Over the past few years I've read several of Rachel Cohn's books: GINGERBREAD, SHRIMP, POP PRINCESS, and NICK AND NORAH'S INFINITE PLAYLIST. I just got ELI AND NAOMI'S NO-KISS LIST from the library. Yesterday it was time to start the book, and I found that I didn't want to. I did it anyway (I had a doctor's appointment and some waiting room time). And I got into it right away.
So, I was trying to figure out why the thought of reading Rachel Cohn's books exhausts me so much. I still never did read CUPCAKE to finish the Cyd Charisse series. I never read Rachel's other series THE STEPS. It's like, while I'm reading the books, I enjoy them well enough. But when I'm not reading them, I'm just never sure if I want to read another one.
Last night, halfway through NO KISS-LIST, I figured it out (again. I have made this revelation in the past, too): I just don't like her protags. I didn't like Cyd Charisse. I only sort of liked Wonder. I really didn't like Norah. And now, I don't like Naomi. (Only time will tell if I end up disliking her as much as Norah.)
Now, Naomi might just as much be David Levithan's creation as she is Rachel's. I know they wrote this one differently from INFINITE PLAYLIST. I do find it interesting though. Rachel has a voice I enjoy, and stories I usually like in some ways, too. But her main characters are too flawed for my liking. If they were real people, I wouldn't want to spend time with a single one of them.