REVIEW: Chain Reaction by Simone Elkeles

Chain Reaction by Simone Elkeles

Young Adult

Hardcover

Walker Children's

320 Pages

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Summary From Amazon:

Luis Fuentes is a good boy who doesn't live with the angst that his big brothers, Alex and Carlos, have always lived with. Luis is smart, funny, and has big dreams of becoming an astronaut. But when he falls for the wrong girl, Luis enters a dark world he's never known, and just when he thinks he's got life all figured out, learns some disturbing news about his family that destroys his positive outlook on life. Will that Fuentes bad boy streak come out with a vengeance and lure Luis to live on the edge like his new girlfriend and his own father?

Continuing all the steamy romance of the first two books, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Simone Elkeles gives fans one more satisfying taste of the irresistible Fuentes boys.

Review:

I have been waiting for this book for a very long time. When I randomly decided to pick up Perfect Chemistry in the bookstore (it may have had something to do with that awesome cover), I was immediately hooked. I love how Simone gives both sides of the story through the point of view of the guy and the girl. I love the tension, the drama, and the romance. I love the boys. Rules of Attraction was just as good. And so was Chain Reaction.

I want to start off by saying that I do NOT like the summary on Amazon. Yes, Luis is a good boy in the sense that he has high goals for himself and the drive to go for them. But he's also reckless, an adrenaline junky, and just as cocky and sweet as the first two Fuentes boys--which we all know is why we love them. And I didn't see Nikki as the bad girl--she had a major problem when she was younger, but she overcame it and strived to be stronger because of it. Both of these kids are just doing their best to do what they think is right for them.

I really liked Nikki as a character--She was strong and confident but she also had a lot of vulnerability that made her kind of cynical. Luis was exactly what you would expect from the youngest Fuentes boy--overly confident, slick, kind, and incredibly loyal.

I loved the twist that drove him to make a choice between the LB and his future and I thought the scenes having to do with that choice were incredibly well done. I also really liked the way Alex and Carlos responded to said choice. In fact, every scene where the three brothers were together was wonderful. Their playful and competitive attitudes with each other make for some great comic relief.

I did get pretty frightened at the beginning of the book when there were a few chapters from when the two were fifteen--I know how intense the romance in Simone's books can be and that seemed a little too young for me to handle, but no worries, most of the book takes place when they're seventeen/eighteen.

I really don't know what else I can say about this book. I think Perfect Chemistry will always have a special place in my heart as my favorite of the Fuentes stories, but Chain Reaction is a really great book unto itself. I read the book in one day because the pages simply fly by. It was a lot of fun seeing the characters from the first two books making appearances, and this was definitely a perfect conclusion to the brother's story. I highly recommend this as a quick read, full of suspense, action, and steamy romance. Enjoy!