The Story is About   +  young adult

Rules of Attraction by Simone Elkeles

Rules of Attraction

by Simone Elkeles

Release Date: April 13, 2010
Publisher: Walker Books for Young Readers
Age Group: Young Adult
Pages: 336
Source: Amazon Vine
Interest: Author/Series
Challenge: 10 in '10 Teen Chick Lit., PoC Reading Challenge
Other Titles in the Series: Perfect Chemisty

Carlos Fuentes doesn't want any part of the life his older brother, Alex, has laid out for him in Boulder, Colorado. He wants to keep living on the edge, and carve his own path—just like Alex did. Unfortunately, his ties to a Mexican gang aren't easy to break, and he soon finds himself being set up by a drug lord.

When Alex arranges for Carlos to live with his former professor and his family to keep him from being sent to jail, Carlos feels completely out of place. He's even more thrown by his strong feelings for the professor's daughter, Kiara, who is nothing like the girls he's usually drawn to. But Carlos and Kiara soon discover that in matters of the heart, the rules of attraction overpower the social differences that conspire to keep them apart.

As the danger grows for Carlos, he's shocked to discover that it's this seemingly All-American family who can save him. But is he willing to endanger their safety for a chance at the kind of life he's never even dreamed possible?
Rules of Attraction is the companion novel to Perfect Chemistry

. The main characters in Perefect Chemestry are Alex and Brittany, the main characters in Rules of Attratction are Carlos (Alex's little brother) and Kiara. That being said, you don't necessarily have to read Perfect Chemistry first.

I loved Perfect Chemistry, there is something about it that is so very addictive, so when I heard that Elkeles was writing another novel about Alex's little brother, I knew I was in for a treat. Perfect Chemistry is still my favorite but Rules of Attraction was also fantastic!

I'm a complete sap for the bad ass guy with the good heart. I don't know what it is but ay dios mio, I can't get enough! And Carlos definitely knew how to play the bad ass guy card.

Both Carlos and Kiara are complex characters, Kiara might seem like the easier of the two to figure out, but she definitely has some hidden depths. Carlos seems like the bad guy on the outside, and he's made plenty of mistakes to get himself labeled as such, but his bad guy image isn't his problem. His problem is his pride. I loved getting to see that change throughout the novel.

I didn't think the relationship between Carlos and Kiara flowed as nicely as it had with Alex and Brittany in PC. It seemed a little abrupt and rushed, I never felt like I witnessed that "falling in love" moment. I was a little disappointed on that front, but nonetheless, I still reveled in seeing these two get together.

The ending might have came a little too fast and it was just a little unbelievable, not to mention there was another cheesy prologue (that I just ATE UP! I do love the cheese) but it just makes you feel all warm and tingly inside. And darn it, sometimes I just want to feel warm and tingly!

Overall Rules of Attraction was wonderfully written, with intriguing characters and a captivating love story. I’m ready for book three, please.