Review: Rules of Attraction by Simone Elkeles

When Carlos Fuentes returns to America after living in Mexico for a year, he doesn’t want any part of the life his older brother, Alex, has laid out for him at a high school in Colorado . Carlos likes living his life on the edge and wants to carve his own path—just like Alex did. Then he meets Kiara Westford. She doesn’t talk much and is completely intimidated by Carlos’ wild ways. As they get to know one another, Carlos assumes Kiara thinks she’s too good for him, and refuses to admit that she might be getting to him. But he soon realizes that being himself is exactly what Kiara needs right now.

My Review:

This week, I read both Perfect Chemistry and Rules of Attraction.  I loved both of them, but this review is going to focus on Rules of Attraction.  Unlike its predecessor, this novel does not have the word "perfect" in the title, yet it still manages to be perfect.  Everything in the novel, from the plot, to the characters, and to the writing was spot-on.  It seemed realistic and the story read like it was real, not fiction.  

POSSIBLE SPOILERS

One character that I loved in this story was Carlos Fuentes.  So far these Fuentes boys have been very charming.  I loved how Carlos didn't like Kiara at the beginning of the book, yet he later found himself falling in love with her.  Like his brother, he made mistakes with his girl in order to protect her from gang problems.  His story about his gang problems was interesting as well, and I was glad he was able to solve his problems and get with Kiara.

Another amazing character was Kiara.  She seemed to like Carlos at least a little from the beginning, and throughout the story, her feelings developed into love.  She was just about the opposite of Brittany from Perfect Chemistry.  While Brittany was popular and had a boyfriend, Kiara had one friend, Tuck, and she was teased because of her stutter.  She seemed to be a realistic girl, and I loved the way her relationship with Carlos was portrayed.

Three more wonderfully developed characters were Kiara's parents and her brother, Brandon.  Brandon seemed like a very sweet kid.  I thought it was hilarious when he asked Kiara if she and Carlos were going to French-kiss.  The reason that was so funny is because Brandon is only six years old.  Her parents were great as well.  They had to have been brave to let a total stranger who was caught with drugs in his locker come live at their house.  I especially enjoyed Carlos' interactions with the Professor, Kiara's dad.  He originally resented Kiara's father for his rules, but by the end of the book, the Professor had become a father figure for Carlos.

Overall, I absolutely loved Rules of Attraction.  If you love young adult contemporary romance, this is a must-read.  I am looking forward to reading Chain Reaction, the final book in the series.

 

 Katie