Naomi and Ely's No Kiss List

Publishers Weekly

Longtime best friends Naomi and Ely live in the same Greenwich Village apartment building with their mothers while attending New York University. But after Ely, who is gay, kisses Naomi's boyfriend and lies about it, she stops speaking to him, even creating rules for avoiding each other; she does not care so much about her boyfriend, but finally understands Ely "will never love me the way I love" him. Cohn and Levithan (Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist; see Reprints, below) once again create characters with attitude and fill their book with wordplay and witty conceits. But unlike Nick and Norah, Naomi and Ely come across as thoughtless and self-absorbed. Part of the problem may be that the authors rotate through the perspectives of numerous characters, including Ely's new boyfriend (Naomi's ex) and a fawning girl from Schenectady who seems to exist mainly to reinforce how cool Naomi is. These characters do not add much-with the exception of a vulnerable doorman who tries to connect with Naomi. Readers will laugh at the fun turns of phrase (Ely accuses Naomi of being "a drama queen before we were old enough to go to Dairy Queen" and appreciate the clever duplication of characters (there are two Robins and two Bruces) which plays into the book's ideas about soul mates, or lack thereof. Naomi's narration is peppered with tiny icons, which look trendy but can be hard for readers to decipher. These playful touches, however, may not be enough to hold the audience's interest until Naomi and Ely reach their own important conclusions about love. Ages 14-up. (Aug.)

Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information

VOYA - Janet Scherer

Naomi and Ely are the best of friends, having grown up across the hall from each other in downtown Manhattan. They have vowed never to let anything come between them, even devising a "no kiss list" of those whom neither can kiss so that their friendship will never be threatened by jealousy. But a crisis unfolds when Ely kisses and falls for Naomi's "sort of" ex-boyfriend Bruce. Jealousy is exactly what Naomi feels, which requires her to examine her true feelings for Ely. Although she understands that Ely is gay, she also nanvely believes that he will soon change; they will marry, have children, and live a wonderful life together. Naomi refuses to speak to Ely, and they are both forced, for the first time, to face life without each other. Fans of Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist (Knopf, 2006/VOYA April 2006) will be delighted with this second collaboration of Cohn and Levithan. Told through the alternating points of view of Naomi and Ely as well as those of their friends, this well-crafted novel introduces a myriad of themes such as friendship, love, letting go, and acceptance. Older teens especially will appreciate the colorful, offbeat characters who are strong, hip, funny, and authentic yet vulnerable. Readers will be left eager for more by these accomplished writers.

School Library Journal

Gr 9 Up
A witty and highly entertaining exploration of love, friendship, and misunderstanding. Like Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist (Knopf, 2006), the story is told from alternating points of view and is about teens living in Manhattan. Gorgeous Naomi and her best friend, the equally gorgeous and gay Ely, have been neighbors and soul mates since childhood, and in order to protect their relationship, they have created a list of people who are absolutely off limits for kissing. The list is meant to be "insurance against a Naomi and Ely breakup," but when Ely kisses Naomi's boyfriend Bruce the Second, it sets off a chain of events that causes a major rift in their longstanding relationship. As the story progresses, Naomi comes to realize that the true reason she is so upset with Ely is not so much that he is romantically involved with her former boyfriend as it is that she has finally acknowledged that things are never going to turn out the way she has envisioned them. Major and minor characters begin new relationships and redefine old ones. The themes of sexual exploration and sexual identity, as well as strong language, which is entirely appropriate for the characters and setting, make this a book for older teens, who will love the oh-so-hip music and pop-culture references. They will also love the main characters, who are smart and sophisticated college freshmen, but also very fallible, and will empathize with their confusion as they attempt to sort out their relationships and themselves.
—Kathleen E. GruverCopyright 2006 Reed Business Information.