Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles is a spicy YA romance centered around two perspectives. So, the chapters alternate between Brittany and Alex. Brittany is a rich Caucasian girl, and Alex is a poor Latina boy. The girl lives on the wealthier side of town and is very privileged, whereas Alex lives on the poorer side of town.
There are lots of gangs and violence going on. So it’s like that star-crossed lovers’ basis for contemporary, but it’s much more than that. One day, they get partnered up in chemistry class to be lab partners, and the story takes off from there.
Books like Perfect Chemistry present stories from diverse backgrounds and experiences. They allow you to walk in the shoes of characters from different walks of life, fostering empathy and broadening understanding. The high stakes, passionate romances, and interpersonal dramas can be entertaining and immersive.
7 Books Like Perfect Chemistry (Young Adult Romance)
Perfect Chemistry is set in a town half an hour from Chicago called Fairfield. In this town, Brittany Ellis is a girl in her senior year of high school at Fairfield High whose life seems perfect on the outside. Meanwhile, she hides a few aspects to keep up the facade. One of them is her disabled loss, the so-called Shelley.
Our other main character is Alejandro Fuentes, a Mexican teen in his senior year of high school at Fairfield High. He’s part of a gang called the Latino Bloods, and he puts up a tough image on the inside. In this novel, Brittany and Alex develop a relationship bizarrely. This book deals with discrimination, gang violence, and love.
I am going to discuss seven romance books similar to Perfect Chemistry. These novels tackle love, identity, societal expectations, and personal growth. Reading such books can raise awareness and spark discussions about real-world challenges. Let’s go!
1. Easy
The story is about Jackie, and she’s a pretty average girl. Then, a guy called Lucas suddenly appears in her life. He saves her from a rape attempt from a guy from Jackie’s class. From then on, Lucas is everywhere, appearing in life. So Jackie is with a guy called Kennedy, and then they break up.
Jackie has not gone to a class for two weeks, so she’s lagging. She has been told that she has to have a private tutor, and they’ve been messaging each other like they’ve been sending her worksheets to do. So, throughout the story, who is this guy? He’s mysterious.
He’s suddenly appeared out of nowhere, yet we like him. We discover these secrets about Lucas, his family and background, and everything. Jackie tells the story well; she draws this into her emotions and everything, and she’s not too whiny. Everything is written in a way that keeps you interested. You want to know more about Lucas and everything. So there’s a lot of mystery and everything like Perfect Chemistry.
Author: Tammara Webber
Average Rating: 4.6/5
Category: Young Adult Contemporary Romance
Available: Audiobook | Paperback | Library Binding | Kindle | Audio CD
2. Pushing the Limits
This contemporary novel has two main characters from which the perspective switches between Echo and Noah. These two have quite a lot of personal issues. Echo can’t remember what happened on the night that was the catalyst for the breakdown of the life she once knew. She’s a bit of a loner and doesn’t have many friends. Then we have Noah, who is in foster care and trying to fight for custody. Eventually, their lives collide, and things happen to them.
All that happened in their lives and the growth of everything was excellent. So, our two main characters had a lot of depth to them. They were going through difficult times in their lives, and it wasn’t very tame. They both had some very deep-rooted issues, adding a lot of dynamics to their relationship.
They both have a lot to deal with and what’s happening in their lives throughout the story. Then, there is a lot to push through and move forward. So there was always something going on with their lives and romance going on as well. If you like Perfect Chemistry, you must give this book a chance.
Author: Katie McGarry
Average Rating: 4.6/5
Category: Fiction on Homelessness, Runaways & Poverty, Romance
Available: Audiobook | Paperback | Hardcover | Kindle
3. Fallen Too Far
The book is about a white-haired girl named Blaire. She has had the toughest life. Her twin sister died in a car accident when she was younger. After that, her father leaves their family after his other daughter dies. After that happens, her mom gets sick with cancer. So Blaire has been through so much that she had to drop out of college and get her GED to care for her mother. Her mother was slowly dying. There is no hope for her.
When we met Blair, her mother passed away, and she had to sell the house to take care of all her mom’s medical bills. Blaire has nowhere to go, so she ends up calling her dad. So her dad tells her she can drive over to his house. This is where she gets into Rosemary Beach. Rosemary Beach is full of rich people with rock stars and country clubs. She pulls up to this mansion, and there’s a party going on where she meets Rush. He is a rock star. His dad was in a Slacker Demon band, but he was rude to her when he saw her.
Blaire has to stay there for a month to get on her feet and get a job before she leaves this house. Everything starts falling apart because there’s this big secret that we don’t know about. The plot twist is that Blaire’s daddy is Nan’s daddy. Rush’s mom is married to Blaire’s dad, so they are step-siblings. After knowing their relationship, seeing how they deal with it is exciting. You get to see many plots and characters’ similarities with Perfect Chemistry.
Author: Abbi Glines
Average Rating: 4.5/5
Category: Adult Contemporary Romance
Available: Audiobook | Paperback | Kindle | Mp3 CD
4. The Coincidence of Callie & Kayden
Like Perfect Chemistry, this is a story of the two characters, Callie and Kayden. Each of them has a past and is quite different, but still extremely difficult. It’s pretty self-explanatory from the first couple of chapters. Callie’s quite an outcast, isolates herself from people, and she goes to the party to pick up her brother because he’s not answering his phone. While looking for him, she finds Kayden and his father in the backyard. Kayden’s father is beating him.
Then, fast forward to that fall, and they both coincidentally end up going to the same university, and they run into each other. Kayden always feels bad that he hasn’t said thank you to her, and he uses this as his chance.
Just saying thank you doesn’t seem like enough because she didn’t save him from his dad hitting him a couple of times like he’s never seen his father so angry. She saved him for much more than getting punched around a little. So their friendship grows, and we get little hints of what happened with Callie’s past that made her want to isolate herself. But they’re damaged together, and they help one another.
Author: Jessica Sorensen
Average Rating: 4.4/5
Category: Literary Fictional Romance
Available: Audiobook | Paperback | Kindle
5. Hopeless
This one is technically young adult fiction but has new adult elements. It is about our main character, Sky, who has been homeschooled most of her life. But for her senior year, she wants to attend the same school as her best friend. She wants to go into the normal world and experience it before college. So, right before school starts, she runs into this guy, Dean Holder, and he takes an interest in her.
There are a lot of twists and turns here and many things that would ruin the story, similar to Perfect Chemistry. Sky has a good relationship with her best friend. They talk about more than boys. Even though her best friend was long-distance for most of the story, they had a very loving relationship. Regarding our male love interest, Dean wasn’t a huge fan of him initially. Some things make him seem a little over the place and a little mood-swinging, which are explained later.
Author: Colleen Hoover
Average Rating: 4.6/5
Category: Young Adult Contemporary Romance
Available: Audiobook | Paperback | Library Binding | Kindle | Audio CD
6. Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins
Set in the romantic city of Paris, this novel offers a lighter, more whimsical approach to young love, but it’s equally fascinating. Anna Oliphant is sent to an American boarding school in Paris, where she meets Étienne St. Clair, a charming boy with a complicated relationship status.
Perkins does a stellar job of capturing the butterflies of first love, the complexities of friendship, and the allure of Paris. The narrative is heartfelt, and the development of Anna’s character from a homesick teen to an independent individual is gratifying to witness.
7. The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
While romance is a component of this novel, it’s primarily a poignant look at race relations in modern America. Like “Perfect Chemistry,” this book focuses on the world of young love against the odds. Starr Carter witnesses her childhood best friend, Khalil, get shot by a police officer.
The incident sparks a series of events, putting Starr at the center of a movement demanding justice for Khalil. Her relationship with her white boyfriend, Chris, is put to the test as they navigate the challenges of their cultural differences in the wake of the shooting.
Thomas crafts a timely and timeless narrative addressing racial prejudice, police violence, and the power of voice. The romantic subplot adds depth, showing how love can be both a comfort and a challenge in difficult times.
These novels can be a rich experience that combines entertainment with opportunities for personal growth and understanding. Whether looking for a captivating story or a chance to see the world from a different perspective, such novels have much to offer.
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