Perfect Chemistry
Imagine your basic cliché teen love story. Got it? Now take that thought and throw it out the window, because Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles is not like that at all. This book is about how a gang member named Alex Fuentes from the south side of Chicago fell in love with the captain of the cheerleading squad, Brittany Ellis. Alex was just trying to be the first person in his family to graduate high school, he never thought that he would fall for the stuck up and wealthy white girl form the north side. Brittany Ellis was just trying to make everyone happy and graduate the top of her class so that she could find a way to spend time with her sister with a disability. However, when they are forced to be chemistry lab parts sparks just flew. Not even, they had a million bumps in the road before they realized they loved each other, but I guess you will have to read it to find out. Perfect Chemistry is not your normal teenage love story; it is filled with love, hate, betrayal, questions, and answers. In this essay, you will find out how two people from the opposite side of the social pyramid found love.
It is not what’s on the outside but on the inside. This is the theme of this book and really shown all throughout the story. Carlos thinks that Brittany is just a girl who spends her dad's money and always gets what she wants. He does not see what her home life is like or that she really is like a ticking time bomb just waiting to go off. Brittany thinks that Alex is just an all-around bad boy. That he does not care about anything except for his friends and his gang. Brittany does not see that Alex is looking for a way out, that he does not want this life for him or his family. They both find themselves looking at what they see on the outside and not what is on the inside.
If the setting were in a different place, there would not be much of a change because you would still have the poor people and the rich people. The only way it would change is if the setting was in a place where the rich and the poor people lived in the same neighborhood. That would change the entire story because then there would never have been a problem between the north and the south side because there would be no such thing. This would also change the dynamic of the story where Brittany would not have changed as a person because Alex would only see what everyone else saw in Brittany and not the part that changed because of him and where he was from.
Next, the characters that I used were the two main characters, which were important to the story because they made the story. The both had very strong personality’s that made you seem like you know them. Brittany Ellis is known in school as the "perfect" girl. She has the perfect relationship with the captain of the football team, she is the captain of the cheerleading squad, and she makes good grades. Her life was just perfect, from the outside. At home, it was a different story. Her mom always wanted to make sure that her appearance was perfect, her dad was never home and when he was, he was always tired, the only thing that Brittany truly loved was her older sister, who had a disability. Brittany was tired of all the pressure but just would not do anything about it, until she met the infamous Alex Fuentes. Alex just brought out the worst in her is what she thought but in the end, he was bringing out the real her and no one had ever done that for her before. She felt something with Alex and she was not going to fight that feeling, but of course, nothing-good last forever and she ended up heartbroken just so he could fix it again. Alex Fuentes was one of the schools bad boys. Alex does not like the people from the north side because he feels they think they are better than those from the south side. He feels that they think they can get away with anything just because they have some money. Therefore, when he makes a bet with his friends to lure Brittany Ellis, a girl from the north side, into his life, he thinks nothing of it. Until he finds that, there is more to the girl other than her looks and money. He finds out that this girl has problems just like he does. Now she doesn't have to share a two bedroom apartment with four other people but she did have family issues. She didn't have to be in gang just so her brothers didn't have to but she did have a sister with a disability to take care of. The more he found out that Brittany had problems just like him he began to see her differently, he began to actually like her. She began to make him see that maybe he could more than just a gang member. Brittany made him see that there was another world outside of his own, and that maybe he would be able to see. He messes up their relationship but he vowed to make sure that he got the girl that gave him hope and a new outlook on life back and to make sure that she never left again. Now, the way she wrote this book made you see the whole story and not just the girl's side or the guy's side. She put both of their point of views of the situations they encountered together and the personal problems. I like the way that the author structured the book because when it gets to a good part in the chapter she switches point of views and it is like your reliving the same situation but better. Now I like the author’s syntax in this story because it made the story interesting to read and it was more of the way that teenagers now speak. " I push the guy up against a sweet, shiny black Camaro, one that probably cost more than my mom makes in a year. "Here's the deal, Blake ," I say, " You either pay up now, or I break somethin' of yours. Not a piece of furniture or your f#ckin' car...somethin' your're permanently attached to. Get it?" (Elkeles,49) I like that the author used slang which i think was a great way throughout the book to keep the teenage audience attracted to the book. In this section of the book, I think the author wanted to portray what Alex real role is in the gang. So that you wouldn't just automatically assume that he dealt drugs but he was actually the one that collected the money and beat up the people who tried to take from them. "Hate the pants, love the belt," Mom says, pointing her index finger at each item. "And that noise you call music was giving me a headache. Thank goodness it's off." “Good morning to you, too, Mother," I say before walking down the stairs and giving her a peck on the cheek. (Elkeles, 2) The author was showing how Brittany's life really is outside of what everyone thinks is perfect. She shows how much her mother puts emphasis on appearance before she truly recognizes her daughter, Her mother never actually says good morning she just continue to go on like that is really not important. This shows how even when you have a family and are wealthy you could still be lonely. "Because the truth is too painful? I'm in a gang to protect you and my brothers, Mama. You know that, even though we don't talk about it." I say, my voice getting louder to match my frustration. " It’s a choice I made a long time ago. You can pretend you didn't encourage me, but," I pull off my shirt, revealing my Latino Blood tattoos, "look at me real good. I'm a gangbanger, just like Papa. You want me to deal drugs, too?" (Elkeles, 253) The author put a lot of emotion into this chapter between Alex and his mother. This was the first time in the entire book where they talked about his father and how Alex had to join the gang to protect his family and become the man in the family at a young age. This shows why Alex was so tough and had to have the bad boy mentality.
The first cause is that Brittany’s boyfriend, Collin, continues to pressure her into having sex with him one night, while he is drunk. The effect of that is Brittany realize that she doesn't want to be with Collin anymore because he continues to pressure her to doing something that she isn't ready for. She also realizes that a certain Mexican boy won't get out of her head and that maybe it's it good thing to break up with Collin. Another cause is that Alex was arrested by the police for a possession of a gun without a license and for the possession of alcohol. The effect of that is Alex is released from jail and goes to work in his Cousin Enrique's body shop. Brittany finds out, comes, and tells Alex how she really feels about him and how she wants to be in a relationship with him. The final cause is that Alex says some real hurtful things to Brittany and they break up. He also tells his mother that she should move back to Mexico. The effect was that Brittany goes on to go to college in Colorado so she can be close to her sister. Alex realizes that he doesn't want to be in the gang anymore and gets jumped out, but almost dies. He recovers from the incident and goes to find Brittany. When he does, he tells her that he is out of the gang and wants them to be together. Years later, they marry and have children.
Now the following reviews are coming from viewers who liked the book as much as I did. "Perfect Chemistry is the classic love story of two utterly different people falling for each other, despite their initial loathing. Elkeles breathes new life into the old tale, giving it a fresh teenage perspective by interchangeably writing in both Alex and Brittany's point of view, keeping Perfect Chemistry fresh and evenly paced. The plot is realistic and sweet without being cliché and the dialogue is perfect; gritty, and genuine. Each side is portrayed objectively, and though Alex and Brittany's relationship does move at a fast pace, their thoughts, insecurities, hang-ups, and urges all ring true and are easy for nearly any teen to identify with." (The Compulsive Reader, December 26,2008) I agree with the compulsive reader when they say that the plot is sweet without being cliché because I really don’t enjoy books like that and when they state that the each side is portrayed objectively as well. "Perfect Chemistry touches upon some important messages and themes, including race, disability, and acceptance. Each character confronts their imperfections, learns what it means to be in love, and how to deal with the consequences and sacrifices that inevitably accompany it." (Jenny, Wondrous Reads, April 2,2009) I also agree with Jenny, when she says that Perfect Chemistry touches some important themes and message that I feel will help you in life but that I also feel many teenagers in high school go through. "I absolutely loved Alex's character and it was heartbreaking to see what he had to go through to try and protect his family and the sacrifices his friends make for him. Brittany's character was also touching as you watch her love for her sister and it was great to see her realize that she did not have to be the "perfect" daughter and deny herself happiness. I haven't had any exposure to gang life and have not read many books about it so the look you get into the lives of the people who get sucked in and see what might have been if they had the chance to go straight or leave that life behind is eye opening. It breaks the stereotype of what gang bangers are like. This was an excellent book that I highly suggest, especially for those who loved The Outsiders." (Debbie's World of Books, May 11,2009) I totally agree with Debbie because I know about gangs and have heard many stories but I don’t really know what they go through to protect their family and themselves. I think that Simone Elkeles really let us see what the life of a gang member and how hard it truly is.
I recommend this book to people who are fans of teen romance books or romance books in general. This is like a classic love story but there are no cliché scenes at all. This is like a classic love story with a lot of twists and turns. If you are a very emotional person this book will have you on an emotional roller coaster. This book is full of life lessons and themes that any and every one can learn from. I think that the main lesson that you would get from this book is to never change yourself for anyone because there is someone out there for you who will like you for who you are and not what others want you to be. This is an overall great book and I recommend that you read it.
Imagine your basic cliché teen love story. Got it? Now take that thought and throw it out the window, because Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles is not like that at all. This book is about how a gang member named Alex Fuentes from the south side of Chicago fell in love with the captain of the cheerleading squad, Brittany Ellis. Alex was just trying to be the first person in his family to graduate high school, he never thought that he would fall for the stuck up and wealthy white girl form the north side. Brittany Ellis was just trying to make everyone happy and graduate the top of her class so that she could find a way to spend time with her sister with a disability. However, when they are forced to be chemistry lab parts sparks just flew. Not even, they had a million bumps in the road before they realized they loved each other, but I guess you will have to read it to find out. Perfect Chemistry is not your normal teenage love story; it is filled with love, hate, betrayal, questions, and answers. In this essay, you will find out how two people from the opposite side of the social pyramid found love.
It is not what’s on the outside but on the inside. This is the theme of this book and really shown all throughout the story. Carlos thinks that Brittany is just a girl who spends her dad's money and always gets what she wants. He does not see what her home life is like or that she really is like a ticking time bomb just waiting to go off. Brittany thinks that Alex is just an all-around bad boy. That he does not care about anything except for his friends and his gang. Brittany does not see that Alex is looking for a way out, that he does not want this life for him or his family. They both find themselves looking at what they see on the outside and not what is on the inside.
If the setting were in a different place, there would not be much of a change because you would still have the poor people and the rich people. The only way it would change is if the setting was in a place where the rich and the poor people lived in the same neighborhood. That would change the entire story because then there would never have been a problem between the north and the south side because there would be no such thing. This would also change the dynamic of the story where Brittany would not have changed as a person because Alex would only see what everyone else saw in Brittany and not the part that changed because of him and where he was from.
Next, the characters that I used were the two main characters, which were important to the story because they made the story. The both had very strong personality’s that made you seem like you know them. Brittany Ellis is known in school as the "perfect" girl. She has the perfect relationship with the captain of the football team, she is the captain of the cheerleading squad, and she makes good grades. Her life was just perfect, from the outside. At home, it was a different story. Her mom always wanted to make sure that her appearance was perfect, her dad was never home and when he was, he was always tired, the only thing that Brittany truly loved was her older sister, who had a disability. Brittany was tired of all the pressure but just would not do anything about it, until she met the infamous Alex Fuentes. Alex just brought out the worst in her is what she thought but in the end, he was bringing out the real her and no one had ever done that for her before. She felt something with Alex and she was not going to fight that feeling, but of course, nothing-good last forever and she ended up heartbroken just so he could fix it again. Alex Fuentes was one of the schools bad boys. Alex does not like the people from the north side because he feels they think they are better than those from the south side. He feels that they think they can get away with anything just because they have some money. Therefore, when he makes a bet with his friends to lure Brittany Ellis, a girl from the north side, into his life, he thinks nothing of it. Until he finds that, there is more to the girl other than her looks and money. He finds out that this girl has problems just like he does. Now she doesn't have to share a two bedroom apartment with four other people but she did have family issues. She didn't have to be in gang just so her brothers didn't have to but she did have a sister with a disability to take care of. The more he found out that Brittany had problems just like him he began to see her differently, he began to actually like her. She began to make him see that maybe he could more than just a gang member. Brittany made him see that there was another world outside of his own, and that maybe he would be able to see. He messes up their relationship but he vowed to make sure that he got the girl that gave him hope and a new outlook on life back and to make sure that she never left again. Now, the way she wrote this book made you see the whole story and not just the girl's side or the guy's side. She put both of their point of views of the situations they encountered together and the personal problems. I like the way that the author structured the book because when it gets to a good part in the chapter she switches point of views and it is like your reliving the same situation but better. Now I like the author’s syntax in this story because it made the story interesting to read and it was more of the way that teenagers now speak. " I push the guy up against a sweet, shiny black Camaro, one that probably cost more than my mom makes in a year. "Here's the deal, Blake ," I say, " You either pay up now, or I break somethin' of yours. Not a piece of furniture or your f#ckin' car...somethin' your're permanently attached to. Get it?" (Elkeles,49) I like that the author used slang which i think was a great way throughout the book to keep the teenage audience attracted to the book. In this section of the book, I think the author wanted to portray what Alex real role is in the gang. So that you wouldn't just automatically assume that he dealt drugs but he was actually the one that collected the money and beat up the people who tried to take from them. "Hate the pants, love the belt," Mom says, pointing her index finger at each item. "And that noise you call music was giving me a headache. Thank goodness it's off." “Good morning to you, too, Mother," I say before walking down the stairs and giving her a peck on the cheek. (Elkeles, 2) The author was showing how Brittany's life really is outside of what everyone thinks is perfect. She shows how much her mother puts emphasis on appearance before she truly recognizes her daughter, Her mother never actually says good morning she just continue to go on like that is really not important. This shows how even when you have a family and are wealthy you could still be lonely. "Because the truth is too painful? I'm in a gang to protect you and my brothers, Mama. You know that, even though we don't talk about it." I say, my voice getting louder to match my frustration. " It’s a choice I made a long time ago. You can pretend you didn't encourage me, but," I pull off my shirt, revealing my Latino Blood tattoos, "look at me real good. I'm a gangbanger, just like Papa. You want me to deal drugs, too?" (Elkeles, 253) The author put a lot of emotion into this chapter between Alex and his mother. This was the first time in the entire book where they talked about his father and how Alex had to join the gang to protect his family and become the man in the family at a young age. This shows why Alex was so tough and had to have the bad boy mentality.
The first cause is that Brittany’s boyfriend, Collin, continues to pressure her into having sex with him one night, while he is drunk. The effect of that is Brittany realize that she doesn't want to be with Collin anymore because he continues to pressure her to doing something that she isn't ready for. She also realizes that a certain Mexican boy won't get out of her head and that maybe it's it good thing to break up with Collin. Another cause is that Alex was arrested by the police for a possession of a gun without a license and for the possession of alcohol. The effect of that is Alex is released from jail and goes to work in his Cousin Enrique's body shop. Brittany finds out, comes, and tells Alex how she really feels about him and how she wants to be in a relationship with him. The final cause is that Alex says some real hurtful things to Brittany and they break up. He also tells his mother that she should move back to Mexico. The effect was that Brittany goes on to go to college in Colorado so she can be close to her sister. Alex realizes that he doesn't want to be in the gang anymore and gets jumped out, but almost dies. He recovers from the incident and goes to find Brittany. When he does, he tells her that he is out of the gang and wants them to be together. Years later, they marry and have children.
Now the following reviews are coming from viewers who liked the book as much as I did. "Perfect Chemistry is the classic love story of two utterly different people falling for each other, despite their initial loathing. Elkeles breathes new life into the old tale, giving it a fresh teenage perspective by interchangeably writing in both Alex and Brittany's point of view, keeping Perfect Chemistry fresh and evenly paced. The plot is realistic and sweet without being cliché and the dialogue is perfect; gritty, and genuine. Each side is portrayed objectively, and though Alex and Brittany's relationship does move at a fast pace, their thoughts, insecurities, hang-ups, and urges all ring true and are easy for nearly any teen to identify with." (The Compulsive Reader, December 26,2008) I agree with the compulsive reader when they say that the plot is sweet without being cliché because I really don’t enjoy books like that and when they state that the each side is portrayed objectively as well. "Perfect Chemistry touches upon some important messages and themes, including race, disability, and acceptance. Each character confronts their imperfections, learns what it means to be in love, and how to deal with the consequences and sacrifices that inevitably accompany it." (Jenny, Wondrous Reads, April 2,2009) I also agree with Jenny, when she says that Perfect Chemistry touches some important themes and message that I feel will help you in life but that I also feel many teenagers in high school go through. "I absolutely loved Alex's character and it was heartbreaking to see what he had to go through to try and protect his family and the sacrifices his friends make for him. Brittany's character was also touching as you watch her love for her sister and it was great to see her realize that she did not have to be the "perfect" daughter and deny herself happiness. I haven't had any exposure to gang life and have not read many books about it so the look you get into the lives of the people who get sucked in and see what might have been if they had the chance to go straight or leave that life behind is eye opening. It breaks the stereotype of what gang bangers are like. This was an excellent book that I highly suggest, especially for those who loved The Outsiders." (Debbie's World of Books, May 11,2009) I totally agree with Debbie because I know about gangs and have heard many stories but I don’t really know what they go through to protect their family and themselves. I think that Simone Elkeles really let us see what the life of a gang member and how hard it truly is.
I recommend this book to people who are fans of teen romance books or romance books in general. This is like a classic love story but there are no cliché scenes at all. This is like a classic love story with a lot of twists and turns. If you are a very emotional person this book will have you on an emotional roller coaster. This book is full of life lessons and themes that any and every one can learn from. I think that the main lesson that you would get from this book is to never change yourself for anyone because there is someone out there for you who will like you for who you are and not what others want you to be. This is an overall great book and I recommend that you read it.
RSS Feed