Review: Dash and Lily's Book of Dares by David Levithan and Rachel Cohn

Image and summary from Goodreads.com:\\“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 New York Timesbestselling 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.

This is just another of the ten books on the Virginia Reader's Choice list I will be reading and reviewing over the next few months.  I was particularly excited to read this book, having finished Levithan's Will Grayson, Will Grayson and absolutely loving it.  However, I felt slightly let down by this novel.  Though the writing process the two have concocted to co-author their novels is pretty cool, I just didn't think this book lived up to what I expected.

For me, the shortcoming of this book lay in the fact that half of it was narrated by Dash (Levithan's contribution), and half by Lily (Cohn's character).  I LOVED Dash.  He is smart, hip, sarcastic, and a complete word nerd - where were guys like this when I was in high school?  The ability to pun (and a shared love of all things dairy) made him a character who never failed to make me chuckle.  Lily though... oh, Lily.  Nicknamed "Shrilly" in elementary school due to her extreme sensitivity, I sort of felt like the name characterized her a little too aptly.  Her extreme "cutesy-ness" and quirkiness seemed a bit fake.  I get that she is cool and confident, but I just don't buy a teenage girl would strut the streets of Manhattan wearing one Chuck Taylor and one majorette boot.  So, while I was always cheering for Dash, I mostly just found myself face-palming during Lily's narration.

The story of this novel was cute, but extremely predictable (to the point that it dragged).  I mean, going into a romantic novel I suppose I must assume the ending will be a happy one, but I felt this book was overly circuitous to get there (and of course I blamed Lily for these unnecessary sidesteps).  What made the story more enjoyable to me was knowing Levithan and Cohn's writing process.  To start the story, they only had a bare-bones idea of the general direction.  Each author would write a chapter, and then pass it on to the other, forcing him or her to react and take the story in a new direction.  This writing process became particularly fun when the authors would throw one another a curve ball in the form of a side character.  The hidden connections between characters were often more enjoyable than the plot itself.


Other than a few f-bombs (which Lily highly objects to), there is zero about which a teacher might worry.  The characters' interactions with one another, while romantic and cute, are completely G-rated.  Lily drinks (sort of... one of the scenes I found most irritating about her), but she learns it wasn't a good decision.  For my quirky girls who love a good romantic story, I would feel comfortable putting this book in their hands.


Overall, while not my favorite book, I was glad to read a light and humorous story, one I can happily pass along to students.  I loved the film version of Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist, so even if this Cohn-Levitahn collaboration wasn't my all-time favorite, I am sure I'll try another.