Review ♫ Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist ♪

Title:  Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist
Author:  Rachel Cohn & David Levithan
Publisher:  Knopf Books for Young Readers
Publication Date:  May 2006
Source:  Purchased, Own
Format:  Hardcover
Rating:  4 stars

~ Goodreads Synopsis ~

It all starts when Nick asks Norah to be his girlfriend for five minutes. He only needs five minutes to avoid his ex-girlfriend, who’s just walked in to his band’s show. With a new guy. And then, with one kiss, Nick and Norah are off on an adventure set against the backdrop of New York City—and smack in the middle of all the joy, anxiety, confusion, and excitement of a first date.

This he said/she said romance told by YA stars Rachel Cohn and David Levithan is a sexy, funny roller coaster of a story about one date over one very long night, with two teenagers, both recovering from broken hearts, who are just trying to figure out who they want to be—and where the next great band is playing.

Told in alternating chapters, teeming with music references, humor, angst, and endearing side characters, this is a love story you’ll wish were your very own. Working together for the first time, Rachel Cohn and David Levithan have combined forces to create a book that is sure to grab readers of all ages and never let them go.

 

It's a damn darn good thing this is a great story. If it weren't for that, the language would have driven me away. I'm not against cursing by any means. In fact, I tend to use it more often than I should. So my theory with a book is this: If the profanity is enough to distract me, then it's probably a bit gratuitous. I would expect some, given the setting and all the punk rock references, but I did feel some of it was more for shock value than adding to the story.

Although it was a good story. At first it floundered a bit for me, as I tried to grasp onto the characters and get to know them a bit. They sort of just jumped into it. But I think the first person perspective works really well in this case. I was able to dive into their minds a bit, which helped develop them as people for me. I loved the fear of relationships; hell, even as adults we get that. But especially as teenagers, who isn't afraid of letting yourself go and let someone get to know you. The real you. Not the one you present everywhere.

It's funny. Really funny at times. It's insightful and thought provoking. The characters felt real to me, and I loved that. It's not about what is going on so much as it is about their growth. And sure, it may not take place over a year, or even a month; it's a one-night story. But it's a night of change, epiphanies, finding yourself, letting go, and having fun. 

Quotes I Loved

"I've given him more mixed signals than a dyslexic Morse code operator."

♪ Norah ♪

"If I'm a horrid bitch from the planet Schizophrenia, it's because boys make me that way."

♪ Norah ♪

"Are you serious?"
♪ Norah ♪
"Not as a rule, but in this case yes."
♪ Nick ♪

"'I Wanna Hold Your Hand.' First single. Fucking brilliant. Perhaps the most fucking brilliant song ever written. Because they nailed it. That's what everyone wants. Not 24-7 hot wet sex. Not a marriage that lasts a hundred years. Not a Porsche or a blow job or a million-dollar crib. No. They want to hold your hand. They have such a feeling that they can't hide."

♪ Dev ♪

"It was about the feeling, you know? She caused it in me, but it wasn't about her. It was about my reaction, what I wanted to feel and then convinced myself that I felt, because I wanted it that bad. That illusion. It was love because I created it as love."
♪ Nick ♪

"[Tikkun Olam] Basically, it says that the world has been broken into pieces. All this chaos, all this discord. And our job - everyone's job - is to try to put thie pieces back to gether. To make things whole again."
♪ Norah ♪

"With what you were talking about before. The world being broken. Maybe it isn't that we're supposed to find the pieces and put them back together. Maybe we're the pieces. ... Maybe, what we're supposed to do is come together. That's how we stop breaking."
♪ Nick ♪

"If I don't shut down my brain soon, my imagination will take off so far about what could be with this guy, that nothing will ever be able to just be."

♪ Norah ♪

  In the end, I did give it a higher rating than I might have due to the fact that I really enjoyed the story itself. Could some of the language been removed/replaced? Sure. Did I get past it? Yeah. Would I recommend this to a younger teen? Probably not, unless I knew them or their parents quite well. 

I haven't seen the movie, which is strange since I remember wanting to watch it but then I found out it was a book. Now that I've read the book I'll watch the movie. And given that I know Kat Dennings plays Norah, I really think Rachel Cohn wrote that part with her mind. ;) 

Have you read it? What did you think? If not, do you think you'll read it?

Smiles,
B