12. Dash And Lily's Book Of Dares

Book #12: Dash And Lily's Book Of Dares

Authors: Rachel Cohn & David Levithan

Published: October 26, 2010

272 pages

4 gold stars

(summary from Goodreads)

“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 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?

Any fans of Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist will enjoy this book. It's written in the same format, switching narrators with each chapter. Strewed around Christmastime in New York City, Dash and Lily find each other through her notebook, thus beginning a relationship that neither is sure could be real. Similar to meeting someone online, you don't know if the chemistry is going to be there in person.

Lily is eccentric, wearing clothes that seem way too weird to be true, and Dash is from a rich family that is certainly not as happy as one would think. Dash finds solace in the notebook, feeling like he can be true to himself with this girl he's never met. Throughout the novel, I was rooting for them to meet, to find out that they truly do have chemistry. I know it's never that simple, I know that's not how it works in real life, but I just kept hoping. Their adventures were fun, random dares taking them through New York City and meeting each other's friends and family before actually meeting each other. People get in the way, life gets in the way, but the notebook continues to get passed between them, continues to keep their connection together.

Nick and Norah are still my favourite, wishing I didn't have to compare them but the stories are quite similiar. I love the style of writing that Cohn and Levithan do, they work together quite well even though they don't actually work together. One will write a chapter and then send it to the other. These two writers understand each other quite well, forming relationships through characters as though they too are just meeting. It's a nice way of getting that awkward feeling that one gets when meeting a new love interest. They do a great job with this. The writing is written well, both characters have their own views of the story and this keeps the reader interested. It certainly kept me wanting more, waiting for that moment when the two of them meet. Well, I can't tell you what happens next.

"The important people in our lives leave imprints. They may stay or go in the physical realm, but they are always there in your heart, because they helped form your heart. There's no getting over that."