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Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist

by Rachel Cohn, David Levithan (Goodreads Author)

3.76 · rating details · 15,092 ratings · 1,775 reviews

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 fir...more

Hardcover, 183 pages

Published May 23rd 2006 by Knopf Books for Young Readers

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Jun 19, 2011

Joel rated it

· review of another edition

Recommends it for: me, age 14

Recommended to Joel by: the movie

Shelves: 2010, 52-in-2010, seen-on-film, ya, vote-getters, 30-day-book-challenge

A few years ago I posted a far-too-personal blog on MySpace (ok, so maybe it was more than a few years ago) offering a retrospective analysis of select mortifying excepts from my circa-age 14 journal (note: not a diary). It's the only year I kept one, and thank god, because while it's perhaps worthwhile to have a snapshot of what I was thinking and feeling at that particular, tumultuous time in my life, what I was thinking and feeling was stupid and the way I went about putting it into words was...moreA few years ago I posted a far-too-personal blog on MySpace (ok, so maybe it was more than a few years ago) offering a retrospective analysis of select mortifying excepts from my circa-age 14 journal (note: not a diary). It's the only year I kept one, and thank god, because while it's perhaps worthwhile to have a snapshot of what I was thinking and feeling at that particular, tumultuous time in my life, what I was thinking and feeling was stupid and the way I went about putting it into words was even worse and no one should ever have to revisit their emotional idiocy in such stark and concrete fashion. Ever. As a rule, teenagers are not good at analyzing the world, or their feelings, or their feelings about the world. Because they are idiots.

Take, for example, the lead characters of Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist: they are idiots. This account of their madcap adventures, both sonic and sexual, across a very busy night in Manhattan during their senior year of high school is a lot of fun to read, but it's also excruciating, because it is written so accurately in the alternating dear-diary voices of a teenage boy and a teenage girl, respectively, and wow, you probably don't really want to be quite so inside a 17-year-old's mind, even one as seemingly jaded and witty as Norah, the cynical rich daughter of a recording industry exec who meets cute with tragically sensitive emo punk & damaged romantic Nick. Because all of her oh-so-learned insights about the world, which probably would have seemed really wise-beyond-her-years if she was real and I knew her when I was 17 myself and totally in love with her even though I would never actually say anything to her about my feelings? Self-centered, self-indulgent claptrap.

And don't get me started on Nick: his chapters are even worse. Whether he's moping about his big breakup or waxing poetic about his new attraction to Norah, he sounds like nothing so much as if he is stringing together crappy lyrics from bad emo songs ("I open my mouth and she opens my mouth and it's like she's breathing right through me. And her body is wet and it's right against mine and I want, I want, I want."). There's this section where he goes on and on about how beautiful and wonderful it is to just stand out in the rain, to really be in the rain, you know? And this part is just so painful for me to read because my very own ~~diary~~ journal has a long section about how I was feeling confused and conflicted about this girl so I just went out at night and went rollerblading in the rain and it was just so quiet and true and man do I want to punch 14-year-old me in the face (though it did subsequently spark the creation of my own bad emo song parody, Rollerblading in the Rain, which goes like this: "Needing you/ wishing you/ hoping you/ wanting you/ is like rollerblading in the rain/ you might slip and fall but you'll/ pick yourself up again").

So what exactly does it mean that N&NIP is written so accurately in the voices of its characters that it is regularly frustratingly twee and trite, because hey, what are the musings of teenagers if not twee and trite? It's like the Showgirls conundrum: is that a really really bad movie about a stripper, or is it a really really smart, intentionally bad genre parody? Either way, both entertainments are actually entertaining, even if I remain unconvinced of their genius, so I guess that's something.

A side note about Nick & Norah: The Movie - I like it. I think it benefits from a more focused structure and a wider cast of characters to take the pressure off the occasionally insufferable leads. Plus it has a great soundtrack. On the other hand, the book doesn't have Michael Cera's terrifying face. Who expected he would grow up to so closely resemble The Penguin?

Facebook 30 Day Book Challenge Day 13: Book whose main character is most like you. (Most like me as a teenager anyway.)(less)

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May 10, 2008

Jennifer Wardrip rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: trt-posted-reviews, jens-personal-read

Reviewed by Me for TeensReadToo.com

Before I start the story that is Nick and Norah, I decided we needed to get some misconceptions out of the way first.

1) I don't live in Manhattan, so I won't understand what the characters are talking about. Wrong! I don't live in Manhattan--actually, I've never been farther East than Ohio, but I still got the gist of the story quite easily. Sure, I might never have visited Times Square, but I've been on the Square in my hometown (popul...moreReviewed by Me for TeensReadToo.com

Before I start the story that is Nick and Norah, I decided we needed to get some misconceptions out of the way first.

1) I don't live in Manhattan, so I won't understand what the characters are talking about. Wrong! I don't live in Manhattan--actually, I've never been farther East than Ohio, but I still got the gist of the story quite easily. Sure, I might never have visited Times Square, but I've been on the Square in my hometown (population 3,400), and the same types of things went on there that go on in New York.

2) This book is full of cursing. Right! And if you haven't heard a lot of curse words (do I really need to spell them out?), especially from the mouths of teens, in the last twenty years or so, I'm guessing you live on a commune somewhere in the middle of Utah.

3) This book only covers one night. Right again! And oh, what a night it is! One night, filled with all the ups, downs, and sideways that being a teen in todays world brings.

Now that we've got that out of the way, we can concentrate on the story. It's about Nick, a bassist for a band with an ever-changing name, who recently had his heart broken by a b***h named Tris. It's about Norah, an uber-complicated girl with more issues than The National Enquirer, who not too long ago had her virginity broken by Tal. And then there's Caroline, and Jessie, and Uncle Lou, not to mention Dev and Thom, and Randy from Are You Randy?, and Hunter from Hunter. There's beer, and there's drugs, and there's sex, although none of it is Nick or Norah's.

There's heartbreak, and devastation, and lust, and forgiveness, and acceptance. There's parents to deal with, and friends to attempt to deal with, and a boy and a girl who wish that, just once, they could be themselves and not deal at all. There's a love story, and a song about a girl on a street in the middle of the night, and a band that just might make it big, and a car that won't start, and a subway ride that requires jumping the turnstyle.

There's love, and anger, and disappointment, and desperation, and redemption. There's life, and then there's Nick and Norah. There's a story here, and you need to read it. (less)

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May 13, 2009

Keith rated it

My wife loved this book and dragged me to the movie shortly after it came out. I thought the movie was cute---a better than average teen romance set in my old stomping grounds of New York City's Greenwich Village and Soho. On leaving the theater, I soon heard from my wife how much better the book was, and how disappointing the movie was. I guess it's all a question of what you're expecting going in...

I started reading the book as soon as we got home.

It opens with a great...moreMy wife loved this book and dragged me to the movie shortly after it came out. I thought the movie was cute---a better than average teen romance set in my old stomping grounds of New York City's Greenwich Village and Soho. On leaving the theater, I soon heard from my wife how much better the book was, and how disappointing the movie was. I guess it's all a question of what you're expecting going in...

I started reading the book as soon as we got home.

It opens with a great hook. Nick sees his ex-girlfriend at a club and doesn't want to face her. So he turns to the girl next to him, Norah, and asks her to be his girlfriend for five minutes. Surprisingly, she responds by kissing him. Over the course of an all-night adventure in New York, they get to know each other better while each wrestles with their own doubts and insecurities and tries to figure out what to think of the other.

I loved it! And my wife was right about the movie.

The lead characters were likable and realistic. Their concerns and doubts, their hopes and fears, the roller coaster of she loves me, she loves me not, all resonated with the distant memories of my teen years. The fact that the story is set in a realistic New York City was a bonus. The story wasn't always predicable (despite having seen the movie!) and included a nicely humorous touch to keep things from getting too serious (or too overwhelmed with teen angst).

In reading through other reviews, here and on other sites, I'm surprised by the number of people who find the casual cursing and implied sexuality objectionable. I don't know quite how to respond. It's realistic fiction. And these things are part of reality, especially for teenagers on the cusp of adulthood. Obviously younger kids are probably not ready for, and wouldn't understand, some aspects of the real world. But I think this book would be fine for most high school kids. I doubt they will find much here (except perhaps the night life of New York) that they haven't heard about, thought about, and talked about with their peers. In fact, the biggest surprise for a high school reader may be the authors' empathy for the doubts and fears and ups and downs of teen life.(less)

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Aug 13, 2008

Snorkle rated it

Shelves: loathe, young-adult, did-not-finish, read-2008

Nick sees his old girlfriend coming towards him with a new guy and he can't let her see him like this, so he asks the girl next to him to be his girlfriend for just five minutes.

This book was trash - complete and total trash, with the F-word making an appearance at least every other page and other profanities littered across the story I found it highly offensive and vulgar. I didn't have to read much to realize what kind of book this would become, and needless to say, I did not finis...moreNick sees his old girlfriend coming towards him with a new guy and he can't let her see him like this, so he asks the girl next to him to be his girlfriend for just five minutes.

This book was trash - complete and total trash, with the F-word making an appearance at least every other page and other profanities littered across the story I found it highly offensive and vulgar. I didn't have to read much to realize what kind of book this would become, and needless to say, I did not finish this book. I cannot respect authors who degrade the name of literature by peppering their novels with filth and immorality. I was not impressed with the writing style, nor the characters and felt that having each chapter switching characters was tedious and annoying because they always backtracked. Now you are probably wondering why I even picked up this book in the first place, good question! I had seen it several places and it's name and cover art had been logged in my mind and I decided to put it on hold. The story line is totally unrealistic, and has these two unhappy people who become boy-friend and girl-friend for five minutes to both avoid people and find that they might just have found someone who Really understand them...yeah, right. I was disgusted with their methods of kissing random strangers so they could keep their "pride" in front of people who weren't even worth caring about. I find it really annoying how the people in the book can take one look at someone else and know their character and personality traits, all with just one discerning glance, you expect me to believe that the girl can look at the boy and know exactly what he is like and what he needs? Puh-lease. With novels like this gracing our bookstore shelves it's no wonder teenagers act the way they do. When they read books like this with no morals and a "feels good so do it" attitude how can you expect them to make good choices?

*Taken from my book reviews blog: http://reviewsatmse.blogspot.com/2008/05...(less)

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Jan 09, 2010

Minli rated it

Shelves: contemporary, young-adult

This book is FUCKING EPIC. So there.

I think all YA lit is exaggerated in a sense, not in a bad way, but in an interesting way--who wants to read about just the ordinary? Of course, I could just be saying this because it was done well here. I bet you anything the next YA book I read, I'll be griping about it being 'too unrealistic.'

What's the difference then? Writing. Levithan and Cohn's writing is sooo gorgeous in that 'witty but not so witty you're annoying and pretent...more

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Oct 11, 2011

Nora rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: favorites

Pane bože! Pane bože! Tyhle slova normálně při psaní nepoužívám (abych byla upřímná, bohužel i já takhle mluvím... ale psát takhle, to je něco úplně jiného), ale tohle... tohle mám tendenci pořád psát! Tahle knížka... no ty brďo! Nikdy jsem si nemyslela, že se toho tolik může udát za jedinou noc a nevyznít to... co já vím... divně... ale... ty jo!

Tahle kniha vypráví o jedné noci dvou lidí. Dvou lidí, kteří za sebou mají svůj vlastní příběh, osud, pocity, zklamání, lásky, nevyřešené úč...more

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Nov 11, 2007

Emma rated it

Novels written by two authors can go one of two ways: they can be really cool, or really bad. Happily, writers of young adult novels seem to have a knack for working in collaboration. "Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist" (from 2006) was written by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan. Cohn wrote Norah's part and Levithan wrote Nick's part, but they are not really Nick and Norah.

The story starts in the middle of the night (or is it the beginning of the morning?) at a club on Ludlo...moreNovels written by two authors can go one of two ways: they can be really cool, or really bad. Happily, writers of young adult novels seem to have a knack for working in collaboration. "Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist" (from 2006) was written by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan. Cohn wrote Norah's part and Levithan wrote Nick's part, but they are not really Nick and Norah.

The story starts in the middle of the night (or is it the beginning of the morning?) at a club on Ludlow Street in New York City. Nick is "the nonqueer bassist in a queercore band who is filling the room with undertone" as his band tears through their set. His life is seeming pretty great when Tris, The Ex, walks into the club. That's where Norah comes in.

Norah is "the daughter of an Englewood Cliffs-livin', fat-cat record company CEO" who happens to be in the right place at the exact time that Nick really needs a five-minute girlfriend. That also happens to be right when Norah needs to get a ride for her friend.

So it all kind of works out. It also sets the stage for the novel: a first date that makes it through the club scene in New York, a date where everything goes wrong (or maybe it goes right), a date that goes on and on--in a good way, mostly.

In other words, "Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist" is a fast story. Events jump around and the prose moves just as quickly. Cohn and Levithan keep up this speed with their narratives (Nick and Norah get alternating chapters) which have the verve appropriate to a hip, teen novel.

Because this book really is firmly grounded in the Young Adult genre. Older readers who have an interest in music (or the upcoming movie) might be interested but the novel is very centered on teen concerns and interests. None of which is a bad thing since this is a YA novel.

The narrative here is really tight. Cohn and Levithan do a great job keeping the story coherent as they alternate chapters without getting redundant. I really like the style here. The duel narratives overlap enough that readers get to see key events from Nick and Norah's point of view. This technique helps to give a fuller version of the story as well as humorously showing how differently two people can see the exact same thing.

My only qualm with the novel is the language. There is a lot of cursing. That doesn't bother me ideologically, but it does start to seem over the top. About two thirds into the novel I started to wonder if anyone could really curse that much in day-to-day conversation (Norah is a self-proclaimed "potty mouth" to be fair), but maybe I just hung out with a different kind of set when I was younger.

"Nick and Norah's Playlist" is a crazy ride of a novel. It has music, borscht, romance, and some great dialogue. Readers familiar with Levithan's other novels ("Boy Meets Boy" to name one) will recognize his frank writing style here. I haven't read any of Cohn's other novels ("Gingerbread" to name one) but she's definitely on my watch list now. (less)

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Mar 02, 2008

Morgan rated it

Recommends it for: Everyone

Recommended to Morgan by: Dawn Foster

Shelves: favorites

I noticed this book in our house--my mom was reading it, and the cover both intrigued me and repelled me. However, after my mom's recommendation, I read this book--and loved it. It is one of the most dead-on accurate books I've ever read about young emotions and feelings. The initial plot is slightly contrived: a heartbroken teenager sees his ex with her new guy and asks a girl to pretend she's his girlfriend. However, the story is told by both Nick and Norah's point of view, so the reader i...more

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Jan 02, 2008

Jennie rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: yaliterature

Plot: When Nick and Norah meet in a NYC rock club, they have no idea that they are about to embark upon a romantic relationship. Nick just wants a girlfriend for five minutes in order to make his ex jealous, but there's something about Norah that leaves him wanting more after she kisses him in response to his asking for a five minute girlfriend. The two end up spending the night together in NYC and begin to fall for each other.

Evaluation: I have to say that just like Doing It and For...morePlot: When Nick and Norah meet in a NYC rock club, they have no idea that they are about to embark upon a romantic relationship. Nick just wants a girlfriend for five minutes in order to make his ex jealous, but there's something about Norah that leaves him wanting more after she kisses him in response to his asking for a five minute girlfriend. The two end up spending the night together in NYC and begin to fall for each other.

Evaluation: I have to say that just like Doing It and Forever, sex is talked about just as openly in this novel. When Nick and Norah are getting intimate in the ICE room of the Marriott, the novel goes into great detail as to what the couple is doing in there. Norah says, “My heart is pounding pounding pounding and my mouth wants to go there but my head turns upward first, wanting to make eye contact with Nick, but in the fluorescent light I see his eyes are closed, so I speak instead, and I say, ‘Tell me. Guide me.’ Because I want it to be both our instincts making this happen” (Cohn & Levithan, 164). Norah is describing the fact that she wants to perform oral sex on Nick and it’s a rather frank description, but the reader also sees the emotional excitement that Norah is experiencing. Just like Katherine in Forever, Norah is taking pleasure in what she is doing and is not being forced into it. There is this recognition that sex is enjoyable and that it isn’t some sort of forbidden act. When Norah and Nick choose to wait in order to sexually consummate their relationship, it’s because they want to take it slow and get to know each other. They want to take pleasure in falling in love and to relish the sweetness of what might be in store for them in the future. To quote Norah, “What’s the big fucking rush?” (Cohn & Levithan, 166). It’s implied that the characters will continue their romantic relationship even after the novel’s conclusion.

It is the flirtatious relationship between Nick and Norah that is most enjoyable in this novel. Nick is a songwriter, so he is very good with his words and Norah is very witty. The two spend the evening taking delight in flirting verbally and getting to know each other in an emotionally intimate sense. Another aspect of the novel that is appealing is that both characters are very sensitive and afraid of jumping into a relationship, but they just can't seem to help themselves since they are so attracted to each other. Nick has been dumped by Tris and Norah has been dumped by Tal. Both characters are wounded and afraid of being hurt again, but I think that this makes them even more perfect for each other because they know what it's like to be hurt, so they are willing to take it slow and enjoy their romance. They treat each other's feelings rather delicately and most readers will take delight in the slow pacing of the novel and how the characters are sensitive towards each other. I have to say that I thought that Nick and Norah were an extremely romantic couple, which was quite refreshing after reading Burgess's Doing It.
(less)

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Jun 25, 2008

SheWunders rated it

Shelves: ya-childrens_lit, 2008-06

Ok, I don’t think I’ve ever read the word f*&k so many times (sheesh), but I like this book for its innovative and true representation of the current teenage mind. I’m sure not all teenagers are like Nick and Norah (I know I wasn’t), but many are the dialog in this books is insightful. It’s written in alternating chapters from Nick & Norah’s POV. It’s great to see what’s going on in their head simultaneously. Whoa to the person who could put up with it in everyday life. Anyway, Nick and Nor...more

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Mar 16, 2008

Nicola rated it

Shelves: fiction, teen

On the emo (punk? oh whatever, EMO) music scene in New York City, Nick and Norah meet and fall in love over a single, remarkable night. Unfortunately, what had the potential to be a great book fails in its execution.

The trouble with a co-written book (Cohn and Levithan wrote alternating chapters, sending the manuscript back and forth) is that half the writing I liked a lot (Cohn's) and half the writing I damn near hated (Levithan's). I like wordplay. I do not, however, like it nearly...moreOn the emo (punk? oh whatever, EMO) music scene in New York City, Nick and Norah meet and fall in love over a single, remarkable night. Unfortunately, what had the potential to be a great book fails in its execution.

The trouble with a co-written book (Cohn and Levithan wrote alternating chapters, sending the manuscript back and forth) is that half the writing I liked a lot (Cohn's) and half the writing I damn near hated (Levithan's). I like wordplay. I do not, however, like it nearly as much as Levithan. After about ten pages of his incessant wordplay, I wanted to stab myself in the face. Also, for such a slender novel (even for a teen novel), there was a hell of a lot of ramble. I suspect this is a result of the unplanned, back-and-forth way the novel was written. (There's also a bit near the end where the fourth wall is all but demolished: Levithan screws up the continuity on who exactly Dev's boytoy is; Cohn uses Norah as a mouthpiece to ream him about it during the next chapter.) Perhaps inevitably, after the first few chapters, the story descends into "and then this happened, and then this, and then, and then, and then". I like novels to have a tight story arc. This novel was a sprawling mess.

Billed as a love story, it's really not. There's about 30% falling-in-love stuff. The rest is angst about ex-boyfriends and -girlfriends. Realistic? Sure. Fun to read? No. There are chapters and chapters where Nick and Norah do nothing except obsess over their exes. It would be more forgivable if what love stuff there was didn't veer into rather cloying, romance novel territory.

The thing to love about this novel is how well the authors inhabit a generation. So much of it rings true. The authors evoke the current youth culture impressively well. (I sound so old. "Young culture". Whatever. It's not my generation. And for the record, an eighteen-year-old would not mourn the cancellation of MSCL. She would have been SEVEN when it was airing. Jeez.) These are the kids I recognize from shows and I'm pretty thrilled to read a book that does them justice. I suppose my beef with the novel is that it tries so hard to be original, but fails. It's only a stale story rebranded for a new generation.(less)

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Jun 29, 2008

Anna rated it

· review of another edition

Recommends it for: pretentious punk rocker wannabes

Recommended to Anna by: I have no one to blame -- I foolishly picked it up myself in the

Shelves: chick-lit, fiction, young-adult

This book left such a bad taste in my mouth! Where do I begin...?

First, the language was ridiculous. This is supposed to be a young adult book, yet I can't tell you how many times the authors [over]used the word "fuck." Why? In most of the situations it was totally unnecessary and sounded like they were trying too hard to impress their young readers. I understand that "fuck" is a word just like anything else, but just like every other word in the English language,...more

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Jul 12, 2007

Meghan rated it

Shelves: ya, fiction, music

Two successful young adult writers combine forces to tell the story of two lively, impassioned, music-loving teenagers who meet at a punk rock show and fall in love over the span of one long night spent in the clubs and streets of New York City. Told in alternating chapters, Rachel Cohn narrates the voice of the girl and David Levithan the boy as we hear each side of the story and relate to both characters’ hesitation, confusion, and vulnerability as the night continues and they face the challen...more

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Sep 02, 2011

Teresinha rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: česky, favorites

UPDATE, více zde: http://mundo-da-teresinha.blogspot.com/2...

Dost jsem přemýšlela, jestli téhle knize dát čtyři nebo pět hvězdiček... je to tak na půl, možná čtyři a půl. Ale ne, těch pět si zaslouží... :D
...za způsob, jakým je tahle love story napsaná. Příběh sice není nijak závratně objevnej, ale tím, jak je to celé vyprávěné a pojaté, to na mě vyhrává na celé čáře. Tahle knížka je jeden velkej necenzurovanej proud vědomí a myšlenek dvou hlavních postav a je tak strašně strašn...more

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Jul 26, 2011

Stephanie (Stepping out of the Page) rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: movies-or-tv, read-in-2011, realistic-fiction, young-adult, no-longer-own, let-down, contemporary

This book wasn't bad, but not as good as I expected it to be. It took me a little while to get into it because of the way it was written. For a young adult book, I think this was actually a little over-the-top with all of the swearing - this is definitely a book for older teens. It also took some time before I got used to and enjoyed reading about the characters. The writing was fast paced and I could sense the atmosphere of the city and the feelings of Nick and Norah, but I thought some of thei...more

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Jan 08, 2008

Suzanne rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: youngadult-fiction

Finally done. Just over a week to get through a slim 183 pages. Blech.

17-year-old Suzanne would have loved this book. 30-year-old Suzanne hated it. I feel like it tried too hard. And the f-bomb is used way too gratuitously. It's not even used for emphasis's sake.
Example:
Normal Human: I am going to take out the trash right now.
Nick and/or Norah: I am going to f*@%ing take out the f*@%ing trash right f*@%ing now.
Is this how the teens are talking these days?

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Dec 14, 2008

Ally rated it

Recommends it for: older teens, music fans

Shelves: young-adult

Any music-obsessed geek would find this book to be an entertaining read. I just love how the characters constantly make playlists and match-up songs to their experiences in the book. The little commentaries by Nick, Norah, and friends about bands, like the Cure, and quotes from 80's movies like Heathers, almost jars the reader from believing that these characters are modern teens. You can tell the authors had some pop culture obsessions they had to let loose in their writing.

I usu...more

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Nov 11, 2011

Eunice rated it

Shelves: contemporary, realistic-fiction, favourites, ya-romance, young-adult, multiple-pov

4.5 of 5 stars

I adore this book very much. The writing, the characters, the place, the music, the humor, everything! It was just so adorable! I find myself wishing the story not to end or just that it was longer. I grew instantly attached with it in just a couple of hours. Haha! ^^

The story all started when Nick, a bassist of an indie band who has been sulking from the break-up with his girlfriend asked Norah to be his girlfriend for five minutes upon seeing his ex approachin...more4.5 of 5 stars

I adore this book very much. The writing, the characters, the place, the music, the humor, everything! It was just so adorable! I find myself wishing the story not to end or just that it was longer. I grew instantly attached with it in just a couple of hours. Haha! ^^

The story all started when Nick, a bassist of an indie band who has been sulking from the break-up with his girlfriend asked Norah to be his girlfriend for five minutes upon seeing his ex approaching him with a different guy.

Nick and Norah met in a really peculiar and inconvenient circumstances. It was funny, cute, and lovely. Though they were struggling with each of their own issues when they met, their meeting did helped them to come out of it, understand it, learn something, and realize what they are, what they need and what they really want.

I love Nick! And I can say I swooned a lot from him. He may not be described as stunningly attractive guy, but his every characteristics is just so uniquely attractive. A straight-edge guy who loves music, plays the bass guitar, a promising lyricist and according to Norah, a good kisser. He's sort of the soft kind of guy but he has this cool and hot aura that you'll definitely love about him. Norah is just so adorable. I love how she describe things, how she thinks, how she likes music, how she loves Oreo, and how she describes Nick. Haha. She's a funny, witty, frigid girl but totally lovable.

What I enjoyed the most is when they flirt verbally, I mean, when when they talk and their comebacks with each other are just really cute, not overtly and obviously cheesy but still sweet it will make you grin. And yes! The setting, New York. You could just imagine it so lovely and beautiful, especially the scene in the rain. That was totally aahhhhh~! Haha. And also, of course, the scene in the ICE room in Marriott. That was...hot but also really really funny.

The writing's definitely good! Having both POV's narrate the story made me able to enjoy both thoughts and perspective. In that way, it also made it easier for me to know and understand both characters. The pacing was also fast you could finish it in just a couple of hours. There were lots of swear words and profanities but I don't really mind.

This is a one funny, touching, lovely story to read. I highly recommend this to everyone! ^^ (less)

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Feb 10, 2009

Brian Hodges rated it

Shelves: ya-mg, better-than-the-movie

This YA book was a little bit "High Fidelity" a little bit "Can't Hardly Wait", a little bit Chuck Klosterman and a little bit "Go" with a heavy PUNK vibe.

The story is told in double-first-person switching back and forth each chapter between Nick and Norah's point of view. Nick is the eighteen-year-old guitar player in a "queercore" punk band who has recently been dumped by the girl he thought he was in love with. When said girl shows up at o...moreThis YA book was a little bit "High Fidelity" a little bit "Can't Hardly Wait", a little bit Chuck Klosterman and a little bit "Go" with a heavy PUNK vibe.

The story is told in double-first-person switching back and forth each chapter between Nick and Norah's point of view. Nick is the eighteen-year-old guitar player in a "queercore" punk band who has recently been dumped by the girl he thought he was in love with. When said girl shows up at one of his shows, he can't bear to face her, so he turns to some chick named Norah and asks, "You you mind being my girlfriend for five minutes?"

That one line launches them into the most insanely wild, romantic, confusing, badass, angsty, funny, self-conscious, self-aware, punk rocking, tender, sexy, back-and-forth first dates EVER.

The whole book was seriously one long ride where you find yourself cheering for and getting annoyed at the two main characters as they dance around and toward each other in a series of events that make you say, "Wait these kids are in HIGH SCHOOL." Yes, the mature, wordly, sexually experienced self-awareness exhibited by the characters made me frequently think, "These sound like 25-year-olds," and I often pictured the cast of "Go" as opposed to "Dawson's Creek". But I just as frequently found myself saying, "Damn, these are the coolest mutherf---ers you have ever met and I would have given anything in high school to hang out with them."

This book was for me what I think "The Notebook" was for women. Just once, I wish I had had one night with a girl that was as emotionally "all out" as the one these two kids experienced traipsing through Manhattan and the underground punk scene. It's an unrealistic fantasy that you can't help but believing.

This is supposedly a Young Adult book, but it is INCREDIBLY mature both in language and sexuality... yet funnily and sweetly, the two main characters are surprisingly chaste and straight-edge. All in all this one is definitely worth picking up. It's a fast read and a faster ride.(less)

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Apr 30, 2011

Lauren rated it

· review of another edition

I loved this story, though it could have been longer. But in a way, I can kind of understand why it wasn't. It would have been easy to just keep the story going and going, but it had to end somewhere. I guess it possibly had the potential to become tedious had it continued too far.

I like the format, with both characters getting a chapter in turn.
It was interesting to have two protagonists giving their separate narration on the story. It was actually quite funny, because, as hap...more

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Jun 02, 2011

Jessica-Robyn rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult, multiple-narrators, contemporary-romance

2.5 rating
I have mixed feelings about this book. For the first half I just couldn't get into the story, the plot was interesting, but the way it tried to come together with the writing didn't bode well with me. This is another one of those books where information is thrown at you in order to keep the plot moving. This made the initial character establishment feel rushed, and because this is a character driven book this made it difficult to getting into the set up.

Another probl...more2.5 rating
I have mixed feelings about this book. For the first half I just couldn't get into the story, the plot was interesting, but the way it tried to come together with the writing didn't bode well with me. This is another one of those books where information is thrown at you in order to keep the plot moving. This made the initial character establishment feel rushed, and because this is a character driven book this made it difficult to getting into the set up.

Another problem I had was with the writing, most of it was based on thoughts or dialog but during Nick and Norah's long periods of thinking the writing didn't give much direction. There was very little emphasis put on body language when they weren't with another character and it made it hard for me to imagine what they were doing in those situations. They could have been standing in one place like a statue and I wouldn't have known.

The plot itself is very chaotic and I actually mean this in a good way. When you're experiencing one night of life changing madness things need to be a little all over the place. It made the situation feel more honest. Nick and Norah didn't know what the other was thinking or how this was all going to work out and that lead to conflict. I really started to enjoy the story after the Where's Fluffy trip to the grocer. Everything sort of came together and the characters were actually beginning to figure things out. From that point on I really did like the book, which is what made me round up instead of down for my rating. The music references were great, the characters of Nick and Norah were likable enough, it had some funny dialog, and when everything did click it clicked well.

Back to the writing, The Infinite Playlist is written in alternating point of view chapters. I think that they were not used to the full extent of what it could have been. After having read only days ago Will Grayson, Will Grayson which uses the same format but brings it to an entirely new level, it is hard to say comparisons weren't made despite the huge differences in writing styles and story.

Overall Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist wasn't a let down for me but I didn't like it as much as I thought I would, or perhaps could with such an interesting concept to plot the story around. (less)

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Feb 15, 2010

Aaron Vincent rated it

Recommends it for: Open-minded readers.

This book was the runner-up for book of the Month of February in one of the groups I am active here in GR. Bridget Jones Diary won the poll but its too chiclit for me. I don't have anything against chiclit, infact I'm curious about Meg Cabot's novels, its just that I saw BJD movie and I was pretty much bored. So being stubborn and everything, I read Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist instead.

I am pretty suprised that I really like this novel despite of the prominent usage of curse wo...moreThis book was the runner-up for book of the Month of February in one of the groups I am active here in GR. Bridget Jones Diary won the poll but its too chiclit for me. I don't have anything against chiclit, infact I'm curious about Meg Cabot's novels, its just that I saw BJD movie and I was pretty much bored. So being stubborn and everything, I read Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist instead.

I am pretty suprised that I really like this novel despite of the prominent usage of curse words, the word "fuck" to be exact, and reference to making out and sex. A lot of people dislike this book because of these facts but I'd say if you find these acts pretty offensive then you are living in a cave for the past couple of years. There is MORE from this book than these "offensive" acts.

Now, let me explain what do i mean by "more". There is really nothing special about the storyline. It's a typical boy-meets-girl/girl-meets-boy type of story but I guess its the execution of the story that seals the deal. It's even commendable that the story is not too ambitious just like some books I read that has great ideas for the story but failed to execute it very well. Some novels trying to be too intellectual and some trying too much to send across the readers its message and some are just plain stupid.

Nick and Norah just made it to the top of my favorite non-fantasy fictional character. Aside from Nick and Norah having really good taste in music, I have learned to love them because they are not some delusive potrayal of teens of this generation. I really think they are wickedly cool and smart. Some minor characters are also notable especially Tris. How her impression evolve from just being a plain bitch to a caring and thoughtful bitch. I guess it will be good for parents to read this for them to understand their children. The world we are now living in is a pretty nasty place, and when you live in a nasty place its unevitable for you to become nasty but that doesn't mean that we are throwing our lives away.(How I wish my mom could read this review.). Not that I am defending our age but that's just how is it. Ideal teenagers have gone long past been endangered(or extinct).

I also like the non-cliche and non-sappy poetic lines thrown by both Nick and Norah on their alternating chapters. Its seems that every sentence in the book is well thought-of. I would love to list them all but that would be like typing the whole book so I'll just mention one of my favorite from Nick:

"We are the ones who take this thing called music and line it up with this thing called time. We are the ticking, we are the pulsing, we are underneath every part of this moment. And by making the moment our own, we are rendering it timeless. There is no audience. There are no instruments. There are only bodies and thoughts and murmurs and looks. It's the concert rush to end all concert rushes, because this is what matters. When the heart races, this is what it's racing towards."

and

"The crowd is pressing in on us and the bassline is revealing everything and we are two people who are part of a lot more people, and at the same time we're our own part. There isn't loneliness, only this intense twoliness."

And from Norah:

"I mean, I don’t know how the world broke. And I don’t know if there’s a God who can help us fix it. But the fact that the world is broken - I absolutely believe that. Just look around us. Every minute - every single second - there are a million things you could be thinking about. A million things you could be worrying about. Our world - don’t you just feel we’re becoming more fragmented? I used to think that when I got older, the world would make so much more sense. But you know what? The older I get, the more confusing it is to me. The more complicated it is. Harder. You’d think we’d be getting better at it. But there’s just more and more chaos. The pieces - they’re everywhere. And nobody knows what to do about it. I find myself grasping, Nick. You know that feeling? That feeling when you just want the right thing to fall into the right place, not only because it’s right, but because it would mean that such a thing is still possible? I want to believe that."

I also love the one from Nick that explains why the title has "Infinite Playlist" but that would be much of a spoiler already. So if you want to read more of there brilliant remarks, go grab the book.

I am glad that I've been sappy and chose to read a romantic novel few days before the Valentines day. I am glad that I didn't chose a Nicholas Spark Tragic love story for that selection. I am glad to meet this smart "bitch", named Norah, and this band-member "jackass", named Nick.

(Wow. Just noticed that this is one of the longest review of a book I've ever written. I didn't knew I like this book this much.)(less)

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May 22, 2011

Amanda rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult

Nick and Norah meet in a punk rock club one night when Nick asks Norah to be his 5 minute girlfriend. Why? Because Nick's ex, Tris, is in the club with her new man and Tris broke Nick's heart. From that point on, Nick and Norah recognize the chemistry between them, but their feelings are compromised by their previous relationships.

The book is okay. Told in stream-of-consciousness chapters alternating between Nick's point of view and Norah's, some of it becomes repetitive (althoug...more

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Dec 04, 2009

Sara ♥ rated it

Shelves: 2009, young-adult, challenge-fall-2009, film

I think I would have given it 2.5 stars, but I did enjoy the journey the two main characters went on... in retrospect though, the language was so gratuitous that I'm bumping it down to 2.

Nick and Norah at a club, where Nick just finished playing a set with his band (he's the bassist). His ex-girlfriend is there with another guy, and he was about to run into them, so spur-of-the-moment-like, he asks Norah (whose name he doesn't even know at this point, but she's standing next to him,...more

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Sep 06, 2010

Liu Zhen rated it

Shelves: 10th-grade

Title: Nick & Norahs Infinite Playlist
Author: Rachel Cohn and David Levithan
Pages: 183
Publisher: May 23rd 2006 by Knopf Books for Young Readers
Isbn: 0375835318 (isbn13: 9780375835315)
If you ask me what is the worst movie-book ever written, Nick & Norahs Infinite Playlist will be on my top list. This book is indeed, the most irritating book ever written with the F-word every few sentences throughout the entire book. Not only did I disappointed in the book, but ...more

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Oct 07, 2008

Patrick rated it

Shelves: 2008

I'm sure the movie version will be good, Michael Cera seems to be able to make anything funny, but this book suffered from trying way to hard to be hip and appeal to its young audience. Granted, I'm 11 years removed from legally being able to read Young Adult fiction, but I would have felt condescended to. I agree with a goodreads friend that the overuse of the word "fuck" and "fucking" as an adjective was extremely annoying (even for typically potty-mouthed teens). Someth...more

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Oct 17, 2008

Miranda rated it

Recommends it for: MATURE young adults

Shelves: young-adult-novels

Warning: This book is young adult fiction; however, I would caution any student reading this novel as topics mentioned are MATURE MATURE MATURE. Not only is the F-bomb dropped at least a million and three times (it may be a million and five; I lost count. I don't think I am exaggerating ), many other adult topics are scattered throughout this short novel.

What this books does well is define that moment when you realize that you are so into another person you want to swallow th...more

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Sep 11, 2008

Brittany rated it

· review of another edition

Recommends it for: Fans of Francesca Lia Block or the general emo/hipster scene

Recommended to Brittany by: Michael Cera (indirectly)

Shelves: girly-books, music, movie, fiction, young-adult

How I Came To Read This Book: I am a bit of a Michael Cera fan and heard about the forthcoming movie so I tracked down the book eons ago but only bothered to read it this week when I realized the movie was coming out in a few weeks.

The Plot: Nick is getting over his sexy-ex Tris. Norah is struggling with her self-image as brought on by her Israeli ex Tal and her smokin' bff Caroline. Nick asks Norah to be his 5 minute girlfriend to rock Tris' world. And the rest takes place over one ...more

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May 30, 2008

Rachael rated it

Nick loses it when he sees his ex-girlfriend at the punk club, so he asks the girl next to him to pretend to be his girlfriend. Norah wouldn’t agree under normal circumstances, but she happens to know the girl who dumped Nick, a girl she doesn’t particularly like, so she kisses him in response. What starts as a five-minute relationship turns into the beginning of a strong bond between the two. That night, they explore New York City, the meaning of the connections between people, and fall in love...moreNick loses it when he sees his ex-girlfriend at the punk club, so he asks the girl next to him to pretend to be his girlfriend. Norah wouldn’t agree under normal circumstances, but she happens to know the girl who dumped Nick, a girl she doesn’t particularly like, so she kisses him in response. What starts as a five-minute relationship turns into the beginning of a strong bond between the two. That night, they explore New York City, the meaning of the connections between people, and fall in love.

Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist is a beautiful love story blossoming from a shared love of punk music. Both Nick and Norah were interesting and sensitive characters, each with their own relationship problems, each afraid to enter into a new relationship. I thought it was sweet how they fit so well for each other. Each time one left the other, I felt almost anger, because throughout the entire story, I there was a sense that Nick and Norah were meant to be together, and that they couldn’t be apart. This is the type of bond I was looking for in Reincarnation by Suzanne Weyn, so I was a little surprised to find it in this novel. But this link made the story so romantic and sweet.

I also really liked the alternate narrations between Nick and Norah, because I got to see their feelings. It was amusing how, for example, Nick thought something and Norah thought the exact opposite of the same situation, but somehow everything turned out fine. I didn’t feel that I completely got to know them, because the story took place over the course of only one night and only certain aspects of their characters were explored, but I did like what was shown of them.

I most definitely recommend this novel, but be aware of the excess of profanity used in the writing (I counted exactly 250 appearances of the f-word) and a continuous yearning for sex. However, since the story was so sweet and optimistic, I look forward to reading the next book coauthored by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan, Naomi and Ely’s No Kiss List.

reposted from http://thebookmuncher.blogspot.com (less)

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Jun 24, 2007

Bex rated it

Recommends it for: music lovers and rachel cohn fans

Shelves: faves, genre

What I liked about Nick and Norah was that it was a punk rock fuelled romance but not so much so that it was sickening or obsessive. Norah's a kickass chick who can definately hold her own, but that doesn't stop her from letting Nick in. She's not as frigid as everyone tells her ;) Nick is a hetero cute punk rock (possibly emo) boy in a queercore band. He's really a sweetheart. They are soulmates but not in a way that breeds dependency. The Infinite Playlist is them, together. It's metaphor for ...more

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CRW3053-Fall 2011...: Different perspectives of narration	1	8	Sep 07, 2011 10:10pm
Movie?	15	96	Jun 22, 2011 03:39pm
YA Book Club: Movie VS Book	18	92	Jun 11, 2009 11:58am
Join in the discussions!	1	14	Apr 29, 2009 09:50am
YA Book Club: Initial Reactions Nick and Norah	27	75	Feb 23, 2009 08:29pm
YA Book Club: The Infinite Playlist	8	62	Jan 30, 2009 08:23pm
YA Book Club: Nick or Norah?	10	48	Jan 30, 2009 08:19pm

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About Rachel Cohn

Rachel grew up in the D.C. area and graduated from Barnard College with a B.A. in Political Science. She has written many YA novels, including three that she cowrote with her friend and colleague David Levithan. She lives and writes (when she's not reading other people's books, organizing her music library or looking for the best cappuccino) in New York City.

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“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 wanna hold your hand. They have a feeling that they can’t hide.” — 427 people liked it

“You know the reason The Beatles made it so big?...'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 million-dollar crib. No. They wanna hold your hand. They have such a feeling that they can't hide. Every single successful song of the past fifty years can be traced back to 'I Wanna Hold Your Hand.' And every single successful love story has those unbearable and unbearably exciting moments of hand-holding.” — 235 people liked it

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