Better Than Perfect

by Simone Elkeles

Overview

From the New York Times bestselling author of the Perfect Chemistry trilogy, Simone Elkeles, comes a romance that follows polar opposites Derek Fitzpatrick and Ashtyn Parker as their worlds collide

After getting kicked out of boarding school, bad boy Derek Fitzpatrick has no choice but to live with his ditzy stepmother while his military dad is deployed. Things quickly go from bad to worse when he finds out she plans to move them back to her childhood home in Illinois. Derek's counting the days before he can be on his own, and the last thing he needs is to get involved with someone else's family drama.

Ashtyn Parker knows one thing for certain--people you care about leave without a backward glance. So when her older sister comes home after abandoning her ten years earlier, with her hot new stepson in tow, Ashtyn wants nothing to do with either of them. Then she comes up with a plan that would finally give her the chance to leave, but it requires trusting Derek-someone she barely knows, someone born to break the rules. Is she willing to put her heart on the line to try and get the future she wants?

Don't miss any of these other books from New York Times bestselling author Simone Elkeles:

The Perfect Chemistry Trilogy
Perfect Chemistry
Rules of Attraction
Chain Reaction

Better Than Perfect

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781619637474
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Publishing
Publication date:	08/05/2014
Series:	Wild Cards Novel Series , #1
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	352
File size:	3 MB
Age Range:	14 Years

About the Author

Simone Elkeles is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Perfect Chemistry trilogy, all three of which have been YALSA-ALA Top Ten Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Readers, as well as Better Than Perfect. Simone was named Author of the Year by the Illinois Association of Teachers of English. Simone's funny way of looking at the world shines through in novels that are bursting with sarcastic wit, edgy characters, and exhilarating drama.

www.simoneelkeles.com
@SimoneElkeles
Simone Elkeles is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Perfect Chemistry series, Leaving Paradise series and How to Ruin series. She lives in Illinois with her family. www.simoneelkeles.net

Editorial Reviews

08/26/2013
Elkeles (the Perfect Chemistry books) is in familiar territory with this football-themed romance between Ashtyn Parker, captain of her high school’s team, and Derek Fitzpatrick, a bad boy with a heart of gold. When Derek’s stepmother Brandi, her young son, and Derek move into Ashtyn’s suburban Chicago home (Brandi is Ashtyn’s older sister), the two teenagers clash and sparks fly. There’s never any question that Ashtyn and Derek will end up together (her current quarterback boyfriend is a jerk), and their constant claims that they can’t stand each other get old and make them both come across as oblivious. The novel alternates between the two teens’ first-person narratives, but the already weak story is further let down by clichéd, hard-to-swallow dialogue and internal monologues (“Shit, this isn’t the way it’s supposed to go. I’m supposed to keep my emotions in check and only hook up with girls who want a good time”). Elkeles does little with Ashtyn’s supposed passion for football, and the romantic chemistry isn’t enough to rescue this uninspiring, by-the-numbers romance. Ages 14–up. Agent: Kristin Nelson, Nelson Literary Agency. (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly

Fans will be clamoring for this promising start to a new series.” —Booklist, on Better Than Perfect

“Elkeles' ability to write deliciously steamy love scenes...will keep her fans coming back for more.” —Kirkus Reviews, on Better Than Perfect

“Witty banter, unconventional characters, a heart-melting romance and a charming ending make Wild Cards a winner.” —Romantic Times, on Better Than Perfect

“Smoldering doesn't quite do justice to the romantic banter.” —School Library Journal, on Perfect Chemistry

“Teens with a taste for romance will eat this up like ice cream on a hot day.” —BCCB, on Perfect Chemistry

“Elkeles pens plenty of tasteful, hot scenes...that keep the pages turning.” —Kirkus Reviews, on Perfect Chemistry

“Elkeles once again delivers a steamy page-turner bound to make teens swoon.” —School Library Journal, on Rules of Attraction

“Engaging characters, two of whom share a love that cannot be denied, along with more than a few humorous moments.” —VOYA, on Rules of Attraction

“Fans of the series and other females will gobble up this exciting, suspenseful novel.” —VOYA, on Chain Reaction

“Elkeles has a talent of writing steamy but real romance like no other author in the YA genre.” —Pure Imagination blog, on Chain Reaction

From the Publisher

Romance Lite in a new series from the author of Perfect Chemistry (2009). When Derek gets kicked out of prep school in California for playing a prank, he has no choice but to move to suburban Chicago with his young stepmother, Brandi. There, he meets Brandi's sister, Ashtyn, who's just been voted captain of the football team, to the chagrin of the star quarterback, her boyfriend, Landon. Ashtyn takes an immediate dislike to Derek, although she's charmed by his Southern drawl. Derek, a former quarterback himself, is impressed by Ashtyn's unlikely combination of hot femininity and prowess on the gridiron. A thin plot, weak characterizations and poorly realized setting are beside the point in this fast-moving story. There's plenty of sexually charged tension between Derek and Ashtyn as they go from beach parties and breakups to road trips and football camp. Alternating first-person chapters reveal the personal struggles of each as they fight the inevitability of falling in love. Unfortunately, the feminism implicit in Ashtyn's being a football player is undermined by her apparently unironic conclusion that real power comes from squeezing into a cocktail dress and stilettos and imagining herself a princess. Still, Elkeles' ability to write deliciously steamy love scenes for those in the early stages of their own sexual journeys will keep her fans coming back for more. (Fiction. 14­ & up)

Kirkus Reviews