I finally decided to write a review on Chain Reaction by Simone Elkeles since I was able to finish it last night. To be honest, this might be my least favorite in the series but it's still better than other contemporaries so far.
To start with the, the reason why this became my least favorite is probably due to the fact that Nikki Cruz is the most frustrating character I've ever read. I really wanted to pity or like her because of everything that happened to her in the past which led her to become the way she is but I just can't. Honestly, she was such a bitter character which turned her into the most cynical, pessimistic and definitely frustrating character I've read. I wanted to strangle her because of it. I really wanted to skip her chapters to be honest. Plus, the fact that she likes to stick her nose into her best friend's relationship is kinda' annoying really. She can't even give her best friend's boyfriend a chance because of her stupid beliefs even if she can't exactly prove her theories or whatever. I also think she's a racist and a hypocrite since I feel like every time she says "I'm American." is just a form of denial of her roots. Girl! You're Latina whether you want to admit it or not so yeah, whatever. Honestly, I think the only redeeming thing that she did happened towards the end and that's about it. I seriously wanted Luis to give up on her since she was just sooooooo frustrating. I wanted to pull her hair out or something.
We also have another Fuentes in the house and his name is Luis. The youngest brother is all grown up. I really liked him since he is a bit different from his brothers. He just had this triggering event that made him the way he is and got him into trouble. Anyway, I love the fact that he's just so cool and suave and the fact that he knows that he could get any girl that he wants is simply hilarious. I loved reading his chapters and is probably the only reason why I decided to finish the book in the first place. I really wanted to skip Nikki's chapters. Unfortunately, the novel wouldn't be complete without her POV and it would screw up everything. I love his interactions with everyone and his family values. His closeness to his brothers is something to envy as well.
For me, this is my least favorite among the 3 novels. The first and second books are definitely the best. I now think the Mexican family values are something to envy. They'd do anything in their power to protect their loved ones even if it means doing things you don't want to do from time to time. I honestly think that sometimes this isn't such a bad thing, you know? I love that Alex, Brittany, Carlos, Kiara and some more familiar faces were present in this third book. I think the conclusion of their stories is wonderful though. They all deserve to have their own happy endings after everything they've been through. Again, the development of the relationship between Luis and Nikki was written beautifully. It did border on insta-love though but other than that I think it was well-developed. I still don't like Nikki though.
Rating: 3.75/5 stars
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