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

Title: Dash & Lily's Book of Dares
Author: Rachel Cohn & David Levithan
Narrator: Ryan Gesell & Tara Sands
Series: stand-alone
Publisher: Listening Library
Publication Date: November 16, 2010
Source: purchased
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Audible

“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 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.

What an awesome holiday read!  It was quick and cute and still managed to pull off quirky really well.  I don't think I've read very many novels set during the holidays specifically for the holiday setting.  I'm not of the "bah-humbug" state of mind, but I'm not a jolly little elf either, so I wasn't sure how well a holiday-themed novel would sit with my steadily declining good cheer the closer we get to Christmas.

As you can see, that wasn't an issue.  Dash & Lily's Book of Dares was smart and funny and a much-needed dose of holiday cheer.  The story is clever, told from alternating points-of-view -- one Dash and Lily -- as they traverse the cityscape of New York over Christmas vacation...separately.  Each narrative is unique to the character and feels authentic, reminding the reader that these are just two young people, looking for a way to stave off the loneliness.

Lily's character was just so immediately likable.  She's the girl who hangs on the fringes of a lot of different social groups and is friends with everyone but not really close to anyone.  Lily is just an average girl, trying to embrace the holiday spirit during what she's deemed "the worst Christmas ever."  Dash is, in his own words, "persnickety".  He is witty and sarcastic, and he seems predisposed to his dislike of Christmas.  He is neither happy nor sad:  when I think of Dash, I imagine him with a rueful smile.  These two seemingly have nothing in common, but once they start communicating through that red journal, the connection is undeniable.

This wasn't a lengthy book, and it made for a relatively short audiobook, as well.  (I say relatively short because most of my audio listens are longer than six hours and forty minutes.)  At any rate, I really liked the choice of narrators for the two differing POVs.  Both were of the appropriate age to voice their character and it felt like realistic dialogue, whether written or spoken between them.  I've been wanting to read this book for a while, and I'm glad I finally got to experience the story...the audio just made it that much more fun.

I haven't read novels from either of these authors prior to Dash & Lily, but I definitely have plans to do so now.  Hearing a book is great and finding out for yourself how fun the writing is are two different things, but I am definitely a fan of the writing now.  I've seen Nick & Nora's Infinite Playlist -- love that movie -- and I have a feeling it would be very similar to this one, considering it's written by the same acclaimed authors.  I really think I'd like to see Dash & Lily as a movie now.  =)

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