Review by Lauren: Rules of Attraction

Rules of Attraction by Simone Elkeles

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?

First Impressions: Rules of Attraction is the second book in the Perfect Chemistry Trilogy, following the second Fuentes brother, Carlos. I adored Perfect Chemistry, so I was definitely super excited to finally get my hands on Rules of Attraction.

Simone Elkeles is an amazing writer for what she writes - cheesy. And as cheesy as these novels are, I love them. Rules of Attraction definitely does not disappoint :) It follows a very similar structure to Perfect Chemistry, but it didn't take away from the novel at all. I found the plot slightly more plausible than Perfect Chemistry... not that either novel would actually happen - Carlos just seems a little more real than Alex was, and I liked Kiera slightly more than Brittany. Her and Carlos' relationship developed at a really nice pace, great ending with another super cheesy epilogue :)

Anyhow, although Rules of Attraction is part of the Trilogy, you don't have to read Perfect Chemistry first. It will give you insight into Alex and Brittany's relationship in the novel, but they're secondary characters and aren't incredibly crucial to the plot.

Final Impressions: I would call Rules of Attraction a refined guilty pleasure read. Loved it.

Oh, and the book trailer is really, really well done :)