someone other than yourself.

Ms. Elkeles follows the same format; this time switching between Carlos and Kiara. Kiara makes a great balance for him. She's determined and loyal. She sees in him what almost no one else can; that deep down he really does want to be good guy. He just doesn't know how to become that person.

There was something else I forgot to mention in the last post. Because of the Mexican influence of the characters, Spanish is sprinkled throughout the conversations. It's not always perfectly defined, but even without knowing a lick of Spanish, you can understand what's being implied. What I love even more is that she generally uses slang words and phrases. To me, that makes a character come alive. I don't want a text book phrase that I can translate online, I want what someone would actually say.

I've heard that there's a third book coming out Spring 2011; Chain Reaction. I'm curious if this is planning to be about the third brother, Luis, or something else entirely. I guess we'll have to wait and see.