"I’ve held others before, but it was never like this, where my body inhales you and quivers with bliss," A boy meets girl, fall in love, and live happily ever after. Some love stories start out like this, but this story has a little twist to it. Once you start reading it, you just can't stop. Rules of Attraction, by Simone Elkeles, is about a boy named Carlos who has been sent to Colorado from Mexico to keep him away from his gang and the type of life his brother has worked so hard to keep him out of. He doesnt like what his brother, Alex, has in store for him in Colorado. When he finally gets to Colorado, he is forced to go to school, Fairfield High School. There, he meets a girl named Kiara, a good, quiet, and smart girl, who turns his life upside down. His need to keep Kiara safe is the only thing that truly begins to change his mind. In between the fights, drugs, and gang threats, you’ll find a story of two teens falling for someone who seems wrong, but may just be the perfect match. 
  Love can change you from bad to good. This story isn't really a normal teenagers love life. It's a little more than that. This essay will vividly explain an unusual love story in which Kiara's modest behavior allows to bring a change in Carlos's ruthless behavior. Due to this, I could not put down the book and it made it so interesting. 
  The theme for Rules of Attraction, would be do not judge someone by their looks, judge for who and what they are. Throughout the book, Carlos judged Kiara by assuming that she is just a lame girl who has no life, and that he cannot hang out with her just because she's not his type. Later on in the book, Carlos realizes that Kiara is truly beautiful on the inside and on the outside. Her personality towards him and the way she changes her looks, makes him realize that he made a mistake by judging her before he even knew her. He felt guilty when he found out that she wasn't lame at all, she's actually a pretty cool girl. 
  The summary for this book is that Carlos was in Mexico for a year, and then ended up in Colorado after year. Kiara, on the other hand, had been living in Colorado her whole life. If the setting were to occur in a different place, then truly there would have not been any changes. If the Although, in some cases, it would. If the setting were to be in a different place, then Carlos would have not met Kiara, and Kiara would have not met Carlos. If they had not met, then they would have not changed. Carlos would still be a ruffian, and Kiara would still have been a stutterer. If the time were to change, then they would have not spoken in slang terms. Also, Carlos would have been in less danger, and Kiara would have been more of a shy person. 
  The main charectors of this book are Kiara and Carlos. Kiara used to be very quiet because of her stuttering problem. She did not speak up much because she didn’t want to be teased. During her senior year, she’s determined to be more outgoing and show off the more adventurous and crazy side of her personality. The real Kiara doesn’t back down from a challenge. That trait definitely sparks some interesting interactions with Carlos, who also never backs down. Carlos doesn’t listen to anyoneCarlos lives to break rules. He has a strong pride in his Mexican heritage and isn’t afraid to let everyone around him know it. When Carlos lived in Chicago, he was dating Destiny, the only girl he ever loved. But after they broke up and he moved with his mother and brother to Mexico. Later, he got into wild—partying, dating a different girl every night, and joining a gang. When Carlos moved to Colorado, he calms down after he meets Kiara. They are important to the plot because they are the main characters and they are the ones who change the climax of the book. They also show how to opposite people, bad and good, can be made for each other.
  The way the author writes the text is understandable and beautiful. It makes you want to read the book over and over again. The author uses alluring words such as: kiss, sex, etc. to make it romantic. The way she uses the epilogues is truly amazing. She goes back and forth on the characters, Carlos and Kiara, on what they are experiencing. Also, another structure I liked, is how she makes it so ironic and mysterious at the end of almost every chapter.
  “We kiss all the time." I clear my throat, then add, "We just...do it in private."
"A smug expression crosses his face. "I don't buy it for a second, 'cause if you were my girlfriend and a stud like me was livin' in your house, I'd kiss you in front of the guy every chance I got as a reminder." "A reminder of w-w-what?" (Elkeles, 142)
 This quote makes me feel like Kiara actually has a boyfriend, and that when she stutters, she sounds like she's lying about it. Also, I think this quote shows that Carlos might be a little jealous when he found out that they don't kiss in public. The way the author wrote it look so romantic. She makes it seem like it gives you a little tingling feeling. “Tonight was... well, it was perfect for me too. You've turned my world upside down. I've fallen in love with you, chica, and it scares the f*ckin' shit outta me. I've been shakin' all night, because I knew it.I've tried to deny it, to make you think I wanted you as a fake girlfriend, but that was a lie.” (Elkeles, 254) I feel like this event was really romantic. This event shows how Kiara has turned Carlos's life upside down. It also is important because this is basically a turning point of the story where they both express each other's love to each other. The author used words like "shakin" "chica" to make it a slang. The author also made it sweet and nice when Carlos was talking to Kiara. “He’s my brother, my blood. He annoys the hell out of me most of the time, but when it comes right down to it I want to see him graduate from college and have little annoying mini-Alexes and mini-Brittanys running around in the future” (Elekeles, 312) This quote is important because Alex is showing his feelings for his little brother Carlos. It shows that no matter how much annoying your sibling can be, you can never be mad at them and will always love them. This situation can also unite the people who have been separated in the book for several reasons. The author made it pretty emotional here. She made it emotional by showing how the older brother has feelings for Carlos no matter how Carlos is. 
  The first cause was that Carlos is forced to move to Colorado for his safety, and his brother, Alex, sends him to school to make him a good person. 
The effect was that there he meets a guy, Matt, who is part of a gang in the school, and plans to do harm to Carlos. Matt puts drugs in his book bag and the cops take Carlos to jail. The second cause was that the judge decided to send Carlos to REACH, a program to help "bad" students. Kiara's dad concluded that Carlos was going to live with them. The effect was that Carlos lives under the same roof as Kiara and slowly started falling for her actions, even though she wasn't his type. Finally the last cause was that Carlos is called to meet Devlin, a dangerous gang leader, and gets beaten up by Devlin's men. The effect was that Carlos is injured and starts showing feelings for her. He also shares secrets with her, which he doesn't do. Kiara also starts showing her feelings for him and they go to homecoming together.
  
"I loved Perfect Chemistry, there is something about it that is so very addictive, so when I heard that Elkeles was writing another novel about Alex's little brother, I knew I was in for a treat. Perfect Chemistry is still my favorite but Rules of Attraction was also fantastic! I'm a complete sap for the bad ass guy with the good heart. I don't know what it is but ay dios mio, I can't get enough! And Carlos definitely knew how to play the bad ass guy card. Both Carlos and Kiara are complex characters, Kiara might seem like the easier of the two to figure out, but she definitely has some hidden depths. Carlos seems like the bad guy on the outside, and he's made plenty of mistakes to get himself labeled as such, but his bad guy image isn't his problem. His problem is his pride. I loved getting to see that change throughout the novel....." (http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7137775-rules-of-attraction, Kristi (The Story Siren))  I totally agree with Kristi. I am currently reading Perfect Chemistry, and I still think that Rules of Attraction is better. I truly like how a bad guy turned into a good guy. I like it when that occurs in reality. I also agree to Kristi, because I love how as you kept on reading the book changes.  "I loved Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles, so when I heard about this sequel needless to say, I picked it up as soon as it hit the stands. I was not disappointed… NOT.ONE.BIT! Rules of Attraction is funny, romantic, edgy and unforgettable! I loved the dialog, pranks and slapstick funny scenes throughout the novel, but most of all, I loved the sincere moments between bad-boy Carlos and goodie two shoes Kiara. It’s a page turner that will leave you sad at the end, but only because you’ve finished the book so quickly...." (http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7137775-rules-of-attraction, Ariene)  I agree with Ariene because I love how a bad boy and a good girl go for each other at the end. Also how a bad guy can change himself when he meets the good girl. The book was really romantic and it is truly unforgettable."Rules of Attraction" was awesome. "Perfect Chemistry" had captured my heart and when I knew that Simone Elkeles was going to be writing "Rules of Attraction", I knew I had to read it. And after I read "Rules of Attraction", I was glad that it didn't disappoint me, in fact, it was seriously fantastic. Carlos Fuentes lived his first part of his life idolizing his brother, Alex Fuentes, who was once in Latino Blood. But when Alex decided to get out of the gang for a future with Brittany, Carlos felt..." (http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7137775-rules-of-attraction, Delphine) I agree with Delphine, this book has captured my heart. It's just an unforgettable adventure. 
  I would really recommend this book to everyone, because this book shows how your dream girl or dream boy can be in someone opposite of the kind of person you are into.  I can relate to Kiara in many ways. You should definitely read this book, that is if you are into Romance. I can relate to Kiara in many ways. She stutters when she's in front of a crowd and I start murmuring, sometimes, when I am in front of a crowd. Also, she takes her work seriously, which is what I also do. I would truly recommend this book to everyone. Never judge anyone in anyway, because you never know how that person can turn your world upside down.


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