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I adored Dash & Lily’s Book of Dares, the first book in this series. Dash was just enough of a curmudgeon and Lily was a delight. They were quirky together, they had funny friends, and seeing their relationship develop against the backdrop of Christmas in New York was the stuff that holiday rom-coms are made of.
This book was not quite as good.
Lily’s had a really rough year, what with her beloved Grampa having some serious health problems. There’s a lot of change going on in her life and she is not and never has been a fan of change. She’s lost her shine and she’s losing herself in caring for Grampa. Dash wants to help but can’t find a way to reach her.
I just couldn’t find the magic of the first book here and, to be blunt, at times it felt like the authors were trying too hard. One scene in particular felt like, “What? A teenager pulled this off?” And then it went even further off the rails.
I did like that there’s one character whom I just knew was going to be redeemed by the end and he wasn’t. Don’t get me wrong–I love redemption stories. But in reality, people who are close to us who are jerks sometimes just keep being jerks. There’s nothing we can do about it. It’s nice to see that reflected in a book.
I love the narration and highly recommend the audiobooks if you choose to read this series.
I would honestly recommend stopping with the first book if you loved it. I see that there’s a third book but I think I’m going to stop here.
Dash and Lily have had a tough year since they first fell in love among the shelves of their favorite bookstore. Lily’s beloved grandfather suffered a heart attack, and his difficult road to recovery has taken a major toll on her typically sunny disposition.
With only twelve days left until Christmas—Lily’s favorite time of the year—Dash, Lily’s brother Langston, and their closest friends must take Manhattan by storm to help Lily recapture the unique holiday magic of a glittering, snow-covered New York City in December.
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If you liked The Twelve Days of Dash and Lily, you might also like my reviews of
Dash and Lily’s Book of Dares (Dash and Lily #1) by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan, read by Tara Sands and Ryan Gesell
That’s good to know. I loved the first book and the Netflix series, but may not keep going with the other two. My list of books to read next year for the holidays is already way too long.
There are so many to read! I’ve started placing holds on my holiday books a year ahead of time and then repeatedly postponing the hold. Otherwise, I can’t get my hands on any of them.
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2 Comments
That’s good to know. I loved the first book and the Netflix series, but may not keep going with the other two. My list of books to read next year for the holidays is already way too long.
There are so many to read! I’ve started placing holds on my holiday books a year ahead of time and then repeatedly postponing the hold. Otherwise, I can’t get my hands on any of them.