Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles

Genre: Young Adult
Source: Gift
Synopsis: Alex Fuentes is a gang member from the South on the outskirts of Chicago. Brittany Ellis is a privileged and popular girl from the north, who seems to have it all. They are total opposites who will never get along. When they are forced to be lab partners in their chemistry class, "the results are bound to be explosive." With stereotypes, impressions, and misconceptions about each other comes a lot of expectations -- hate, pranks, arguments, among many others. But what happens is one that they least expected; they fall in love. Can they break through the boundaries and the walls that separate them both?

Review: This is West Side Story and Romeo and Juliet combined in a Young Adult novel. Bad boy and Miss Popular starts off hating each other's guts, and ends up falling in love. Sounds stereotypical? Overdone? Not one bit. Simone Elkeles takes a seemingly "overdone" premise, and adds a new and modern twist to it.

I'm going to have to confess, I'm a bit of a sucker for love stories, and when they're well-told, it makes me love them even more. The story of Alex Fuentes and Brittany Ellis is just what I was looking for. Yes, I loved Perfect Chemistry! In fact, I loved it so much I was able to read this in just one sitting.
While this is mainly about their romance, it doesn't entirely dominate the story. There are other important themes covered as well. However, the truth is, the best parts about this book are the romance itself and the two main characters. I love them! They were very realistic and believable, and I was able to empathize with them as if they were my own friends. It's one thing to read about characters, but it's another when you are able to actually care about them.

Sure, there were a few cliche lines here and there -- including the epilogue, even though I still liked it haha. I also don't know if I would be able to call this book "amazing" (define amazing anyway!?) but honestly? I don't really care. It was still good. At the end of the day, I was entertained. I cared about the characters and their story. Sometimes that's all you really want in a book. So as not to make this review any longer, I'm just going to say that I fell in love with Alex and Brittany. Period. If you love YA, I highly recommend this one. 5 stars, most definitely!