Perfect Chemistry (Perfect Chemistry, #1)

Perfect Chemistry (Perfect Chemistry #1)

4.16 of 5 stars 4.16  ·  rating details  ·  75,348 ratings  ·  6,006 reviews
A fresh, urban twist on the classic tale of star-crossed lovers.

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...more
Paperback, 359 pages
Published December 23rd 2008 by Walker Books for Young Readers

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Kristi (The Story Siren)
This novel was fantastic, it was wonderful, it blew me away! After I finished reading it, I wanted to read it again... something in the story just really got to me. If I had to describe it I’d say it’s like Pretty in Pink meets West Side Story. You know Pretty in Pink, awesome 80's movie starring Molly Ringwald, rich guy falling for the poor girl on the other side of the tracks... West Side Story, forbidden love in the most extreme.

It’s obvious that Elkeles did her homework with this one. The g...more
 Lady Jayne *~*The Beach Bandida*~*
Sep 01, 2011 Lady Jayne *~*The Beach Bandida*~* rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: YA Romance readers, Young Adult-Mature, and those who love stories of star-crossed lovers

5 Stars!!! - Also reviewed at: Lady Jayne's Reading Den

(This is an Adult-who-enjoys-reliving-the-stirrings-of-first-love-and-self-discovery-during-the-teen-years-through-YA books review)

**CONTENT WARNING - Since this is a YA book I will include a warning that this book contains some Sexual, Drug and Alcohol, Course Language and Violent Content - Recommended for Older Teens**

I LOVED this book!!! Perfect Chemistry is an urban story of star-crossed lovers from “different sides of the track” – B

...more
Haleema
I am not in love with Alex Fuentes. I do not want him. I don't think about him all the time. My stomach does not flip whenever I read about him. I don't think he's beautiful. My heart doesn't skip a bit whenever I read him.

That's how real he seemed. I always had a thing for dem bad boys, but not really gang bangers. I never had a thing for gang bangers, but I want to... *insert horrible action* Alex. He's on fire.

Now that I got my carnal desires out of the way, let's talk about the actual story....more
Fran
I'm just not the right person to read YA books. Even though I'm technically the target audience for these (me being a teen and all), I've found that I just hate 90 % of them. Even most of the ones other people seem to like, I hate. So if you're a person who doesn't dislike super cheesy writing and a million clichés, this book will probably be a fun read for you and you shouldn't let my bad review keep you from reading it.

I really only read this book because so many people on Goodreads seemed to...more
Nicole
While I appreciate Simone Elkeles attempt to write a story with a lovely "moral" I can't help but point out that there aren't any in this book. I don't support the explicit language and although I know by my daily junior-high life that teens actually talk like this, and 10 times worse, why encourage cursing? Is not the ultimate goal for every adult, and every teenager besides, to set the foundation for positive, sophisticated, and well-mannered demeanors? And the fact that Brittany and Alex had...more
Emily May


I read this a while ago and I always meant to review but never ended up getting around to it until now. I have a few things I want to say, the first that it wasn't entirely unenjoyable, the low rating reflects several things but I want to point out that I understand why so many people love this book and I think it would be better for the majority to read it themselves and make their own minds up - I know that I am again in the minority.

It's quite a nice Romeo and Juliet type of forbidden romanc...more
Elena R a.k.a. Lunies R
Outstanding! It's been a while since I enjoyed a really good ya-novel. Perfect Chemistry, captivated my mind from beginning to end.

The characters Alex Fuentes and Brittany Ellis both had issues they had to deal with that makes the plot of the story so surreal.Alex is a gang member,with absolutely no intentions on going to college and doing anything meaningful with his life, that's the story of what people on the south side part of town believe.Brittany is the rich girl trying to keep up with th...more
Jo
“Alex probably brings his dates sharp knives as gifts, in case she’ll need one when she’s out on a date with him.”

Initial Final Page Thoughts.
Well considering I thought I was going to read about two pages of this book before giving up, I’m surprised how much I enjoyed this one. Maybe I am a girl after all. Gosh.

High Points.
Brittany. Alex. PacoPacoPaco. Pom squad. Garages. Motorcycles. Science projects. Beaches. Leather jackets. Bandanas. Chichis. The phrase “ripped bod”. Muffins. Hand warmers…...more
Inge
I am not in love with Alex Fuentes. I do not wa-

Just kidding, Haleema. <3

*sigh* Perfect Chemistry was everything I wanted it to be. It was cute and fluffy and dark and sexy, all at the same time. It was well-written and didn’t remind me of any YA books I wanted to throw against the wall. I can’t even begin to sum up all the clichés that were used in this book, but they were so well done that I completely forgive Simone Elkeles for all of them. She took those clichés and made them her bitches....more
Stacia ~ Mistress of Mediocrity
3.5 stars. I went into this one with a little bit of hesitancy after seeing a couple of people slam it pretty hard for being full of bad stereotypes. Most of the people I know who have read the book did like it a lot, but sometimes even one or two negative opinions can be enough to scare me off if they're strong ones.

Funny thing is, I didn't think it was as bad or off-base as those couple people made it out to be. Maybe it was because I knew my fair share of guys similar to Alex (and dated a cou...more
Kubika Penerbit
Setelah lama menanti, akhirnya buku PERFECT CHEMISTRY ini jadi kami terbitkan.
 ✿Alyssa✿

This review was posted at My Secret Romance



To sum it up: 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 b...more
Judith (Judith'sChoiceReads)
Rarely, when it comes to YA novels lately, am I truly and wholly blown away. I've read more "blah" books than I can count on one hand and have used just as much--if not more--as kindling.

Why, you ask? Because they suck. Because there is no spark within anything and because I am just egging myself (barely) to finish. The whole process is most definitely forced AND I hate that.




BUT I didn't feel that way in the slightest throughout my reading of Perfect Chemistry. Ms. Elkeles could save the who...more
Book Chick City
Reviewed by Laura for Book Chick City.

I think it's fair to say that 'Perfect Chemistry' isn't an original story. We've read superb stories of star-crossed lovers before. Ultimately in Shakespeare's 'Romeo and Juliet' and of course 'West Side Story'. But this didn't matter to me. In fact, after the first two chapters I was hooked.

Brittany is your high school princess, the girl every other girl wants to be. Beautiful, rich, the head cheerleader and dating one of the hottest guys in school. Raised...more
D.G.
Review of audiobook version narrated by Roxanne Hernandez and Blas Kisic.

This is, without a doubt, the best YA romance I’ve ever read. It was real, emotional, powerful, tender, romantic and sexy without being graphic. Half the time I was fighting smiles (they were so cute together) or tears. I read a lot of romance but I’ve seldom seen a couple that was more right for each other than Alex and Brittany. These are not your usual teenage self-involved characters that scream, me, me, me. They were b...more
Rhonda
I AM FLOORED that I enjoyed this YA Romance as much as I did! I found myself unable to resist turning the pages.

I’m not going to go into the plot much because it’s already been done beautifully!
This is a classic story of girl meets boy, from the wrong side of the tracks, but with a gangsta lean.
What starts out as a bet between Alex and one of his friends, involving Brittany turns into undeniable love. As these two lose their hearts to each other they find there is much more they have in common...more
Audrey Hepburn
Oh My God! This book...I just thought it was...SO GOOD!
5 STARS ALL THE WAY!


description

FANGIRLING MOMENT!

description

You might think that this is like those cheesy romantic teen books and movies where the girl after hating the guy falls in love with him and blah, blah, blah!!

Nope, its nothing like that. This book is more than that.It is one of the best romantic books I have ever read and very beautiful.


So lets start with the beautiful Brittany Ellis the main character:

description

She is your typical beautiful, hot blonde girl....more
Idle Hippo
beberapa hari menjelang IRF 2011 dapet sms dari si Emut yang nanyain "Mau minjem Perfect Chemistry gak? kalo mau tar dibawain"
Heh? koq ujug2 nawarin buku inih, prasaan gak pernah ngomongin mau minjem ato majang di wishlist bukuna.
Yah karen di tawarin..

esta bien
no hay problema!
por que no?


vamos a gozar
*sok2an pake bahasa meksiko*

ceritanya seh cerita cinta2an anak SMU. Klise? tentu, tp tema seperti ini tetap menjual sampai kapanpun
Bercerita tentang Britanny cewe gringa mamacita caramelo preciosa cu...more
Annie Brewer
Well, Simone Elkeles has once again wowed me with her AWESOMENESS!!!! As tears are streaming down my face, of course they are happy tears but also tear of sadness to see Alex and Brit's story unfold in only one book. Oh boy was this book worth every tear I shed tonight-and there were alot. But these last tears were those of happiness for a perfect ending, to the perfect story, with my 2 favorite perfect characters that will live on in my heart forever. Oh Alex and Brit how I will miss thee-I sup...more
Lindsay
Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles

Soooo corny! But I LOVE it! Jeez, reading has made me soft...

I remember when I saw this book in the book store months ago, my friend told me not to get it because she said she could tell it would be bad. I questioningly looked at her and asked her why - because she said she had never read the book - and she tells me her Book Cover Theory. That you can tell whether a book will be good or bad by the cover it has. So even though I thought what she was saying was dumb, I didn't buy the book, bumped...more
Wendy F
I'm going to start this review with the one negative, lets just get it out of the way.

I didn't buy the ganglife in this book. It felt as though a woman was daydreaming about what a gang members troubled life would be like, but it was a bit too soft. Alex was the gang member with a heart of gold. I believe that they are out there, but for some reason it just rang false in this story for me. It was all to fantastical, I suppose. Towards the end of the book it got a bit more realistic, especially t...more
Flannery
Jul 09, 2010 Flannery rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Most of my friends that read YA
Recommended to Flannery by: Goodreads lists!
Okay, I'm making a shelf called "embarrassing cover and/or title."

Flannery: "I just read a great book about a Mexican boy and an All-American girl falling in love at a Chicago high school."
Roommates: "What was it called?"
Flannery: "Perfect Chemistry."
Roommates: *chuckling*

How the hell am I supposed to tell people this is a great book if this is the cover and it is called Perfect Chemistry? Blech!

On a more serious note, I thought the author did an amazing job portraying realistic teens. High sch...more
Holly
WOW!! The only word that comes to mind is WOW!! I LOVED THIS BOOK!! I typically give a book 5 stars if I loved it, not based on the writing, the author etc. I base my ratings on I felt reading the book, but there are not enough stars for this book!! This may be a YA, but what a moving story of love and overcoming who we think need people to believe we are! I said before that I love the premise of this book which is that we are so much more than the persona we show the outside world. I can't prai...more
Mia Queen
Begitu hebohnya buku ini yang bisa kita lihat dari rating Goodreads (4, 37) dan amazon (rata-rata memberikan bintang 5), sepertinya saya tidak akan berbicara banyak mengenai alur cerita Perfect Chemistry.

Alex Fuentez dan Brittany adalah 2 magnet dengan kubu berbeda. Brittany, ketua cheerleader, cantik, kaya, berdada indah *ehem*, berambut pirang. Sempurna! Atau bisa dibilang terlihat sempurna, karena di balik semua itu ia hanyalah seorang gadis muda biasa yang penuh dengan masalah. Ayahnya jaran...more
Kathryn
OMG OMG OMG OMG

I need to calm down before I can write anything about this book....

──── four days later...

This is the first book since "Twilight" that has made me feel this way.
I feel so much like a girl. I couldn't think of anything else BUT this book for a few days.
Contemplating how it was so deliciously romantic, putting myself in Brittany's (female character) position, picturing Alex (male character) as a real person. You know, all that crazy stuff you do when you irrevocably fall in love wi...more
Ariana


“We’re actors in our lives, pretendin’ to be who we want people to think we are.”

♥ I loved it! ♥
It’s hard to rate a book that you love a lot, that made you laugh until your cheeks hurt, that made you feel like a teenager again, giggling like a fool at every scene between the 2 main characters, wishing for the next installment to come really quick.. and this book did all this very well.

You won’t find anything life-saving in it, nothing impressive to keep you awake at night thinking about it, but...more
Kaitlyn
Basically this story is about a girl named Brittany Ellis and a boy named Alex Fuentes. They are both high school seniors and are forced to be partners in their chemistry class. Brittany is the popular girl, who has the perfect boyfriend and is captain of the cheerleading squad. Alex lives on the south side and is in a gang called the Latino Blood. His family is very poor and his dad was murdered when he was six years old right before his eyes. Alex takes a bet that he can get Brittany to sleep...more
Jennifer Wardrip
Reviewed by Emily Ann for TeensReadToo.com

Who says that southsiders and northsiders can't mix? Well, other than everyone at Fairfield High School on the outskirts of Chicago.

Northsider Brittany Ellis has everything any teenager wants: popularity, money, and good looks. On the surface, her life is wonderful, but her perfect persona is just a cover-up for her troubled home life.

Southsider Alex Fuentes has a bad-boy reputation, but all he wants is to get out of his gang and graduate.

When they ar...more
Tanja (Tanychy) St. Delphi
Aug 16, 2011 Tanja (Tanychy) St. Delphi rated it 5 of 5 stars
Recommended to Tanja (Tanychy) by: Zemira Warner
Shelves: favorites, romance
Dios mio!

That's probably the best word to describe my feelings after reading this book. This book has everything, it made me laugh, cry, curse, I was angry, happy, relieved. I like a lot of things about this book I'll just say few.
Firs, I like writing, Spanish words especially. I'm not fluent in Spanish but those words made me laugh. I imagined Alex saying them and that Mexican accent. I had(or better say i still have) clear pictures in my head.
Second thing, I love characters. Britt isn't diva...more
Parvathy
May 06, 2013 Parvathy rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: YA realistic romance lovers, Twilight with more emotional depth and no vampires
In simple words Perfect Chemistry is a chick lit. It has all the ingredients girls go for. A bad boy, a good girl and a lot of baggage. Problems...., What love story doesn't have it? Either you can go for the Romeo and Juliet type of drama, where you instantly fall for each other but can't be together because of the different worlds you each belong to or you can go for the Elizabeth and Darcy type romance where you can't stand each other at first but once you get over the differences there is no...more
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topics  posts  views  last activity   
The (Not-So) Aust...: Perfect Chemistry - January Read Discussion 6 39 May 12, 2013 01:38am  
Čeští a slovenští...: Perfect Chemistry od Simone Elkeles (březen 2013) 11 44 Apr 07, 2013 11:17am  
Similar books? 4 92 Apr 06, 2013 01:44pm  
YA/NA FANATICS: BOTM February: Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles 7 28 Mar 23, 2013 03:07pm  
SIMILAR BOOKS? 19 184 Mar 23, 2013 11:31am  
How are the other books? 10 70 Mar 22, 2013 03:12pm  
relationships 2 11 Mar 22, 2013 03:05pm  
Perfect Chemistry (Perfect Chemistry, #1)
Perfect Chemistry (Paperback)
Perfect Chemistry (Perfect Chemistry, #1)
Perfect Chemistry (Perfect Chemistry, #1)
Perfect Chemistry (Perfect Chemistry, #1)

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Simone Elkeles is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of novels for teens. Simone’s books have won many awards including being YALSA Top Ten Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers, being named to the YALSA Popular Paperbacks and Teens Top Ten lists, and added to the Illinois “Read for a Lifetime” Reading List. Simone also won the coveted RITA award from the Romance Writers of...more
More about Simone Elkeles...
Rules of Attraction (Perfect Chemistry, #2) Chain Reaction (Perfect Chemistry, #3) Leaving Paradise (Leaving Paradise, #1) Return to Paradise (Leaving Paradise, #2) How to Ruin a Summer Vacation (How to Ruin, #1)

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“You are the one girl that made me risk eveything for a future worth having.” 1,229 people liked it
“We're actors in our lives, pretendin' to be who we want people to think we are.” 1,127 people liked it
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