'Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist' by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan (*****)

Hello lovely people! I'm back today with a little book review for you: this time Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan! To be completely honest, I hadn't discovered these books or these authors before a copy of Infinite Playlist was slipped inside my goody bag at YALC (my haul is linked here!) The cover was so appealing and the blurb drew me in... I knew it would be something I would enjoy since I love a good classic teenage love story! However, with most books I read, it wasn't long before I discovered this book wasn't your typical love story. In fact, it didn't seem like a love story until the final chapter. That's probably what I loved most about Infinite Playlist: that it was just so heart breakingly honest... The characters, the feelings and emotions explored and the plot line. Books written for teenagers that seem to understand teenagers make the experience even more golden... That's what I loved the most about this book.

Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist is set during one evening in New York, and I read it in one evening too, which made the experience a lot more enjoyable, and meant that I could engage in the story more. It is fast-paced, but not too much so... Cohn and Levithan allow you to keep up with the winding plot, the twists and turns and the complex characters, so you never feel lost. The style in which it was written was engaging and hilarious, and really put me in the mind of the characters. The narrative was split between Nick and Norah, and I could sense a difference in voice and tone when the different characters spoke to the reader. I don't know if the two authors took one protagonist each, because that would explain the brilliant subtle difference in narration that was so engaging for me, but it helped explain the main message within the book. It was extremely frustrating (yet brilliant!) when Nick and Norah felt the same way about each other, yet embodied the same concerns, but they just didn't know the right words with which to tell each other how they felt. I guess if any YA novel out at the moment further incorporates the message that teenagers should just be honest, it's Infinite Playlist. It's less of a novel, more like an inner voice. Every teenager should read it.

The characters of Nick and Norah were complex and intriguing, and the sub-characters were also interesting enough that I was eager to discover their back stories and their connections to Nick and Norah. Everything including the beautiful and mysterious setting to the intricacy of the creation of the characters made Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist a joy to pick up, and I would recommend it to anyone. If a book has changed my perspective on teen romance more, it's this book that has done it. Infinite Playlist has a lighthearted tone (it's hilarious!) but at the same time it is fiercely emotional and at times made me want to cry. It is a novel filled with hidden gems and surprises, and the fact that it is set within one night ensured that I was thoroughly gripped until the very end. 

You can buy Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist here: http://www.randomhouse.com/book/29606/nick-norahs-infinite-playlist-by-rachel-cohn-and-david-levithan/9780375846144/

WAIT... DID ANYONE ELSE KNOW THAT THIS BOOK IS A FILM??!!??!! I didn't. That's awkward.

You can buy the DVD here: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Nick-And-Norahs-Infinite-Playlist/dp/B001UL7S9Y

Until next time :)