At the urge of her lucky-in-love brother, sixteen-year-old Lily has left a red notebook full of dares on her favourite bookshop shelf, waiting for just the right guy to come along and accept. Curious, snarky Dash isn’t one to back down from a challenge – and the Book of Dares is the perfect distraction he’s been looking for.
It’s the most wonderful time of the year…. Because Christmas reviews!
I’ve been waiting all year for this moment, guys 😭😭😭 I don’t know about you but I just love Christmas stories, especially those really cosy, fluffy ones that just make you feel all the feels ❤
Last year I read the sequel, The Twelve Days of Dash & Lily, so this year I decided to try the book that started it all. I didn’t actually remember much from it, so there was no fear of spoilers running my experience. (Thank God for my crappy memory!)
We have Dash, who’s the most pretentious hipster teenager I have ever met and God, I loved him. I think we’ve all met a Dash once and kind of ended up falling head over heels with him. He was witty and charming and kind and absolutely adorable while also being a complete idiot – but in an endearing way. I’m sure he’ll annoy tons of people, but thankfully I wasn’t one of them.
Lily was a bit less easy to like. I guess because she was so likeable. A complete goody two shoes who didn’t swear, lie, did anything wrong really, and got along with her family as if they were her best friends. Now, there’s nothing wrong with that, it just felt harder to relate to her. She wasn’t completely flawless, though, and I did like how we’re told a bit of her backstory, which explained why she was the way she was.
Mrs. Basil E., Lily’s grandpa, Boomer, Sofia, Mark, and all the other supporting characters were delightful in their own quirky ways and spiced the story really nicely.
Levithan wrote Dash’s chapters and Cohen Lily’s. They then proceeded to email them to each other with no actual planning involved. One would assume that to lead to chaotic disaster – but the end result was actually brilliant!
You can definitely tell from the beginning each POV is very distinct, and that provided a much more fleshed-out account from both characters.
Again, I preferred Dash’s POV. I felt he was funnier and more interesting than Lily in many ways, though I also liked how her chapters were so naïve and heart-warming and how they made me feel fuzzy inside. It was a nice contrasting balance.
The pacing was engaging and really kept me hooked. I could not stop smiling and wanting to keep reading to find out what happened next!
Dash and Lily’s Book of Dares is such a cute story! I mean, even if it borders on unrealistic most of the time (how they figure the clues out oh so quickly and conveniently, and how most things work out so easily every time) it was such a lovely twist on a classic romantic trope. One that I absolutely love, no matter how cliché and predictable.
It was also funny and surprisingly deep when it came to exploring family dynamics, friendships and one’s fears/identity/place in the world.
The ending! Ugh, I wanted so much more from this book and it ended so abruptly I actually flipped through a couple of pages to make sure I hadn’t missed any. It felt so incomplete, so careless, I ended up feeling kind of cheated.
I guess I’ll have to re-read The Twelve Days of Dash and Lily now.
This was the perfect book for this time of year! It was adorable and my only complaint, really, was the ending. Everything else was great, and I’m so glad to have chosen this as my first Christmas read!
I highly recommend Dash and Lily’s Book of Dares if you want a fluffy story about young love, taking chances and following along on a cute little treasure hunt. Yes, it’s predictable and cliché and a wee bit unrealistic but it’ll warm your heart and soul. Pinky promise.
Oh yes Christmas Reviews! I love all the graphics and the festive design your blog has 😍 I read this book last year and you made me want to reread it so badly 💕 I liked it as well, because it was such a comforting read, even if it was a bit unrealistic at times 😊
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Thanks so much, Caro! I’m so glad to hear it ❤️
Aw that makes me really happy that you loved it too! It was like that yeah but I didn’t mind it one bit – it’s Christmas after all!
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SOPHIE. You know I’m not a Christmas person, as I told you before, but I am SO in love with the overall look of your theme and this review, that would almost make me love this season too haha. It looks SO adorable I love it ❤
I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed this book so much, it sounds like such a fun, heartwarming story, I’ll have to check it out for sure! 🙂
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OMG Marie that’s so sweet of you! Gaaah you really know how to make a blogger blush ❤
I'm so glad my Christmasy review put you a little bit in the Christmas spirit ^^ (even if just a tiny bit 😉 )
Thanks so much, hon! It's definitely one of the cutest contemporaries ever, because even though it was sweet it never became cheesy or boring or too generic for me. So that's a good sign 🙂
I hope you give it a go! ❤
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I just love how Christmassy this post is. I read this one years ago, but I can’t remember anything! I’m actually really fond of multiple POVs when it comes to contemporary books, but we don’t see them very often. I don’t mind a book being a little cliche, sometimes I just want something predictable and fluffy. Glad you enjoyed this one!
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Thank you, Alicia! I’m glad you liked it 😊 ❤
Yeah multiple POVs are kind of a hit or miss for me because it takes not liking one character's POV to make the whole thing pretty annoying. I usually end up wishing I could skip their whole chapter even though I can't or I'll risk missing something important in the story… So yeah, frustrating when it doesn't go well! But it can be great when it does 🙂
Me too, I love a little cheesiness here and there as long as it's interesting enough 😊
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I just love reading holiday books, and I love your blog theme for Christmas. Its so festive. I do love having characters to relate with those so a shame about the heroine
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Me too! I especially love cute romances to cuddle up in the sofa 😊 And thanks so much, glad you enjoyed it ❤
Yeah she was all right but I felt the most connected to Dash, definitely. Maybe because he's a snarky little character hahaha
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This is one of those books that I see everywhere once the Christmas season comes around. It’s also one I’m always unsure if I want to read. Mostly it’s because I don’t tend to pick up contemporary books. Plus I’m a mood reader and I’m not sure if I’ll be in the mood to read this book during Christmas. Maybe I’ll give it a chance in the future? Who knows! XD
Great review!! 😀 I’m glad to see that you enjoyed it, even if you didn’t like the ending. At least there is a sequel, so their story can wrap up in a better way.
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Yeah I’m the same way, to be honest, but I found this contemporary way too cute to pass up! It was witty, sweet and just so much fun I couldn’t put it down – perfect for the holidays but good for any time of year really 😊
Yeah it was honestly sooo good up until that point I was a bit crushed… But then I remembered about the sequel and felt a bit better hahaha
Thank you, lovely! ❤ I hope you enjoy it if you do end up giving it a go 😊
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Yay, I am so glad your Christmas reviews are back Sophie! 😀 I know I’ve said this before but I love how you always have themed reviews for Halloween and Christmas and the like. 🙂
This seems like a good book to start off with (and I’m kind of amazing you found a Christmas related YA contemporary book because I was unaware more existed than the couple I’ve discovered and read) though it was a shame about Lily’s character. I get what you mean though because sometimes you need a few flaws in characters to be able to relate to them, if they’re too perfect it’s almost like there’s nothing to connect with. Also that sucks about the ending, it seems like this was a promising story and there’s nothing worse than when a book is ruined by a rushed ending. I’ve had more than a few books spoiled for me that way actually.
Still it seems like overall you enjoyed this one which is great, and I will be eagerly looking forwards to your next Christmas review! 😀 ❤
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Hahaha me too!! ❤ ❤ I try to get the blog as in sync with what's going around as possible, so I'm glad you enjoy that 😊
Yeah I've been on a quest to find more for the longest time but can't seem to find any except for lots and lots of adult romances. Some of which are fine, of course, but most of which sound reeeally cheesy and not my cup of tea at all xD
I gave one a try, though, and so far so good! I also have a few YAs that I may or may not read in time for Christmas/New Year. But there's always next year 😀
It wasn't that she was perfect per se, but she was a bit too sweet and lovely, to the point where she sounded absolutely unrealistic. I suppose there are people like her out there but I just can't relate to that in particular. Snarky/snarly Dash was much more entertaining hahaha
It wasn't that the ending was rushed but more like it ended up out of nowhere and there was way too much stuff that needed to be said still. At least in my opinion (though I'm a bit biased because I wanted a lot more xD) I mean, I don't even like epilogues but I felt this book desperately needed one!
But yeah, overall it was such a lovely read, I can't really fault it. If you do get to read it, I hope you enjoy it Beth ❤
And hopefully, next review will be up this weekend 😀
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I feel like when it comes to books set during Christmas there’s not a lot to choose from if you don’t want cheesy adult romance stories. I dunno it seems like Christmas is the time to get all the cheese out! 😀
Well hopefully you continue to enjoy that one, and yes there’s always next year.
So it was like a sudden ending then right, and it didn’t fit with the overall theme of the book/characters? Oh I get that feeling, sometimes you need an epilogue to tie everything together and yeah I’ve read books that needed that too.
Thanks Sophie, and yay that’s good to hear. 🙂 ❤
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Yeah, I love cheese! But it has to be good cheese hahaha
It definitely needed some tying up, in my opinion. It shouldn’t have ended where it did, there was just way too much to write about still. It was like I was reading part 1 of a whole book!
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Urgh, I feel like that’s the worse kind of ending, when you feel like here should be more because it makes the whole book feel unfinished.
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Ok ok you rallied me to Dash’s side Sophie!!! I am sorry for that ending thought …
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Hahaha yay!! Dash really needs more friends… And yeah it was a bit disappointing but hey, there’s always the sequel 😉
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YOUR. BLOG. LOOKS. BRILLIANT. I LOVE EVERYTHING. The Christmas Spirit is strong with this one. But seriously. Also, I should read this book. I only ever seem to read dark, gritty fantasy stuff now-a-days. I need some more light, fluffy stuff like this 🙂 Anyways, thanks for the beautifully written review!
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NOOO YOUR BLOG DOES D: But thank you so much for the kind words, they always make me fuzzy inside 😭😭
Yes you should!! It’s the cutest, most adorable Christmas romance ever and I can’t recommend it enough. Just prepare yourself for a very crap ending, pick up the sequel and you’ll be all right (hopefully)
Aaawww thank YOU Kat for being lovely as always ❤ I really appreciate it 😊
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That’s so interesting that the characters’ chapters were written by separate authors. No wonder their voices were so distinct. Too bad the ending seemed abrupt. Great review, Sophie. I can tell you’re going to enjoy the season!
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I thought so too! I rarely come upon books like that so it was great to see it working so well here 🙂
Thank you so much, Diana! Enjoy the holidays ❤
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I love the feel of your blog!!! Everything is so festive and eye-catching! Love your review on this one. It’s been sitting on my TBR shelf for the longest time. I love some feel-good books whenever I’m experiencing a slump
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Aw thanks so much, Kate! ❤ ❤ I love having everything decorated according to the seasons hahaha
Thank you, I'm glad to hear it 🙂 You should definitely pick it up! It's the perfect book for the holidays and also super cute and fun ❤ Will absolutely take anyone out of a slump!
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I love books where two authors write alternating chapters with different perspectives. This always makes for a strong story! I haven’t read either Lily and Dash novel, but now I definitely want to. I’ve been in a bit of a slump lately and I need some fluffy, escapist reads to help break that down. I assume I should start with the first book? Or does it not matter?
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Me too! Oh yeah you should start with the first book (don’t make the same mistakes that I did hahaha) It’s not a huge deal but it certainly makes it less confusing. Plus, you’ll have the sequel to look forward to when the ending comes a bit too suddenly!
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I just wanted to see if these books could be read in any order. XD But thanks for the tip! I’ll definitely start with book one then. Thanks, Sophie!
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Sure thing! I hope you love them as much as I did, though I preferred the first one I think it might have been because I read them out of order hahaha
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I mean, this happens to the best of us. The number of times I’ve received an ARC for a late-series book and not realized it until I’m mid-book? Many. Like, double digits.
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Hahaha fortunately that didn’t happen to me yet but I feel your pain ❤
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Other than the ending, this sounds like an absolutely adorable read!! I’m really curious about these characters and I’m so glad this’ll warm the heart as well. Great review! 🙂 ❤
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It is!! I definitely recommend for a quick, cosy read 😊
Thanks again! ❤️
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