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

Dash & Lily's Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Genre: young adult fiction
On mty TBR list: No
Part of a series: No


SYNOPSIS (my own): A couple of teens carry on an old-fashioned correspondence via a red notebook in New York during the winter holidays. I don't want to give away any more than that!

This is the type of book that I would have adored when I was 14. My view of New York was rather romanticized back then; I lived there until I was 10 and spent most of my teen years trying to figure out how I could move back. This book captures the sense of adventure, excitement, and discovery that I associated with New York. It was a welcome diversion to go back to those years in my head.

The character of Dash is a lover of words and well-constructed sentences. I identified with him more than with Lily, who is a fluffy ball of sunshine and optimism. The correspondence between them hearkened back to an earlier time without feeling anachronistic. It made me wish I had someone to exchange long, soul-searching letters with rather than short, perfunctory emails.

The only other book I've read by these authors is Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist, which I reviewed back in 2009. While I enjoyed both books, I would be more likely to hand Dash and Lily's Book of Dares to my 15-year-old daughter.


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