Dash and Lily's Book of Dares

I can feel the cool breeze which says that Christmas is just around the corner, and since I am in the mood for YA novels lately, and I love Levithan and Cohn, I decided to why not plunge into this book which is perfect because of its holiday vibe. I just wish I could give justice in my attempt to sortov review it.  Or at least you could take my word that it's really a delightful read. ;)

This is about a boy, a girl, and a red Moleskine --a red Moleskin that held the plot all together!

It started when this snarly, bookish, introvert boy named Dash (whom I imagined to be Michael Cera) went to Strand and in between the books of his favorite author, he found a red notebook with a lot of instructions in it. 

Lily, the owner of the notebook is a bubbly, loving, and daring (by the end part of the book) girl who loves her family so much that she spends a lot of time with them but hates the over protectiveness she is getting from them. Thanks to Langston, her brother, who came up with an idea through the dares he had written on the notebook, so as to distract her while he hangs out with his boyfriend. 

Who would have thought that a notebook will connect two people and will let them have the sweetest, wittiest Holiday adventures of their lives? 

Here is the long list of my favorite lines from the book:

“I want to believe that despite all the evidence to the contrary, there is reason to hope.”

“It was one of those moments when you feel the future so much that it humbles the present”

“I want to believe there is a somebody out there just for me. I want to believe that I exist to be there for that somebody.”

“Maybe, I thought, it’s not the distance that’s the problem, but how you handle it.”

“You want meaning? Well, the meanings are out there. We're just so damn good at reading them wrong.” 

“‘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.’”

“You think fairy tales are only for girls? Here’s a hint - ask yourself who wrote them. I assure you, it wasn’t just the women. It’s the great male fantasy - all it takes is one dance to know that she’s the one. All it takes is the sound of her song from the tower, or a look at her sleeping face. And right away you know - this is the girl in your head, sleeping or dancing or singing in front of you. Yes, girls want their princes, but boys want their princesses just as much. And they don’t want a very long courtships. They want to know immediately.”

“When in doubt, ingest carbs.”

"We all just took the bookstore at its word, because if you couldn't trust a bookstore, who could you trust?".

“There are just lots of possibilities in the world...I need to keep my mind open for what could happen and not decide that the world is hopeless if what I want to happen doesn't happen. Because something else great might happen in between.” 

‎”You don’t know who Nicholas Sparks is?” Dash asked.

I shook my head.

Please don't ever find out," he said."

“I'm told there's no going back. So I'm choosing forward.” 

“I want to believe that, despite all evidence to the contrary, it is possible for anyone to find that one special person. That person to spend Christmas with or grow old with or just take a nice silly walk in Central Park with. Somebody who wouldn’t judge another for the prepositions they dangle, or their run-on sentences, and who in turn wouldn’t be judged for the snobbery of their language etymology inclinations.

Dash and Lily's Book of Dares was really a fun read. It made me giddy, laugh out loud and smile a stupid smile, it's just too cute and freaking hilarious! The secondary characters, Aunt Ida, Boomer, and Mark added a blast on the story without overpowering the main characters. I opted not to disclose the dares they had done because I want you to have a fair share of what I had felt when I had read it, and I am telling you, it will leave you the happies! :) 

Also, I love the part when they spent the New Year at the Strand. Holy cheezus! I dream of spending a day/night surrounded with books, BRB, going to that bookstore, hoping to find a red notebook and my own Dash. *wink* *wink*