Mary's Review: Naomi and Ely's No Kiss List by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan

Its been proven that these two authors work well together: in the right circumstances they create an amazing kind of chemistry. Which is why No Kiss List is something of a disappointment. Drama abounds: Ely makes a move on Naomi's not-exactly serious boyfriend (she, of course, is clinging to the childhood dream of marrying Ely), they get into a serious fight, and soon their friends and entire apartment complex is split between the two of them. Here's the thing though; these are selfish people. So much so that at times its almost impossible to sympathize with either Ely OR Naomi. Luckily there's some other narrators as well. Bruce I, Naomi's first boyfriend, wants her back. Bruce II, the current Bruce is increasingly confused. The doorman is in love with Naomi, and the pair's friends Robin and Robin (one boy, one girl) are just caught up in the middle of it. They all have their moments, but only Bruce II truly succeeds in gaining the reader's affections. The poor kid is just so normal in a sea of divas and pseudo-stalkers, 15 and hitting the clubs. Unfortunately there's just enough to keep the reader there hoping that these people will grow and mature. And they DO...right before the novel's conclusion. In its own way it becomes more satisfying that way. If only there had been a little more reason to care along the way.
Final Verdict: 3Q, 3P