ARC Review: Perfect Chemistry - Simone Elkeles

Brittany Ellis seems to have it all; wealthy parents, the perfect boyfriend and the "right" group of friends. But when Brittany is forced to become lab partners with Alex Fuentes, a gang member from the wrong side of town, her perfect life starts to unravel. 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 as Alex and Brittany grow closer, sparks begin to fly and they both realise that sometimes appearances can be deceptive. Will their emerging feelings be enough to keep them together when the world is determined to keep them apart?

Fuente's Brothers Trilogy
Perfect Chemistry
Rules of Attraction
Chain Reaction

For more information visit Simone Elkeles' website

Review:
By first appearances Brittany and Alex couldn't be more different and don't appear to have even the slightest thing in common. Brittany is from the rich side of town - she is a beautiful, popular cheerleader who is dating the captain of the football team. She wears designer clothes, drives an expensive car and seems to have the perfect life. Alex is from the poor side of town - a frightening gang member with a reputation for drugs and violence, he fits the bad boy image perfectly.

But appearances can be deceptive and neither of them is quite what they seem. Brittany is hiding secrets behind her perfect life facade - life with a disabled sister & a mother constantly on the verge of a nervous breakdown is hard. Alex isn't as tough as he likes to make out, in fact the only reason he joined his gang in the first place was to protect his family. Now, no matter how much he'd like to escape, there is no way out without putting everyone he cares about in danger.

I can't tell you how much I enjoyed this book - I've read a lot of YA romance over the years but this has got to be one of the best. The story is told from both Brittany and Alex's point of view in alternating chapters which means you get a fantastic insight into each of the characters. They are both incredibly real & take you on a gritty journey with them that you don't want to end. This book is about so much more than romance though, you also get a terrifying insight into what life must be like for an inner city gang member. So many of the YA romances I've read recently seem to be based purely on lust rather than any real connection between the characters so this was a refreshing change from the norm.

Simone Elkeles has done an amazing job with this book & I was so excited to find out that a sequel - Rules of Attraction - is due out soon. I'll definitely be reading the sequel and checking out more books by this author. I'd highly recommend Perfect Chemistry to any fans of the YA romance genre.

Source: Recieved for review from publisher Simon & Schuster

Other Reviews:
Once Upon a Bookcase
Hooked on YA Books
Wondrous Reads
Confessions of the Un-Published
I Want To Read That
Maria the Bookworm
I Was A Teenage Book Geek
Girls Without A Bookshelf
The Bookette
Katie's Book Blog
Story Wings
Portrait of a Woman
If you have reviewed this book on your blog please leave a link to your review in the comments & I'll add the link here.