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

Dash & Lily's Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn & David Levithan
Harlequin UK Ltd Mira Ink Imprint (October 5, 2012)
ISBN-13: 9781472000613
272 Pages
Age 12 +
Buy Here for $11.55
My Rating: 3.5/5

Summary from GoodReads: “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 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.

The Verdict: I have always had this love/hate relationship with Rachel Cohn and David Levithan. While their writing and characters have always been fun and unique, I feel like they try so hard to create "different" characters that it comes off as being pretentious. So while I can't resist reading one of their books for the entertaining value, I don't ever walk away loving it.

Dash & Lily's Book of Dares has been out for a couple years here in the States. I actually almost bought it back in 2010 but the previously mentioned opinions convinced me to save my money. So when it became available on NetGalley, I knew it was time to give it a try. And I'm happy I did :)

This book follows their old MO and at times I wanted to stab Dash for being such a hipster. But I have to say I liked this a lot more than their previous individual and collaborative works including Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist.

I think a big part of that was the target audience. While this story does have their signature edge, it was geared to a younger demographic and offers "cleaner" content which is what I look for in a book :) And the adorable Lily was such a genuinely sweet and fun character that I couldn't help but love her even when Dash was driving me up a wall. So while this wasn't any book of the year, it was definitely enjoyable and worth the time :)

I received a free review copy of this book from the publishers but the opinions expressed here are my own.