Mundie Moms

Thursday, August 18, 2011

Blog Tour: Book Review & Giveaway for Chain Reaction (Perfect Chemistry #3)

Published by: Bloomsbury Teen
Released on: August 16th, 2011
Source: Book from publisher for blog tour/review
4 stars- I Really Liked It
Purchase from: Amazon| Barnes & Noble|

Luis Fuentes has always been sheltered from the gang violence that nearly destroyed his brothers’ lives. But that didn’t stop him from taking risks—whether he’s scaling a mountain in the Rockies or dreaming of a future as an astronaut, Luis can’t stop looking for the next thrill.

Nikki Cruz lives her life by three rules—boys lie to get their way, don’t trust a boy who says “I love you,” and never date a boy from the south side of Fairfield. Her parents may be from Mexico, but as a doctor’s daughter, she has more in common with her north-side neighbors than the Latino Blood at her school. Then she meets Luis at Alex’s wedding, and suddenly, she’s tempted to break all her rules.Getting Nikki to take a chance on a southsider is Luis’s biggest challenge, until he finds himself targeted by Chuy Soto, the new head of the Latino Blood. When Chuy reveals a disturbing secret about Luis’s family, the youngest Fuentes finds himself questioning everything he’s ever believed to be true. Will his feelings for Nikki be enough to stop Luis from entering a dark and violent world and permanently living on the edge?

Chain Reaction is an exciting, engaging Fuentes family reunion! Much like his big brothers, Luis Fuentes is just as good looking, passionate, stubborn, and he's a head strong character who doesn't back down, from anything, which is both a strong character trait and his down fall. He's also become my favorite brother. I liked that like Alex, he's extremely intelligent. He's got book smarts and street smarts, and I really admired the goals he has set for himself in regards to which college he wanted to attend and what profession he wanted to work in. One of the things that sets Luis aside from his brothers is his adventurous, adrenaline junkie side. He definitely has a no fear mentality. Just like the women in Alex and Carlo's life, Luis meets his match with Nikki.

When Nikki is first introduced I felt emotionally attached to her as I found her story to be heartbreaking, but I admired the inner strength she has and also struggles with through out the story. The chemistry between Luis and Nikki is explosive! The passion between the two of them really heats up the pages. Their chemistry and tension is addicting and though they both have bright futures, they make mistakes that effect them and those around them. They have their fair share of trust issues to work out, and I liked the way their story was written, and how their relationship is developed. There are some fantastically written secondary characters who are there support them. I LOVED seeing the Fuentes family back together again. Until Luis, Alex has been my favorite brother, but Carlo's one liners and his attitude in this book were great and made snicker a few times.

I liked how Simone tied some of the characters together, like Nikki being the daughter of the surgeon who took the bullet out of Alex in Perfect Chemistry. There are a lot of things I like about this series. Simone's writing is so realistic and relatable for teens, because she tackles a lot of relatable issues ranging from class structure, prejudices, life on the other side of the tracks, sexuality, teen pregnancy, gangs, trust, loyalty etc. One of the things I loved about Chain Reaction is the unlikely role models there are. I like how Alex , Carlos and Luis have always been their for each other, and how their fierce loyalty as a family and their brotherly bond really comes into play in this book. Mrs Peterson, the infamous chemistry teacher and a new character, Reyes, a cop, who's not only Luis and his mom's landlord, but their next door neighbor also played an interesting role in the story and I liked how his back story tied into Chain Reaction.

Simone Elkeles writing is gritty, raw and she does such an amazing job with creating a story that's realistic and engaging. This is a great addition to a series I find hard to put down, and this time around she throws in some twists that I didn't even except. There's just something about the Fuentes brothers that leaves me interested in their stories. I feel like Mrs Peterson, and now I understand why she's so hard on these guys. Like her, I've become invested with their lives and I want to make sure they don't do anything to screw up their futures. Yes I know they're just fictional, but Simone writes their stories in way that makes them so believable. This is a book I'd definitely recommend to older YA readers. There is some mild violence, language, a lot of sexual context, and a few scenes between Luis and Nikki.
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I'm so excited to be taking part in Bloomsbury Teen's Chain Reaction blog tour!
Along with my review I'm giving away my copy of Chain Reaction I received from Bloomsbury!

To Enter, please fill out the form below:
* You must be a blog follower
* This is open Internationally (please read our international giveaway rules)
* You must be 13 yrs & older to enter
* 1 entry per person
* This giveaway ends on September 15th, 2011

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