Tag: Dash & Lily

Dear readers, we have reached the last day of this cursed 2020 and with it also the last book of this year (because I don’t think I will be able to finish the other two I started). I don’t usually read romantic and Christmas comedies during this time; I prefer to binge-watch for hours and hours movies and TV series full of snow, love and holidays, yes. And that’s exactly what I did with Dash & Lily, the Netflix series that I devoured in one day, for four hours straight. But I’m not here to tell you about the TV show, although I loved it like few other things this year – it was light, lovely, fun and I empathized with Lily more than I imagined (because even though I haven’t been seventeen for quite a while, I’m like her, from her dreams and joy for little things and love for Christmas, to bad luck with boyfriends and a questionable wardrobe). No, today I’m going to talk about the book they based the series on – because obviously I had to read it. Ready? Plot: Lily left a red notebook full of challenges on her favorite bookstore shelf, waiting for just the right guy to come along and accept its dares. Dash, in a bad mood during the holidays, happens to be the first guy to pick up the notebook and rise to its challenges. What follows is a whirlwind romance as Dash and Lily trade dares, dreams, and desires in the notebook they pass back and forth at locations all across New York City. But can their in-person selves possibly connect as well as their notebook versions, or will their scavenger hunt end in a comic mismatch of disastrous proportions? This time I will not dwell on the cover because it is not memorable, but it is simple and sweet like what it hides inside. Instead, let’s talk about how the story is structured: each chapter is written first person POV and alternates between the point of view of Dash (written by David Levithan) and Lily (written by Rachel Cohn). I’ve never read any of the two authors who co-wrote this book, so I didn’t know what to expect. Apart from Sir Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman, with “Good Omens”, whose style is fluid and one would not say it was written by more than one person, I am always afraid that there is too strong a gap between one chapter and another. due to different writing styles. And while Lily and Dash are two very different people, I have to say that reading is smooth and enjoyable, as well as incredibly fun. The important people in our lives leave imprints. They may stay or go in the physical realm, but they are always there in your heart, because they helped form your heart. There’s no getting over that. Dash hates Christmas and will spend it alone, as his parents divorced years ago and would rather be with their new partners than their own boy. Lily, on the other hand, has a huge family (although she found herself alone this year for a variety of reasons) and she loves this time of year. Dash prefers solitude and is surrounded by an aura of sadness and melancholy that he can’t get rid of. Lily is pure joy and energy, but she has never stepped out of the protective circle of her family. They couldn’t be more different than that. The red notebook in which they will write and compete is the push they both need to find hope. I love that it is just a moleskine and a pen, something incredibly analogical, which will allow them to get to know each other, in the age of the internet and digital messages, despite being the right age to bask with their mobile phone morning and evening like their peers. The events take place in a New York we all know even without ever having visited it in person: crowded with people thrilled (and perhaps even a little exhausted) by the preparations for Christmas and New Year celebration, cold but exciting like few cities in the world. The two protagonists move around it with ease, despite being huge and tiny in comparison. Some challenges are hilarious, but they all help the characters overcome their fears and grow together. This is precisely the beauty of the book: despite the lightheartedness with which it is told, I loved the way two complete strangers grow up together, getting to know each other more and more deeply – perhaps even better than they could have done if they had met in person right away. There’s truly a story on every corner. It still might be a shock. To realize you are just one story walking among millions. If there’s one thing I loved about this book, it’s the irony and stinging sarcasm, especially Dash’s. More than once I found myself laughing out loud about certain parts. And luckily I didn’t read it in public, because when Lily’s great-aunt interrogated poor Dash I would have made several heads turn with laughter! The two young characters are clever, with a witty and alert mind typical of those who read and dream a lot. Maybe some speeches are a little too mature for teenagers like them, but they don’t clash with their personalities at all. Dash is disillusioned and cynical, meticulous to the point of exasperation, his love for words for words is the engine that drives him to delightful and insightful clarifications. Lily, on the other hand, is a bit more naive, but definitely not stupid. She is adorable and, as mentioned, I can see myself in her without shame. I loved her desire to dare, to rebel against the monotony of life and let herself go into some little madness. The secondary characters are not just a backdrop, but they actively participate in that unusual challenge and I loved them all. Even Sophia, which is saying

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