[Book Review] Dash and Lily's Book of Dares by David Levithan & Rachel Cohn

“I’ve left some clues for you.
If you want them, turn the page.
If you don’t, put the book back on the shelf, please.”

So begins the latest whirlwind romance from the bestselling authors of Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist. Lily has left a red notebook full of challenges on a favorite bookstore shelf, waiting for just the right guy to come along and accept its dares. But is Dash that right guy? Or are Dash and Lily only destined to trade dares, dreams, and desires in the notebook they pass back and forth at locations across New York? Could their in-person selves possibly connect as well as their notebook versions? Or will they be a comic mismatch of disastrous proportions?

Rachel Cohn and David Levithan have written a love story that will have readers perusing bookstore shelves, looking and longing for a love (and a red notebook) of their own.

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This was such a fun re-read for me! Dash & Lily's Book of Dares is a book I read for a few years in a row around Christmas and then the last two Christmas's I skipped it. Which I totally regret because I can't believe I don't have a review up on my page of one of my favorite holiday books. 

I have mixed feelings about our two main characters, Dash and Lily. As individual characters, I find Dash to be a bit pretentious and Lily is a bit immature/naive. I know this is on purpose because it's pointed it out often in the book. I think that they are both character that work together really well and with other characters really well. I enjoy both Dash and Lily way more when they're together in scenes or communicating through the journals. I think Lily's sibling relationship with her brother is super relatable and cute, and Dash's friendship with Boomer is really sweet. I also have to admit that the scene between Dash and Mrs. Basil when they sit down and talk for the first time killed me. It's one of my favorite, if not my favorite, scene. Although I found myself rolling my eyes often with some of the stuff Dash and Lily say, especially Dash because my god he is so pretentious and full of himself. I think it's because Dash reminded me of a John Green type a bit pretentious main male character, and for some reason there's something about that kind of character I really like. And enough parts of me related to Lily for me to have a soft spot for her. However, with Lily specifically I found her super cringey. It's hard not to with lines like "Gosh! Ex-squeamish me?"

The plot is so cute and unique. I love the way Dash and Lily become acquainted and I like that they get to know each other in this weird way. It made it a lot of fun to watch their friendship form and to see them open up to each other because they both seem to prefer opening up by writing versus orally. Their evil little directions for each other made me smile a lot and I love that they messed with each other. They obviously had similar tastes in humor and it worked really well. I think that because this book has so many funny moments it makes the romance (or more beginning of a friendship) feel really cute and enjoyable to read.  

I think the writing was good, I assume that David Levithan wrote Dash's chapters and Rachel Cohn wrote Lily's. I thought that their writing styles were unique enough that it gave both characters distinct voices but they also worked really well together. It wasn't super jarring to go from one character to the next, but it was distinct enough that I was never confused with who's chapters I was reading from. I think both writers did the dialogue and character interactions really well. My only complaint with the writing really was some smaller things. I found that some of the adults (other than Mrs. Basil) were those kind of weird caricatures of real adults. I am talking specifically about Lily's grandfather and parents. They seemed overly cheesy and unrealistic. So maybe that is more of a Cohn issue than a Levithan issue. 

My other complaint, is that there were some things mentioned that felt a bit outdated. I know that this book was set in 2010 so I can't fault it much but it was still not the best. One thing being in an early Dash chapter Dash implied penis=boy, which isn't the case when it comes to trans people. It's a small thing and I think because this book came out 8 years ago when trans rights/topics weren't being discussed as much in the media and in society in general I just felt like it didn't age well. Another thing that bugged me is a personal thing, which is I am sick of the "the girl can't date because she's a girl while her brother can be in his room with his boyfriend without issue" "you can't date ever, you're a girl" type attitude Lily's family had when it came to her. I suppose because she's so naive and immature I can almost see it for that aspect but at the same time it made Lily seem even younger. They treat her with baby gloves in almost all aspects of her life, which drove me insane. It makes me want to re-read the sequel (which I remember nothing from) just to hopefully see her grow as a character. I think that's why I like Dash and Lily so much together, they help each other. Dash helps Lily grow out of her shell and Lily helps Dash open up. It's sweet. 

With the characters being a bit rocky for me at times and the writing being okay but not amazing, my 4.5 leaf rating may seem a bit high, even with how much I love the unique plot in which the characters meet. However, I think the one thing that has me picking this book up is the warm and fuzzy holiday feelings. There is something so amazing about how this story puts you in the holiday spirit. I still cannot place where the story pulls those holiday feelings out of me every single time but it does it without fail each time. I think because of this, even with some of the faults the book has, I can't help but love it because it makes me so happy.

Overall, I do recommend this book if you're in the mood for a holiday book. I know that Christmas is over, and that is the main holiday discussed in this book, but I think Christmas celebrations should last till the New Year anyway. So if you're still in the Christmas spirit, or maybe just want to add it to your list for next holiday season, I think this is a good one. 

Thanks for reading!