by Simone Elkeles
ages: 15+
First sentence (ARC): “Everyone knows I’m perfect.”
Review copy sent to me by the publisher.
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There are times — as Shannon Hale has very ably pointed out — where you react strongly to the book. It then becomes nearly impossible to review the book, because whatever the book is — in this case, complex, engaging and as Liz B pointed out, hot — you can’t get past your gut reaction to this.

It’s not often, but once in a while I read a book that hits too close to home. And — don’t ask me why, since it’s not like I ever dated a Mexican gang member — this one did. Especially the ending: a happy ending, from High School love? Really?! High school love doesn’t have happy endings, or at the very least, happy endings from high school love really drive me bonkers. Almost as much as love at first sight, and wasting away because of forbidden love.

I like the love stories that are more open-ended. Maybe they lived happily ever after, but then again, maybe something happened and they drifted apart.

But for whatever reason, that’s not the story that Elkeles wanted to tell.

The plot is basically Romeo and Juliet and West Side Story. On the outside, Brittany Ellis has the perfect life: rich, does well in school, perfect boyfriend. On the outside, Alex Fuentes has a crappy life: poor, struggling, and a member of a Mexican gang called the Latino Bloods. They’re like oil and water: they don’t mix. Until they end up in the same senior chemistry class and end up as lab partners (due to the way the teacher assigns partners… they wouldn’t have chosen it). Against their will, sparks (of the good kind) fly, and they find that they are drawn toward each other. Except, being together isn’t in the cards for either of them… and yet, being apart is something that’s becoming harder and harder to do.

Obviously it’s a well-written book: I wouldn’t have had such a strong reaction to it if it wasn’t. And it’s a time-honored story, as well: who doesn’t love a book about star-crossed lovers from opposite sides of the tracks? (Well, me, but that’s beside the point.) Sure, there are stereotypes — even if I don’t read many books about Latin@s, I know that not every single male is a gang member or completely worthless (this makes two in the last two months, though) — but I can understand what Elkeles was trying to achieve by making them such polar opposites.

If only it had ended better (or worse), then maybe I wouldn’t have had such a strong reaction. Then again, if it had ended the way I wanted it to end, it wouldn’t be Elkeles’ book. (Can’t go rewriting books for authors just to suit my moods now, can I?)