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

Synopsis:
“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 Times bestselling 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.

My thoughts:

To be completely honest, the first time I saw this book I thought 'Oh sweet baby Jesus, are you Sirius? There's a friggin' heart on the 'Walk'/'Don't Walk' sign. Really?' I was not impressed by the cover that seemed to depict a tale of furry bunnies chasing rainbows across sunshine island. Then I saw that it was written by Rachel Cohn & David Levithan and had to buy it. I sort of hero worshipped David Levithan for a few months and even met him once-and yes I've got pictures to prove it. So of course I needed to find a bench/couch/chair/any open space to sit down and crack open what was sure to be fantastic.

I'm happy to report that this story went above and beyond my expectations. After Dash finds Lily's red Moleskine sticking out of of one of the many stacks in The Strand, both of their holiday breaks become much more interesting. At first both characters seem a bit timid and give each other small tasks to complete in order to get the notebook back, but soon they're pouring every thought into the notebook they continuously pass back and forth. Everything they want to say goes in. No censors.

The notebook acts as a middle man between the two, and it's very interesting the things that are hashed out that would never be said face to face. I loved it. Guh. And the things they write:

I want that. The getting younger with each step, because of anticipation, in hope and belief.

Fanfriggin'tastic.

In a more book reviewy*  direction, the plot is paced fantastically. Just the right amount of anticipation and waiting for things to happen. The supporting cast is great-especially Lily's brother Langston, who is just plain fabulous-and play into the story in surprising ways.

Basically...

Pick it up. Dash & Lily's Book of Dares might not be a YA read for all, but I highly suggest checking it out next time you're at your library.

*Yurp. Couldn't think of anything else. *shrug*

p.s. I know this review bites, but I'm still trying to get back in the swing of things, ya know?

In lieu of reviews

Since there's no way I'll be able to catch up on reviews for the past three-four months i've decided to put up a list of the books that I would recommend. I know this doesn't help at all really since I'm not breaking down why I like them, but hopefully you'll look into some of them.

• Prom and Prejudice by Elizabeth Eulberg [If you liked The Lonely Hearts Club, this is right up your alley. I might give this one a full review.]
• Five Flavors of Dumb by Antony John [More enlightening than I thought it would be.]
• The Scorch Trials by James Dashner (FANTASTIC. A great followup to The Maze Runner.]
• The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart [Fun, smart, and strong.]
• Dash and Lily's Book of Dares by David Levithan and Rachel Cohn [One of my favorite books I've read in a while. Great characters.]
• Devilish by Maureen Johnson [I was never a big fan of her work-although she's the best person to follow o Twitter-I actually really enjoyed Devilish.]

Hope you guys get a chance to experience some of these!

Um...hi?

Today I went online and was mindlessly scrolling through pages of Tumblr posts and new releases on BarnesandNoble.com when I remembered that I have a book blog.

.....

Then I rapidly typed blogger.com into my search bar, logged in and realized that I still, by some miracle, have followers.

It's weird how fast these past few months have gone by and how quickly this blog fell to the wayside as I waded through piles of homework and stacks of summer reading books. I haven't stopped reading YA by any means, but have just stopped having the time to review. I'm starting to go through that awkward 'Who am I and what does it all mean?' phase and being angst-ridden sure does take up a big chunk of my time.

I've also rediscovered my love for finding new music and people. (It's alarming how much of my money as well as my parents money is spent on books and music. By the way, I just picked up Yo La Tengo's Popular Songs album and it is GOLD.) I've been going to more concerts than I thought possible and discovering new artists like crazy. It's exhilarating and I love it. I'm also learning to play guitar and that's a whole bundle of fun (This, for anyone who's never attempted to play, is sarcasm. My fingers hurt like hell and I'm waiting not so patiently for my calluses to form.)

All in all, I've been busy. I've also had times where I was bored to tears but couldn't think of anything to write. Procrastination has been my friend and for that I have completely left my dear old blog hanging in the corner of my mind where cobwebs form.

I didn't come on here to say adios* before I delete or to lie and say 'I'll be on every week!' I just wanted to say that I will try to post sporadically until summer when I have more time to blog and I would love if you stay with me until then.

I hope you all have an amazing day/night/week/month/year/life!



*Fun fact: Goodbye is a contraction for 'God be with you.' Mind blown.