Review : Dash and Lily’s Book of Dares
Dash and Lily’s Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan
Pages : 260
Genre : Ya, Fiction, Holiday!
Stand Alone
My Rating : 
What it’s about :
It’s Christmas time in New York, and Dash is making his way through his favorite bookstore’s shelves when he makes an interesting discovery : a red notebook filled with dares, written by a girl he’s never met. Intrigued, Dash not only accepts the challenge, but decides to challenge Lily back… As they complete the dares and get to know each other, the question arise : could they be a perfect match?
What a fun, fun book! This is my second experience with David Levithan, and it definitely makes me want to give a second try to Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist, which I couldn’t get into the first time I gave it a try.
First of all, Dash and Lily’s Book of Dares is a fun read, entertaining, with Christmas magic but written with intelligence, too. Lily’s and Dash’s chapters alternated perfectly, not too fast not too slow, in a way that allows the reader to know each of them well. And although at times I found Dash sounded a bit too adult for his age, I loved the writing, which was both heartfelt and clever. I laughed, and I felt bad for them at times, too. I could understand why Dash wasn’t amazed by Christmas, and why Lily lived for it. They were complete individuals, with many different aspects to their personalities.
I also appreciated that the book wasn’t focussed heavily on romance. Even though it’s definitely there, there is a lot more going on in the story and between the characters. I liked that there were other things going on in their lives, even though the notebook is at the center of it at the time. It made them feel more real.
I would suggest this as a great book for the holidays, but even now as winter sets in with its cold winds and dark nights, Dash and Lily’s Book of Dares would be a nice read to bring some charm and magic to a quiet evening.
I loved this book. And David Levithan. And Nick & Norah, for that matter. 😀
Sounds fun! I think I was the only person who didn’t like Nick & Nora’s Infinite Playlist, but I’m willing to give the author a second try.
You should definitely give Nick & Norah another chance. I adored that book. This one is in second place. 🙂
I just read this book this weekend. It was so much fun. I loved Nick and Norah too. I really liked the contrast between Dash and Lily, they were such opposites.
Amanda : I’m willing to give Nick and Norah an other try now. I believe I probably tried reading it at the wrong time. Too bad I gave my copy away!
Heidenkind : And I thought I was the only one! But after reading this one, I think I should give it another try. Did you try anything by Levithan alone? I can’t speak for Rachel Cohn as I’ve never read her before, but I really enjoyed Boy meets Boy.
Christina : I will! I added it to my wishlist since I gave away my other copy.
Melissa : I’m happy to hear you enjoyed it too! It’s true they were opposites, but in a way the complimented each other really well. I might want to re-read it at some point.
i love books that can make me laugh! definitely adding this to my wishlist. speaking of cold winds and dark nights, i have to thank canada for sending their winds towards texas. it’s been freezing this whole week and we have to thank canada for that.
I can’t wait to read this, as I love cozy winter reads. Glad to hear you liked it!
Haven’t read anything by David Levithan but I really want to. I have been reading great reviews about this one, Glad you liked it too.
Oooh, I’m so excited to get my hands on this one! And super stoked that it opens at the Strand in New York, which is such a cool bookstore. Plus, I’m in love with that cover… love at first sight, actually!
Toothy : Books that make me laugh are too few, really, even though in real life it’s really easy to make me laugh! And on behalf of Canada, may I say I’m sorry for our cold winds? We just like to share! :-p
Cass : I hope you enjoy it too!
Violet : So far I’ve loved what I read from him, and I’m planning on reading more.
Meg : I agree on the cover, it was love at first sight for me too!