Dash & Lily's Book of Dares. (Book Review #10)

Introduction:

          Dash & Lily's Book of Dares is a story of two teenagers brought together by words. It's an almost delightful story until 75 % of the part. I loved the idea of two bookish people getting together by communicating through a red moleskin notebook. It's so remarkable that it's hard to resist implicating it in real life. They dare each other to do something they hate or something ridiculously cute like making a Muppet. Situated in New York City, it covers some spots like the Madame Tussauds Wax Museum and the popular Fifth Avenue. If you liked 'All the Bright Places' then you may like this one too. Another interesting fact is that author Rachel Cohn has written Lily's part whereas author David Levithan has written Dash's part. I've given this novel 3 stars on Goodreads.

Characters:

          I loved how the main characters were so geeky all the time. I could actually relate to them. Firstly, Lily was presumably the misfit who had no conversing skills, no dressing sense and much love for books. She was pretty much like me. I loved how she didn't accept swearing. (I'm opposed to it, as well.) She was also the captain of her soccer team. I loved her genuine love for animals in the world where no one seems to care much about them. Dash, on the other hand, was the mean type with many friends. He was more philosophical than bookish. His theory of 'girl inside his head' was so true. Because everyone creates an idea, an image of that ideal person with whom they'd like to spend their lives. I liked his carefree, snarl way of living. He was weird at times when he wanted to just sleep in the bookstore or the yogurt thing. Boomer was a real sport; the guy who messengered around to make this story happen. Mrs. Basil E (Lily's Great-aunt) was the coolest family member in Lily's family. I loved Mark (Lily's cousin) because he practically locked them in the bookstore. Boris, the dog was the most fun part in the story. I liked the way Edgar Thibaud became the connecting link between Dash and Lily. Though, unfavourable, he was good for just that.

Story line:

          Dash finds a notebook in a bookstore which leads him to a small treasure hunt. Lily had left the book to find her soul mate. Soon, each of them writes their thoughts and random incidents into this book and the destination to keep the book after the other has written in it. They do it quite often and this intrigues the reader as to when will the pair finally meet in person. They also leave each other things such as cookies, Muppets etc. It all goes well until Lily forgets to hand over the book to some strange looking boys in fedora hats and leave her majorette boot instead. As for fate or something else, they meet for the first time when Lily is in a drunk state. That could've gone better. Soon, they do some acts of bravery which are mistaken as stealing and they are into police interrogation alongside Boris. Their conversations there seem real and nice. Finally, they decide to work it out by going on a first date on New Year's Eve. That date revolves around some messy cooking followed by a locked bookstore scenario. Finally, they fall in love.

Overall Thoughts:

          The novel might seem more on the young side rather than an adult side. I enjoyed the part until they meet. It's something new and romantic. I loved how they talked about loving and hating Christmas. I liked how they were so involved and obsessed with each other without even meeting. But, the disappointing later part took me offhand. The whole Boris scenario made no sense. Even though it was funny, it was irrelevant to such a large measure. There was so much second and third-hand communication which was boring. In short, the part after they meet was completely dull. I liked the characters and the notebook idea, but the post-meeting was not that romantic or sensible even.

         Although the message this book sends is important. It conveys how you can really know a person without considering their outer self but only inner self. It shuts the scope of being judgemental and try to love a person for their values and morals. It's the words that matter to persons like me, which is why I adored this love story of two bookish teens which began in a bookstore and ended there.