What a sweet story. If you're someone who likes books(like myself), mystery(ditto) and sweet romance told in a story that's so damn fun, this might be the book for you!

My first thought was that at about 80 or 90 pages into this book, Christmas was over and most of the dares had been completed. Okay, so the book could end. But it didn't. It kept going. Like the Energizer bunny. Except that I really didn't see the need for this book to drag out as long as it did. Harsh, I know, but that's what I thought. And this book could have been a cute Christmas story if a good chunk of it wasn't so downright depressing!

Okay, the characters. I loved Boomer. Absolutely loved him! I think he was probably the only one that kept me from completely writing this book off. He was just so cheerful and optimistic and kinda like this loyal puppy dog who was just the sweetest part of the book. Characters I disliked? Those psychotic mommies in the park. I mean, really? A bunch of 10-year-old boys attack Dash with snowballs and their mommies start freaking out and saying he's a child attacker and then Lily catches a baby that would have hit the pavement otherwise and she's a baby stealer? I mean, I know I don't live in New York but come on!!!

Anyway . . . the plot? There wasn't really one. There was a book of dares, they almost meet and then they do meet. The end. It was enough to keep me going only to find out what happens in the end. That was it. A re-read, once I know what's going to happen, is not an option for this book.

I'm sure this review sounds harsh but I felt something really lacking in this book. And it's sad because I was really excited to read it. There has been a fair amount of hype about this book and I was really eager to read it for myself. Oh well, better luck next time.

"At the urg(ing) of her lucky-in-love brother, sixteen-year-old Lily has left a red notebook full of challenges on her favourite bookshop shelf, waiting for just the right guy to come along and accept its dares. Curious, Dash isn’t one to back down from a challenge – and the Book of Dares is the perfect distraction he’s been looking for.

As they send each other on a scavenger hunt across Manhattan, a whirlwhind romance ensues on paper. But finding out if they share their on-page chemistry in real life could be their biggest dare yet."

I absolutely loved this premise and couldn't wait to finally read this book. I wasn't disappointed! Dash and Lily's personalities are so different, and the question is - will that work against them, or do opposites really attract?

This book was so sweet that I just wanted to say awww over and over, but that doesn't mean the characters didn't face obstacles. What pair of teenagers don't suffer from the highs and lows of just being typical teens, with all the angst that goes along with that? There was definite character growth from being to end, and the pacing of the story was just right. I loved the setting of New York at Christmas, and found the book overall to be very well written. Because of this, it was a very quick read for me.

In summary, I highly recommend this book and give it a resounding 5/5 stars.

I received a copy of this book free of charge in exchange for my honest opinion.

I didn't realise this was a Christmas book, so reading it during sunny, warm April weather was a bit surreal. I enjoyed the book, it was cute and pure entertainment. There's a few parts in it that I thought you wouldn't get away with saying that now having read this book a decade after it was first published. I wasn't too sure about the characters, I liked Lily but she was wrapped up in cotton wool and knew it. Dash's personality changed quite a bit at the end. If you're wanting a cute Christmas read this would be for you. 2.5 stars.

I thought that this was just okay. I didn't connect with the characters but the writing was good and it held my interest pretty easily. It didn't take me long to read this but it was pretty forgettable. I already don't remember much of what happened. I do think that I will pick up something by these authors in the future though because I did like the writing style.

I really enjoyed this book. The setting takes place in NYC during Christmas and New Years. It is a very cute book. Dash and Lily are adorable characters. Also, I loved how much they were into books and the whole concept with the notes with the red moleskin notebook idea was great! This is a perfect book to read during the winter, specifically December, especially around Christmas. There were also some great quotes in this book.

I absolutely loved this book. The way that Dash and Lily meet and develop their romance is unique and made for a cute and fun story. I recently read the follow up and loved it as well. The characters are so human and well developed and you can't help but root for them.

This was a really cute and fun novel that kept me smiling. It's a light read perfect for the beach or vacation that you'll fly through in a couple of days. Perfect YA romance and loved the NY setting.

I loved this story. I loved the premise and the treasure hunt, hidden journal, and mystery authors. I loved that it was innocent and fun and that it worked because of so many reasons. In the age of Google and phones it was a good old fashioned hunt with clues and cryptic messages that needed to be understood to be played properly. Respect for the quest and curiosity as the main propulsion.

Each journal entry offers more insight into either Lily or Dash and it's clear how the two connect with one another. We follow Dash's perspective and see his intentions and reasons, the same for Lily's chapters, but we get a little more when we read what they tell one another and challenge one another to do.

I had a fleeting moment, very, very fleeting, where I compared Dash to Holden Caulfield but then I immediately changed my mind and reprimanded myself for thinking such a thing. Dash is Dash for many reasons. No one let's him get away with being a snarly sullen teen who *almost* judges the world and others as lesser people. But Boomer is his best defender, and others see right through him. As you get to know Dash you fall in love with him and see his side of things and love him more for it.

Lily has the same issues in a way. She's 16 but has the innocence of an 8 year old at times. She needs to be protected by the family for an odd reason I'll admit, but her wide eyed charm of loving life, Christmas, and her family is very sweet.

All the characters in this are charming and wonderful in their own way. Cohen and Levithan have done a wonderful job in this collaboration and you can see how they've created these amazing characters that are charming but not entirely faultless or too perfect either.

Oh, how I loved Dash & Lily's Book of Dares! I found the characters to be cute and fun and to see them fall in love gave me the feels! This is a quick read that has everything I want in a novel and to have Christmas time in New York in the background just made it extra special. I definitely recommend this one.

I was really excited to read this book as it promised a fun, light read. It definitely delivered and I'm so happy to have read Dash & Lily's Book of Dares. I was pretty much hooked from the beginning, loving the idea of a boy randomly finding a journal in a bookstore and following the dares that someone had written inside.

I'll be honest and say that I did occasionally find some of the characters a little annoying and immature but the story itself was so cute that it didn't bother me at all. I really enjoyed following along with the characters as they learned more about each other and found different ways to continue their game. Though a bit dangerous, I do think it's a fun idea and would be neat to do something similar in real life.

Overall a nice, quick little read, especially great during the holidays. :)

Rating: 4 Stars

I find it kind of fitting that I picked up this book of Dares right after Dare you To. Something about Dare’s being in the title really worked for me (also I got this book from Netgalley).
To be perfectly honest I don’t really know how to review this book. I am torn between it being addictive and finding it pretentious.

I liked the rotating POV’s of this book. This was the addictive part, because I really wanted to see how each of them would respond to the challenges and messages left in the red book of dares. It wasn’t so much as I DARE you to, but a challenge.

I found Dash to be pretentious. He felt like a jaded old man looking down his nose at life. Quite frankly I felt that he lacked any thing tender about himself. I think his journey throughout the book was supposed to be that we saw the less jaded aspects of him brought out by Lilly – this didn’t quite work out for me though.

Lilly I found to be such his opposite she came off as immature. Shrilly? It made her sound like she was still 6 years old. Throughout the book though I really did find that Lilly grew. She held on to certain aspects of her Lilly-ness but at the same time really started to push against her boundries to find out who she was thanks to the challenges of the notebook. I wonder though if she ever would have outside of that notebook?

And because these two characters only ever connect through this notebook, I have a hard time believing the ending. That they can exist outside of this crutch. Sure they had a magical larger than life evening together, but everything after that is just down hill.

Parts of this book kind of felt like a Dawson’s’ Creek episode where they are philosophizing about life. Kids trying to be grandeur than what they are. It made me wonder if this was a product of New York?

I kind of feel this is one of those books that you will either love or you will hate. You will either love Dash’s pretentious nature and the philosophizing throughout the book and Lilly’s naivety you will find charming, or all of those things will grate on your nerves endlessly.

Myself, I think I will sit on this one. I see the potential in it, and I did whip through it fast enough. I even enjoyed all of the secondary characters. Especially Mrs. Basil E Frank (I LOVED that book at a kid). Certain aspects of Lilly where charming, even though she was greatly naïve. And certain philosophizing from Dash’s perspective made me nod my head too. Is there an equivalent emotion to charming, but with New York grit? - because that is what I would call this book.
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It hurts me to say it: Rachel Cohn and David Levithan need to refresh their collab. I'm all for the spontaneity of their stories, but they need to control this adventure overdose and get on with a perfect hybrid of a moving yet fun story. It's heartbreaking for me to give this just three stars but there were truly a lot of things in this book that I didn't like more than those that I did like. One of such was the already-mentioned excessive amount of adventures, and another is the unlike-able personality of Levithan's character, Dash. He was too cerebral, to the point of arrogant/douchey. There were a lot of times I really wanted to skip a lot of pages because I couldn't stand listening to what he was saying/thinking. This is mind-blowing for me because I am a David Levithan fan. But I def loved Lily, which I honestly did not see coming! It was most likely because she immensely reminded me of Stargirl, and well, who doesn't love Stargirl? And Cohn was spot-on with her parts of the story all the way. Not much of the swoons but a lot of thoughts about the dynamics of people's connection with one another. Add to that, the story is set in one of the most awesome bookstores in the world, so, really, still enjoyable.

what a cute and wonderful book, a perfect Christmas read.

Since receiving this book, my interests have changed therefore I will not be reading or reviewing this title. Thank you.