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Sunday, November 25, 2012

Dash & Lily’s Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan

Dash & Lily's Book of Dares
 
Dash & Lily’s Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan was both wonderful and flat.  The premise behind the book is that Lily has left a red notebook hidden in a secondhand book store.  She is doing this because her brother believes she needs romance in her life, and this is the way to do it.  At this particular book store, a boy named Dash likes to rack the shelves and fill his literary curiosity.  On this one particular day Dash notices a curious looking book, well notebook, on the shelf.  He opens this said notebook and in it he finds an invitation to play along in her book of dares, ending with “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.”  Dash of course will be spending Christmas alone, like any regular fun loving young adult so he decides this will be a great adventure for him. 

Many of the dares aren’t as ridiculous or funny as you might think.  There are some thought provoking moments in the novel, where dares are not the only option but so are truths.  Lily and Dash become obsessed with, well each other, and what the other means to them.  Without knowing each other both Lily and Dash have put each other on this pedestal as the person that will save or smooth their life.  They give too much importance and bias to each other, which only leads to the point that they might disappoint each other in the long run when they meet.

That was the wonderful part, besides the awesomely hilarious adventures these two have, I really did not see the romance between them.  I don’t want to ruin anything but it almost seemed force, as if that is how it should be and that is why it is.  Some book romances make me roll my eyes but rarely do I find some that just don’t jive with what the author has created.  Perhaps this is an individual’s bias or perception but still I must pray tell.  Other than that, it is a fun book that should be read in December with hot chocolate and a playful disposition. 

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