Rules of Attraction (A Perfect Chemistry Novel)

Just like Perfect Chemistry, Rules of Attraction is another great "opposites attract" romance by Simone Elkeles. There is nothing earth shattering about the plot but the attraction and developing relationship between Carlos and Kiara is enjoyable to read about. Kiara is a fantastic character. I liked that she is this average looking, down to earth girl. She is definitely her own person and her interests and way of expressing herself reflect that. She has difficulties, particularly with stuttering and the way the other students tease her about it but she grew up in a very stable home environment with two supportive parents. I found myself comparing her to Brittany, the main female character in Perfect Chemistry, and I liked Kiara more because I could relate to her a little bit better. She is spunky and endearing and I loved how she would get Carlos back if he played tricks on her or gave her a hard time. I found Carlos to be very different from Alex. I liked Alex right away but with Carlos it took a little bit of time to see beneath the gruff exterior. I think I felt like Alex was a more sympathetic character because his involvement with gangs was for the protection of his family but with Carlos it was because he thought it was cool. Some of his choices in the book irritated me. I soon grew to like his character though, especially after reading about why he left Mexico. I thoroughly enjoyed the romance between Carlos and Kiara. Kiara's parents and younger brother Brandon were very welcoming to Carlos and really made him part of the family even when he was rude to them. I loved the interaction between Carlos and Brandon. Seeing Carlos play G.I. Joe and think about his own youth reminded me that this is the kind of childhood Carlos could have had if he had grown up in a different situation. I also liked how nonjudgemental Dr. Westford is towards Carlos and Alex. He is a really good positive male role model for Carlos. The other characters in the book are not as well developed. Tuck, Kiara's best friend, is more of a caricature unfortunately and even the villains are pretty shallow. I felt that the villain from Perfect Chemistry was far better developed. Still there were some good suspenseful moments but I felt the resolution of the plot was too smooth. However this did not really detract from my enjoyment of the book. Overall I thought that Rules of Attraction was an electrifying YA romance. I can't wait to read Luis's story in the next book!

I read Simone Elkeles's Perfect Chemistry and just fell in love with Brittney and Alex. When I discovered she wrote Carlos's story, I knew I had to read that as well. Like other reviewers, I was crossing my fingers that Rules of Attraction would not be disappointing. And after reading it I am in total agreement with those that felt Elkeles scored again. Carlos is from the wrong side of the tracks. His older brother survived hell (getting jumped out of the gang) when he decided to get out of the Latino Blood. Carlos could not understand how his big brother could turn his back on the only life they knew. They came from a family of gangbangers - their father, Alex, and soon Carlos would follow. When Alex gets out, their mother moves them back to Mexico to live with family. But Carlos couldn't stay out of trouble. He finds himself almost two years later on a plane to Colorado to stay with Alex as his brother puts himself through college. Again trouble follows Carlos, but he's not surprised because the one lesson he knows is life is never fair - at least not for a Fuentes. In order to keep him in school and finish out his senior year, a former professor of his brother's takes him in and gets him on track. Now Carlos finds himself attracted to Kiara, the professor's daughter. She's all wrong for him. She's wealthy. She's white. She's very open with her mother and father. All the things Carlos has missed out on or never had. Most importantly, she makes him hope for things he never expects to have for himself. I loved Carlos's story. Although he is much like his brother Alex, he is still a strong enough character to stand on his own. All of Elkeles's characters are well-developed, down to earth, and easy to relate to. Kiara is a great character herself. She's not concerned about being popular, she's determined to be more confident, and doesn't feel like she has to change herself for anyone. I liked that Elkeles brings back Alex and Brittney in Rules of Attraction, but not enough that it becomes another story about them. Rules of Attraction has the same witty, sarcastic, heart-warming, and funny tones I've associated with Simone Elkeles's work. You don't have to read Perfect Chemistry first. Rules of Attraction is a stand alone book. But they are both great novels, and you get more background info. on Carlos and his brother Alex. This is a very good YA novel, but I would also suggest it for older youth - maybe 16 yrs. and older.

Ok, so I entered the book on a total whim. I honestly didn't know that I was going to love it. I loved Perfect Chemistry, so I figured that I would at read an excerpt on the book. I really got hooked. Its told in alternative points of views, so we get to read somewhat the same situation twice, plus some. Carlos is the second Fuentes boy and hates everything his older brother has become. After coming from a family that was constantly surrounded by gangbangers, and having two in the actually family, Carlos wants nothing more than to follow in those footsteps. I mean to him, it brings in good money, and his family is protected. Kiara, is a tomboy; she loves fixing cars, having gay guys as friends, hiking, and a horrible sense of style. She has lived a sheltered life, not because of her parents but because of her. She hates that she stutters and can't have a decent boyfriend that can be everything she wants him to be. The characters are very well written. You can agree with them and become wrapped up in there world even as it switches point of view. You can agree with Kiara's thoughts and go to Carlos and agree with his as well, but you don't mix the two worlds; they become two different views that captivate you and you see the bigger picture. When I was reading the book they thoughts running through my head were "wow, this is better than the other book." Even though Perfect Chemistry was a great book and well written, I couldn't help thinking that the characters were missing a certain stability. I mean, Brittney was beautiful, blonde, rich, caring, A-student; but she was an airhead at times with huge boobs, that simply how everyone saw her as. This book just has no flaws. The plot moves well. The characters are hilarious, you really don't want to get enough of them. There are some scenes that make your insides all warm and fuzzy, and others that you just want read again because the feeling is "I can't believe that happened." so the book is recommended to more teen adults. Although it's also a good adult romance book. I really do recommend this book to anyone. Its worth the money and definitely worth not listening to your boss at crazy meetings. You won't want to put this book down once you start.

So we all know by know that I wasn't all that impressed with Simone Elkeles' "Perfect Chemistry" (some of you even shot me some pretty intense emails about it) so when I decided to read "Rules of Attraction" (which is the companion novel to PC,) I promised myself that I would look at it from all of the angles y'all insisted were so important. Now, while I stand behind my original objections to "PC" I am happy to say that "Rules of Attraction" was back on mark for Elkeles' writing ability. (The ability that I fell in love with in her novel "Leaving Paradise") All of the things that I ranted about; the lack of equal character development, the vapidness of the heroine, and the sloppy writing in PC, were no longer present in this novel (thank God.) Carlos is a troublemaker, he is into drugs and gangs and pretty much anything else that would make a parents blood boil. Kiara is... not a troublemaker. She's a tom-boy with quick wit, and a inability to turn down challenges, she spends her time teaching art classes at retirement homes and climbing mountains with her gay best-friend Tuck. Not exactly a match made in heaven right? But when Carlos is framed (think drugs... lots of them) and kicked out of his current sleeping situation he has only 2 choices... go to jail, or live at Kiara's. Choosing the lesser of 2 evils Carol's makes the move... to a lovely little yellow polka-dotted room. What happens when you finally realize the girl down the hall is more than just a T-shirt lovin wrench monkey? What happens when people start trusting you? And what is going to happen when the people that set you up, decided they aren't quite through with you? I was happy to see Elkeles bring back her natural flair for story telling. Her angst scenes were captivating, pulling the reader in and out of moments, daring them to guess what would happen next. Her characters were finally balanced, introducing their qualities in a steady stream of duel narration, and more importantly...I actually cared about what would happen to these people in the end of the novel (I even like Brittany more in this book. Go figure.) This book is easily a stand alone (if you don't feel like backtracking to catch up) and if you are looking for something you can knock out in minimal time... this was a fairly quick read. (1 day for me) There were devious blondes, cookie magnets, rainy homecoming dances, family fun nights, several life altering decisions, and a missing $50 grand. There was plenty of action to keep the plot flowing and... just like last time, tons of Spanish slang (just in case you were needing to bone up on it.) This one is worth the money people! Get it, Live it, Love it... pass it on. Happy reading my fellow Kindle-ites and remember: never show up to peer counseling with a shiner... it spurs way to many questions.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 Following tropes: ~enemies to lovers ~good girl/bad boy ~high school romance ~dual pov ~ forced proximity ~ Rules of attraction is the book two on the series the perfect chemistry series. Carlos Fuentes lives in Mexico with his mother and younger brother Luis. But until he gets in trouble, his mother decides to send him to Colorado with his older brother Alex “for his own good”. See Alex was the rule breaker, was in a gang, until he gave all that up for his girlfriend Brittany. Since then he’s been focusing on having a better life for himself and his family. So moving back to Colorado was somewhat for Carlos because he thought everyone he knew was going to be there. But everyone had left and the school they knew has been taken over by rich kids. There he meets Kiara, who happens to be his peer guide to show him around the school. She was determined to change a bit for her senior year and she started with signing up to be a peer guide. They didn’t have a great first impression with each other but in their minds they thought they would never have to interact again. That is until Carlos gets busted with drugs in his locker and Alex doesn’t have a stable place yet, so he’s forced to move into Alex’s professors place. And Kiara happens to be the daughter of the professor. I loved this book. I first read the first book of the series Perfect Chemistry and I was hooked and had to get the rest. This is now Carlos and Kiara’s. I enjoyed more their character development and how kiara isn’t your typical Miss Golden popular girl, she was more you introvert shy girl. And how Carlos was able to bring her out of her comfort and how Carlos changed from being this rebel doing things his way to wanting to do things right just for her. It definitely was enemies to lovers and the forced proximity helped create a lot of tension between them.

I took my time reading this book, unlike I did with the first one; I still read it over a span of 24 hours though :) I must say that I enjoyed this book much more than I did the first one. Honestly I really think it was because the whole Mexican gang theme really wasn't there in this book. This book made me laugh out loud, I felt excited and happy, and I really felt the love that Carlos and Kiara had. I totally enjoyed Kiara's best friend Tucker that guy was HILARIOUS and the author had really great timing with his dialog! I really appreciated how the author portrayed Kiara's parents. Many times we see characters parents being closed minded and, well like how Brittany and Alex's parents were in the first book. I know a lot of parents are like that but it was refreshing to see parents who trust their children and children who trust their parents. And I really liked Kiara's little brother, he was really funny at times and he made the book a bit happier. I definitely connected more to Carlos and Kiara, and I really felt their love, experienced it as it blossomed, and I got that great love feeling when Carlos described his feelings towards Kiara. I did have a small grasp at that feeling when Alex told Carlos of the first time he knew he loved Brittany and now I think I need to go back and read the first book again. I also enjoyed how the author tied in Alex and Brittany so we were able to see how their relationship was developing two years after the first book took place. Once again we have an epilogue that some didn't enjoy, I enjoyed it a lot. I have liked these book's epilogues because it gives us a small glance into the characters futures. When we feel really attached to characters in books, we always think about how their lives would be years from when the books end; and it's nice to have a glimpse into that with these. I would really love to see not only the author possibly expand on the epilogue, but to possibly expand on Kiara's little brother when he is a teenager and definitely would love to see a book dedicated to Tucker. I purchased this as an eBook for my Kindle app for my iPhone and computer.

My Thoughts: It's time to meet the second Fuentes brother! His name is Carlos and he's just as bullheaded as Alex (from Perfect Chemistry) was! He's got a chip on his shoulder and is just as much a bad boy! He is coming up from Mexico to live with his brother! But of course his brother lives in student housing and Carlos gets into trouble so he's forced to live with a professor! On his first day of school (while he's living with Alex) he meets a girl named Kiara. She is quiet, shy, and his complete opposite. The girl doesn't even know how to dress. She also stutters sometimes when she talks. Kiara gets assigned to show Carlos around the school and he purposely mocks her to get a rise out of her. He isn't happy about coming up to stay with Alex so he is just not a happy person. He goes to live with the professor and guess who is his daughter! Yep, that is right, it's Kiara. Carlos luck can not get any worst! Or can it? He gets sucked into a lot of bad situations such as a drug dealing scheme but he feels he has no other way out. He also makes a deal with Kiara to be his fake girlfriend so he can get rid of a girl who wants him. Little does he know, he will actually start to fall for Kiara. I loved Rules Of Attraction just as much as Perfect Chemistry. Alex and Brittany are also main characters throughout the story so we are reintroduced to them and get to follow through on what happened to them! Rules Of Attraction was just as great as Perfect Chemistry! The chemistry between Kiara and Carlos is definitely there. I especially loved the scene during family night. Carlos has to make a lot of tough decisions throughout the novel and he has a hard life, just as Alex did! Go read Rules Of Attraction now! Overall: Loved it! I really liked Carlos, not quite as much as Alex but he was definitely as hot as Alex. His tattoo which said rebel totally did me in! I also like the way what Elkeles writes, feels real. The sex scenes in Perfect Chemistry and Rules Of Attraction are satisfying enough to leave readers with that feel good feeling without all the graphic details. Cover: Love it! I love it even more than I love Perfect Chemistry! It's hot! And the mention of cars throughout the book just magnifies this cover more! What I'd Give It: 5/5 Cupcakes Taken From Princess Bookie (Hardcover Edition)

4 1/2 to 5 stars - In Rules of Attraction, Alex's little brother, Carlos, is sent from Mexico by their mom live with his brother, Alex, one of the main characters from the first book in the series, Perfect Chemistry, in Colorado where Alex is going to college. As with Alex, it's because Carlos is involved with a gang in Mexico, this one's called Guerreros del barrio. Carlos is less than happy with having to move in with Alex in his small apartment, with Alex's girlfriend, Brittany and with his new peer guide, Kiara Westford. Even though everyone thinks Carlos has left trouble behind, it finds him pretty quickly and he gets in trouble during his first week at school. To avoid being sent to a youth home, one of Alex's professors who has dealth with troubled kids before, offers to take Carlos in. Unfortunately, the professor happens to be Kiara's dad. So now, Carlos has to live with a white family that actually has a family night, rules he's expected to follow and he has to deal with Kiara, too. There were similarities between this book and Perfect Chemistry: a hot Fuentes brother with an attitude and a shady past, a rich white girl who's pretty much a goody two shoes and a situtation that arises which causes them to get to know each other and realize there's more to the other than meets the eye. However, I wasn't constantly thinking that this was a carbon copy of Perfect Chemistry. Kiara's family is close and they all love each other a lot. Her parents are actual characters in the book and not just mostly absent ones, as is the case in a lot of YA books. I liked Carlos as much as I liked Alex in the first book. His situation is different than Alex's because he's forced into the crap that he gets into and realizes he needs to get out of it, he's just not sure how. And I loved Kiara. She's tough, smart, funny and, while he does intimidate her some, she doesn't put up with Carlos' crap. I also loved her best friend, Tuck; he was loyal and freaking hysterical. He always tried to push Carlos' buttons and it usually worked. I didn't think I'd like Rules of Attraction as much as Perfect Chemistry, but I think I may have actually liked it a little more, because Kiara was such a great female character and I liked the dynamic of her family. I'd definitely recommend this book.

Dies ist der zweite Roman über die Fuentes-Brüder. Im ersten Buch ging es um Alex und seine erste große Liebe Brittany, hier ist nun der mittlere Bruder an der Reihe, seine Geschichte zu erzählen: Carlos kehrt nach ein paar Jahren aus seiner süamerikanischen Heimat in die USA zurück, denn in Mexico wurde er Gangmitglied! So muss er nun bei seinem Bruder Alex einziehen, der mittlerweile studiert und sein Leben voll im Griff hat. Auf das letzte Schuljahr hat Carlos keinen Bock und genauso wenig interessiert ihn zunächst Schlabberpulli-Kiara, die ihn in der ersten Woche durch den Schulalltag begleiten muss. Miss Pferdeschwanz geht ihm tierisch auf die Nerven!!! Da er wiederholt Mist baut und den Ärger wie magisch anzieht wird über Carlos Kopf hinweg entschlossen, dass er in einer Familie untergebracht werden soll, die schon mehrmals schwierige Jugendliche aufgenommen hat, denn dort soll er in einen normalen friedlichen Alltag finden. Carlos Begeisterung hält sich natürlich schwer in Grenzen. doch als er ankommt, kann er es nicht fassen: Er wird bei Kiara einziehen! Und Kiaras Familie ist der Hammer: Der Vater ist Professor, immer ruhig, gelassen und pädagogisch korrekt, die Mutter kocht Tofu und vergisst gern mal das Würzen, Kiara ist ein braves liebes Töchterchen und der kleine Bruder ein absoluter Quälgeist. Alle haben sich ganz doll lieb, sie sind DIE perfekte Bilderbuchfamilie - und Carlos ist dem Verzweifeln nahe.... Erst bleibt Carlos abweisend und unfreundlich, er macht sich über seine Gastfamilie lustig und hält sich nicht an die Regeln, doch nach und nach wächst ihm diese Familie ans Herz, die ihn trotz seiner Fehler immer mit Respekt und Freundlichkeit behandelt. Wieso fiel ihm nur am Anfang nicht auf, dass hinter Schlabberpulli und Pferdeschwanz von Kiara ein bezauberndes und hübsches Mädchen steckt? Doch gerade als Carlos und Kiara sich näher kommen und alles einen guten Lauf nimmt, holt ihn seine Vergagenheit ein.... Dieser Roman von Simone Elkeles ist abwechselnd aus der Perspektive von Kiara und Carlos geschrieben. Was mir besonders gut gefallen hat war der Humor, der hier nicht zu kurz kam, ich habe mich oft gekringelt vor lachen! Genau wie in "Du oder das ganze Leben", dem ersten Roman dieser Trilogie, hat dieses Buch mich sehr schnell gefesselt. Der Schreibstil von Elkeles ist flüssig und lässt nie Langeweile aufkommen. Sie schafft es mit ihren verschiedenen Perspektiven, dass man sich schnell mit den Protagonisten identifizieren kann und glaubt sie zu kennen. Schwer vorstellbar, dass sie alle nur erfunden sein sollen... Für alle, die schon vom ersten Buch begeistert waren, ist dieses hier sicher ein guter Kauf. Und auch jedem, der Alex Geschichte nicht zuerst gelesen hat, kann ich es nur empfehlen. Da auch Alex und seine Freundin Brittany immer wieder vorkommen, macht es allerdings mehr Sinn, das erste Buch auch vorher zu lesen. Auch bei allen Nebenfiguren war Elkeles wieder sehr gründlich und zeigt Liebe fürs Detail. Ganz besonders gut hat mir Kiaras Familie gefallen, die so gar nicht zu Carlos passt, und lustige Situationen entstehen ließ. Die Liebesgeschichte von Kiara und Carlos fand ich bezaubernd und wunderschön! Kiara ist einfach sympathisch, man muss sie mögen! Sie ist eine tolle Abwechslung - endlich mal ein Mädchen, das nicht aussieht wie Barby, das sich nicht ständig nur um sein Äußeres kümmert, nein Kiara ist herrlich natürlich und besticht mit ihrem ehrlichen und offenen Charakter. Carlos ist ganz anders, er ist sehr gutaussehend und anfangs oberflächlich. Erst nach und nach sieht er das Mädchen hinter der Fassade und verliebt sich Hals über Kopf! Wie die beiden sich langsam näher kommen hat mir richtig Spaß gemacht zu lesen. Ich kann diesem Buch nur 5 Punkte geben, denn es hat mich sehr gut unterhalten und ich konnte es erst weglegen, als ich es zu Ende gelesen hatte! Der dritte Teil, "chain reaction" in dem es um Luis Fuentes geht, ist mittlerweile im Englischen erschienen.

j'ai beaucoup aimé ce livre : l'histoire est mise en valeur par un humour toujours présent, qui traite d'un sujet difficile : la drogue chez les jeunes gens, avec un message d'espoir. Et c'est très réaliste en même temps : je crois que c'est ce qui fait sa force. Quand on commence à lire, on n'arrive plus à s'arrêter : les personnages sont attachants et je suis très contente car j'ai été attirée par le résumé au début et au final, je n'ai pas été déçue.

I have read Simone's books before and I loves this one so much I decided to buy it instead of taking it out from the library so I could read it whenever I wanted! This book is the second in a trilogy and it just as good as the first book! Her characters are attention grabbing and the story brings warmth to the heart! If you are looking for a book with a interesting journey to happiness this is the book for you!!

Ｈigh Ｓchool４年生のＣarlosはメキシコに母と弟Ｌuisを残しコロラドで大学に通う兄Ａlexと暮らす事になるが、それは自分の意思ではなく、尊敬していた兄の事も今では自分達を見捨てた裏切り者と反抗的。 一方、Ｋiaraは行きつけの車屋で働くＡlexに頼まれ、Ｃarlosの高校での案内役を引き受ける。 でも、優等生のＫiaraと不良のＣarlosは初日から反発、挑発しあい、敵対する。 それがある事件から同じ家で暮らすようになったり、カップルのふりをしているうちに惹かれあっていく・・が、Ｃarlosには解決しなければならない問題があり・・・。 Ａlexの時より暴力的な部分も、ハラハラ感も少なく、でも笑えるシーンが多く暖かくて泣ける。 Ｋiaraの両親の寛大さ、弟Ｂrandonの純粋さに感動しました。 おまけに、ＡlexとＢrittanyの関係にも危機が・・・その後が知れて良かったです。

Carlos Fuentes isn't happy about leaving Mexico to start the 'new' life his older brother, Alex, has planned for him. Carlos liked his freedom; living life on the edge and carving out his own path - just like Alex did. Kiera Westford doesn't talk much; preferring instead to shut the world out. And when Carlos bounds into her life she struggles to understand him and his wild ways. Carlos is sure that Kiera thinks she is too good for him, which is just fine because he is not interested anyway, right? But when they finally open up to each other, the connection they feel shocks them both. Can they overcome their fears and realise that sometimes opposites reall DO attract? I love this book! I think it's as good as the first one. 'I HAVEN'T KNOWN HER LONG AT ALL, BUT JUST LOOKING AT HER FEELS SO RIGHT. BEING WITH HER FEELS LIKE... HOME.' There were so many romantic and sweet scenes between Carlos and Kiara. I love Carlos! He is a bigger bad-ass than his brother - Alex. ' I KNEEL IN FRONT OF MY LOCKER AND READ THE NOTE, WRITTEN ON A TORN PIECE OF NOTEBOOK PAPER - K. THE LADY AT THE STORE SAID YELLOW MEANS FRIENDSHIP AND RED MEANS LOVE. THE ROSARY IS THE ONLY THING I HAVE THAT HAS VALUE TO ME. IT'S YOURS. I'M YOURS.' My heart was melting... '" YOU'RE DANGEROUS,"' HE SAYS. ' " WHY?"" '" BECAUSE YOU MAKE ME BELIEVE IN THE IMPOSSIBLE"' This book is SO HILARIOUS! I was laughing constantly! 'TUCK SETS THE VASE DOWN ON THE WINDOW LEDGE AND SMILES WIDE.' " OH, COME ON. DON'T BE SUCH A GRUMP. I'M HERE TO CHEER YOU UP." " BY BRINGIN' ME PINK FLOWERS?" CARLOS SAYS, GESTURING TO THE VASE. " ACTUALLY THE FLOWERS ARE FOR KIARA BECAUSE SHE HAS TO DEAL WITH YOU." I love every character in this book! Oh, and did i tell you there were some REALLY hot stuff going on? This book isn't just romantic and funny, it's smoking hot as well. '" KIARA UNBUTTONS MY PANTS AND REACHES DOWN TO FEEL ME OVER MY SHORTS."' Believe me, this stuff is HOT. Like i told you before, i loved every character in this book. They could be a little bit more described but they were really well developed. Every character had a little part in the story. Like in the first book, we get to see both main characters points of view. I love that. And not only do we get that, but we also get to see what happens next with Brittanys and Alexs relationship. I love them as well, so i was so happy do be able to see how there story continues. As always, the ( nearly) endings are full of action and thrill. I'm always looking forwards to them. The very ending was so hilarious, i was not expecting that and i can't believe it happened. Overall, Rules of attraction is a gripping ride that you can't miss.