Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan

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.

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.

Rating: 5.0

Review copy from personal collection