"Perfect Chemistry" - By Simone Elkeles

Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles. What first stood out to me about this book, I'll have to admit was the cover. I was at Target, browsing the book sections and picked this up.

I loved the beginning chapter. Seeing the behind-the-scenes life of Brittany Ellis, with her nerve-stricken mom tapping a heel and expecting her to play the perfect daughter every second of the day, to Brittany's constant care and attention she has for her handicapped sister.

I had to read on.

The next chapter was about Alex Fuentes, sharing a room with his two little brothers who fight, and a fiery Latino mother who knows how to set them all straight with a cold bucket of water.

What's not to love?

The story is about these two characters. Their very different lives, and how they're brought together from two perfectly different worlds (almost like West Side story) to love and help each other along their paths in life, even when it seems like the whole world is against them.

Now, the story may be cute. But "bad-wise" this story's got it all: violence, language, sex. I'm assuming Elkeles pushed her limit in what's supposed to be a Young Adult book.

VIOLENCE/GORE: Alex is part of a gang, which institutes violence, senseless beatings, even a murder.

LOVE/SEX: Alex has a reputation of never backing down and when his stupid friends push him into a bet to see if he can sleep with Brittany Ellis or not, he takes it. Thus making sex one of the main factors throughout the entire book.

DRUGS/ALCOHOL: Both characters don't mind drinking. Both get drunk. And one gets high. No real temperance in anything.

Definitely do NOT use this book as a guide for your morals. Elkeles doesn't have any message for the reader except "don't be in a gang" and "use protection". . Which both seem to be stupid "no duh"s in my opinion.

This is a series but I don't know if I'll pursue it, cute as the stories may be.

"Mocking jay" - By Suzanne Collins

So I finally finished the Hunger Game series today.

Phew.

That's my word for this book.

Phew.

I have to say, I feel like Collins SQUEEZED as much death and destruction as possible in her last book. At first, I'll admit, it was interesting and every chapter ended with "oh gosh!", "say what?". But mostly "woah, that person just died!! Oh my gosh, THAT person just died?!. . . Oh. Shocker. They died too. . Okay, so who else is going to die? . . Ugh, there goes another one. . Seriously, another?"

The final lap of this book was getting kind of painful, I'm sad to say. I had a few days where I was sure I'd finish it then sighed and told myself I'd finish it tomorrow.

As always, Collins takes you on an adventure, pretty or not, to some place you've never been, and for that, I tip my imaginary hat. I was also pretty pleasantly surprised with the ending, which dulled the pain. So don't give up, read to the end.

VIOLENCE/GORE: It's a Hunger Games book. 'nuf said?

When it comes to a comparison with the other books. .  I don't really know how to compare, actually. But there is torture in this one, malicious, and gruesome thoughts. And graphic scenes.

LOVE/SEX: Before I forget, I forgot to mention something about the other books. There has been a few suggestions of prostitution in the previous ones. And in the second, a fake pregnancy.

In this book, one of the characters speaks out for being forced to sell their body. Nothing descriptively graphic, more conversational.

DRUGS/ALCOHOL: Haymitch is always drunk, or always wants to be. And Katniss speaks of the morphine used to dull her pain almost like sweet nectar and how beautiful it is.

As always, honor where honor is due. Congratulation Collins for making such a successful series. People have fan art, fan fiction, jewlery, tattoos. Heck she must be sitting pretty is my guess. As an aspiring writer, I admire her very unique work.

"The Undomestic Goddess" - By Sophie Kinsella

You'll have to forgive my flakey-ness. It's summer and things have been kind of hectic.

I finished this book a while ago, so I apologize for taking so long. And my judgement may be impaired from just how I read it, but I don't think Sophie Kinsella's "The Undomestic Goddess" was all it's cracked up to be. And from what I understood, it was her best, but maybe I understood wrong.

I love Sophie Kinsella's whimsical way of writing and her charming characters and the way everything she writes just flows. I like to read a lot of her stuff because I love her style and hope to learn from it and use it in my own writing. But, "The Undomestic Goddess"? I don't know.

The story is about a workaholic, Samantha Sweeting, who's worked herself to the bone in her law firm and is just on the verge of becoming partner. So for understandable reasons, she can't back down now. And then a series of events propels her into pretending to be a maid and cook, and being hired as such, which, of course, being focused as a lawyer, she has no idea how. She can't cook or clean or iron.

The plot idea I love. A lawyer pretending to be a domestic? It's the perfect plan for a comedy. But I don't know. . Something went wrong in the sense that it's like everything went right. Or there really weren't any surprises. Maybe that's my issue, it was all too predictable from the start, and I like being taken for a ride, not just assured that my predictions were true.

And the sex scene was unnecessary.

VIOLENCE/GORE: This is kind of a funny question for a chick lit book; did it have violence or gore? Gore, no, I can say that off the top of my head. Violence I don't even remember. I believe one character punches another, but that's about it.

LOVE/SEX: There is a sex scene and nudity. Upon further research, I believe this is actually Kinsella's worse book for that, meaning this book has her most "elicit" sex scene, which is probably why most believe it's her best. But I didn't appreciate it. And it makes Samantha sound nasty and shallow, which she admits openly in the book.

It isn't disgustingly graphic. Kinsella wraps it up quickly in about a paragraph. The foreplay is drawn out, but it's just them picking berries in their underwear and brushing up against each other every now and then, arms and hands.

I have to say something for Nathaniel. He kind of acts like a pawn in this sense. I know I'm being incredibly critical, but really. It's like he barely meets her, and sure he pretends to be strong by torturing her, but he gives her what she wants anyway and she isn't bashful about it. It just. . eck. Irritates and disgusts me.

Honestly if this was the first of Kinsella's works I read, I probably would've skipped all the other ones. But before this (and for some random reason I don't understand, I didn't review them) I read "Twenties Girl", "Remember Me?", "You have my number" (something like that) and I feel like I'm missing another. . So I guess I was lucky. Or she was, if she cares. Lol. So somebody is at least.

DRUGS/ALCOHOL: As in all her books, Kinsella mentions the casual glass of wine. And a character in the book owns a pub she helps out in. Drinks are very casual.

And there you have it.