Dash and Lily's Book of Dares

This novel is a bit of a strange bird in that it has not one, but two authors. Rachel Cohn and David Levithan collaborated to create this charming little work, and overall I think their union was a success.

The novel focuses on two teenagers, Dash and Lily, who both live in New York. Lily finds herself alone for the holidays, and decides to leave a red notebook with some cryptic instructions between two of her favorite novels at a local bookstore. The notebook is then retrieved by Dash, also a conveniently alone teenager, and the two kids begin swapping dares, sharing adventures, and getting to know one another through the notebook.

By having their interactions take place within the bounds of the notebook the novel offers an interesting twist on the conventional teen romance. Physical attraction and hormones play no part in Dash and Lily's friendship, and the two are able to arrive at a true meeting of minds and emotions that they are incapable of achieving with any of their friends in the physical universe. Their relationship has a sort of purity and honesty to it that is very refreshing for anyone accustomed to the typical romances found in novels of this sort. The friendship that springs up between Dash and Lily is aided by the strength of the two characters, who are well developed, unique, and interesting. The novel also features a fairly good cast of supporting characters. Though many of the secondary characters are a bit flat, there are a few (including a wonderful great-aunt and a chap named Boomer) who provide both excellent comic relief, and a degree of depth to the novel.

Because the novel was written collaboratively, with David Levithan writing Dash's portions and Rachel  Cohn writing Lily's, the two characters have their own voices, thoughts, and styles. This also means that the novel will likely be just as accessible for boys as for girls. However, the collaborative nature of the work is also probably this novel's greatest weakness. I'm not sure how collaborative novels are written, but there are points in the novel where it is clear that the left hand did not know what the right hand was doing. David Levithan's writing tends to be faultless, if a bit bland. However, Rachel Cohn's writing revealed an alarming tendency towards poor editing and inconsistency. Although these problems generally just resulted in minor typos, they occasionally led to inconsistencies within the novel's plot itself. In a novel written by two well known and well respected authors, I consider such sloppiness absolutely unacceptable. That said, the story's plot and characters were sufficiently strong that I was willing to overlook the technical errors while reading the novel. However, now that I've finished the book I would be remiss to not at least mention that whoever edited this novel did a subpar job.

On the whole this novel is engaging, quick to read, and enjoyable. The strength of the novel rests primarily in the two main characters, who are well developed, likable individuals. The plot occasionally left me a bit incredulous, but I still found myself struggling to put the book down. It probably won't change your life, but if you're looking for a quick read that will give you a little food for thought, Dash and Lily's Book of Dares won't disappoint.

Score: 7/10
Read this book if: You believe in the magic of Christmas; like treasure hunts, riddles, and dares; or believe in the power of the printed word as a vehicle of truth, when appearances so often deceive.
Don't read this book if: You can't tolerate some sloppy copy editing, don't like cheesy romance, or are a purist for deep books.