My Ramblings on Chain Reaction by Simone Elkeles

Dear Chain Reaction (and by extension Simone Elkeles), I love you. Not in a creepy way, but in a "I instituted a book buying ban but broke it for you because I simply couldn't wait until my notoriously slow library got you in." In other words, I love you enough to crack open the wallet and own you. (Errr... this keeps getting stranger, I think I'll move on). Although before I jump into the meat of this post I do have to give credit where credit is due and say thank you to MA from EFG who insisted I read Elkele's How to Ruin series- she was right, I loved them and now I'm hopelessly addicted to Elkeles' books. The only course of action is to ramble on about this addiction and do my best to make sure you guys read all of Elkeles books too. So here we go....

Chain Reaction

By: Simone Elkeles

Release Date: August 16, 2011

Author Website

Summary: 

Luis Fuentes has always been sheltered from the gang violence that nearly destroyed his brothers’ lives. But that didn’t stop him from taking risks—whether he’s scaling a mountain in the Rockies or dreaming of a future as an astronaut, Luis can’t stop looking for the next thrill. 

Nikki Cruz lives her life by three rules—boys lie to get their way, don’t trust a boy who says “I love you,” and never date a boy from the south side of Fairfield. Her parents may be from Mexico, but as a doctor’s daughter, she has more in common with her north-side neighbors than the Latino Blood at her school. Then she meets Luis at Alex’s wedding, and suddenly, she’s tempted to break all her rules. Getting Nikki to take a chance on a southsider is Luis’s biggest challenge, until he finds himself targeted by Chuy Soto, the new head of the Latino Blood. When Chuy reveals a disturbing secret about Luis’s family, the youngest Fuentes finds himself questioning everything he’s ever believed to be true. Will his feelings for Nikki be enough to stop Luis from entering a dark and violent world and permanently living on the edge?

My Ramblings:

As already mentioned, I loved this book. I love the other books in this series (Perfect Chemistry and Rules of Attraction). What Elkeles does is pretty amazing- meaning she writes realistic books about teens, and she writes them well. She doesn't shy away from the worst there is out there. Through the Fuentes boys, in this book specifically Luis, we see how no matter how much you want a better life, sometimes circumstances pull you back under. We see gang activity, shootings, drug deals gone wrong and a huge amount of cursing. We also see kids having sex for all the wrong reasons. Still, for every harsh reality we also see the best of humanity on display. We get to see true love blossoming (in all it's awkward and dramatic glory) and we see a family who sticks together against all odds and who would literally die for each other if it came down to it. Most importantly, we see that there is always hope. 

As always I'm going to start with the negative and end on a high note. A really minor thing made me cringe, and I hate to mention it, but I feel like I probably should. Here it is... Paco, Alex and Brittney's kiddo is two and in the book it's stated that he smiles at Luis with his four tooth grin. Now I have a two year old- and she's had a full mouth of chompers for a while now- so that was something that made me wonder. (did I miss something here?) It certainly didn't ruin the book or anything, but Elkeles is one of those authors that I feel does an insane amount of research for her books (I've seen the pictures of her riding around with cops and in an interview she talked about visiting prisons) and this little thing struck me as out of character. Anywho- minor issue in a great book, so let's commence with the good stuff!

This book is told in alternating points of view, this time Luis (the youngest Fuentes) and Nikki and much like the other books we see how they meet, how they challenge each other, fight, love and eventually come out better people. I don't want to give any of the story away (I want you to go read it- like now) so I'm going to refrain from gushing about every little plot point and story line, but lets just say there is a lot of action, some devastating heart break, some laughs and some really, really good loving. 

Not for nothing, but Elkeles is a master at a few things- accuracy, humor and love. And by love I mean everything make out sessions and sex scenes to proposals and weddings and happily ever after- she...uh... nails it. 

So, the long and the short of it is that this is a great third book in a great series from a great author. If you haven't read Elkeles' books yet, you really should get on it! Oh, and if you ever get the chance to see Elkeles in person, do that too. She is a great presenter and a lot of fun. 

I'm going to leave you with the book trailer for Chain Reaction... it's a good one (as are all her other book trailers)

Whatcha Thinking Thursday (1)

So I'm starting a new meme. I haven't seen anything like this so I don't think I'm stepping on anyones toes. Of course, I do not read every book blog out there so if someone knows of the meme going on somewhere else, please let me know!

With that out of the way- here's how this will work. Each Thursday I'll simply blog about something book related that's weighing on my mind. Feel free to comment away if you agree or disagree (just keep it clean, okay?), or if you want to post to your site either on the same topic or about whatever it is you're thinking about go right ahead. I just ask that you link back to here. Also- make sure you add your blog to the list so we can find you too!

So without further ado, I'm thinking about epilogues.

Yup. Epilogues. I finished two books on Tuesday. Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins and Sisters Red by Jackson Pearce. I was already in love with Collins' Hunger Games books, so it is no surprise that I loved Mockingjay as well (review here). On the flip side, I'd never read anything by Pearce, and going up against Mockingjay is a pretty tough match, but I have to say, I really enjoyed Sisters Red as well. There was really only one thing that seperated the two in my mind. The epilogue.

To be upfront, I hate epilogues. I hated it in Harry Potter, hated it in Perfect Chemistry (Simone Elkeles) and I hated it in Mockingjay. Here's my arguement against the epilogue. It's such a let down. We've just spent an entire book, or in some case 7 entire books, living with these charecters. Laughing with them, crying with them, hurting with them and unltimately loving them. In many cases the book ends with a triumph of some kind, an overcoming of previously insurmountable odds and then suddenly it's 20 years later and everyone is happy and isn't it wonderful. I feel like it cheapens the lives that I know they must have had in the interim. I get that it is a way to give us a peak into the future, to let us know that they are all okay, but it still just doesn't work for me. To condense it to 3-4 happy pages seems inadequate, and I inevitable feel let down, dissapointed. These books are books that I love, and they end in a way that doesn't do the writing and charecters justice. Yet, I continue to see epilogues tacked on there at the end, like an afterthought to the brilliance that came before. It's tantamount to another device I dislike. Why not just end the book with "and they all lived happily ever after" and call it a day?

I was beginning to think that a good epilogue was impossible, and then I finished Sisters Red (review here), and there it was, a good epilogue. Why was it good? In my opinion it was good because it didn't make any giant leaps into the future, I didn't feel I missed anything. The epilogue jumps about 7 months forward to point where our three fenris hunters, Scarlett, Rose and Silas are just beginning to get their lives back on track, to find their own place in the world. We see them heading out into the world and are left to wonder what will happen next without wondering what it is that happened between the end of the story and the point at which the epilogue begins.

So that's what I'm thinking about. How about you? Epilogue love or epilogue hate? Or, do you have something totally different on your mind?

Chat with Simone Elkeles

Join us tonight at 9pm est at Eve's Fan Garden as we chat with Simone Elkeles, author of Perfect Chemistry, Rules of Attraction and the How to Ruin series.

Perfect Chemistry

Perfect Chemistry
By: Simone Elkeles
http://www.simoneelkeles.net/

At Fairfield High, everyone knows that south siders and north siders aren’t exactly compatible elements. So when cheerleader Brittany Ellis and gang member Alex Fuentes are forced to be lab partners, the results are bound to be explosive.

Neither teen is prepared for the most surprising chemical reaction of all – love. Can they break through the stereotypes and misconceptions that threaten to keep them apart? (from Simoneelkeles.net)

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I thought this was a great book. Already a fan of Elkleses other books (the How to Ruin series), I didn't really expect less. I will say this though. I was recommended this series by a very reliable book pusher (MA, I'm looking at you) and like the Ruin series I was initially a little hesitant. In my head I immediately thought that the whole modern day Romeo & Juliet, revamped West Side Story plot line was a bit played out. It's been done, you know what I mean? However, like Elkeles other books, it really doesn't matter. Elkeles has a way of taking whatever topic she's going for and making it brand new. It's really a testament to her amazing writing that a very classic story can feel so fresh and new.

I loved the main characters in this book, Alex and Brittney are perfectly written. It really highlighted how you shouldn't take anyone at face value, beacuse there is usually more just below the surface. If you open your eyes and heart you might just find a whole world that you never knew was there, and it might be just what you were looking for.

One thing I love about Elkeles is that she is exceptionally accurate in her characters and environment. Alex, his family and his friends all use a mix of spanish and english in conversation and although my spanish is limited to 4 years of HS language which ended 10 years ago, I've heard from reader's who are much more qualified to comment that the writing was dead on compared to what you might hear in that community. In addition, the portrayal of Brittney's disabled sister was done in a compassionate way that didn't demean her in any way, but showed what life caring for someone with a severe disability is like.

I thought this was a fabulous book and I look forward to reading Rules of Attraction, the next book in the series, which followes Alex's younger brother as he finds his way.

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Join us on April 27th at 9:00 pm EST over at Eve's Fan Garden for our Author Chat and Contest!

How to Ruin my Teenage Life & How to Ruin Your Boyfriend's Reputation

I just finished this series up this weekend. I picked it up on the recommendation of a fellow BOTM moderator and I really enjoyed it. I'd be lying if I said I was all gung-ho to read the series at the get go, it seemed like it might be a little formulaic, but I was proved wrong. As I stated in my review for book one of the series How to Ruin a Summer Vacation, the plot follows a familiar pattern, but Elkeles writing and her ability to really let you inside the charecters, flaws and all, really made it an enjoyable series to read.

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In this sequel to How to Ruin a Summer Vacation, EVERYTHING in sixteen-year-old Amy Nelson Barak's life is going wrong! Her mom got married and moved to the suburbs, and now they are going to have a baby. Amy moves in with her dad in Chicago and signs him up for an online dating service. His first four dates are that night . . .
What else? Her dog Mutt impregnated her grumpy neighbor's prized poodle, so Amy will actually have to get a part-time job to pay for half the veterinary bill. And there's this totally annoying boy, Nathan Rubin, who just moved into her apartbuilding. Luckily, Amy has a cute boyfriend named Avi. Only he's more like a non-boyfriend considering Avi is in the Israeli army for the next three years.

What's a girl to do when everyone is conspiring to ruin her life? (from Goodreads.com)

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This was a great follow up to How To Ruin my Teenage Life. Here Amy finds herself back in Chicago and trying to pair her old life as a bit of a teenage diva, with all the stuff she learned over the summer in Israel. It was a great look at all the social wrangling that comes along with being in high school, especially those moments when you feel like absolutely nothing in your life is going right. It was fun to see Amy try to figure it all out, how to live with her Dad, how to deal with a long distance relationship with Avi, how to handle her Mom's marraige and pregnancy. I really enjoyed it.

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Guess who's jetting to the Holy Land this summer!

Remember me, Amy Barak-Nelson—a.k.a the queen of disaster? In case you forgot, my boyfriend Avi is in the Israeli army. A visit is definitely in order.

Somehow my grandmother convinced me to sign up for two weeks of pure hell in a military training base. Getting up before dawn, peeing in a hole, and playing war games in the desert isn't my idea of fun. But what's worse? Our team leader turns out to be Avi! (From Goodreads.com)

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In this last book of the series, Amy decides to go with some friends to a boot-camp in the Israeli desert, in hopes that she will get to spend some time with Avi. Again Elkeles handles all the drama that comes with being a teen with humor. Thinking this will be a piece of cake (with some time with Avi as the bonus), Amy quickly realizes it will be anything but, especially when she realizes that her being there will compromise Avi's reputation. I loved how the series worked out. It showed that not everything, or everyone, is perfect, but that if you are better with someone then you ever are without then it's worth putting the effort in to see if it can be forever.

I'd love to read more about Avi and Amy (and all the friends and family that surround them), but if this is the last book I'm happy with the resolution. Everyone's not having their happy ever after yet, but you can tell that they are on the right path.

How to Ruin a Summer Vacation

By: Simone Elkeles
http://www.simoneelkeles.net/

How does a fashionista teen end up on a farm in the middle of Israel with her estranged father? Oy, vey doesn't even come close to describing it.

Moshav? What’s a moshav? Is it “shopping mall” in Hebrew? I mean, from what Jessica was telling me, Israeli stores have the latest fashions from Europe. That black dress Jessica has is really awesome. I know I’d be selling out if I go with the Sperm Donor to a mall, but I keep thinking about all the great stuff I could bring back home.

Unfortunately for 16-year-old Amy Nelson, “moshav” is not Hebrew for “shopping mall.” Not even close. Think goats, not Gucci.

Going to Israel with her estranged Israeli father is the last thing Amy wants to do this summer. She’s got a serious grudge against her dad, a.k.a. “Sperm Donor,” for showing up so rarely in her life. Now he’s dragging her to a war zone to meet a family she’s never known, where she’ll probably be drafted into the army. At the very least, she’ll be stuck in a house with no AC and only one bathroom for seven people all summer—no best friend, no boyfriend, no shopping, no cell phone…

Goodbye pride—hello Israel. (from simoneelkeles.net)
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This was a pretty great little book. On a recommendation from a fellow moderator on the Book of the Month club (thanks Maryanne!) I picked this book up and it definitly did not dissapoint. A fairly easy read, this book follows a familiar pattern, but Elkeles writing takes it above and beyond standard fare. Like many books that fit this genre- our main charecter must leave the city she loves and travel to Israel with the father she barely knows to live with a family who just found out she existed. Beyond the main coming of age story is the story about the world she finds herself in. Elkeles does a masterful job at showing how kids differ in Israel from the the way Amy was raised and lives. At her age both boys and girls are drafted into the army, they serve their time and if they survive they rejoin the community, in Amy's family's case, they mostly become sheep farmers. This is a far cry form the reality that Amy lives in back home, where her biggest concerns are school and shopping. Beyond learning about herself, Amy learns about the world and how she fits into it.

This book is the first in a series (I'm waiting for the next two to come into the library). It will definitly be interesting to see where Amy goes from here, now that she has close ties in Israel. I'm really looking forward to reading both How to Ruin my Teenage Life and How to Ruin Your Boyfriends Reputation.