Naomi and Ely's No Kiss List

A must read

Naomi and Ely¿s No Kiss List, written by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan, details the friendship between Naomi and Ely. Two best friends from New York, who have been living across the hall from each other since they were kids. The novel pulls the reader in from the first line, with Naomi saying, ¿I lie all the time.¿ She lies to everyone but Naomi says, ¿mostly, I lie to Ely.¿ This is because she is in love with. She dreams about where they will get married, their house they will live in, and their child. However, the only problem is Ely is gay. This causes problems for them. So in order to keep their friendship from falling apart, Naomi and Ely created the No Kiss List. The No Kiss List is the ¿insurance against a Naomi and Ely breakup.¿ However, when Ely kisses Naomi¿s boyfriend, Bruce the second, their friendship turns upside down. Ely is oblivious to Naomi¿s feelings for him however, thinking that kissing Bruce the second was the reason for their breakup. Although, the real reason is that Naomi finally realizes that her dreams of a romantic relationship with Ely will never come true, which leaves her devastated. Rachel Cohn and David Levithan message of the novel is that soul mates come in many form whether it be romantic or platonic. In addition, they prove that maybe ¿if you¿re lucky---and if you try really hard---there will always be more than one¿ soul mate.

The way David Levithan and Rachel Cohn wrote this novel is interesting because it is written from many different characters such as Naomi, Ely, Robin (male), Robin (female), Bruce the first, Bruce the second, and Kelly. Although many would think this is confusing, it really is not that hard to keep track of. This is because all the character sound so different from one another, and act differently. In addition, the writing style Cohn and Levithan use for each character is different as well. For example when the Naomi is speaking symbols are used sometimes instead of words. Also, I liked how the novel, even though it is written from many perspectives, all discuss Naomi and Ely¿s breakup. However, the authors also incorporate many subplots about the other characters lives and relationships.

I would recommend this novel to at least high school age students. This is because of the expletive language the authors use. However, once you get past the language you see the true beauty of the novel, which is the message of friendship, and accepting people for who they are. This is because it does not matter whether a person gay, straight, or just wears bad clothes, because a person is entitled to their own beliefs.

I really enjoyed this book because it showed that a person could have many soul mates. However, I did not like that the novel never pointed out that you should never lie to yourself about your own feelings, because keeping them hidden can create problems within yourself.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Only Average

Written by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan, Naomoi and Ely¿s No Kiss List, perfectly describes the relationship between highschool teenagers. Naomi and Ely have always been best friends. They have lived across the hall from each other since they could talk. They share everything from secrets to clothes. They¿ve survived the toughest situations in their lives like when Naomi¿s parents get divorced. They both joke about how but they love each other and all the spots that they are going to get married in and Naomi has always been under the impression that she will marry and Ely. However, there is just one slight flaw in Naomi¿s plan... the fact that Ely is flamingly gay. But this doesn¿t stop Naomi she continues to believe that Ely will overcome his ¿gayness¿ and start loving her. To avoid drama the duo has developed over the years the no kiss list. This list composes of people that are off limits two both Naomi and Ely and they understand that no compromises can be made as to kissing someone on the list.


Recently the duo has graduated highschool and are currently freshman at NYU.
Naomi has been dating a guy named Bruce whom she met are her first college party and everything seems like its going well. Until Naomi is late for a date and he is forced to spend time alone with Ely. At first Bruce feels awkward with Ely because he feels like he doesn¿t fit in but just then, Ely kisses him. This brings up totally new emotions in Bruce and Ely. Bruce is scared at first but realizes that he is into Ely, of course this rips Naomi¿s heart out. Naomi can¿t believe that Ely would ever betray her like that, even if her boyfriend wasn¿t on the no kiss list, she thought that Ely would have enough common sense not to make a move on her boyfriend. As to be expected Naomi is furious and begins making rules about what time her and Ely use the elevators and get their mail, so they can avoid each other at all costs. Naomi goes as far as claiming which starbucks are hers. Naomi is ready to clean Ely out of her life forever, but is Ely? Can their friendship outlive this roadblock? Well you¿ll just have to read the book to find out .

Overall, the book is only decent. The authors use symbols in place of some words and they can be very hard to decipher for the exact meaning that they intended. Also, every chapter is written my a different character which can get pretty confusing. The book can be quite predictable but then it the authors throw a curveball. They authors also use a lot of language so, if you¿re sensitive to that kind of stuff i definitely wouldn¿t recommend reading the book. I feel like is book is more geared towards girls but I would recommend it to any teenager who wants to read a book about the ups and downs of friendship.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Reviewed by Dianna Geers for TeensReadToo.com

Naomi and Ely have grown up across the hall from each other in their Manhattan apartments. They have been together forever and know every detail about each other. Naomi knows that she and Ely will grow up to be married, have children, and live happily ever after.

Even if Ely is gay.

However, as many of us find out, life rarely turns out the way people plan. Parents don't always stay married, we don't always marry the person we love the most, people don't always keep promises, boys don't always love girls, and soul mates don't really exist. No matter how much you think they do. No matter how desperately you want them to. Life just doesn't happen that way. And really, should it?

This story is told in chapters of varying points of view. Your heart races, it aches, and it loves while you are brought into the world of lovable but flawed characters.

One of the biggest questions that comes up again and again is: How does one go on with life when everything they once knew and once planned on is no longer possible?

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

umm well i started to get a little confused. I dont like the fac

umm well i started to get a little confused. I dont like the fact that its written in the perspective of like a dozen different people

One of my favorite books!

This book is beautiful. While I admit that the narration and the symbols Naomi uses are cool, the most amazing thing about this book is the story itself and the amazing writing. One of the most quotable books ever.

Naomi and Ely are best friends. They create a no kiss list.

Unfortunately their friendship is tested however when Ely kisses Naomi's boyfriend. Will it all work out in the end? Will Naomi and Ely speak to each other again? This book's good. There's some swearing so if you're not used to that then this book may not be for you. Again if you like the author's two other books then you'll probably like this one. Cute cover.

Great Read

originally posted at: www.aurorareviews.blogspot.com ****** This is the second collaborative novel from Cohn and Levithan - both authors that I adore. I went into this book with high expectations as I have really enjoyed the previous co-written novel as well as many of their individual novels. They did not disappoint.

Naomi and Ely, best friends from an early age, are like one entity and feel like a part of them is missing if the other is not around. The friendship between the two is one of comedy, spontaneity and uniqueness. Naomi loves Ely in more than a friend kind of way even though she knows that Ely is gay. They pretend that one day they will get married, but Ely doesn't realize that deep down Naomi wants that pretend game to come true. They create a No Kiss List, so that they know which guys are off limits for dating - "The No Kiss List is our insurance against a Naomi & Ely breakup". As the novel goes on, their friendship gets ripped apart, because one breaks the pact of the list. This leaves the two torn with the truth, angry at each other and themselves and trying to put the pieces back together.

Each chapter is written from a different character's point of view, not just Naomi and Ely, but friends and lovers too. It is a very interesting concept to have so many points of view for the same story as it goes along, but it also lets you see how others see the friendship develop and fall apart. Each chapter has a uniqueness to it and the style of writing changes based on the character speaking. Naomi's sections use a lot of wingding font images to stand in for some words, which for the most part I understood based on the text surrounding them. The only other characters style that stood out to me was Gabriel, Naomi's maybe love interest. His one section was a play list of songs, he made a mix tape for Naomi, where he explains why each song has meaning and you learn quite a lot about his past through this process. It was a very creative way to show the background of a character.

I found myself fighting for Naomi and Ely and wanting them to finally figure out their issues and make nice again. It was exciting to see how they each come to a realization about themselves and actually learn from the "breakup". Naomi grows so much as a character, from being a snotty, self-absorbed girl into an understanding and compassionate lady. And Ely himself learns that all he has truly wanted was love, but kept pushing everything away that might actually bring that to him.

Overall, a great read and an interesting look at friendship, the meaning of love on many different levels, and how life can throw curve balls at you to test your ability to weather the storms. I hope to see more from Cohn and Levithan in the future as they write so beautifully together.

Good on its own aspect.

I like how the author used pictures for their writing style. However, they failed to entertain me that much. I don't regret buying this book. On the other hand, I won't buy another book from these two authors.

Noami and Ely's no kiss list is about two bestfriends, Naomi and Ely. They are very close to each other that they make a no-kiss list, a list who are off-limits to kiss. Ely crossed the line when he Kissed Bruce, Naomi's boyfriend, and that's where the story begins.

I heard that this is going to be a movie, and Hayden Panettiere will be playing Naomi. I really love Hayden; therefore, I will watch the movie even though I don't like the book that much.

this is a great book for something shocking

I liked this book alot. It does something not many books I own do, and that is putting me out of my comfort zone. This included guys making out and and other thing that I don't always feel comfortable with so it was good to be able to read it and feel less werid about that stuff. This is also about two friends and what hapeens after ely gets caught with Naomi's boyfriend, bruce the second,is tears their friendshop apart and they try to fix the frindship. The dialouge was funny and the pictures that were there in place of the word added extra to the persons thoughts.

Loved This Book

Naomi and Ely have been best friends for forever. They love each other, although Naomi may love Ely in a way that he doesn¿t love her ¿ she¿s straight, he¿s gay. They¿ve gone though everything together from teaching each other how to kiss to their parents¿ big fight. And to make sure nothing goes wrong with their friendship, they created the No Kiss List, a list of people that neither of the friends is allowed to kiss. That¿s until Ely kisses Naomi¿s boyfriend, Bruce the Second, though. It seems as if the friendship will be torn apart, and Naomi and Ely struggle to come to terms with what their friendship really was and what remains. I have to say that Naomi and Ely¿s No Kiss List was a beautiful story. It explores sexuality and the fine line between friendship and something more. I really loved the chapters told from nearly all the characters¿ perspectives, and especially the chapters from Naomi or Ely¿s points of view. Rachel Cohn and David Levithan do a wonderful job of portraying each of the characters thoughts and emotions. I was rooting for Naomi and Ely to repair their friendship throughout the whole story, and I also really enjoyed reading as each they grew and learned more of themselves. Although I did really love Rachel Cohn and David Levithan¿s first co-written novel, Nick & Norah¿s Infinite Playlist, I have to say that I enjoyed Naomi and Ely¿s No Kiss List much more. Both, however, are very well-written and memorable novels that I recommend to everyone.

Naomi and Ely's No-Kiss List by David Levithan and Rachel Cohn

Naomi and Ely are the bestest of best friends- they've grown up together, been around each other all their lives, gone through parental drama. Everything seems to be going fine- the problem though is that Naomi is in love with Ely, and Ely doesn't feel the same way, as he loves boys. One stick of gum in the wrong place at the wrong time changes everything between them. Can they both work out their differences and become friends again, or is it just too late? The second novel to come from the brilliant Cohn and Levithan team is, well, brilliant. Perhaps even better than their first novel together. The story is told from both Naomi and Ely's point of view, but every so often, the reader gets to hear from a different character's perspective. Filled with intelligent, but readable prose, as well as humor, page-turning drama, and engaging, relatable characters, this is one book you do not want to miss.

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