Review: Rules of Attraction by Simone Elkeles

Title: Rules of Attraction
Author: Simone Elkeles
Series: Perfect Chemistry #2
Genre: YA
Release Date: April 13, 2010
Edition: Hardback
Blurb:
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.



Simone Elkeles is becoming, without a doubt, one of my favourite YA authors. Afer finishing the first book of the trilogy, which I loved, I couldn't wait to get my hands into this one, and I devoured it in one sitting.

Carlos is a lot like his brother Alex. He's arrogant, prideful, tries to protect his family at all costs and he doesn't believe he belongs or is worthy of Kiara. I loved seeing his interactions with Alex, especially when they were talking about "their" girls. It was also funny and a little heartbreaking seeing him deal with Kiara's family, especially her dad, because Carlos grew up without paternal guidance.

Kiara is shy, responsible and loves her family. She's also a car lover, hikes almost everyday, has a funny & competitive side and when she gets nervous she stutters. As the story moved forward, you could see sparks flying between Carlos and Kiara. I loved how at some point or another, they had to risk their pride, heart & soul to one another, as well as seeing their protective instincts.

One of my favourite things was the relationship between Carlos and Kiara's best friend. It was fun seeing the progression from hate to an amicable truce. I also loved how Carlos deals with Kiara's ex. He completely had it coming!

I don't usually talk much about covers but this one is based on one of my favourite scenes of the whole book. It's so romantic and exciting that I've re-read the scene a few times.
The plot moved along nicely, and even though I've never been a huge fan of books that switched narrators from chapter to chapter, this 2 books of the trilogy are an exception. The author makes it work wonderfully and I love seeing the point of view of both main characters.
I can't wait to read Luis' book and see how the trilogy ends! Seeing as how I loved this book even more than the previous one, my expectations for the next book are really high.


Memorable Lines:

“I can’t be normal with you,” I tell her.

She turns to me, confused. “What are you talking about?”

“This morning in front of Michael you asked me to be normal.” I take a deep breath and tell her what I should have said after the game. Instead of lettin’ her ignore me when I finally got home, I should have told her the truth. “I can’t. When Tuck told me you’d dated Michael, all these visions of you with another guy drove me nuts. I don’t want you with another guy.”

“I don’t want to be with another guy. I want to be with you. Now pick a movie before I say something you don’t want to hear.” She waves me over. “Pick one.”

Next Book:
Untitled Perfect Chemistry #3 (Luis' Book) - 2011


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