I finished PERFECT CHEMISTRY a while back…(This book was my elliptical read, and I have to say, it made me want to exercise beyond my usual thirty-minute routine…)
But this isn’t a should-you-read-it kind of review. I mean, Simone Elkeles isn’t a name we’re unfamiliar with. This is more like a, “Why is she good?” kind of a review. A, “Why did this book win a Rita?” kind of blog post.
Basically, I think Elkeles is a great YA writer for the same reason so many teens butt heads with authority figures.
Really. One of my own biggest pet peeves as a teen was that I was expected to perform intellectually on an adult level but was often treated as a child by adult superiors when we interacted on a one-to-one basis.
Simone, though? She doesn’t write teen romances. She writes romances that just happen to be about teenage characters. The emotionally charged love scenes between Brittany and Alex really could have taken place between a couple of twenty-somethings. Elkeles respects her teenage characters enough to treat them as adults—not just intellectually, but emotionally as well. Her characters have the same kind of sexual tension (loved the scene in the library, and the depiction of Brittany putting Alex’s hand on her face) you’d find in any adult romance. And in my opinion, that’s what makes Elkeles a great YA writer…
But this isn’t a should-you-read-it kind of review. I mean, Simone Elkeles isn’t a name we’re unfamiliar with. This is more like a, “Why is she good?” kind of a review. A, “Why did this book win a Rita?” kind of blog post.
Basically, I think Elkeles is a great YA writer for the same reason so many teens butt heads with authority figures.
Really. One of my own biggest pet peeves as a teen was that I was expected to perform intellectually on an adult level but was often treated as a child by adult superiors when we interacted on a one-to-one basis.
Simone, though? She doesn’t write teen romances. She writes romances that just happen to be about teenage characters. The emotionally charged love scenes between Brittany and Alex really could have taken place between a couple of twenty-somethings. Elkeles respects her teenage characters enough to treat them as adults—not just intellectually, but emotionally as well. Her characters have the same kind of sexual tension (loved the scene in the library, and the depiction of Brittany putting Alex’s hand on her face) you’d find in any adult romance. And in my opinion, that’s what makes Elkeles a great YA writer…
Fab Post!
ReplyDeleteYou are very right. I love Simone's books for her ability to keep it real.
I, too, remember what it was like to be forced to act as an adult but be treated as I was still a child. My parents actually did pretty well at keeping it real with me but others not so much. And, at no time was my high school boyfriend merely a guy who stood ten feet away from me- at one point we actually talked about our futures and had those sexually charged emotions Simone isn't afraid to tackle. I love that she doesn't brush those emotions and actions under the rug- she keeps it real.
Thanks for a great post
So true! I think it's important when an author respects their characters and never talks down to the reader-and Simone does that. And the romance isn't a teen romance-you're right-it could appear in any romance book, it just happens to feature teens.
ReplyDeleteSimone is fantastic. She breaks every single 'rule' about YA literature and owns it. She's amazing and her characters are always so complete and unique.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you guys love Simone, too! Right now, my current elliptical read is WINTERGIRLS (I'd been seeking out new authors, and hadn't immediately read WINTERGIRLS, because I was already familiar with Anderson's voice...Man, can that girl write. L.H.A. sooooo deserves all her success....
ReplyDelete