Series: N/A
Genre: Young Adult - Contemporary/Romance
Publication: 05.23.2006 by Random House Children's Books
Format: Paperback
Source: Goodreads Swap
Rating: ★★★★
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.
Initial Reaction: I have to start off my talking about the movie first. Because I saw the movie first so I sort of knew what the story was about, right? Wrong. When I started reading Nick and Norah, it was like something I had never heard of before. Sure, all the characters are there, but it's so different from the movie that I felt that they were totally different stories. It was weird.
Nick: The book is written in alternating points of view, so we get to read about both characters, which I absolutely loved. I have to start off by saying that Michael Cera is no Nick. Sure, I love him, and I think he's awesome, but he's no Nick. Nick is just so...unique? He's a sweetheart and he's awesome, and he's a bit dorky but he's not at all skinny or awkward, although he is a bit awkward. He's just this great guy who writes songs in his head, and is kind of still in love with Tris and really just wants to get back with her, but then meets Norah and she's too eccentric to ignore.
Norah: She's this kaleidoscopic of a girl and she has no idea really what she wants except that it's probably not her ex...and she likes Nick. And she knows that they'd be great together but doesn't want to really throw herself at him, but really does just that all night, kind of. She's crazy and thinks so much and is confusing but I could totally relate to her.
The Infinite Playlist: "But now I'm seeing we don't live in a single song. We move from song to song, from lyric to lyric, from chord to chord. There is no ending here. It's an infinite playlist."
Overall: I really enjoyed Nick and Norah. The characters are so well developed, so complex and emotional and insecure. I got to know them in one night, on their 'date' that results in an adventure around the city. The alternating voices added a lot to the story, making it a lot more entertaining. Nick and Norah is a funny, quirky, romance novel with some (almost) descriptive mature scenes, enough foul language to keep it fun and there is plenty of music.
I made this playlist using this list
*You can find this playlist on iTunes by searching for "Rachel Cohn" in the iMixes section.
2 comments
Great review. I saw the movie and have always wanted to read the book but never got around to it. I'm definitely going to change that this year. =) I'm glad to hear that about Nick, as much as I liked him in the movie, I didn't really swoon over his character and I like to swoon over the male main characters.
ReplyDeleteWhy have I not read this book yet? Every time I see a review of it I think "hmm that sounds like something I would like" and then go off on my merry way. That's it, I'm officially adding it to my library to-read list, so hopefully I won't forget about it again.
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