Rules of Attraction

Title: Rules of Attraction (Perfect Chemistry #2)

Author: Simone Elkeles

Genre: YA/Romance

Release Date: April 27, 2010

My Rating:
♥♥♥♥♡

When Carlos Fuentes returns to America after living in Mexico for a year, he doesn’t want any part of the life his older brother, Alex, has laid out for him at a high school in Colorado.  Carlos likes living his life on the edge and wants to carve his own path—just like Alex did.  Then he meets Kiara Westford.  She doesn’t talk much and is completely intimidated by Carlos’ wild ways.  As they get to know one another, Carlos assumes Kiara thinks she’s too good for him, and refuses to admit that she might be getting to him.  But he soon realizes that being himself is exactly what Kiara needs right now.

~ Goodreads

Oh my gosh!  I love Rules of Attraction!  Carlos is now my favorite Fuentes brother (but I still love you, Alex!).  Ahhh, me and my fictional boyfriends...  I have 22, to be precise ;)

Carlos Fuentes - a bad-ass who's not afraid to stand up to a challenge - has just left Mexico, his mother, and his younger brother only to move in with his older brother, Alex, in Colorado.  It seems like everything he loves has been forced away from him.  Until he meets his host family and their daughter, Kiara.

Kiara isn't the bubblegum cheerleader who flaunts her body in excessively tight clothes.  In fact, she's quite the opposite.  With clunky hiking boots, a baggy t-shirt, and hair pulled up in a conservative ponytail, Kiara is the last girl Carlos expects to fall for.  But he does, and it's a fall down the Grand Canyon.  It's that deep.  But when nefarious drug lords pop into the picture, Carlos knows that he will do whatever it takes to keep his family - related and unrelated - out of harm's way.

Every book that I have read by Elkeles has given me goosebumps!  Let me tell you guys, the Fuentes brothers go on some very wild rides, and not all of them are pleasant.  Some of them are downright bloody.

What I Liked:
C a r l o s.  Who doesn't?  In the beginning of Rules of Attraction, I wanted to throw an egg at his thick head, but he matures so much in such a short span of time.  It's amazing, really, how much my love for Carlos grew throughout the book, compared to how much I hated him in the beginning.  He goes from a cocky, arrogant, gang-banger to a sweet, protective, young man who cares too much for others.
K i a r a.  Kiara was a great switch from Brittany.  Don't get me wrong, Brittany was cool, but I just find Kiara easier to relate to.  She's cute, adorable like a puppy, and strong.  What else could you ask for in a heroine?
The whole damn story!  I love the theme of a family related story; all three of the Fuentes brothers get to tell their own unique story in their own perspectives.  And now I'm itching to start Chain Reaction because I just know it will live up to - and hopefully surpass -P.C. and R.O.A.'s expectations!

What I Didn't Like:
This is a really minute factor I recognized while reading Rules of Attraction, but I feel like Carlos didn't have his own voice.  Throughout the entire book, I could have easily misidentified Carlos as Alex because their narrative voices are so darn similar!  It would have raised my rating of Rules of Attraction to 5 hearts if Elkeles had just given Carlos more of an edge in his narration.

Overall, I'm giving Rules of Attraction a 4.5/5 because I absolutely love this book and I'm now salivating for Chain Reaction!