RULES OF ATTRACTION by Simone Elkeles
Hardcover: 336 pages
Publisher: Walker Books for Young Readers (April 13, 2010)
Language: English
BOOK DESCRIPTION:
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?
Simone Elkeles continues the Fuentes brothers saga with RULES OF ATTRACTION (a PERFECT CHEMISTRY novel). This time the story centers around seventeen-year-old Carlos, who moves to Colorado to stay with his older brother, Alex (Alex and Brittany’s story takes place in PERFECT CHEMISTRY). They have said goodbye to Chicago and Carlos has left his mother and younger sibling, Louis, back in Mexico. Carlos is a tough guy with good looks and a quick, smart mouth which often gets him into trouble. His attitude and swagger are an act; since his dad was killed when he was three, he hasn’t wanted to ‘trust’ any adult in his life.
Until now. Carlos enrolls in Flatiron High and on his first day he meets his peer guide, Kiara. The two don’t exactly hit it off. Carlos catches the eye of Madison, a pretty and popular student who invites him over to her house Friday night for a party. He goes but doesn’t really enjoy himself, even when a drunk Madison hits on him. There he meets Nick and knows immediately what this guy is all about—dealing drugs. The following week at school there’s a drug lock down and Carlos is called out into the hallway. He’s shocked to see drugs pulled out of his backpack but knows from experience it isn't worth arguing over. Handcuffed, he’s taken out of the school and led to a police car.
Forced to participate in a drug outreach program and signed into the care of Professor Westford, Carlos is told he has to live in the Westford house along with Kiara. The two begin to spend time together and he sees Kiara is an interesting girl. She can fix cars, loves to go hiking and wears a ton of baggy clothes. Carlos playfully goes to kiss her and is surprised by his body’s reaction. So is Kiara.
Some authors write fantasy—characters imbued with special powers, others bordering on perfection—these are people we fantasize about, would love to be or meet, but when we close the book they remain behind. Elkeles’ characters are rooted in reality. They’re like real people—visibly and emotionally flawed, with problems we can relate to, some may have haunting pasts, while others have hang-ups. What’s nice is they may remind us of someone we know, a friend, classmate, neighbor. Despite their personal baggage we take the journey with them on the printed page, as they fail, fall, get back, and ultimately resolve their conflicts. In RULES Carlos and Kiara allow themselves to heal from past abuses, to trust again and, most especially, to love.
From the length of this review it is obvious I LOVED this book. Despite the formulaic bad boy/good girl set-up and happy ending, the story is engrossing. The credible characters made me smile, laugh, cringe and believe. Elkeles' words touch with a resounding resonance; she’s captured the awkwardness and vulnerability teens experience. And we see kids who have to grow up in tough neighborhoods, dealing with even tougher situations as they try to get by each day and, in Carlos’ case, stay alive. Growing up in the Bronx I knew guys like Carlos—macho guys with a good heart, too busy putting on their masks, but occasionally they’d slip up and the ‘real’ part of them would show through.
My favorite scene:
“He opens his window and motions for me to open mine. When I do, he tries to say something. His voice barely carries through the sound of the rain coming down hard between us.
I lean out the car window. “What?”He leans out his window, meeting me half way. We’re both wet and soaked, but neither of us seems to care. “Don’t run away from me when I need to tell you somethin’ important.”“What?” I say, hoping he doesn’t notice the start of tears running down my face and praying they’re getting mixed up with the rain.“Tonight was…well, it was perfect for me, too. You’ve turned my world upside down. I’ve fallen in love with you, chica, and it scares the f-----‘ s--- outta me. I’ve been shakin’ all night, once I realized it.”Right in the middle of our cars, in the middle of the pouring rain, Carlos and I lean toward each other. “I love you, Kiara,” he says before his lips move forward and meet mine. (page 272 in ARC)
COVER COMMENT: The cover photo is absolutely PERFECT and captures this pivotal scene in the book beautifully. The art department Walker Books has hit a home run. It is one of the best contemporary YA book covers out this year and my favorite.
Awww so cute! Thanks for posting that scene. I'm really looking forward to this book.
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