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 ofNick & 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:
This was kind of adorable. Perfect for a light, fun, Christmas read.
A 16-year-old boy, Dash, finds a random notebook on a bookshelf and opens it to find instructions. He follows the instructions and begins a correspondence with the creator of the notebook, Lily. This book is adorably quirky. I loved the individual voices of Dash and Lily. Dash is a bit of a cynical loner who spends most of his time with books but still has a few loyal friends who show up throughout the book. The POV switches back and forth from Dash to Lily each chapter and I will admit that Dash's sections were just a bit pretentious. He quotes a lot of books. And talks a lot about books. And looks down on those who don't like books. I get the impression that Dash thinks he's very smart and anyone who doesn't like books couldn't possibly be smart at all. I guess that makes sense because this is a book. And people who read these types of books tend to be people who actually do like books. It just felt pretentious, that's all. And he cursed a lot. But I actually really liked his character. He was funny and quirky and thoughtful and he acted like a real person. He also acted like a guy, which is something I really appreciate in YA literature. But, given that this book was co-written by a man, I guess that's to be expected. Yay.
Lily was hilarious. From how she got her nickname (Shrilly) to her great-aunt's marching band boots, everything she does is just so adorably fun. Her voice was entertaining, her actions believable and I just liked her. I think I grinned throughout most of this book. I even laughed aloud a few times. Seriously, it was just so cute.
There were a few things that happened that I don't think needed to be in the book at all. Like Dash and Lily's first face-to-face. It just felt unnecessary. Well, that, and I didn't like it. So maybe that's why I felt like it didn't need to be in there.
Anyway, this was cute. It was a fast read that I couldn't put down and would recommend to anyone in the mood for a fluffy, sweet little Christmassy YA book.
Sexual Content: Mild
Language: Moderate
Violence: None
Drugs/Alcohol: Moderate (teenage drinking)
Mh, I wasn't a fan of this one. Probably because I wasn't in the christmas spirit when I read it.
ReplyDeleteUnderstandable. I was feeling quite Christmassy when I read it so maybe that skewed my rating a bit, too :)
DeleteI had mixed feelings about this one. I had actually wanted it for quite awhile then forgot about it until I saw it on Book Outlet. I felt kind of let down and like there was something missing with it.
ReplyDeleteI know what you mean, Kaitlyn! This was fun and cute and endearing but it needed something more to make it great. That's why I only gave it 3 acorns. But maybe it got that many acorns because I was feeling super Christmassy when I read it :)
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