Dash & Lily's Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn, David Levithan

Title: Dash & Lily’s Book of Dares
Author: Rachel Cohn and David Levithan
Publisher: Knopf books
Date Published: October 26, 2010
Buy: Amazon

Goodreads summary

“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 bestselling authors ofNick & 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?

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.

I wish it was Christmas right now. I would have loved to read this book when it was Christmas. Good holiday spirited books are hard to come by as I am not that drawn by them, but something about this book compelled me to read it. Maybe the whole idea of two strangers passing back and forth a book in which they shared secrets seemed interesting. I haven’t read a book that uses that idea, I mean sure you have the strangers thing but the whole “book of dares”, a unique idea I must say. Right now, I sit here pondering why it took me so long to finally read this book. I think this will also be included in my list of books I read for Christmas. Okay so I was trying to sound all mature and smartsy pantsy there like Dash. I kinda failed.

I believe if there was such a thing as soul mates. Dash would be mine. Yes I probably sound like a fan girl but you see his looks were barely talked about so you know I love him for his character (okay maybe I am fan girling a little), I understand him because he reminds me of myself. I may not have faced the same circumstances but I understand his sentiments because I share them. Although that may make me sound pessimistic but neither I nor Dash are pessimistic. We just tend to overanalyze things. We both enjoy our own company from time to time. Okay so this is now turning into a comparison between me and Dash and I should stop that right about now. I am a mysterious being, no one will ever know me. *flips cape and disappears* *reappears to finish writing her review*

Dash has this way of sounding really mature, he could say the most amazing things and you’d be left wandering, because it would make you see this whole new side of things. Like for example this one time he is walking around the house naked, of course that does sound weird, but these were his thoughts when he was walking around naked.

“…naked as the day I was born, only without the blood and amniotic fluid.”
It makes the whole idea seem more philosophical, like why don’t we all do that, is there anything wrong with nakedness. He isn’t an outgoing person by all means, he is rather awkward person, not in the sense that he doesn’t have a lot of friends and stuff but because he says things that a normal teenage boy wouldn’t even bother thinking about. We all question things and Dash does as well but I think he explains to us why it’s not easy to find answers to everything. His parents’ divorce changed him. He was left feeling slightly bitter and it may have affected how his turned out but I do believe that he has no hopes and probably does NOT want his parents to get back together. I am not exactly sure what he wants from his parents. Maybe to notice him more, I believe they both love him but with their bitterness towards each other, it makes it harder for him. He doesn’t want to have to face one and hear them complain about the other or try to find out what the other parent may be doing wrong. For example when Dash’s father asks him if his mom is bothering him, this is what he says, (I believe this is one of my absolute favorite parts in the book, it made me laugh so much):

“She told me if I clean all the ashes out of the grate, then I’ll be able to help my sisters get ready for the ball.”
Like I said, I really do like this guy (he is my soul mate for crying out loud) but I don’t think I can dedicate my whole review to him (I wish I could).

Lily is also an interesting character. You would think from the first chapter in her pov that she would be a silly perky girl, all rainbows and flowers, but she isn’t. She has a certain depth to her. What she really wants is to believe. She wants to believe that it isn’t all hopeless. She is the kind of person who’ll buy a poor person a bag of chocolates but she knows that it won’t really make a difference. She doesn’t believe she is going to change his life any but she still does it. I also love her nickname Shrilly, I believe the story of how this nickname came about is rather interesting and would imply that she is sensitive but I don’t believe she is sensitive, she has a strength to her that nobody sees. Everybody in her family is overprotective of her because they believe she is so she doesn’t really have a chance to explore the world outside of that shell. I think that she wants to be noticed (even when she implies otherwise) but be accepted for the weird person she is, she doesn’t want to have to please people because they don’t like her ways or think she is bizarre and she finds it better to be on her own then to be someone she is not.

I am not sure whether this book is a romance or not, but I think there is a coming of age of sorts or a realization at the very least. It may be subtle but it’s there, because this book has so much more depth to it then may appear by reading the summary. It makes you think, it makes you laugh, it makes you sad and in the end it leaves you feeling content. The authors leave a lose end so that we can use our imagination to figure out what happens but we are pointed in a general direction.