Review: Dash & Lily’s Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan
4 Stars
Read February 20-22, 2013; 260 pages
Dash & Lily’s Book of Dares was a refreshing change of pace for me. It was light, sweet, and entertaining. Dash and Lily were wonderfully vibrant characters with their own sense of spunk and individuality. They’re not afraid to be themselves in all their strange/weird/charming ways. Plus, the entire concept of the book was very original. What would you do if you found a notebook in a bookstore that read: “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.” Would you dare to answer the challenge?
I loved Dash’s wit and sarcasm and acerbic humor. His whole personal perspective and the mood he conveyed was highly entertaining in its quick intelligence. He often left me smiling and chuckling. Lily was sweet and awkward and pretty much the complete opposite of Dash. Yet her point of view was endearing and earnest. They’re such different characters that you’d think they would never get along, but their love of books and words brings them together in a fun and adventurous way. (I’m getting carried along with my adverbs)
The fact that these two characters are completely different people who have never met in person, connected by a single notebook, made the reading experience fun to follow. What were they going to say to each other next? Where’s the next place they are going to dare the other to visit? Are they ever going to meet one another? Is it going to go well? I also liked that through the dares they were learning something new, experiencing something they would never have done of their own volition. Seeing how their written interactions made the characters grow was inspiring. I kind of want to try this whole scenario out myself, just for the fun of it!
Overall, Dash & Lily’s Book of Dares is about first love in all its sweet, frightening, exciting, and awkward ways. Pick it up and enjoy its sweet sentimentality, fun adventure, and engaging original concept.
Favorite Quotes:
“Words failed me, insofar as I wasn’t sure I could find the words that wouldn’t fail her” (88)
“I was usually in the mood to look for nothing in particular when I went to the Strand. Some days, I would decide that the afternoon was sponsored by a particular letter, and would visit each and every section to check out the authors whose last names began with that letter. Other days, I would decide to tackle a single section, or would investigate the recently unloaded tomes, thrown in bins that never really conformed to alphabetization. Or maybe id only look at books with green covers, because it had been too long since I’d read a book with a green cover” (3).
“I was horribly bookish, to the point of coming right out and saying it, which I knew was not socially acceptable. I particularly loved the adjective bookish, which I found other people used about as often as ramrod or chum or teetotaler” (3).
the cato chronicles 