Review: Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist

Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist

Author: Rachel Cohn & David Levithan

Publication Date: May 23rd 2006

Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers

Genre: Contemporary

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Synopsis:

t all starts when Nick asks Norah to be his girlfriend for five minutes. He only needs five minutes to avoid his ex-girlfriend, who’s just walked in to his band’s show. With a new guy. And then, with one kiss, Nick and Norah are off on an adventure set against the backdrop of New York City—and smack in the middle of all the joy, anxiety, confusion, and excitement of a first date. This he said/she said romance told by YA stars Rachel Cohn and David Levithan is a sexy, funny roller coaster of a story about one date over one very long night, with two teenagers, both recovering from broken hearts, who are just trying to figure out who they want to be—and where the next great band is playing.

My Thoughts: I have to admit, I watched the movie for this book way before reading it. When the movie first came out I didn't realize that it was based on a book, so I watched it before reading it. Well it's probably a good thing I did because if I had of read this first, I wouldn't have watched the movie. This is one of those rare cases where the movie is actually better than the book for me. Like way better.

For some reason, even though this book is only 183 pages, which would make you think it was fast paced, I found it really slow. I was wondering when anything was going to happen. Another thing that bothered me? I'm not sure how many times this book says "fuck" or some variety of it, but it was way too many times. Wait, scratch that, I looked it up and someone has it counted as 335 f-bombs in the 183 pages that this book is. Yeah, at least almost twice per page. Now I don't exactly have the cleanest mouth out there, but that just seems a bit ridiculous to me.

I dunno, maybe it's just me, but I did finish the book and it was okay. I definitely won't be reading it again and it's not the first book I'd recommend to someone. I might tell them to watch the movie, it at least was censored. Sometime too much swearing is a bad thing. I don't care if the characters are in New York and if that's what it's like, it doesn't make for an enjoyable read. Plus the insta love thing that was going on? Not really that believable for me, especially when the two of them were still obsessing over their ex's, because they were. How can you claim to be falling in love with someone when you can't stop thinking about and comparing them to someone else. Nope, not really insta love for me, more like raging teenage hormones.

If you're interested in this one, I say skip the book and watch the movie. More like 1.5 Owls, not two.

Review: Beta by Rachel Cohn

Beta
(Annex #1)

Author: Rachel Cohn

Publication Date: October 16th 2012

Publisher: Hyperion

Genre: Science Fiction / Dystopian

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Synopsis:

Elysia's purpose is to serve the inhabitants of Demesne, an island paradise for the wealthiest people on earth. Everything about Demesne is bioengineered for perfection. Even the air induces a strange, euphoric high, which only the island's workers--soulless clones like Elysia--are immune to.

At first, Elysia's life is idyllic and pampered. But she soon sees that Demesne's human residents, who should want for nothing, yearn. But for what, exactly? She also comes to realize that beneath the island's flawless exterior, there is an under-current of discontent among Demesne's worker clones. She knows she is soulless and cannot feel and should not care--so why are overpowering sensations cloud-ing Elysia's mind?

If anyone discovers that Elysia isn't the unfeeling clone she must pretend to be, she will suffer a fate too terrible to imagine. When her one chance at happi-ness is ripped away with breathtaking cruelty, emotions she's always had but never understood are unleashed. As rage, terror, and desire threaten to overwhelm her, Elysia must find the will to survive.

My Thoughts: There are a lot of different reviews out there for Beta. I've heard both good and bad things, however, I absolutely loved this book! Maybe it's because it's both science fiction and dystopian, or maybe it was the brilliant writing which kept me up way past when I should have been sleeping, but I can't even think of anything that I disliked in this book. This was actually my first taste of Rachel Cohn's writing, I haven't read anything by her before so had no idea what to expect going in. She hasn't disappointed me, that's for sure. And the cover! It is one that will catch your eye, making you pick up the book. I love the cover, especially the way the tattoo on her face shines!

Elysia is a clone of a girl who died, she doesn't know how her First died, just that she is dead. Clones are made from the bodies of the dead, their soul is removed so that they will be unfeeling. They won't want for anything, which means they will do everything they are told. It doesn't quite work that way for Elysia though. For some reason she has a sense of taste, something she shouldn't have. She has feelings for Tahir, a gorgeous boy who's just recently returned to the island after an accident. She also has memories of another man, in the water, someone from her First's past. If her owners knew of any of this, they would have her Expired for being a Defect. So she has to hide her feelings and sensations. She can't ask anyone about it because there is no one to trust. She's a brave character struggling to find a balance that won't have her killed, but once she meets Tahir, it gets harder for her to hide them.

Cohn does a wonderful job creating a world you can easily envision and get lost in. There were many times when I was reading that I just wasn't able to stop. I carried the book around with me constantly, sneaking in couple of pages whenever I could find the time. I wish I could have just sat and read the whole thing in one sitting, but I don't think my daughter would find that fun. I found the story to be very unique in a time where is seems everything is a dystopian. It is one that will stand out and make you want for more. Especially after the ending! It was so, so cruel! I'm going to be anxiously anticipating the next in the Annex series! This is one that I'm definitely going to be recommending!