Dash and Lilly's Book of Dares

By: Rachel Cohn and David Levithan

The first chapter in the book comes from the point of view of Dash, a "snarly" teenager who has lied and conived his way into both of his parents being gone over winter break, and him being alone in his apartment. He goes to the local used bookstore, and finds more then old copies of Shakespere, a mysterious red notebook. Inside the notebook is clues leading him on a scavenger hunt around the store to uncover a secret message from "Lilly", the girl who left the book. 

Dash accepts her challenge, but makes up some rules of his own, and now Lilly has to find the notebook for herself.

This communication between the pair lasts for all of winter break (the entire book in our time) and the two share secrets, revolations, hopes, feelings, and some pretty hilarious dares. 

The two characters can't be more different, yet somehow they seem to mesh so perfectly. Dash is a synic product of a messy divorse between his parents who is glad to be without anyone to spend the holidays with, where on the other hand Lilly is a wacky and passionate girl who loves the holidays and can't believe her parents would go away and leave her and her brother for Christmas. 

In some ways, I found the characters very realtable. Like, how compassionate Lilly is, or how Dash is just plain misunderstood. But, they also got a little bit annoying at points. Even though he never actually ever says a line, I'd say my favorite character has to be Snarly Muppet, just for the sheer fact he sounds awesome.

All in all, a very relatable and sweet book, without being too gushy love story. Oh, and if you happen to come across an unaccounted for notebook in your local bookstore, that may or not be me searching for my Dash.........

Pages: 260

Read In: about 2 weeks on and off (about a two week period in the middle the book was lost....... the two weeks listed were only the ones I actually spent reading)

Rating: 7/10

Age Range: 12-up