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

Title of Book : Dash & Lily’s Book of Dares
Author : David Levithan & Rachel Cohn
Publisher : Knopf Books for Young Readers

“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.

Dash and Lily’s Book of Dares is about a boy named Dash, who tricked his parents into leaving him alone on Christmas holidays. He spent his time by wandering in Strand, a bookstore. While browsing through the shelves, he found a red moleskine notebook. Apparently, the red notebook is a property of a girl named Lily. In it Lily wrote several missions and dares the person who found the book to finish those missions. The two then correspond through the red notebook while exploring New York at holiday times.

I love the idea of daring through notebook exchanges. It’s almost like treasure hunting. The setting is perfect for me. I love New York and most of the story is located in a bookstore. So as a fellow book lover (Dash, I feel for you), I think it’s perfect. Lily is lucky that the one who found the notebook is Dash. What if some jerk found it instead? I bet it won’t be as fun as what it seems.

Lily and Dash are two different teenagers. Maybe it’s true that opposite attracts. Lily is a weirdo, she’s sensitive and a goody two shoes. Her appearance is never precisely being described in the book, so I always forget that she’s actually wearing glasses. It’s weird when suddenly there’s a description of her taking her glasses. Lily is an optimistic girl. She believes in Christmas, while Dash is cynical. At first, I thought Dash is an adult trapped in a teenager body. He’s composed. He doesn’t act like a normal teenager boy. He often uses difficult words. But then, his back story is told and turns out he’s a word geek. So I get why he’s like that. Dash is like my ideal teen boyfriend. Most of Lily’s relatives who’ve met Dash described him as a snarky boy. But for me, that’s part of his charm.  

Although I enjoyed reading this book, there’s a part that just doesn't work to me. In my opinion, the baby catching (definitely NOT stealing) accident is unnecessary. It seems like the accident is a bad attempt at adding more humor into this book. Still, if there’s no accident they won’t be stuck in the police station. Which means they won’t have a heart-to-heart conversation. Or maybe it would be better if they do it somewhere else.

Anyway, I like the ending even though honestly, I need more. I need more Dash and Lily. Overall I love this book. It’s a nice holiday read. I’d recommend this book if you like contemporary YA romance.