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A review by 1crypt4
Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I don’t know if it’s because of the decade and a half that’s passed between the publishing of this book and my reading it, but I found the writing very cringey and lacking, and I have to agree with other reviewers that it’s rather predictable and unrealistic.
For a book about a rich white girl falling in love with a Mexican gang member, I expected more discussion about race. Alex acknowledges that he isn’t welcome in Britney’s rich white neighborhood and is pulled over by police and searched until they find a reason to arrest him. He’s mistaken as part of the waitstaff at an art gallery and spoken down to. This book would have greatly benefited from any acknowledgment of this unfair treatment, but once these events happen there’s no conversation to be had by the characters. I also think the apprehension that Britney’s parents had about Alex merited a conversation for the same reasons.
In the same vein, Britney confronts some of her prejudices, but never her privilege. When Britney asks Alex to risk everything for their relationship like she is, she doesn’t realize that for Alex “risking everything” is quite literally risking everything. She can afford to take more chances than Alex because she will always have a privileged past to fall back on. She doesn’t worry about having to provide for her family or risk her life working in a gang. For Alex, risking everything is risking his family’s safety and his brothers' futures. Any kind of reflection on Britney’s part would have allowed her much more character development than she had. I realize I may be asking too much of a YA book from the early 2000s, but I can’t deny that any introspection of these topics would have really added to the book.
Despite these shortcomings, taken as it is (a YA romance) it’s not terrible. I did really like Alex, I found Britney’s friendships and conflicts with friends to be realistic, the book reads very fast, and for a young reader it could serve as a starting point to have open discussions about inequity and prejudices based on appearances, even if the text itself didn’t analyze these concepts as much as I wish it did.
It wasn’t great, it wasn’t awful, just so-so.
For a book about a rich white girl falling in love with a Mexican gang member, I expected more discussion about race. Alex acknowledges that he isn’t welcome in Britney’s rich white neighborhood and is pulled over by police and searched until they find a reason to arrest him. He’s mistaken as part of the waitstaff at an art gallery and spoken down to. This book would have greatly benefited from any acknowledgment of this unfair treatment, but once these events happen there’s no conversation to be had by the characters. I also think the apprehension that Britney’s parents had about Alex merited a conversation for the same reasons.
In the same vein, Britney confronts some of her prejudices, but never her privilege. When Britney asks Alex to risk everything for their relationship like she is, she doesn’t realize that for Alex “risking everything” is quite literally risking everything. She can afford to take more chances than Alex because she will always have a privileged past to fall back on. She doesn’t worry about having to provide for her family or risk her life working in a gang. For Alex, risking everything is risking his family’s safety and his brothers' futures. Any kind of reflection on Britney’s part would have allowed her much more character development than she had. I realize I may be asking too much of a YA book from the early 2000s, but I can’t deny that any introspection of these topics would have really added to the book.
Despite these shortcomings, taken as it is (a YA romance) it’s not terrible. I did really like Alex, I found Britney’s friendships and conflicts with friends to be realistic, the book reads very fast, and for a young reader it could serve as a starting point to have open discussions about inequity and prejudices based on appearances, even if the text itself didn’t analyze these concepts as much as I wish it did.
It wasn’t great, it wasn’t awful, just so-so.