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Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist
Unavailable
Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist
Unavailable
Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist
Audiobook4 hours

Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

4/5

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Currently unavailable

Currently unavailable

About this audiobook

The New York Times bestselling he-said/she-said rock n' roll romance that inspired the hit movie!

I know this is going to sound strange, but would you mind being my girlfriend for the next five minutes?

Nick frequents New York's indie rock scene nursing a broken heart. Norah is questioning all of her assumptions about the world. They have nothing in common except for their taste in music, until a chance encounter leads to an all-night quest to find a legendary band's secret show and ends up becoming a first date that could change both their lives.

Co-written by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan, co-author of Will Grayson, Will Grayson with John Green (The Fault In Our Stars), Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist is a sexy, funny roller coaster of a story that reminds you how you can never be sure where the night will take you…

LanguageEnglish
Release dateSep 26, 2008
ISBN9780739381199
Unavailable
Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist
Author

Rachel Cohn

Rachel Cohn was born in Maryland but now also lives in New York. Her first novel, Gingerbread, was published in 2002. Since then she has gone on to write many other successful YA and children's books, three of which were in collaboration with David Levithan.

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Reviews for Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist

Rating: 3.784129644197953 out of 5 stars
4/5

1,172 ratings88 reviews

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  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This took me a few chapters to really get into. Once I did it turned into a really smooth example of impressionist YA fiction.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    This wasn't a bad book, I just hated the extreme overuse of the f-word and some of the sexual references were too explicit for my tastes. However, the storyline was fun and I enjoyed the alternating perspectives of Norah and Nick as they told their story. This might be one of these rare times where the movie is better than the book!? For older teens only!
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This story grabs you by throat and doesn’t let go. Norah’s character is spot on for the good kid confused by what’s happening around her. Boys, school, demanding friendships –all wrapped up in a blanket of music. I loved seeing the softer side of Nick, — the boy who can quote lines frmo Dirty Dancing right alongside the queercore bassist scene kid. This book captures the fear, confusion and frustration of teenage love beautifully. I particularly liked how the gender lines were blurred –Nick holding hands with Dev, Tris teaching Norah how to kiss –because that is such a true depiction of how boys and girls relate to each other in that scene. My favorite line in the book — “The moshpit doesn’t lie.” One quibble, though. I really liked how Tris was developed as the story went on and how she impacted Nick & Norah’s relationship, but I wish the author had done a little more with Tal, Norah’s ex. We know a lot about Nick’s relationship with Tris, but not so much about Norah & Tal. Of all the books, I think this speaks to contemporary teen life the best.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Except for the excessive vulgarities, I think this book is pretty good. I mean it depicted exactly the screwed-up life teenagers can have (which explains the cursing). Still, I felt the chemistry between Nick and Norah :'>

    It focused on the present. The past wasn't much explained...too bad. But to think that this book all happened in the course of one long night is amazing. So, yeah. Four stars :)
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    hipster love in NYC
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Lots of music and snappy humor in this engaging story of an all-night adventure in the city that brings Nick and Norah together. I think it describes Nick's character in the beginning perfectly when I say he's the only straight guy in a queer-core band. Norah has been pronounced frigid by her nasty boyfriend. They spend a madcap night running all over the city for one reason and another.I would have rated this book much higher if there weren't so many EWWWW WTF!?! moments.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I was so disappointed the first time I watched this movie, less so the second time, the third, the fourth... I have an addiction. I think my initial negative reaction was due to how prickly and awkward these characters could be, but in the end, those awkward moments are what took over the top characters and made them real. It was those realistic moments that have made the movie a stand-by favorite for knitting in front of the TV.

    Reading the book has just set the hook deeper. If I had an stealthy obsession for Nick and Norah before, their bookselves have taken things up a notch. I love how tender and wonderful the book characters are, even the "villians". There were times when the "On the Road", Gilmore Girls-esque stream of consciousness was a little overwhelming, but eventually I just learned to slip through the sentences as quickly as the characters formulated them. Now that I plan on alternating re-reading the book with re-watching the movie, I'm interested to see if their combined glory will extinguish my passion quicker, or create a gestalt tailspin that prolongs my enjoyment for years to come.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    I liked this but I didn't love it. I liked Nick and Norah both, I thought they were a very sweet couple. I'm too old and didn't get a lot of the musical references, though I don't think it mattered all that much. This is probably my least favorite Levithan book so far, maybe because it's not as pie-in-the-sky touchy-feely-giddy-happy. I certainly found it realistic enough.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    This actually started off really good and I thought I was going to love it. It was funny and intriguing and I was really interested in where it was going to go. It soon turned into a bit long ramble though and honestly, most of the book felt pretty pointless. I could see how the things happening would be exciting and fun for the characters but I really didn't see how they were supposed to be interesting for the reader. I didn't think the voices of Nick and Norah were all that distinct from each other. They seemed to think in the same way and it was hard to draw any real picture of them as separate people. The story itself wasn't that worthwhile. It kept me reading through and there was a few funny and meaningful parts but not enough to make me really love the book. It was okay overall but not particularly special or memorable.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This book tells the story of two teenagers who accidentally bump into eachother when Nick asks Norah to be his girlfriend for five minutes. What follows is a crazy evening and night in which they try to somehow make it a real first date. Each chapter alternates between Nick and Nora. This adds a lot of insight into the story and lets you see just how much is unsaid between these two. The writing style is fun and light and runs along bringing you with it.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Three weeks ago, Nick was dumped by his girlfriend. His band offers some distraction, but one wild night, when he sees his ex-girlfriend walk into a club where they're playing with a new boyfriend, Nick realizes he needs a major change, at least temporarily. With that, he turns to the girl next to him, Norah, and asks her to be his girlfriend for the next five minutes. She unexpectedly kisses Nick and we're then drawn into the crazy night the two experience. Told from the point of view of both Nick and Norah, we're able to see how each character acts around different events, people, and situations. We also see how well the quiet and somewhat reserve Nick matches--and clashes--with the brash and larger then life Norah.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    I didn't come into reading this book with any expectations at all. I thought the first half of the book was only ok. The second half was definitely much better. I don't see anything really that special in this book but I don't regret reading it. I would recommend this to teens.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    After a set in one of the many clubs in New York, Nick sees his ex, the girl who stomped all over his heart and left him oozing pain, with another guy. In a spurt of insanity he asks the girl next to him to be his girlfriend for five minutes. Norah, in a similar moment of nuttiness, responds by making out with him. And thus begins a night of liking, lust, and fumbling to figure out if those five minutes started something far better than Nick or Norah could have ever anticipated.Nick and Norah's night is a fun romp, an exploration of the emotional heights teens are forever subject to, and an outright love letter to the music scene, playlists, and the mix CD. The novel alternates between Nick and Norah's perspectives with Levithan writing the former and Cohn the latter. Although dual authorship can be tricky, the novel balances it well and both Nick and Norah's voices are distinct and interesting. The madness that comes from spending an all-nighter together is wonderfully rendered and I definitely enjoyed trailing after the pair as they figured out what they were doing with their lives and each other.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist tells the whirlwind story of how Nick and Nora, who narrate the story in alternating chapters, came to meet and, well, fall in love. I read this one because I loved Cohn/Levithan's collaboration on Lily & Dash's Book of Dares, so I knew what I was getting into, and I wasn't disappointed. Though you sometimes feel like these kids talk and act a little older than they are (17/18), you fall in love with them so easily that, at the end of the day, it doesn't really matter. Though the story only takes place over the course of one crazy night, you really get a feel for who these people are--and who they may want to be one day. I flew through the book and never wanted to put it down. I recommend it for anyone who's read any of the other books my Levithan/Cohn, or anyone who is looking for a fun, but insightful, YA-romp!I gave it 4 out of 5 stars for plausibility. Though I've never had an insane night in NYC like Nick and Norah, you do sometimes wonder how they find themselves in certain situations; sometimes, it did feel like a bit of a stretch. But that was the only thing that distracted me (albeit not too badly) at all.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Absolutely one of the best books I have ever read. I started and finished all in a 3-hour period because I could NOT stop.Cohn and Levithan take us down the trip of one night/morning with Nick and Norah, trailing us through heartbreak, confusion, angst, love, sex, rock 'n roll, kissing, running, drag shows, queercore bands, and revelation, all with witty and funny commentary--not to mention a pretty sweet soundtrack. It's a simple tale of two people hurting who find each other by fate, but it's so much more. I absolutely recommend this to anyone.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This is a quick read that will suck you in, take the breath out of you, & leave you gasping. Nick & Norah, connected loosely by their ex-'s, meet at a club one night. Nick, in order to make his ex-girlfriend jealous, asks Norah to be his 5-minute girlfriend, they share a haphazard but luscious kiss, and things take off from there. The story takes place all in the span of a few hours, but it's action-packed & engaging.I loved the chemistry between these two characters: the romantic tension and the foreplay-type physical stuff. I'm not sure how appealing it would be from a male perspective, but to a female, it was spot on and made me squirm.It wasn't flawless, though. The F-bomb was used excessively -- very excessively, as in on almost every page, & often numerous times in succession. I could've done without that. And although I enjoyed the quick slapstick wit of both characters, Norah's self-serving attitude was a little annoying at times. These characters were supposedly in their late teens, but it really read more like a 20-somethings novel & would've been somewhat more believable had the characters been in that age group.I've not seen the movie based on this book, but could totally picture this as a younger John Cusack-casted movie, even though he's not in this one at all. I'll be adding it to my "to be seen" movie list.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I absolutely, hands-down LOVED this book. I actually read this book before the movie came out (I think they did a fair job of depicting the book with very minor differences that didn't take away from the actual story at all!)Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist was a fast-paced, fun read. Absolutely enjoyable, I could not put this book down! I read this in one sitting, granted the hardcover is only 183pgs. Nick wasn't the 'dorky but cute' guy like in the movie- he was a hot, broody musician... YUM. I was immediately drawn to Norah, she was just so real and with the writing of teenagers can often come horrific, adolescent slang... like really yo. This book with filled with teenage angst and rebellion, it was like I was transported back to High School- only I was okay in my role as the outcast and being different wasn't a bad thing!This will always have a spot on my shelf!
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I wonder if the movie is as good as I found this book to be. I originally had low expectations from the book, based on the movie trailer. I was pleasantly wrong.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    The co-authors tell a story about one crazy night in a New York City club when the straight drummer in a gay band, Nick, asks a girl, Nora, to be his girlfriend for five minutes so that his ex won't pity him. They alternate telling the characters' stories about their other relationships. An excellent book, although Nora's story and dialogue was better, and turned into not only a well-made audiobook, but also movie.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    Only read about half-way through. Couldn't relate to characters or NY Music/clubbing lifestyle. Lots of F-bombs - to the point of distraction. Gave up - better things to read out there!
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I really don't even know where to begin. I can't put my love for this book into words! Why did it take me so long to read this!? Why didn't you tell me how awesome this book is? Okay, I guess its not your fault, but I really wish I would have read it a looong time ago!The book starts out with Nick's band playing a show and his ex that he still loves shows up. To keep her from talking to him he asks the girl beside him to be his 5 minute girlfriend. Norah was just minding her own business-making sure her best friend doesn't do anything she will regret-when the guy beside her asks to be her 5 minute boyfriend. She puts a little thought into it and decides to answer with a kiss. A awesome kiss. A kiss that sets all the future events of the night in motion.Nick and Norah were fantastic!! Nick is quiet and sensitive. Norah is loud and quirky. When they came together sparks flew! Their chemistry was undeniable and breathtaking. You know from the beginning that they are going to get together but the authors don't make it easy for them. It's drawn out and excruciating, but in a 'I can't get enough' kind of way. They were both so real. The way they handled things, and the problems that faced were more realistic to me than any YA I have read in a long time.I am absolutely in love with the fact that David and Rachel don't hold anything back! The F word is used in this book more than in most adult books. I kinda loved that! Honestly though, I felt all the language was necessary. How else would to teenagers in NYC talk? That's how teens in little 'ol TN talk, so it only makes sense. I'm a little disappointed to see that the movie is rated PG-13 that's a automatic message to me that the movie is going to be a disappointment.Keeping with the No Holds Barred theme, the authors definitely don't hold back when it comes to the touchy subject of sex. The sexual tension is front and center. It can't be ignored. Which is what it's like to be a teenager, right? I think the scenes in the book where done beautifully and with taste. And parents might find this scary, but it's nothing a teenager hasn't done, thought about, or heard about before!One more thing and then I will wrap this long review up! The writing was to die for! I already loved David going into this book, but I love him 100 times more now. The back and forth between him and Rachel made the book come alive! They played off of each other so well. I can't wait to read their other books.Have I gotten the point across that I loved this book? I hope so, because that was really long! You must read this book if you haven't already.....watching the movie doesn't count!
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    If you've seen the movie, let me warn you . . . this is much better. The movie couldn't handle the inner dialogue of the characters and the movie didn't switch back and forth between the two characters to go over what his or her thought was on the same event/conversation. In both cases, this makes the book much better. The authors each took a character (David wrote Nick's chapters and Rachel wrote Norah's). It really worked. I suppose growing up in NJ and moving and working in NYC helped the enjoyment of the book a little since a lot of the name dropping regarding towns and areas of the city was fun since it was recognizable. Beyond that, it was a bit like reading about my life when I was dating - not necessarily point-by-point, but the anxiety, the humor, the hope...I thought it was all captured and portrayed really well.
  • Rating: 1 out of 5 stars
    1/5
    I watched the movie first and I couldnt bare to read the book. the movie was terrible. The book starts off okay but do not dare reading on. Just not worth it. 1 star
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    While I think this book is witty and interesting, I think that I am a little too old to truly appreciate this book. Also, I believe that having some knowledge of living in the NYC area is also good to have before starting the novel. It has a lot of cultural and geographic references that I didn't understand until I had been to the places in the book. As a music junkie, I was glad to see a book with characters that appreciate music the way that I do. If only there were a Nick in real life! If you like the book, you will probably like the movie. The movie is what prompted me to pick up the book, and I was not disappointed!
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist is a charming young adult book about relationships, love and music. I loved the book and found it very entertaining. Nick is a bassist in a Queercore punk band and he is straight. Norah is a girl whose father is a music executive and is usually very straight laced and doesn't do anything wrong or out of the ordinary until she meets Nick.I loved how they met in the book. Nick's band has just finished performing and he sees his ex with another guy and it hurts him. So he asks Norah is she will be his girlfriend for the next 5 minutes. The way Norah answers him is just so not typical most girls, she decides to kiss him. Both of their reactions to the kiss are so real that I just continued to root for them as a couple.The chapters are written from both Nick and Norah's point of views, alternating, which I found very charming. You got to see how they each felt about the things that happened. Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist is about their whole night together in New York. Both have past baggage that they keep bottled up and have hurt both of them in trying to get into a new relationships. Their friends are the ones that see the truth of their feelings and play an underlying role in getting them to realize it.This is a nice quick easy read for a nice relaxing summer evening, afternoon, or day. So if you need a nice enjoyable, relaxing read then pick up Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I've read a number of David Levithan works lately, including his other collaboration with Rachel Cohn, and so it seemed only fitting that I get around to reading what's probably his most well-known book. This is a dual POV book, one each for Nick and Norah, one each for Levithan and Cohn, alternating chapters between the two, and it details the pair of them through a long night in New York City, from Nick's band's performance (he's the only straight guy in a queercore band) through another club, convenience stores, restaurants, subways, etc. There's lots of local color, and lots of cute references, and lots of good character moments, as the secondary characters weave in and out of the story, and you learn more about some of them.I did enjoy this, and I felt it was a lot tighter than their other collaboration, which went overboard on the viewpoints, even if I liked the story there more. This is really a happy story, and there are little moments of worry and self-recrimination, but they tend to be washed away pretty fast. The characters here, because they have the focus all the time, feel pretty fleshed out and real, with real teenager moments and language and sometimes erratic thought patterns. All that was quite enjoyable, and I liked spending time with them, even if I would perhaps have liked a bit more time with some of the secondary characters, too. But the book is short and fast, and there might not have been room without making the plot feel contrived, so maybe it's for the best.The thing is, in the end, that as much as I enjoyed it, it really did feel like they were trying too hard a lot of the time... even if I feel like that might have been real, and teenagers might well have been trying too hard, having it feel strained on the page some of the time is probably not ideal. But, since most of it works, it's forgivable.I still wouldn't start here for Levithan, but it's a lot of fun, and you'll read it super fast, so why not give it a try?
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I loved this book. It's a story about two teenagers who meet at a concert and the crazy night they share. It has a rotating narrative, going back and forth between Nick and then Norah's point-of-view. They are both such good characters, ripe with insecurities and hormones, they felt so real. I love the references to My So Called Life and so many good bands. My only problems were the constant f-bombs, which normally don't bother me, but there are a lot. The book was at it best when Nick and Norah were together and were just getting to know each other. It's such a sweet look at that immediate rush of feelings you get when you're falling for someone and are just desperate to get to know them better. This is the first thing I've read from either of the two authors, but it won't be the last. I'm particularly looking forward to Will Grayson, Will Grayson, Levithan's collaboration with John Green. "Right now she's hanging on to the guy from Are You Randy? like she's auditioning to be the pocket on his jacket. And I can tell he's about ready to sew her on."
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Nick has recently been dumped by his girlfriend Triss, the love of his life. What he didn't know was she had been cheating on him with many different guys. Norah on the other hand broke up with her boyfriend when he went to work on a kibbutz. He always called her frigid and made her feel like crap. They meet one night in a club after Nick's band has finished playing and when Triss shows up they pretend to be together to get her to leave them alone. They have instant chemsitry and begin an adventure around Manhattan.Norha's ex boyfriend shows up, Nick's band mates get in the way and can either of them either really get past Triss. They both have their own baggage, but a journey though music and the city eventually opens their eyes. tMy problem with this was that it went on too long. The story finished about 50 pages before the end of the book, but it kept dragging on and on and on some more. The language was pretty bad and it was quite explicit in places so it may offend some people and not recommended for younger teens, but it sounded quite authentic to me personally.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Last Saturday night, my dog and I watched Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist. We enjoyed it thoroughly. In fact, Max (that's my dog) went through three rawhide chews before the movie was finished. Three! For a two pound dog, that's pretty frigging impressive. I picked up the book the next day.I read a lot of reviews that said the book was way better than the movie. Lucky for me, I watched the movie first, so my experience was not, and shall not be, spoiled. The book follows the first "date" of a couple of recent high school grads falling in love over the course of a night. They both have some baggage to work through, which keeps the story from being overly sappy. That said, I am a sap. I loved the love story. It was really enjoyable to be with these two ultra-hip-super-witty-indie-music-snobs.I liked the he said/she said format. It was even better after having seen the movie. The book offers Nick and Norah's thoughts, which really filled in the blanks that the movie left me with. I think that these two pieces are best consumed together, preferably in the same night. Watch the movie first. It isn't going to ruin anything. There were enough differences between the film and the book for each to remain interesting. This was, dare I say, the single best "teen" book I have ever read. It made me want to do the whole "falling in love" thing all over again.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Description: Nick was just dumped by the only girl he's ever loved. Norah is in the middle of the end of her on-off relationship. One night at a club, Nick turns to Norah and says, "Will you be my girlfriend for the next five minutes?" Her answer leads them on a night of crazy adventure that has the potential to change both of them.My thoughts: I think this story starts out with a really cute idea. A chance encounter leads to one of those magical, mythical nights we all dream of having (no, not THAT kind.. you have a dirty mind). And maybe more. Unfortunately, a story like that really requires you to connect to the characters, and I had a hard time liking Nick and Norah. They're kind of whiny/angsty. Biggest pet peeve with this book? The language. Ok, people, I understand that you're into the music scene and you're rebelling against your parents and all that crap. But does every other word have to be a variation on the f-word? There are other adjectives, verbs, and even exclaimations available in the English language... let's see some creativity, please.The good news is that I think this book is one of those cases where my reaction is more of a personal taste issue than a qualitative judgement. Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist has a cool concept, and it's very well written. Just because I didn't like it doesn't mean you won't. It's all about personality chemistry. So I encourage you to try it. Let me know what you think.