Dash & Lily's Book of Dares

by Rachel Levithan Cohn

[jeannamichel]

Lily, in hopes a boy might find it, left a red notebook in the Strand, a bookstore in NYC. In the red notebook is a series of dares and when Dash finds the notebook, he completes all of them. Lily and Dash begin their relationship through words, a conversation within Lily’s notebook. Only fate will decide if they will meet and become friends.

During the holiday season, I was in the mind to read some cutesy, chick lit and someone recommended I read Dash and Lily’s Book of Dares. It’s the prefect book for the holidays, I was told and, so I dived right in to it.

Dash narration was the most entertaining and humorous. His beyond-his-years outlook on life amused me immensely and kept me entertained. His friend, Boomer, deserved a more starring role because Boomer might have made Dash’s narration so funny. Lily was as cute as can be and her narration was safe. Her perspective was written differently but didn’t seem any different than the next nice, cliché girl who wants to be adventurous sometimes. Both characters are extremely relatable which make the reader connect more easily to the book.

The book started out cute, just like I thought it would. Dash and Lily was cute, adorable, and inspiring. It was light and a fast read. However, as much as I loved the cuteness factor, it got tremendously ridiculous somewhere in the middle and didn’t stop. I couldn’t take anything serious anymore. I didn’t know what was a joke and what was supposed to be serious. Lily catching a baby who was flying through the sky was where I drew the line. I couldn’t take it anymore. The cuteness had gone too far. As much as I deemed it ridiculous, I finished the entire novel.

The ending surprised me because I realized it came full circle. The opening scene in the book is Dash looking for something to read at the Strand, and the ending scene is Dash and Lily in the Strand. Anything that has to do with the Strand would have found its way into my hands eventually. The Strand is a lovely place and to read a book where the characters visit a place you love is beyond cool.

Dash and Lily’s Book of Dares is a good book to read during the holidays. It is a fun, fast read that will have you laughing out loud.