Perfect Chemistry

By Simone Elkeles

360 pages

If you just read the summary of Perfect Chemistry you might pass but it is worth a second look. The two main characters are pretty stereotypical on the outside but the old adage of don't judge a book by its cover asserts itself quite clearly. Brittany Ellis is a blonde pretty cheerleading captain who dates the star football player. She just got a BMW for her birthday but she doesn't really like it. Her home life seems perfect but that perfection is a carefully cared for front. Her dad is never home and her mother needs everything to be just so. Her older sister is kept a secret from most of her friends but not out of shame because Brittany loves her sister. Alex Fuentes has built his reputation just as carefully but as a tough gang member to keep his family safe. Most of the people at school are scared of Alex but they don't really know him either. In Chemistry the two are put together as partners and bump heads from the begining to the end. You'll have to read to find out what happens.

I really enjoyed Perfect Chemistry as a YA book it really hit the mark. Clearly aimed for teens this book gives an interesting story and full characters without writing down to the reader. It is a good quick read and perfect for reluctant readers.

Perfect Chemistry has found it's way onto several award lists as follows:

-Finalist, Kentucky Bluegrass High School Book Awards

-2010 Top Ten YALSA Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Readers

-2010 Romance Writers of America RITA award winner

-2011 Abraham Lincoln Award semifinalist

-2010-2011 Pennsylvania Young Readers Choice nominee