Rules of Attraction by Simone Elkeles
Genre: YA Realistic Fiction
Blurb (on back of book):
Carlos Fuentes doesn't want any part of the life his older brother, Alex, has laid out for him in Boulder, Colorado. He wants to keep living on the edge, and carve his own path-just like Alex did. Unfortunately, his ties to a Mexican gang aren't easy to break, and he soon finds himself being set up by a drug lord.
When Alex arranges for Carlos to live with his former professor and his family to keep him from being sent to jail, Carlos feels completely out of place. He's even more thrown by his strong feelings for the professor's daughter, Kiara, who is nothing like the girls he's usually drawn to. But Carlos and Kiara soon discover that in matters of the heart, the rules of attraction overpower the social differences that conspire to keep them apart.
As the danger grows for Carlos, he's shocked to discover that it's this seemingly All-American family who can save him. But is he willing to endanger their safety for a chance at the kind of life he's never even dreamed possible?
MY OPINION: *****
Yay I finally found another five-star book out of the ones I've read this year! I was starting to get worried that I wouldn't be able to find another one because out of what I've read, they were just mediocre at best. I know that many reviewers tend to leave a three- or four-star rating but I always am that one person who loves books way too much, even if there were faults. I mean, all books have them; why dock a star because of it? However, this year, I'm trying to be more critical but sadly that means I have to judge a book more and not find one that I love as much.
However, I did really enjoy this book! I really liked
Perfect Chemistry, the first book in this series and I'm actually starting to read all of Elkeles work. I'm starting the third book in this series as soon as it arrives at my local library!
I did think that this book was kind of a pure copy of the first one. I mean, the author kind of just wrote the same story all over again but with different characters. Basically, a Mexican boy feels "out of place" and is part of a gang. He meets a "white girl" and despite what he wants, he starts to fall in love with her. This story is almost exactly the same as the first book. But since I did love
Perfect Chemistry so much, I'm actually kind of glad that I got to read it almost again. And yes, there were some differences.
Carlos Fuentes is Alex's younger brother (Alex is the protagonist of the first book). He moved from Mexico to where his brother lives but he's part of a huge gang that he can't escape. He meets this girl named Kiara who is his peer guide as he adjusts to a new school. Alex already knows Kiara from work and he asks her to do it. She's happy to but Carlos is not budging and he's hard to warm up to.
He describes Kiara as wearing baggy clothes and oversized shirts but he "wants to know what's underneath", meaning that he's a normal teenage boy ;) Kiara is almost unpleased with Carlos but she does her best. They have another one of those prank/revenge things like Alex and Brittany did in
Perfect Chemistry...
Then, Kiara's dad, a professor, announces that Carlos has to come live with them because he can't stay with his brother at his college since he's still in high school. Kiara agrees,
almost reluctantly, but Carlos is displeased. He learns upon arrival that there are rules to follow and he doesn't want to do that at all. He's also angry at life in general, in my opinion. He's that kid who's disrespectful and has an attitude but once you warm up to them, you find out that they are an amazing, kind, smart kid.
Anyways, there's this ever-budding romance between Kiara and Carlos that they are both trying to fight, Carlos saying that he never dates and Kiara saying that she doesn't want to let her heart be broken.
And then there's the gang and the money and drug dealing that was similar to Alex's story.
AND BRANDON. He was so adorable and I really liked him! His comments about "French kissing and exchanging germs" and the drug-dealing game (UM WHERE ARE THE PARENTS) was hilarious!
The writing in this book had a lot of sensory detail. I thought that it really paid attention to the small things in life and that's what made the book so powerful. I really enjoyed reading it and I found some parts funny and some poignant.
I would recommend this book to realistic fiction lovers who are looking for a drama and a romance.
Main Character: Carlos, Kiara
Sidekick(s): Alex, Brittany, etc
Villain(s): Gang members, drugs, etc
Realistic Fiction Elements: This book was all very real to life.
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