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

Today I am excited to join the WinterHaven Sleigh Tour hosted by WinterHaven Books. This week, we are posting our choice of a Winter Book Review. I just finished reading Dash & Lily's Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn and  David Levithan yesterday and I really enjoyed it! Coincidentally this book is included as part of the giveaway!  To see who else is on the sleigh, go to WinterHaven Sleigh Tour  for a list of all the participating blogs.

Title: Dash & Lily's Book of Dares
Author:  Rachel Cohn & David Levithan
Reading level: Young Adult
Genre:  Contemporary
Size: 304 pages
Release Date: October 5th 2012
Publisher:  Harlequin UK Ltd Mira Ink Imprint 
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Find It: Goodreads | Amazon |AmazonUK | BN

"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."

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.

Imagine this:

You're in your favorite bookstore, scanning the shelves. You get to the section where a favorite author's books reside, and there, nestled in comfortably between the incredibly familiar spines, sits a red notebook.

What do you do?

David/Dash:

"..I reveled in solitude. If Lily wanted to believe there was a somebody out there just for her, I wanted to believe that I could be somebody in here just for me."

"You think fairytales are only for girls? Here's a hint-ask yourself who wrote them."

"I was attempting to write the story of my life. It wasn't so much about plot. It was much more about character."

Rachel/Lily:

"The important people in our lives leave imprints. They may stay or go in the physical realm, but they are always there in your heart, because they helped form your heart. There's no getting over that."

I have previously read Levithan's Every Day which I absolutely adore and Cohn's Beta which sadly I didn't.  The authors take turns writing chapters...Levithan for Dash and Cohn for Lily.  I know that I enjoy this sort of dual narration technique but how well would it be pulled off with alternating writers as well? Surprisingly well!

I adored both Dash and Lily's voices though I must confess to liking Dash a bit more.  Yes he may have been "snarly" and too much of a "hipster" (What is a hipster anyway?) but I loved him in all his Unabridged OED precociousness glory.  Lily was also an extremely likable character who was easy to connect with. Do they seem like complete opposites who never would have met without the machinations of the moleskin? Yes, Completely.  Do they make a great couple? Undoubtedly.

I loved the concept...I mean really..who doesn't dream of finding a hidden note in a book or bookstore and that leading one to an amazing guy/gal.  *looks around* (I hope it's not just me...well if I weren't already married that is...ahem...eh...moving on...)

The setting of New York at Christmas time almost made me want to hop a train and take a Saturday in the city...and I still might.  Yes there are horrid crowds...but it is so worth it:) The supporting characters like Dash's friend Boomer (who I also love...yes lots of love to go around here..) and all of Lily's relatives, especially her aunt, make the book even that much more enjoyable.  Dash & Lily's Book of Dare's is perfect lighthearted yet at times quite thought provoking holiday fare.  So grab a glass of eggnog and dig in!

4.5 (I almost gave it a full 5) Timepieces!!

WinterHaven is sponsoring a giveaway which will include 4 winners who will each receive 1 Signed Copy of Dash & Lily’s Book of Dares (Signed by Levithan and Cohn) AND 1 Not-Signed Copy of Let it Snow.

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