Review: Chain Reaction by Simone Elkeles

Author: Simone Elkeles

Publisher: Walker Books for Young Readers

Page Count: 308 pages, Hardcover

Date Published: August 16th 2011

Find it on Goodreads: Chain Reaction

Source: Purchased

Like his brothers, Luis Fuentes is a risk taker; whether he's scaling the Rocky Mountains or dreaming of a future as an astronaut, Luis is always looking for the next thrill. Nikki Cruz lives her life by certain rules -, don't trust a boy who says "I love you", boys lie to get their own way and never date a boy from the south side of Fairfield. Then she meets Luis at his brother Alex's wedding and suddenly she's tempted to break all her rules. Getting Nikki to give him a chance is Luis's biggest challenge, until he finds himself targeted by the head of the gang that nearly destroyed his brothers' lives. Will Luis's feelings for Nikki be enough to stop him from entering a dark and violent world that could prove to be the ultimate risk?

  

My thoughts: These Fuentes brothers are probably the hottest trio of brothers in the entire book-verse! 

It's no secret that I love the Perfect Chemistry books. They're full of everything a girl can ask for in a book! Action, drama, romance, humor. Everything about them tells me that it's going to be an amazing contemporary. The gang activity and violence is incredibly convincing and at times it gets to the point where you wonder  if all of this really happens. Because it feels so realistic. Then there's the romance. The relationships the Fuentes brothers have are amazingly cliche at times, and yet not annoying at all. There's tons of drama involved and lots of hilarious things that happen as well.

Rules of Attraction features Luis, the youngest Fuentes. He's a huge dare devil who loves danger and adventure. Then there's Nikki who has gone through a huge load of heartbreak in the past and has said a big fat no to boys. But obviously when their paths collide, that 'no' changes. I didn't enjoy this book as much as I had the first two, but trust me, I did like it. A lot. I just enjoyed the other two more. I think it was the characters. I liked Luis, but I felt he was too reckless and never thought rationally. There were a lot of incredible revelations in this book about their family, but Luis acted so rashly on the new information and it kind of made me mad at him. He should have just stopped and thought about what he was doing for a second, instead of turning his back on his family like he did. Then there's Nikki. In the very first few chapters we find out something about Nikki that is a bit shocking. When all of that is over and a few years pass, she suddenly changes from a sweet, innocent girl who is trusting and loving to someone who thinks all guys are going to play her and hurt her. She's way too overly cautious around males and that irritated me a bit. Yes, she got hurt badly, but after a few years, she really has got to loosen up a bit!


I did like their relationship though. Luis helped Nikki be a bit more trusting and Nikki taught Luis to not be so risky with his life. There were a few very hot moments between them that will remind you of why Simone Elkeles is so talented in romance novels. Plus, there was all of the gang activity and drama. It was kind of freaky! There was a lot more openness about the drug dealing and we get to read about that a bit. Plus, there were gun fights and initiation and all that great stuff we dealt with in the first two books! But it was also all new because of this new twist. We do get to see more of Alex, Brittany, Carlos and Kiara which is nice. Brittany and Alex end up getting married, of course, and they have a few kids, so it was really nice reading about that in this book, as well as Carlos coming back from the military and moving his relationship with Kiara forward. Nikki fit right in with the two girls, because even though her parents were from Mexico, she was as rich and polar opposite of Luis as the two girls before her with the other brothers. Even though these books have a pattern and you pretty much always know what's going to happen, there's something about them that is so addicting. There are always tons of twists and turns to keep you guessing and I think any contemporary fans will adore these. Plus, to any one who enjoys books with a ton of action, as well as romance, these books would be perfect for you!


Happy reading!
~Kristy