Dash & Lily's Book of Dares: A Book Review

I believe I started reading this book a little after Christmas last year because so many Booktubers were posting their favorite books to read for Christmas and the winter season in general.  I first read Let It Snow by John Green, Maureen Johnson, and Lauren Myracle, which I loved!  So then I decided to pick up one more book that took place around Christmas time.  I picked up this book, which quite a few people enjoyed, however, I did not.  I think the only thing I really liked about this book was the cover. :/

Title: Dash and Lily’s Book of Dares

Author: Rachel Cohn and David Levithan

Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary

Publisher: Ember

Publication Date: January 1, 2010

Pages: 260

Out in Paperback?: Yes; October 11, 2011

Goodreads

Amazon

My Rating: 2.5/5

Review:

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 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 cosmic mismatch of disastrous proportions?

Characters:

I really didn’t care too much for either Dash or Lily.  Both seemed incredibly annoying, young, and dependent.  Although Lily’s parents were travelling during this novel, she was still dependent on her brother, who could have cared less about her.  I understand that she was feeling alone for Christmas, with her parents gone and her brother spending most of his time with others, but Lily just came across as whiny and immature.  Dash didn’t seem as immature to me; however, there were some parts of the book where I did find him a bit annoying (not quite as much as Lily … but close).  Overall, the characters immature nature started from the beginning of the book and made it difficult for me to get through.

Plot:

I was most excited for this book because of the plot.  It seemed like a cute Christmas story, and although, some aspects of the book might seem unrealistic, it still sounded like it would be cute and fun.  The book centers on a red notebook, created by Lily (or more accurately her brother) that is passed back and forth between Lily and Dash; this notebook is filled with clues, bringing the two together as they get to know each other.  From the beginning and the first clue, I knew that I wasn’t in to it.  I’m not exactly sure if it was the characters or the fact that the clues weren’t what I expected or the fact that the whole exchanging of the notebook just seemed unrealistic, but whatever it was, I just couldn’t get into it.

Writing Style:

The writing style of the novel was all right.  Nothing that I thought was spectacular but not horrible either.  I did question how two authors could write a book together like this one, as the character perspectives switch every chapter.  I was wondering if this might have contributed to some of the reasons why I couldn’t get into the novel.

Have you read this book?  What did you think?  I personally wouldn’t recommend this book as a fun Christmas read.

FTC Disclaimer:

All items mentioned were purchased by me.  This is not a sponsored post.  All opinions are my own.  No affiliate links were used.