Dash And Lily's Book Of Dares: The hilarious unmissable feel-good romance of 2020! Now an original Netflix Series!: Book 1 (Dash & Lily)

While browsing through the Strand, Dash finds a red Moleskine notebook tucked in between some of the books by his favourite author. Inside he finds a note from Lily and a dare, which he decides to follow up with a dare of his own. Thus begins a series of challenges between Dash and Lily that will

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take them across New York City and communicating with each other through the red notebook. But when Dash and Lily finally meet the question is raised of whether reality can ever mesh with the person they've imagined on the page.

A thorough charmer, like other Cohn and Levithan novels, the book is written with chapters that alternate in perspective. Dash and Lily are both fun characters with quirks and flaws, but ones to whom I found it easy to relate (I was Lily in a lot of ways in high school). The plot itself is quite fun as the characters do ridiculous (and often out of character) things at the prompting of the stranger on the other side of the notebook while also reflecting deeply on what makes us people and how we see others matching the reality of those people. The novel would make a great Christmas read, although in no way does it lose anything being read during the summer.

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3.5/5 stars.

This is a book I'd been hearing about since it was first released, but never actually picked up. However, I'm participating in WinterHaven Books' Sleigh Tour, and our first task was to read a Christmas or Winter-themed book, and this one seemed like a perfect fit (and also a perfect

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excuse to finally read it). And I'm glad I made it my choice, because overall I did really enjoy this book quite a bit. It definitely had a wonderful holiday feel to it.

Dash & Lily's Book of Dares is told in alternating viewpoints. You get Dash, a rather "snarly" teenage boy, who discovers a red notebook hidden in the shelves at The Strand, and decides to take it upon himself to follow its clues and quests. The other narrator is Lily, a (perhaps too angelic and sweet) teenage girl who actually created the notebook (with help). What follows are some rather funny, rather heartfelt, rather cute entries between the two as they use the notebook - and rather funny quests - to get to know each other. I have to admit that I was drawn more to Dash's narration than I was to Lily's, mostly because I couldn't help but love his rather sarcastic and straight to the point way of talking about himself and the world around him. My one complaint is that his voice sounded far older than his supposed age of sixteen, but nonetheless was enjoyable and created several laugh-out-loud moments (particularly their adventure with Boris the bullmastiff). Likewise, Lily also sounded too old for sixteen, and there were little things about her that sort of grated on me. This is not to say I didn't enjoy her chapters, because I did, but I didn't really find myself relating to her as much as I think I was supposed to. This is just a personal issue, though, so of course, your mileage may vary!

I was surprised a bit by the fact that there was quite a bit of personal introspection here; I was expecting all humor all the time, but the journal entries were really quite serious at some points. To me, that helped keep the book from tipping completely over into over-the-top saccharine sweetness (even though there is plenty sweet), which I feel would have been detrimental to the whole point of the book. I definitely appreciated the "aww"-inducing moments, and loved the humor, but was also pleased to see that there was more to the book than that.

If you're looking for a fun holiday read, definitely give Dash & Lily's Book of Dares a try. I think everyone could find something to enjoy about this book, whether you're like Dash and can't stand the holiday, or love it just as much as Lily!

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“I particularly loved the adjective bookish, which I found other people used about as often as ramrod or chum or teetotaler.“

Oh David Levithan, may I call you David? I now officially adore you. Rachel Cohn, I haven’t read your work before but I certainly will now. I truly enjoyed the

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sweetness of A Lover’s Dictionary, but Dash & Lily’s Book of Dares stole my heart. This book is like a big bear hug infused with lots of intelligence, wit and an almost obsessive love of books. (which we all know, is the best kind.)

Its Christmas season in Manhattan and Dash and Lily, 16, are thrown together in a whirlwind adventure that starts and ends in the Strand. (If you don’t know the Strand, it is also known as the most awesome bookstore in New York.) Lily leaves a red moleskine notebook (because what other kind would feature in a bookstore adventure?) which she hides among the stacks of the Strand, next to Franny and Zoey, of course. She leaves a trail of literary clues in the notebook for a boy to find and follow. Dash, a fellow book lover, finds the notebook, follows her clues and then in return, leaves some of his own. They pass the notebook back and forth in places that tell the other person a little about their personality and their lives. Lily leaves it with Santa (she loves-loves-loves christmas), Dash leaves it at the movie Grandma Got Run Over By Reindeer (dash, obviously, does not.) And on and on they go, until well.. you’ll see.

This book is obviously written by a bibliophile and will appeal to all such like-minded book geeks everywhere. But it will also appeal to anyone who loves a good laugh and a great turn of phrase. They, and their story, are clever while being irresistibly charming. Although at times it may feel a little unrealistic because these teens are so well read, so articulate, so eloquent and so lovely, I found myself not caring. It is just extremely satisfying to believe, if only within the pages of this book, that such teens exist. That such people exist.

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Rachel Cohn and David Levithan, the bestselling authors of Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist, come together again to bring us Dash & Lily’s Book of Dares.

The book starts with Dash finding a peculiar red notebook in his favourite bookstore. The notebook is filled with challenges, and since he

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doesn’t have nothing better to do, he does the dares and leaves some more for Lily to do. Lily and Dash only communication is through this notebook, that they pass between each other in ingenious ways.

They are able to express their deepest fears and thoughts through the notebook, they learn that they have a lot of things in common, more than their favourite writer.

The book is short and sweet. The dares are funny, and the characters enjoyable, even though the protagonist may verge in the unrealistic side. Both Dash and Lily are very knowledgeable, maybe too much for sixteeners, and enjoy reading classics and using long words, which sometimes threw me off because I just couldn’t fathom someone holding conversations like theirs, without them being scripted.

The story is also very unrealistic. But it was cute, and it was an entertaining and light read.

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A message in a used bookshop leads Dash on a treasure hunt. Dash and Lily both stuck me a little bit pretentious, and lots of things were clichéd, like the elderly aunt who instantly sees that Dash is a good sort. But the plots twisted enough to keep me interested, and by the end, I enjoyed both

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characters - especially having the opportunity to see the same events through both sets of eyes.

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Two teens who have never met, but both of whom are alone at the holidays, correspond via a red notebook transported between them by friends and family. In a kind of treasure hunt, they set missions for each other in Christmas-time New York City.

A younger, more innocent turn for Cohn and Levithan. I really enjoyed the scavenger hunt conceit, and I loved Lily and Dash’s opposing feelings about the holidays – Dash’s bah-humbug compared with Lily’s cheerful-Christmas-elf cracked me up. I think Lily’s relentless good cheer was a bit

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of a stretch for Rachel Cohn – it was definitely a stretch for me. But as we started to see some cracks in her Christmassy armor I warmed up to her. A sweet read.

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Of course it's well-written, being authored by two powerhouses of YA literature, but I just did not care for this book. I kind of hated Dash (I'm sorry, David Levithan!) and Lily wore on me after awhile. I guess it wasn't the kind of book that I wanted it to be, which is not at all a fair way to

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judge a book, but it's how I feel.

I would definitely hand this to any Nerdfighters you come across and possibly fans of Nick & Norah (I haven't read that one myself, so I can't say for certain).

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When Dash finds a Moleskine journal full of dares, he thinks why not. And thus begins Dash and Lily’s book of dares—who can out dare the other? Is a movie ticket to see “Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer” for someone who’s full of holiday cheer worst than having to run Santa’s warm,

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hairy, sweaty beer bully in front of a line of children? But more importantly is the person behind the dares as great as he or she sounds on paper?
David Levithan and Rachel Cohn is a powerhouse team who are best known for the novel, Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist having been turned into a movie. Levithan wrote Dash’s chapters while Cohn wrote Lily’s. One can easily tell.

Here is my impression while reading the novel: Dash, as horrible as it sounds, has a monotone voice in my mind. Not blah boring, but like Ben Stein’s monotone humor. It’s a very concise humor that hits home. The scene where Dash is forced to retrieve the notebook from Santa’s belly cracked me up. So much. Oh God, I’m giggling behind the screen right home recalling the “Ho, ho, ho” Santa screamed when some of his belly hair was ripped. Dash is very intellectually and does not shy away from ‘big’ words. He is part cynical, part realist, but I think deep down is the type to believe in love. (Of course, don’t we all.)

Lily is all exclamation points: !!!! She talks LOUDER with more vibrancy and overall just a lot less sane compared to Dash. She is an individual, a character, an ups-and-downs type of girl with hardly any room for the middle ground. But compared to her family, Lily is normal. One of things that had me tilting my head was Lily’s family. They were just so out there (some in outer space) that I felt that many of the relatives were caricatures. Just somewhat completely exaggerate characters meant to amuse the readers with their outlandish jobs, actions, and personalities.

I love Dash’s character that much is clear. (I think it’s because he’s a fellow book lover whose wish is own the entire Oxford Dictionary collection.) Lily’s on the other hand is on the fence; it can go either way. I love her fluidity and the way she takes action head-on, but then I just don’t like Cohn’s style of writing: her choice of diction, when she uses certain punctuation marks, her love of adjectives. Because this novel has a heavy part where it mainly focuses on the two characters’ writing their thoughts and feelings it only emphasizes my likes and dislikes of the two.

In all I do like Dash and Lily’s Book of Dares as a merged novel that delves into a much more the spiritual and mental stability than I thought it would. But I just find some scenes to be too much and just an implosion/explosive of words.

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If you're looking for a fun, lightweight holiday read, Dash and Lily's Book of Dares will hit the spot. Co-written by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan, the authors behind the bestselling Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist, the book takes place in New York City during the winter holidays. I'll admit

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that I don't typically read this genre in the Teen Dept. The novel caught my eye because it takes place at The Strand, which is a really awesome used bookstore in NYC. They have over 18 MILES of books in their store, and I was lucky enough to stop in for a visit earlier this year (I meant to blog about going there, as well as to the flagship B&N, but it never happened. Sorry!). It's a truly amazing place full of books and people. The prices are pretty amazing, too, and they have hard-to-find out-of-print books (why I originally stopped in).

In the novel, Dash is browsing through the shelf housing his favorite author when he comes across a red Moleskin journal. He's on winter holiday, bored out of his mind, and attempting to hide from his least favorite holiday, Christmas, so when he picks up the journal and discovers instructions for a scavenger hunt around the store, he decides to follow them out and see what happens. The journal was left by a teenage girl named Lily, though it was her older brother's idea to do so in the first place. Lily is Dash's opposite: Rather than being jaded, she's in love with everything Christmas and immensely enjoys this time of year. When she pops into The Strand to see if anyone found her Moleskin, she discovers that Dash has created a new scavenger hunt for her to follow. The two wind up passing the journal back and forth and sending one another around the City without ever meeting, and readers can live vicariously as they travel to famous attractions such as the Wax Museum, busy stores such as FAO Schwartz, and even the "newest" Pixar film (which doesn't really exist, but fit in adorably). They form a friendship through the pages of the notebook, and suddenly, the holiday break is anything but boring.

I really enjoyed reading this novel. It wasn't heavy, but light and uplifting. Sometimes, it's okay to sit back and enjoy something funny, especially during the holidays. I also LOVED the book cover design. The title of the book is listed across two Street Signs, the Directional Arrow lists the two authors, and the Pedestrian Light has a cute heart on it. The inclusion of snow added to the atmosphere, making it visually feel like a book wanting to be picked up and read at this time of year, preferably snuggled up with a cozy blanket and hot cup of cocoa.

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Title: Dash and Lily's Book of Dares
Authors: David Levithan and Rachel Cohn
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers (Imprint of Random House)
Format: Hardback
Length: 272pgs
Rating: 4/5

This novel follows, who would guess it, Dash and Lily. It's the holiday season and both of them have been left alone

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by their parents for vacations. So, Lily leaves behind a red moleskin notebook in the Strand (for those who don't know that's a huge, huge, HUGE bookstore in New York) with clues and riddles for the finder. Dash is that finder. From there on they don't meet. Rather they find ways to pass the book back and forth asking each other questions, getting to know one another through text.

I really enjoyed reading this. It's a very cute, light and quick read - and it was fun because it takes place during the holidays. I also "learned" a new word in the sense that I had never really used the word "bookish" before even though I knew it existed. Now it's the first adjective I come up with when people ask me to describe myself.

The plot idea - of swapping the moleskin back and forth with a stranger - is impractical, but fun. Who knows, maybe it has, because the idea is pretty cool. If I could find a way to pull it off, I would try. It could be fun (or creepy).

As for the characters, I liked Lily a lot. She is a bit naive but cute in that slightly dorky way. She's also really into the holiday spirit which is fun to read this time of year. In this novel she has to deal with the fact that her parents left her and her brother alone for the holidays - which because she's such a Christmas person she's obviously not so okay with that. And her brother? His boyfriend is over, so he doesn't want her around that much. Hence the idea of the red moleskin was born.

Then, of course, there's Dash. He's also alone this holiday season, though his predicament was by choice. His parents are divorced and he told both of them that he'd be with the other one. While Lily is happy and dorky, Dash is a bit more pessimistic, or cynical. He's not the happiest person in the world. He also spends a lot of time talking about an ex-girlfriend he liked to say didn't matter to him. While reading the line "Me thinks thou dost protest too much" kept running through my mind. And then, obviously, he finds Lily's moleskin.

While I enjoyed the characters I felt that the story was pretty jumpy. Rachel and David wrote this book without any real plans. They just passed the chapters back and forth without any idea of where it would all go. And in some areas of the book, you can tell. There are also moments where I think certain things sort of go away from the plot of the book. These moments the reader can't really tell what's happening in the sense that you don't really know where they're going rather than not knowing due to the plot. Moments like that made the novel feel longer than it probably needed to be.

Overall I found Dash and Lily's Book of Dares cute for this holiday season. It's particularly great since it takes place over the holidays. Again, if you're looking for another great read? This is a quick fun book to pick up.

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Dash’s lackluster Christmas break begins to look up the moment he finds the red notebook nestled between his favorite author’s books in the Strand bookstore in New York City. Inside contains instructions from a girl named Lily. Suddenly, Dash finds himself corresponding via notebook to a girl

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he has never seen but is getting to know, wandering all around the city to complete her tasks and to set up tasks for her.

For the first time in her life, Lily is spending Christmas without most of her family. Her love-obsessed gay older brother creates the notebook to give her a shot at finding a guy who’s right for her. As Lily confides more and more in the red notebook, however, she wonders if the boy behind the words is actually real, or merely a figment of her (desperate and lonely) imagination.

Will these two teenagers find one another in the whirlwind that is a New York City Christmas?

Fans of Rachel Cohn and David Levithan’s collaborative novels will no doubt enjoy DASH & LILY’S BOOK OF DARES. Full of the writing duo’s trademark humor and insight, this book can be read on multiple levels by all different types of readers.

On a basic level, DASH & LILY’S BOOK OF DARES is an entertaining scavenger hunt of self-discovery and romance, through one of the greatest cities in the world. Beginning at the Strand, arguably one of the world’s most interesting bookstores, and hitting many of NYC’s most famous tourist-ridden holiday stops, this book take us through a mini-tour of the city, and giving us snapshot glimpses of just why New York has long been considered the city of opportunity and possibility.

Even better, Dash and Lily wander through the city with a hearty dose of wit. Dash is that brand of self-deprecating, too-smart-for-his-own-good, disillusioned and highly philosophical teenage boy that is rare in real life but utterly appealing in both life and fiction. Lily is more of the scatterbrained eternal optimist type. The two of them often don’t seem like they should work out, but that’s the beauty of a love story.

On a deeper level, DASH & LILY doesn’t quite fully succeed in being the introspective, philosophical stimulus it seems to want to be. I mentioned that Dash sometimes thinks too much for his own good. What starts out as a merely entertaining courtship turns into an attempt to explore the deeper sides of relationships, self-esteem, and people’s need for companionship. Halfway through the book, Dash does the kind of turnaround in his notebook revelations that would leave me two steps from freaking out and worried that I had done something wrong if I were Lily. What could have been a feel-good romance changes as a result into an attempt to explore the messiness of people coming together in a romance. I’m all for messy relationships, but I’m not sure I bought that the two of them liked each other well enough before the turning point to continue their communication the way they did. It felt to me like different sides of the characters tried to come out in the second half of the book, and I wasn’t entirely convinced that the characters would act like that in those situations.

Despite that, most readers should be enamored with DASH & LILY’S BOOK OF DARES. It’s not exactly a feel-good romance, but would make a nice break from the real world in terms of holiday reads.

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Dash is a bit of a Christmas curmudgeon. He is not into the spirit of the season, and appears snarly to those who encounter him around the holidays. He avoids the shopping masses that overtake his home city, New York City, by keeping his regular routine. He buys yogurts and paces the aisles of The

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Strand Bookstore. It is during a trip to his favorite used bookstore that he spots something unusual in the Salinger section--A red moleskin notebook peeking out from the stacks. He opens it and find a set of challenges. Dares, really. And so starts this fun, funny, heartwarming and witty Christmas tale.

Lily, of course, feels the opposite about the holiday season from Dash. She is peppy, musical, and wears lots of Christmas gear--majorette books, striped tights, a red winter hat, and a puffy holiday skirt. She bakes cookies and has tons of Christmas spirit. What Lily lacks is someone to share her joy with. She wants more than anything to be with her family, caroling and eating and giving presents. But, her family has spread for the holidays and she finds herself alone and lonely. Until Dash takes up her challenge and starts giving her assignments in return.

This book is the sort of thing that I would have wanted to happen to me when I was a teen. Like Lily, I was pretty quirky, but I was a bit more like Dash with his sullen, petulant mannerisms. I connected deeply with these characters and wanted them to find each other--If not for true love, than for true companionship and friendship.

This book completely and entirely reminded me of JD Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye. I want to ask the authors if this was the inspiration for this story. It is similar in setting, tone, and plot. It's almost like Levithan and Cohn wrote a happier, more hopeful version of Catcher. Dash is so like Holden Caulfield in his witty, inner-monologue sort of way. I loved Dash in the same way that I love Holden. I'm just happy (and I don't think that this is a spoiler) that Dash makes it out of this book without entering a mental hospital. The books weren't that similar!

Definitely, this book is a great Holiday-inspired read. I don't think that it's too Christmas-y for those Scrooges out there who are content in their loathing of the holidays. But, there's this underlying fun and recklessness about these characters that will make even the Scroogiest of Scrooges wish that they, too, could find a fun little book of dares and have the wherewithal to take up the challenge.

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A quirky story of two teens, Dash and Lilly. Lilly leaves a journal in a local book store hidden of the shelves with a note to the reader. Either take up this dare or leave it for the next person.
Dash finds the journal and takes up the challenge which leads to an unusual relationship filled of

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clues and mystery.

I enjoy the writing style of the two authors, and was not disappointed with this book. I found it to be full of energy and excitement. I wanted to finish each characters voice to get to the next one. I loved the fast-flowing storyline and the way these two teen’s voices were sophisticated in their ideologies and in parts the story was over the top.

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GoodReads Description:

“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 New York Times bestselling authors of Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist. Lily has left a red notebook

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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.

This is a great holiday read. I loved the idea of the red notebook. (Though to be honest, as a parent, I would not want my child to take part in such an adventure – hey what can I say, I’m a parent and somewhat cynical. Inside a book this is a lovely idea - in real life - it’s scary). But I digress.

Dash is a wonderfully written character. He’s what I would call snarky. Lily calls him Snarly, but I think snarky is a better adjective. He’s a smart aleck and a bit of loner, but all of that just hides the real Dash – a good guy with a good heart. Lily is a little on the Pollyanna side, but I wish there were more teen girls like her. I like the relationship she has with her family. She’s somewhat of an innocent in a time when so many young girls are jaded and have grown up way too fast. Lily’s also very quiry and that makes for a wonderful story.

The plot is driven by the passing around of the red notebook and the challenges that Dash and Lily present to one another, which are fun and funny. The pacing works very well – a light and very enjoyable read. Though it takes place at Christmas, it would be a good read any time of the year.

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A romantic notion that reminded me a little bit of John Cusack's movie Serendipity. I really like the concept: alternating chapters between Dash (authored by Levithan) and Lily (authored by Cohn), trading a notebook back & forth, finding it through clues they leave each other, remaining anonymous.

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Interesting auxiliary characters; felt I knew the great-aunt when she was referred to Mrs. Basil E. (awesome book & movie!) and chuckled that each of Lily's relatives referred to Dash's snarl. And, Dash & Lily's passion for reading? Dash's lust for words? All fantastic details sure to appeal to the avid readers that will undoubtedly also inhale this book. The ending was a little, um, out there; kind of tossed at me for a loop as it seemed so not in step with the rest of the book.

It read so easily and was just what I needed right now. I had not read Cohn before; Levithan continues to wow. I will definitely be reading more by both authors.

Note: for those who are interested in language or sexual content: with exception of a few f*** words, this was a clean read

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This review might be a bit biased since I am a big fan of Rachel and David's prior novels. So as I'm sure you can guess, I loved Dash & Lily's Book of Dares!

Told through alternating POV chapters we get to meet Lily and Dash. Lily is spending the holidays on her own this year. Her parents and

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grandfather are out of town and she is left with her brother who is more into his boyfriend then what Lily is up to. So she decides to leave a notebook with clues in the infamous Strand bookstore in New York City. Luckily the notebook lands in the hands of Dash - who is smart and brave enough to decipher Lily's clues and they're off on a wonderful adventure. A holiday adventure that will lead them not only to an awesome assortment of tourist infested NYC holiday spots, but also down a path of self-discovery and possibly... romance.

What I especially loved about Dash and Lily was how opposite to each other they both are. I guess it's true when they say, opposites attract. Dash hates Christmas - he's more of the brooding, "snarly" sort. He lied to both of his parents telling each that he was spending the holidays with the other just so he could have some time alone. Lily loves the holidays to the point where she's even part of a caroling troupe. She hates the fact that this will be her first Christmas without her family. Dash was more of the daring type - while Lily was more of a goody two shoes. And although the plot moves along because of the notebook and the different challenges it presents, the internal dialogue, notebook entries and discussions between the characters were a treat to read. As with all Cohn and Levithan collaborations - the characters are witty, snarky, sarcastic and downright fun.

This is the perfect holiday read. It is clever, funny, and simply a joy to read.

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This definitely met my requirement as a non-cheesy Christmas pick. It was full of hilarity, wit, love and introspection. I loved the concept and I was eager to see where Lily and Dash would send each other next. Listening to David and Rachel read this and talk about their writing process enhanced

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my reading experience. The book alternates from Lily to Dash and David and Rachel wrote the book the way that Dash and Lily did the notebook. David would write a chapter and then send it to Rachel and then from there she would write a chapter based on what he wrote. You can just imagine them sitting there, "Oh yeah..you sent me to MACY's..guess where I'm sending Lily next!?"

A really bad pic of me at THE STRAND!
I really liked the characters. Lily reminded me of a less annoying version of perky Rachel Berry from Glee--with a less polished look. Dash reminded me of your typical hipster boy who thinks is way too cool and has exceptional taste in everything. I liked how the notebook allowed each of them to let their guards down and drop the facade. My one gripe with the characters is that Dash just didn't seem believable to me sometimes. It was some of the conversations he would have--particularly the one he had with Lily's aunt at her house (or grandmother..I forget?). It just seemed a little too contrived and I couldn't really see anybody talking like that to an adult--especially a high school boy. However, Dash was always the type of guy I wanted back in the day--intellectual, deep, hip, etc. so I'll still love him.

I loved that they were opposites because my boyfriend (of four years) and I are totally the same way. We shouldn't fit together--not at all. Any matchmakers or dating services would have never in a million years put us together. As Dash and Lily learn, it's not always easy to work through those differences and doubts and sometimes it can become downright frightening to try and figure out how you really feel and what you are looking for. It's a messy and complicated process. Looking realistically at what they knew of each other through the notebook, I'm not quite sure I believed that they were that invested in each other. It moved a little quick but I can understand how that is. It reminds me of back in high school and early college when you were getting to know a guy and you'd chat until all hours of the night on AIM and you'd analyze everything said and smile and squee when he showed interest or said something cute. You'd feel yourself falling for him in his clever answers to your questions and feel like you knew him SO well. And then, for me, I'd get to know him and he wasn't that charming or perfect; just really good at writing the right thing. I guess I probably wasn't either. Anyways, I digress, but their affection for each other came so out of the blue for me but I kind of just equated it to the above experiences. *spoiler-ish* I mean, they came together and realized that the other one wasn't perfect despite what they built them to be but they were ok with that and started from there.

My final thought: If you want a non-cheesy Christmas book to simultaneously help you release some of that Christmas tension by laughing a lot and thinking about what it is to love, give this a try. It certainly isn't a mushy romance but I think it captures some of the wading through murky waters you have to do in a courtship. Dash and Lily will be memorable characters that will have you rooting for their love immediately. It will be a story that is as sweet as all that overpriced, commercialized candy will taste on Christmas morning. Hey, I'm just channeling my inner Dash after a long day of Christmas shopping and feigning Christmas cheer as I get bumped around by crazy Christmas shoppers and cranky inhabitants of the long lines.

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A chance sighting of a red journal in a book store right before Christmas starts Dash on a scavenger hunt around the city. Along the way, the journal is traded back and forth between him and the girl who wrote it, Lily, without ever setting eyes on each other. They are both nervous about actually

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meeting, fearing their real person might not live up to their image. This story alternates between the two characters as they try to come up with the most creative places for leaving the book. I almost didn't pick it up because of the title (I think the two authors need to get a little more creative), but I'm very glad I did. It's a fun read.

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Dashing Delight

**Read via ARC from For What It's Worth's Book Tours

This book gets a loquacious 5 out of 5 gnomes for being very funny and also full of heart.

The story and humor really pull you in. My personal experience with this happened when I was at the dealership getting my oil changed. Good

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thing I was there with my dad because I didn't even hear when they called my name to sign out, I just kept on reading and was surprised when he asked me if I was ready to go.

This didn't sound like the kind of book that I normally read but I'm very glad that I gave it a chance. I was pulled into the story from page one. It of course also gets bonus points for having a bookstore be central to the plot.

The chapters alternate between Dash and Lily. They have very distinct voices, probably because they were each written by different authors.

While shopping at the Strand (a really awesome sounding bookstore) Dash finds a red notebook on the shelves. This notebook gives him clues that he has to solve to determine if he's the right one to have found it. This leads to dares being passed between the two via the notebook. The dares in the notebook are a lot of fun to read about because Dash gets his friends involved in them and Lily has her family help her.

At first they seem to be two very different people. Dash hates Christmas but it's Lily's favorite holiday. It's great how they come together and also antagonize each other through the notebook.

Lily's relatives add a lot of fun to the mix especially her Uncle who's a mall Santa. It's fitting that Lily's family and her give Dash the nickname Snarl/say he's snarly because he is a tad snarly at times.

The plot does feel like a romantic comedy type of situation at times. It is raised above the formula type feeling though by the fact that you're not sure what's going to happen next and it feels like it could end unhappily.

Dash's friend Boomer is a superb character, I love the way his mind works and how he sees the world. His excitement about the world seems to always cheer up the other characters. One of Boomer's best lines has him calling an amazon wish list an amazonian hope chest (I know I'll never look at my amazon wish list the same way again).

Love the situations that they get in to, especially the events that lead to them being notorious/celebrities.

At the end it looks like they may have a bright future together with many more dares along the way.

Overall the book is just so much fun and explores beautifully people's expectations of people versus the facts. I have a feeling that for many people this book will become an annual traditional Christmas read.

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Dash and Lily are opposites in many ways: Dash hates the holidays, Lily lives for them; Dash weaseled his way out of family obligations by telling his parents he would spend Christmas with the other, and Lily is devastated that her parents aren’t around on Christmas. They don’t seem like

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they’d be a good match, but there is something between them: the notebook. Passing the notebook back and forth with each other, strangers that they are, allows them to reveal information that they wouldn’t otherwise. As Dash points out, writing his thoughts showed him things about himself that even he didn’t know, and it may not have happened had he been writing for himself alone or for an acquaintance.
What they must overcome – other than the small fact that they’ve never met and don’t have any way of finding each other – are their own ideas of love and attraction. Their game of dares is fun, but it will only last for so long. Is it better to risk meeting and being disappointed that the other doesn’t live up to expectations, or to remain anonymous strangers, forever being who the other needs? Both of them struggle with whether the other can like them for who they really are, and it speaks to the fears that come with putting yourself out there with the potential for pain.
This is a great Christmas book without being too Christmas-y; in other words, it won’t necessarily seem out of season to read it any other time of the year, but it is fun to read it at Christmas (like I did). Here is a good example of a book being fun and entertaining as well as thought-provoking.

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Dash is wandering around The Strand (awesome NYC bookstore) when he finds a red notebook filled with instructions. The notebook is written by Lily and though they’ve never met before, they begin corresponding and daring each other to do things.

I loved the story and the rapid-fire dialogue and

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snarky comments. It’s a fun, quick read and I’m officially a fan of Levithan’s writing.

There’s one particularly funny exchange between Dash and Lily’s aunt about what kind of tea is best. It was moments like those, where Levithan’s wit shines the most. Here’s Dash’s comment about green tea…

“You can’t be serious. Because you know when a cow chews grass? Well, green tea tastes like French-kissing that cow after it’s done chewing all that grass.”

I definitely enjoyed Dash’s sections more than Lily’s, because I think I just connected more with his character. Lily is much more sensitive and fragile, almost childlike in her expectations and ability to control emotion. Dash on the other hand, is cynical and pessimistic.

I did have one complaint, though it may sound petty. In one of Lily’s section (p. 77) she makes a reference to someone who is dressed like Hermione Potter. Obviously she meant to say Hermione Granger, but still it irritated me.

“I preferred to hangout with the dead, dying or desperate books – used we call them, in a way that we’d never call a person, unless we meant it cruelly.”

“I figured being a bed salesman was a job of biblically bad paradox. I mean, here he was forced to stand for 8 or 9 hours a day, and the whole time he’s surrounded by beds.”

“Children frighten me. I mean I appreciate them on a cute aesthetic level, but they’re very demanding and unreasonable creatures and often smell funny.”

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This sounded like such a cute read and after seeing several positive reviews I definitely wanted to check it out. It was a heart warming read filled with wonderful characters. Lily was endearing and her whole family was filled with loveable, quirky folks. Dash did not grab me as much but I loved

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his friend Boomer who reminded me of an excited, bouncing golden retriever. The pacing of the book is leisurely as we follow Lily and Dash around New York City following dares they leave for each other in the red moleskin notebook. It had the perfect level of sweetness and makes this a great book to curl up with on a rainy day.

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The premise of this book is original and immediately intrigued me. I LOVE the fact that it is set in New York where I live. Having the Strand as the place where it all starts made my heart flutter. The Strand is pretty much my second home. So this book really had my attention. The beginning was

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fast moving and humorous. However when I got into the middle and towards the end I started to care less and less about them meeting...or not. I found myself heavily sighing when it was Lily's turn to narrate. Her voice was pretty high-pitched and I think too "sunny". Lily's character annoyed me as well. Her thoughts made her seem more like 13 rather than 16. Dash is what kept me listening. Period. He's snarkalicious and I love it. He's soooo New York! He has a smart mouth and he's not afraid to use it. He even dresses like he's from NY with his fedora hat, colored shirt and jeans. The only thing he's missing is the blazer. I know usually anything goes out here but Lily's style of dress and language didn't give me the NY vibe at all.

The minor characters also helped get the book moving along. Boomer, Dash's friend has the most annoying voice but I love his energy and innocence. Lily's Great Aunt Ida was funny and seemed like the type of old lady I'd like to hang out with.

The romance didn't really cut it for me. Lily seemed like an innocent little kid while Dash was mature and saw the world as it was. Their relationship seemed like they could make good friends but then after a while it seemed like he'd make a good older brother for her. His character seemed like he didn't really like her in the same way that he still liked his ex-girlfriend Sophia. Things were a lot sultry for those two while for Dash and Lily things seemed playful and maybe even a bit awkward at times.

Again, this audio book was not bad and neither was the writing. However I can't say I loved it. It was just something I could go either way on.

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