Stephanie S. (skywriter319) -
Helpful Score: 1
Fans of Rachel Cohn and David Levithans collaborative novels will no doubt enjoy DASH & LILYS BOOK OF DARES. Full of the writing duos trademark humor and insight, this book can be read on multiple levels by all different types of readers.
On a basic level, DASH & LILYS 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 worlds most interesting bookstores, and hitting many of NYCs 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 dont seem like they should work out, but thats the beauty of a love story.
On a deeper level, DASH & LILY doesnt 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 peoples 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. Im all for messy relationships, but Im 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 wasnt entirely convinced that the characters would act like that in those situations.
Despite that, most readers should be enamored with DASH & LILYS BOOK OF DARES. Its not exactly a feel-good romance, but would make a nice break from the real world in terms of holiday reads.
On a basic level, DASH & LILYS 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 worlds most interesting bookstores, and hitting many of NYCs 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 dont seem like they should work out, but thats the beauty of a love story.
On a deeper level, DASH & LILY doesnt 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 peoples 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. Im all for messy relationships, but Im 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 wasnt entirely convinced that the characters would act like that in those situations.
Despite that, most readers should be enamored with DASH & LILYS BOOK OF DARES. Its not exactly a feel-good romance, but would make a nice break from the real world in terms of holiday reads.
David O. (dbo) -
Helpful Score: 1
Entertaining, but meaningful too, with likeable characters. I think I liked this book as much as Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist. More literate than most teen fiction I have read, as I had to look up a number of words in the dictionary.
