Rgz Street Team: Alex reviews Naomi and Ely's No-Kiss List by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan

The rgz Street Team is a group of teens who bring YA reviews to our blog, led by Postergirl Miss Erin. Find out more.

Today, Alex reviews Naomi and Ely's No-Kiss List by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan (did you guys know this book is slated to be a movie starring Hayden Panettiere?!):

Naomi and Ely's No Kiss List is about a friendship that reaches a breaking point, a girl who likes a guy who likes guys, and college life. Ely and Naomi are best friends who have a “No Kiss List” which is made of up of who they cannot kiss in order to preserve their friendship. When Ely kisses Naomi’s boyfriend, Naomi is furious, not because Ely kissed her boyfriend but because she finally realized that Ely would rather kiss everyone else, but not her. In the end, Naomi finally understands that “gay” is not a choice and that Ely will always love her but as a sister.

This book was AMAZING! I love how it showed more than one side of each story. In life, there is always more than one point of view and it was fascinating to see one event from multiple points of view. It switched from character to character and slowly informed the reader of each character's past and their interests. It revolves around a BFF breakup and reading both Ely's and Naomi's point-of-view made it intense. It really makes one wonder what is going through the minds of others around when they are talking. Perhaps they are feeling the same about an event, perhaps not. One of my favorite lines in the book was said by Gabriel, the nighttime doorman. "Is he brown or yellow, or white, or what?" It appeals to me because I constantly have people asking me "What ARE you?" It also shows rather than states Gabriel's ethnicity and appearance. Books that make you visualize characters and scenes without outright describing them intrigue me.