Synopsis: 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? (Goodreads.com)
If you own the first two in your library and they do well (as they seem to do at most libraries) I cannot stress enough that you need to purchase this book. I'm sure your customers are clamoring for it anyway. There is a lot your teen readers are going to find to like in this story.
Plenty of cameos from Alex and Brittany, Carlos and Kiara, and their mom. Now add in Luis, who is frankly a totally hottie (yes I just said that in a review but it's true) though very much a daredevil, and Nikki, who has been burned before, and the stage is set for a conflagration. It is no wonder these books are so popular with both guys and girls, and adult women. Luis is starting to get involved with the Latino Blood gang and this plays a significant role in the book. Guns, fighting, drugs, and danger are just as much a part of the pages as the romance itself.
The romance itself is definitely one of the hotter romances in YA land but it's not really any more sexual than what has been in the pages of her previous books. It's not romance novel sex but there is sex, make no mistake. These aren't books for middle grade readers.
Mostly I just had fun reading this book. Simone Elkeles writes in a way that I find to be so easy to read and that makes the pages fly by. Some of it is cliche or over the top but it's just plain fun too and that I think is what makes her books so popular with teens and so easy to market. Her characters are never fully fleshed out, at least not in this book, but they are alive and real on the pages too. However, we don't really dig past their main problems to truly see them become fully realized people.
All in all, Chain Reaction is a must-have for public libraries who are shelving the other two books in the series. Expect this book to fly off the shelves, to maybe get stolen a time or two, and to go "missing" all too easily. It's a book teens are going to connect with, even if the romance and the danger are amped up a notch that doesn't seem quite real life. It is exaggerated but it's also exaggerated well, if nothing else. I'm excited to see what Simone Elkeles has up her sleeves next and am kind of hoping for a new family of brothers to be introduced to.
Other reviews:
The Compulsive Reader reviews Chain Reaction
Girls in the Stacks review Chain Reaction
I Eat Words reviews Chain Reaction
Copy reviewed from my local public library.
