Did I say I wasn’t blogging this summer? Never mind that. : )
This isn’t a real review. It’s more like a shout-out. Azteclady from Karen Knows Best was complaining about the lack of authentic (or even correct) Spanish in romance novels. I haven’t noticed a lot of actual mistakes, but I have read some Spanish-peppered dialogue that didn’t ring true. So I’m always delighted to find an author who gets it right!
And isn’t that a beautiful cover?
The first line of Spanish dialogue in this book, “No estes chingando,” made me smile. My husband taught me this familiar phrase (which means something like “Quit fucking around!”) when we were younger. I probably wanted to learn all of the bad words.
Anyway, I thought Perfect Chemistry was an engaging YA romance with realistic teen characters. For more info, check out Simone Elkeles web site. The trailer is super cute.
Ack! I wish I could remember the author but I remember reading this blog entry from this woman who wrote a book littered with (very specific, regional) phrases from a country in South America. She did soooo much research and apparently the final copy editor or someone didn’t like the realistic phrases and changed everything to a more standard, I guess formal form of Spanish (I can’t remember the whole story) without telling her. It completely ruined the main character’s realism and she ended up getting a lot of angry letters. 
And I agree, that’s a pet peeve of mine too 
Glad to see you blogging again!
Jill, thanks for the shout-out! I really appreciate it!
~Simone
Katie,
I think I heard Barb Ferrer (Adios to My Old Life) say that happened to her. They changed all her street slang to standard Spanish. I’ve been able to approve copy edits with Bantam but I don’t think I could with Harlequin/Silhouette. Can’t remember. Anyway, that sucks!
Hi Simone. You’re very welcome. : )
Do you know by any chance who the Mexican one the cover of the magazines real name is? It has been driving me insane! I have searched for him for hours on end. Please help if you know! Thank you!
&& I love the Spanish dialogue too! It’s my favorite parts! I basically studied all of them words and I know what most of them mean. It’s easier to yell at people now and NOT get in trouble. 
Hi kaytee gee,
Here is Simone’s response to that question at a discussion forum. She doesn’t know, either.
http://www.simoneelkeles.net/forum/index.php?s=0332e6b7eed7bc499593faaccfb70e42&showtopic=48
Hot, isn’t he? : )
I absolutwly love this book! Thanks so much for writing it. I am loving the urban and spanish twist. I love the sapinsh in it, that is what really made me get attached. I read it 7 times from front to back, in 7 Days! So I guess you could say I am addicted. Showed it to mi prima( my cousin) she LOVED it to! Thanks again for this book and for picking the front cover picture of him he is a mexican god. This book and Alejos charecter is alot like mi vida. So I really can connect!
by Alejandra
on November 12th, 2009 at 11:11 am
I love diz book its actually the first book that I’ve finished that’s how much i love it….I finished reading the book in like a week because it was so interesting that i couldn’t stop reading it… i even made my fiends read it and they also loved it we couldn’t stop talking about it…
i hope dat da next book is the same or more interesting as diz one…
Simone Elkeles ur the best writer ever…
by itzel
on May 15th, 2010 at 9:40 pm
