Rules of Attraction by Simone Elkeles

I can't believe it's been over a year since I first read Perfect Chemistry. I think it feels more recent because I've been singing its praises (to the tune of "Somewhere" from West Side Story) ever since. I've only re-read it once, but I found that it held up very well the second time around. And, along with the rest of you who fell madly in love with Alex and Brittany, I was giddy with anticipation when I heard Simone Elkeles was writing a sequel featuring Alex's cocky little brother Carlos. And then the other day a lovely little package arrived in the mail out of the blue and made my day (thanks Bloomsbury)! Just look at that cover. What kind of sacrifice do you think Ms. Elkeles made to secure such freaking awesome covers? I mean, seriously. I love the Perfect Chemistry cover because that is exactly how I picture them (and how often can you say that?) and because, as my friend Trisha said, "Boy, does it do it's job well." And now I could just sit around and stare at the Rules of Attraction cover because, well, I think it speaks for itself. But, having read it, I love it even more because it is an actual scene from the book.

Carlos is fighting mad. Being carted off to Mexico without so much as a by your leave after his brother Alex got himself jumped out of the Latino Blood and took off for parts west, Carlos is less than pleased to find himself sent back to the states just when he was getting comfortable. But losing his job at the sugar mill and getting in good with the Guerreros--the local Mexican gang--earns him a one-way ticket to his brother's dumpy subsidized student apartment and a life of boredom attending Flatiron High in Boulder, Colorado. Kiara Westford is a model student at Flatiron. An avid hiker and amateur grease monkey, oversize t-shirts and hiking boots are pretty much the extent of her wardrobe. When her friend and mechanic Alex asks her to look out for his little brother Carlos, Kiara is certain she's up to the challenge. It's her senior year after all and she'd like to go out with a little more flair than is her norm. Suffice it to say, the two of them do not hit it off. True to his nature, Carlos attracts trouble almost the minute he arrives at school. When the police find his locker full of drugs, he's escorted from the premises and forced to attend a strict youth outreach program. To top things off, Kiara's father (who is also Alex's college professor and on a crusade to save the world one troubled teen at a time) offers to let Carlos move in with them until he can get back on his feet, so to speak. And the rest is history.

It was so fun to be back in this world again. Amazingly, that's what it's become for me. An entire world where impoverished Latino gang members and privileged white girls make good. Where sparks fly, attraction builds, and people stretch out of car windows to kiss in the pouring rain. But, just like its predecessor, what makes it all work even when it shouldn't are the connections between the two protagonists. Simone Elkeles somehow manages to make those points of connection feel almost unbearably real, thrummingly vibrant, and sweet as hell. I'll be honest and say I had a harder time warming up to Carlos than I did Alex. He's arrogant as all get out and I felt like Kiara's heart was on the line sooner than his and that fact made me nervous. I shouldn't have worried, though. Because when it does hit him it hits like a ton of bricks (which he deserves) and is gratifying to watch. I really liked Kiara and her kind and loving family. Similar to the gulf between Alex and Carlos, Kiara is nothing at all like Brittany (not popular or gorgeous, etc) and I liked her very much with her unselfconscious approach to life and her honest and forthright attitude. Though Carlos' overabundance of charisma and attitude throws her off her game, she refuses to let on and it seemed perfectly natural to me that he would find her both unsettling and intriguing. There is inherently less drama in this story than in Perfect Chemistry and I didn't find myself quite as involved with the characters. Carlos and Kiara are both slightly less volatile and their relationship assumes a somewhat quieter and certainly less dire arc. But I was delighted to follow its progress and perfectly happy with its resolution. Almost as delighted as I was with the brief glimpses I got of my favorite Fuentes brother and his girl. I may have giggled once or twice. Definitely recommended for fans of the first one.

Linkage
The Compulsive Reader Review
Ellz Readz Review
A Good Addiction Review
la femme readers review
Sharon Loves Books & Cats Review
The YA YA YAs Review