Naomi and Ely's No-Kiss List

Reader reviewed by megannx3

The excerpt does not do justice for this book. Do you like indie type things? This is def the book for you. >:] Naomi and Ely are both freshmann in college. Naomi thinks she's in love with Ely. Ely is gay. Naomi and Ely grew up together. The author allows you into a few of their shared inside stories. They are both beautiful, and it seems as if the world revolves around them.

Written by my FAVORITE author<3

Reader reviewed by Laina

Naomi and Ely's No Kiss List by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan

Summary (from the publisher's website, because the thing on the back of the book is really, really long): NAOMI AND ELY ARE BEST FRIENDS. Naomi loves and is in love with Ely, and Ely loves Naomi, but prefers to be in love
with boys. So they create their "No Kiss List" of people neither of
them is allowed to kiss. And this works fine - until Bruce. Bruce is
Naomi's boyfriend, so there's no reason to put him on the List. But Ely
kissed Bruce
even though he is boring. The result: a rift of universal proportions
and the potential end of "Naomi and Ely: the institution." Can these
best friends come back together again?

Review:
I know what you're thinking... you're thinking I'm going to say I hated
it and you're expecting me to find a half dozen things I didn't like
it. Guess what people? You're wrong. I quite liked it!

It was
really, really funny and well written, with interesting characters. I
actually read most of this when I'd first woken up, before I even
turned on the light, which shows how involved I was in it, reading in
half-light. It's a very good read for when you're in a crabby mood and
feel like you can't find anything to read.

The one thing is, the
book used pictures for some of the words, like instead of saying
spider, there'd randomly be a tiny picture of a spider, and that threw
me off a bit (aka, I stared the page for a good thirty seconds trying
to figure out what the heck it was...). But you get used to that after
a while, and it's they were mostly when Naomi was the narrator.

That
brings me back to another thing I did like, the switch in narrators.
There were at least six different narrators, but each of them had their
own unique voice, so that you could tell exactly who was telling you
what was happening. And it wasn't confusing at all like that can so
easily be.

Conclusion: A very good read, good for a crabby mood.
I'd recommend this to older readers, though, as there is some mature
content. Not much swearing, though, which is cool. Four roses.

*Reprinted from http://lainahastoomuchsparetime.blogspot.com/ with author's permission.

Reader reviewed by Tian

Maybe some things cant last forever:they have to change, and people have to move on from their childhoods. Naomi and best friend+boyslut Ely thought that they would be BFFs 4ever... but when Ely violates the sacred "No-Kiss-List..." by kissing Naomi's boyfriend Bruce the Second, everything goes SPAZ. Will Naomi and Ely's friendship stay alive, will they solve their various family, friends, love issues?

Cohn and Levithan use simple, hilarious, and straight-talking prose in an endearing story that is 100% original as well.

This story reminds me of Nick and Nora's Infinite Playlist, but the prose is a bit more choppy and awkwardly timed. The story is told from 1st person accounts, and I feel like there were a bit too many character's to keep track of (in middle of passage -> hey, wait, who's talking again?) The closeness of Ely and Naomi, doesn't need to be stated. But even when they fight, their closeness, their understanding of each other, is touching. The authors manage to create excitement and uncertainty yet still let you into the characters hearts. And the sign language is so sweet.
Naomi and Elys story is about friendships as much as love. It's about relationships: those that change, are born, and are renewed. I would recommend it for some sweet, funny light reading.

Reader reviewed by c-alexis

Loved it, loved it, loved it. I absolutely loved reading the authors' first novel, Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist, and was not disappointed with this novel of theirs. It was a good book about love, coming out, lust, family, and all the complications with all that. It was funny and quirky and charming and amusing. The two writers manage to create another beautiful pairing.

Reprinted here with author's permission.

Reader reviewed by Khy


Naomi ♥ Ely.
And she's kinda in love with him.

Ely ♥ Naomi.
But he prefers to in love
with boys.

Naomi and Ely have been inseparable since childhood - partially because they've grown up across the hall from each other in the same Manhattan apartment building, and also because they're best friends. Soul mates. Or are they?

Just to be safe, they've created a NO KISS LIST - their list of people who are absolutely off-kissing limits for both of them. The NO KISS LIST protects their friendship and ensures that nothing will rock the foundation of Naomi and Ely: the institution.
Until Ely kisses Naomi's boyfriend. And a fateful piece of gum in the wrong place at the wrong time changes everything.
Soon a rift of universal proportions threatens to destroy their friendship, and it remains to be seen whether Naomi and Ely can find their way toward new soul-mate prospects&and back to one another.

---

All I can say is this: This book was frinkin' awesome.

A few of my favorite things....

1. The references to Naomi and Ely's childhood. Throughout the book, there are stories about Naomi and Ely as kids. These stories show just how good of friends they are and that they are not easily separated. You can see that it takes something huge to break them apart- like Ely kissing Bruce the Second (Naomi's boyfriend. And yes, there is a Bruce the First in the book.)

2. Because the story is told in alternating points of view by all the main characters, not just Naomi and Ely, it was easy to see how the one kiss between Ely and Bruce the Second effected everyone and how everyone tried to solve the problems that came with the kiss. The description of the book kind of makes it seem like the whole story is about Naomi and Ely fixing their friendship, but really, it isn't. That's one of the main things happening, but it's not the only thing. The book is about overcoming problems, dealing with new people, and finding yourself.

My only complaint is that the chapters in Naomi's POV had symbols replaced words. They kind of bugged me. And there was one chapter told in one long confusing paragraph. In that chapter, there were no quotation marks to indicate dialogue and all the sentences were run-ons. That chapter was extremely annoying.

reposted from freneticreader.blogspot.com

Reader reviewed by the book muncher

Naomi and Ely have been best friends for forever. They love each other, although Naomi may love Ely in a way that he doesnt love her shes straight, hes gay. Theyve gone though everything together from teaching each other how to kiss to their parents big fight. And to make sure nothing goes wrong with their friendship, they created the No Kiss List, a list of people that neither of the friends is allowed to kiss. Thats until Ely kisses Naomis boyfriend, Bruce the Second, though. It seems as if the friendship will be torn apart, and Naomi and Ely struggle to come to terms with what their friendship really was and what remains.

I have to say that Naomi and Elys No Kiss List was a beautiful story. It explores sexuality and the fine line between friendship and something more. I really loved the chapters told from nearly all the characters perspectives, and especially the chapters from Naomi or Elys points of view. Rachel Cohn and David Levithan do a wonderful job of portraying each of the characters thoughts and emotions. I was rooting for Naomi and Ely to repair their friendship throughout the whole story, and I also really enjoyed reading as each they grew and learned more of themselves.

Although I did really love Rachel Cohn and David Levithans first co-written novel, Nick & Norahs Infinite Playlist, I have to say that I enjoyed Naomi and Elys No Kiss List much more. Both, however, are very well-written and memorable novels that I recommend to everyone.

reposted from http://thebookmuncher.blogspot.com

Reader reviewed by rachpaige11

Naomi and Ely's no kiss list is about two friends, Naomi and Ely whose friendship is strained when Naomi catches Ely kissing her boyfriend. It didn't really bother her since she wasn't in love with bruce the second, what bothered her the most was when Ely started lying about it. Yeah he admitted to kissing bruce the second the first time but he lied about the second and third time. So Naomi decides she is done with Ely and his drama. What happens next? read and find out! I don't want to ruin the whole book.

It's an okay book that is told in different points of view and not just Naomi and ely's. I have to admit it wasn't a very good book, but I don't regret reading it. I didn't care to much for it because it was just so far fetched and just immature. It's an okay read.

Reader reviewed by Chelsea, 2008 Teen Demi-Goddess

Naomi and Ely have the closest type of friendship you can get. They both seem to have the same interest in guys -- particularly kissable guys, which there are a lot of in New York. You'd think this would cause a problem, but they both agree that their friendship is too strong to be broken apart by measly males, so they rely on their No Kiss List to keep them strong. Anyone on the list is forbidden territory for both of them; that way, boys no matter how kissable won't be able to get between them.

But then, as in most good YA books, the drama begins. It starts when Ely kisses Bruce, who just happens to be Naomi's boyfriend. Then Naomi decides she can't deal with the more-than-friendship feelings that she has for Ely anymore. Together, these problems cause a major riff between Naomi and Ely's long-lasting friendship.

David Levithan and Rachel Cohn's humor mixes together brilliantly, resulting in a constantly laugh-out-loud hilarious novel. Told in alternating points of view from several different perspectives, you are able to catch a glimpse of everyone's true feelings. I can't even begin to pick which character I like the most they all stand out sharply with their own unique characteristics. Levithan and Cohn make quite a literary pair and seem to be perfectly in sync. I was worried that the book would be inconsistent as it's written by two different authors, but it remained steadily amusing and brilliant from beginning to end.

Reader reviewed by Rin

Having read another one of these authors' joint titles, Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist, I had high hopes for this book.

Sadly, I was dissapointed. Not to say that this novel was badly written and pointless. It just didn't live up to the standards set by Nick and Norah.

In this book we meet two friends, Naomi and Ely.
They have a deal. Naomi and Ely have a list. A "No Kiss List". That way, Naomi and Ely can admire guys without hurting each others feelings. Despite the fact that it's destined to happen anyway, Naomi, despite knowing that he's gay, is in love with Ely.

Then everything comes crashing down when her boyfriend and her best friend have more in common than just her.

While not a fabulous book, I'd reccommend it for a rainy day where Naomi and Ely's problems just might draw you in.

Reader reviewed by Sara Zoe

From the writing duo that brought us Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist comes another just as fun, just as witty, just as interesting story.

Naomi and Ely live across the hall from each other in New York City. They've been bff forever, and they've grown into each other's impossible eccentricities. Thing is, Naomi wants it to be more, but Ely is gay. Which she knows, but deep deep deep down she is in denial.

So their bff status is in jeopardy anyway, but then Ely goes and kisses the person on their No Kiss List that makes the most "in your face" statement - Naomi's boyfriend.

More than anything, I love the fun and fast writing of Rachel Cohn and David Levithan - they work well together, complement each other, keep the different voices fresh, funny, and real.