Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist

In the beginning, I wasn't really sure about this book. I expected Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist to sweep me off my feet, for all the praise it's gotten. And in the beginning, it didn't. But it speedily won me over.

The book starts out with Nick playing bass at a club, when he spots his late ex-girlfriend, Tris, who he still has feelings for. Unable to swallow his pride at seeing her with another guy, he asks the closest girl to be his girlfriend for five minutes. And the closest girl just happened to be Norah, a spunky music-lover who also knows Tris. After a fevered kiss, five minutes turns into all night (and morning), which they spend getting to know each other through several crazy adventures.

Nick and Norah were two of the most complex characters I've come across. It was hard understanding them at times, but it made the story all the more intriguing. They were extremely unique and outgoing, as well as withdrawn and troubled. They clicked on and off throughout the whole book, but ended up being perfect for each other. The alternating POVs was a nice touch, and I could tell each of the characters had a distinct voice.

After seeing so many commercials for the movie, it was hard to create a separate image of Nick and Norah in my mind. That's not necessarily a bad thing, because I absolutely adore Michael Cera and think the actress for Norah seems like a good match. But I just wonder how I would have interpreted the book and characters before seeing the previews.

Anyway, I loved the use of references within the book. From the South Park movie to the picture book Are You My Mother?, there was definitely a wide range of them. And they were all pretty damn comical. The humor in this book measured up to what I expected, after reading Naomi and Ely's No Kiss List. It's hard to exactly pinpoint what type of humor it is, but it's definitely an amusing one.

Plus, how can you not love a book with these lines:

"You know what it's all about, Nick?"
"No."
"The Beatles."
"What about The Beatles?"
"They nailed it."
"Nailed what?"
"Everything."

Enough said.