Kindle Book Review: Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist

Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist is a novel by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan that was recently turned into a movie starring Michael Cera and Kat Dennings. I wanted to see the movie, and jumped at the chance to download the book at a reduced price when Amazon was promoting it.

The book was a quick read, but definitely not my favorite book of the year. I thought it was too childish for an adult novel and too mature for a teen novel, despite being published by Knopf Books for Young Readers. The story follows two post-breakup young adults who happen upon each other at a rock club and wind up spending the night exploring New York City.

Despite wanting to like this book (mainly because I like the two actors that play the characters in the movie), I found myself being bored by it, and, quite frankly, annoyed. The kids were exactly the type of kids I wouldn’t like in high school – making me think I wouldn’t have liked this novel as a teenager either. They spend most of their time acting as if the end of their teenage relationships were the ending of their own personalities. When they’re not whining, they’re discussing music as if they’re discussing world peace or the cure for cancer.

One other item I was annoyed at was the massive use of foul language. I’m not one to shy at a few well-placed f-bombs, but it seemed like it was used in every other sentence out of these kids’ mouths. At first it was a little funny, but as the book went on it felt forced and tired.

I’m hoping the movie will be better than the book, which would be the first time in my experience that such a thing happens.

Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist is available on the Kindle, in paperback, and as a movie.