Perfect Chemistry

By: Simone Elkeles

Narrated by: Roxanne Hernandez, Blas Kisic

Length: 9 hrs and 44 mins

Publisher's summary

RITA Award Winner, Best Young Adult Romance, 2010

When Brittany Ellis walks into chemistry class on the first day of senior year, she has no clue that her carefully created perfect life is about to unravel before her eyes. She's forced to be lab partners with Alex Fuentes, a gang member from the other side of town, and he is about to threaten everything she's worked so hard for her flawless reputation, her relationship with her boyfriend, and the secret that her home life is anything but perfect. 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 soon Alex realizes Brittany is a real person with real problems, and suddenly the bet he made in arrogance turns into something much more.

In a passionate story about looking beneath the surface, Simone Elkeles' breaks through the stereotypes and barriers that threaten to keep Brittany and Alex apart.

©2008 Simone Elkeles (P)2009 Audible, Inc.

Better than I expected

I'm not sure why I bought this, because I'm not the target audience (I'm in my 50's, but this book is clearly for young adults). That being said, I enjoyed the story quite a bit. The two-narrator presentation was good, although Blas Kisic sounded a little old for the part. The story has some intense scenes that are better for young adults over the age of 16 or 17 - but I also don't think this book would interest kids much younger than that, since it doesn't feature wizards or mythical creatures.

My favorite book

I love this book so much! It’s my favorite book of all time! Just traveled all the west coast and heard it all! It was awesome! Really nicely done!

Good story

I was referred this story by a good friend who changed my life . So glad I listened. Love this story. Relatable in many ways.

Steamy Teenage Romance

You can’t see it but I’m fanning myself right now. Perfect Chemistry is super steamy and oh so much fun to read. The chapters alternate narration between Brittany Ellis and Alex Fuentes, giving you each characters perspective. As mentioned in the description, Brittany and Alex are total opposites. At school, Brittany is the popular good girl and Alex is the Latino blood gang member and school bad boy. The two characters are paired together as lab partners in Chemistry class and their differences create friction from the beginning.

Brittany puts up a facade to her peers that she has the perfect life, but in her opinion it is far from perfect. At home, Brittany’s parents pressure her to keep up appearances by always looking great and keeping up good grades. While her parents are busy nitpicking her, they ignore her special needs sister, whom Brittany cares for deeply.

Alex is the oldest of three brothers and ever since his father died, from gang violence, he has been the man of the house. Since gang activity is prevalent in his neighborhood, he becomes a member to protect his family. He hopes to keep his two brothers out of the ‘Blood’ by doing everything the gang wants, even though he would love more than anything to be free.

As they are forced to get to know each other, the lives they try to keep so secret are exposed. They fall hard for each other, but with everything standing in between them can their relationship last?

I love so many things about this story: the characters, the romance, the social challenges.

Elkeles wrote a sizzling romance that pulls you in and keeps you turning the page. The characters face real life social conflicts that, in the end, turn them into remarkable people. Alex’s gang experience is very true to life and you feel the difficulty of his situation. Brittany pushes past what her parents want her to be and reaches out to help Alex, in return, she finds out who she really wants to be.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves teenage romance novels.

For more Perfect Chemistry fun, check out Rules of Attraction (Perfect Chemistry #2).

Female Narrator is terrible

How did the narrator detract from the book?

I liked the story, but the female narrator was terrible. It was like listening to a middle aged Jan Brady trying to sound like a teenager. UGGHHH!

The narrator can really make or break a book!

Any additional comments?

The female narrator was very bad. I probably wouldnt waste a credit on this if I had it to do over.

Younger Narrators Needed

The story line, while very cliche, is a fun modern remix of Shakespeare's Taming of the Shrew and Romeo and Juliet. The narrators sound way too old to be 18, however. I found it distracting, especially during Brittany's chapters. On the plus side, the accents are done reasonably well and all things said, I listened to the book in just four days while doing things like cooking dinner and folding laundry.

Teen romance

I liked this book when it came out in middle school and I enjoyed it now as an adult. If you are looking for something fluffy this is it. Mostly a story about teen angst but mixed with the problems of the real world.

Great read

It’s definitely worth your time and attention. I recommend this book that will capture your attention.

Easy reading for young readers

It’s a good story, and easy to follow you know which character is thinking. Especially in moments that are hard to know what others might be thinking.