Perfect Chemistry Book Review

As I read Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles, the whole story basically hypnotized me. At times it was a little cliche, but I LOVED this book. I would say the book is 300 and somewhat pages, and I finished it in one day, during school.

While reading this book, I came across so many themes and universal problems teenagers and families face in today's society. On one side, you have the "rich kids", the kids who's lives are picture perfect. Big houses, nice cars, good grades and the works. On the the other side, you have the problem kids. The gang members, drug users, run down houses, etc. If you were to take all that away, there would be kids with feelings, hopes, and dreams standing in front of you. What happens when a "rich girl" gets paired up with a gang member in Chemistry class? Well, the two find out they are not so different than they think. The main theme I found was accepting people for who they are on the inside. Just because someone is considered a rich snob, does not mean that is actually who they are on the inside, when every thing is stripped away. Just because someone is in a gang does not automatically make them a horrible person. Every one has their reasons for why they choose the things they choose. Every one has a story to tell, and sometimes the good people can be bad, and the bad people can be good. Yet, the good people can really be good, and the bad people can really be bad too.

I loved the different characters in Perfect Chemistry. Brittany, who is one of the main characters has friends that she cannot really trust. She's the "rich girl" that gets paired up with Alejandro or Alex in chemistry. He is the gang member that has a good heart. Brittany lives a harder life than people can see from only going to school with her. Her mom is always stressed, her dad is never around, and her 20 year old sister is confined to a wheelchair because she has cerebral palsy. As Brittany and Alex find out more about each other, their perceptions of people begin to really change. I think later in the book the whole school starts to think differently about some things.

Simone Elkeles wrote with a very believable teenage tone. In the book, Brittany is the voice of every other chapter, while Alex is the voice of the other chapters. Brittany and Alex had two very different tones, so I was impressed with the way a woman could portray a teenage boy so well. Elkeles described things with so much detail, so much enthusiasm. I could not believe I finished this book in one day! I could not put it down. Each chapter left you wondering what would happen next. This book was an extremely easy read, but the story was great I think! It was a perfect story for teenagers, in my eyes.

This book took place in Illinois, very close to Chicago. I love big cities, and I love reading stories that take place in Urban areas. These stories take me away to something I have never really gotten to experience except when I am on vacation. Even though the story takes place in a big city, school is not that much different in small towns.

There were so many connections in this novel that connected to my life and other stories I have read and movies I have seen. When I lived in Fayetteville, I dated a guy that no one ever thought I would date. He was out of school, he was not rich, he ran with some bad people, but he was utterly and most definitely the nicest, most down to earth, honest person I have ever known. To this day, no one but me understands how much our relationship affected me in a positive way. While every one told me I was too good for him, I experienced a relationship where I did not have to pretend I was something I was not. He understood the obstacles going on in my life, and I was able to find out he was better than most rich people I knew. Even though he was not in school, he was so smart, and had so much going for him. I hope he knows that, and I hope no one ever brings him down. What most people do not know or care to realize is status has nothing to do with character. Rich people can be evil, and poor people can be gold hearted people. It is what is on the inside that truly counts. When our day comes, I am positive that our money in the bank will not be of value any longer. What is in our hearts will matter the most. The characters in this book find this out, and I hope people in real life find this out as well.

I recommend this book to anyone who struggles with their status in school, and in life. I recommend it to any one who cares about someone that other people look down on. I recommend this to people who feel like they could never be with that girl because she is rich, or that boy because he is popular, or who feel like they could never be with that boy because he is the "bad boy." Stereotypes should be broken, and this book breaks them. This would be an awesome summer read as well!