Naomi and Ely's No Kiss List: Rachel Cohn and David Levithan.

4/5 Stars

Maybe some things can’t last forever, that they have to change, and people have to move on from their childhoods. Naomi and best friend+boyslut Ely thought that they would be BFFs 4ever... but when Ely violates the sacred "No-Kiss-List..." by kissing Naomi's boyfriend Bruce the Second, everything goes SPAZ. Will Naomi and Ely's friendship stay alive, will they solve their various family, friends, love issues? Cohn and Levithan use simple, hilarious, and straight-talking prose in an endearing story that is 100% original as well.
This story reminds me of Nick and Nora's Infinite Playlist, but the prose is a bit more choppy and awkwardly timed. The story is told from 1st person accounts, and I feel like there were a bit too many character's to keep track of (in middle of passage -> hey, wait, who's talking again?) The closeness of Ely and Naomi, doesn't need to be stated. But even when they fight, their closeness, their understanding of each other, is touching. The authors manage to create excitement and uncertainty yet still let you into the character’s hearts. And the sign language is so sweet.
Naomi and Ely’s story is about friendships as much as love. It's about relationships: those that change, are born, and are renewed. It's a funny, sweet story, and I would recommend it for some light reading.

Let it Snow: Maureen Johnson, John Green, Lauren Myracle

5/5 Star

I once heard this song, like a fresh breeze singing“...can’t you feel, can’t you feel my heart? My love” Add Christmas bells ringing, and that perfectly portrays the essence of these Christmas stories. The yearning hearts of all these young lovers and lovers-soon-to-be.
Maureen Johnson is absolutely hilarious (I burst out laughing quite a few times). She has an amazing ability to observe and pick up on quirky details, making Jubilee’s account, cute, dorky, and absolutely lovable. (The Flobie village debacle was... (I have no words for it...)) The interaction between Jubilee and Stuart, her love interest, is a bit more serious and their emotions are portrayed with (adorable) honesty, no overdramatic, gushy angst. I do like the rather subtle way they arrive at the conclusion that they are perfect for each other.
John Green’s group of semi-misfits (not in an angry rebel way of course:) Tobin, Duke, and JP blaze on an adventure through the blizzard in pursuit of cheerleaders and some delicious hash browns. Their sarcastic banter and odd adventure will make you laugh. Tobin takes a big leap from friendship to love, and his perspective on the leap is innocent yet insightful. I liked this story best because of character’s attitudes (which I related to most) and the complexity of his theme.
Lauren Myracle tells the last story, the reuniting of two lovers. Abbie’s story felt like the weakest part. First of all, it felt a little too long. Despite this, Lauren Myracle does an excellent job of bringing the characters from the three stories together, albeit a little bumpily. But I loved the feeling of strong, lasting love Ms. Myracle brought to this Christmas picture- contrasting well with the previous two, new, loves to make the big Christmas love story complete.
Let it Snow is what it is, teens+blizzard+Christmas= winter storm that buries the reader in six feet fuzzy, young love. So, READ THIS BOOK, it’ll feel like a fresh breeze in this world of cluttered up overly-hormonic hotguy-hotguy-hotguy-hotgurl pop fiction. Actually, I’m inspired to read some other Maureen Johnson books now.