Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan
Genre: Contemporary
Published by: Knopf Books
Pages: 208
Format: Paperback
Rating: ★★★.5
Where to Find: Goodreads | Amazon

I picked up Nick and Norah mostly because it was only 188 pages long, and I needed a quick read to get that satisfaction of actually reading something. And I was pleasantly surprised! I wanted something light and fun that I could just pick up and put down. I needed good writing to make up for some of the most recent books I have read that I have not enjoyed, and I thought Nick and Norah was a safe bet.

I got way more than I anticipated. I was hooked from the first page. Nick was probably my favourite out of the two because Leviathan’s writing style was so poetic and beautiful. Everything was so circular and clever and I loved every minute. Norah’s perspective was also really wonderful, and I liked how free and teenager-y the dialogue was. I believed that the characters were real people. There was swearing, there was sexual references, and it felt real. Nothing about this book glamorised teenage-hood, and that was partly what made this books so enjoyable.

I liked that it was just about these two characters who were so unique, but also so similar. There was quite a cast of characters, but they felt like they were significant, not just written for the sake of being written. The plot was very simple – two teenagers who spend a day together, and try and get to know each other whilst also trying to get over someone else – but it was executed well.

I wasn’t really a fan of everything Norah said, and sometimes their conversations seemed a little forced, but I suppose they were meant to. What I can’t believe, most of all, is that this book was written in 2006 and yet I’ve barely heard anything about it! I known they made a movie adaptation, but after watching the trailer and thinking “that’s not how it goes!” I don’t think I’ll be watching it.

I thoroughly enjoyed Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist  and would recommend it to anyone who wants a quick read that will make them laugh and get lost in the story. I think I’ll give the book 3.5 stars, because I did enjoy it, but the middle dragged on a bit and I think the resolution could almost have come a lot earlier in the story line. But it was only 188 pages, so I can’t complain too much!