"I was attempting to write the story of my life. It wasn't so much about plot. It was much more about character." 
 I could fill an entire red Moleskine with quotes from this book. Heaps and heaps of lovely, delicious words flow effortlessly from Dash's thoughts and spread out in a multitude of meanings. Lily contributes as well, with her quirky and adorable little observations, her resent towards Hermione and her little fears of insecurity. 
 Rachel Cohn and David Levithan cooperate so well in their writing, and you never really sense any shift in the writing style or plotting, other than the different perspectives Dash and Lily each offer to the story. 
 The book is bursting with intertextuality, numerous references to well-known poets and authors find their way into the story, which only seem natural, considering that the entire story is built upon a discovery in a local bookstore. 
 "But isn't this a dance? Isn't all of this a dance? Isn't that what we do with words? Isn't that what we do when we talk, when we spar, when we make plans or leave it to chance? Some of it's choreographed. Some of the steps have been done for ages. And the rest -- the rest is spontaneous. The rest has to be decided on the floor, in the moment, before the music ends." 
 "Dash & Lily's Book of Dares" was perhaps not as christmassy as I would have liked it to be, but it was a lovely and heartwarming read after all. I adored the writing style, the premise of the plot and the little romance between the two main characters, and I found the book quite entertaining from beginning to end. 
 However, some of the scenes in the book did stand out in my reading as being rather odd. (view spoiler)[I hated the part where Lily got drunk and suddenly dated the "hot guy", just because she could. I know that she's supposed to be rather young (16?), and perhaps I just can't relate to that any longer. I do not know. I just hated how cliched and messy that scene was. 
 Also, the scene in the park with the mothers and their babies, the prison and the TV-coverage. It just didn't feel right or even remotely realistic at all. The story was in need of a bit of sensation to bring Dash and Lily together, but I didn't think it was managed properly. (hide spoiler)] 
 All in all, I did enjoy this. Especially the writing. It was so humorous, wondrous and cute. I won't remember the book for its flaws, but I will remember it for its two lovely characters and their joined adventure of words, love and hidden connections. 
 "I was horribly bookish, to the point of coming right out and saying it, which I knew was not socially acceptable. I particularly loved the adjective bookish, which I found other people used about as often as ramrod or chum or teetotaler."