Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles ☆☆☆☆☆Oh, thank you my library staff! Wandering around the young adult section (as I do so often) I saw this book displayed on the end of the shelf and totally judged the book by its cover. I had to get it right then and there, no exceptions. I mean how could anyone resist this cover? :)
So this is one of the first times I've ever read a book with alternating voices. The last one being Time Traveler's Wife. It was a bit confusing. I was so engrossed in the story that I'd start reading the next chapter without remembering to switch voices. Those moments were hilarious though.
This book made me disappointed in myself though. I live on the border, I speak Spanglish, as does everyone else here. This book is FULL of Spanglish. And yet, I had to use the translator on my phone to follow along in certain points in the book. A lot of books that use Spanish will let's say ask a question in Spanish while the other character answers them in English while somewhat repeating the question so that you can get the jist of it in context. This one didn't do that. Which, in it's context was a good thing because she wasn't going to understand anything that he and his group said so it definitely worked. But I was disappointed that I didn't know as much as I should. A lot of the dialogue I hear on a daily basis and never really know the exact meaning, I have a general idea of the meaning, but that's it.
When I first started this book I wasn't all that impressed. The characters were both super cliche. She was a rich white girl and head cheerleader, he was a Mexican gang banger. But the way their characters developed, the things you learned about them, was realistic, fluid, and amazing. I tend to read before bed a few chapters a night, when I got to the half way point of this book and went to read my few chapters I literally couldn't put it down. My son came into my room when he woke up asking why I never went to sleep....and it still took me until noon before I finished it. That's impressive to me. In fact, it made such a difference in my perspective that I bought the sequel on Amazon immediately because there was a wait list at my library and I didn't want to wait. That review is on its way....
The only true complaint I would have about this book was the ending. It felt rushed and almost forced. Things didn't naturally progress as they had in the rest of the novel. But as good as the story was I was perfectly okay with that. And then.....there was the epilogue. Eww, could have completely done without that, thank you very much. It was unnecessary and more than forced. The best I could describe it would be someone's attempt at fanfiction after the novel. I'm hoping the sequel makes up for this, but I'm looking past it regardless. :)
