Naomi and Ely’s No Kiss List

Naomi and Ely’s No Kiss List by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan (2007) is a thought provoking novel about relationships—both with family and friends. Naomi and Ely are best friends, neighbors even. Both are freshman at New York University, and one day while ogling a group of guys playing pick-up basketball in a local park, Ely drops a bombshell: He kissed Naomi’s boyfriend. Naomi is understandably upset, but not because Ely kissed her boyfriend. She’s upset because this is the realization that Ely will never want to be in a romantic relationship with her. He is gay and she is straight, nothing she can do will make him fall in love with her. Eventually, Naomi and Ely find their friendship again, though it looks much different than it had previously. Both Naomi and Ely find solace in their relationships with their significant others. Naomi with Gabriel, her building’s doorman and aspiring music producer, and Ely with Bruce the Second, Naomi’s ex.