Title: The Twelve Days of Dash & Lily (Dash & Lily #2)Series: Dash & Lily #2
Author: David Levithan, Rachel Cohn
Also by this author: Another Day (Every Day #2), Dash & Lily's Book of Dares (Dash & Lily #1)
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
Genres: Contemporary, Young Adult Fiction
Publication Date: October 8, 2016
Rating:
Series Rating:
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.
❃ I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. ❃
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Review: The Twelve Days of Dash & Lily
The Twelve Days of Dash & Lily is a really disappointing sequel to Dash & Lily’s Book of Dares by David Levithan and Rachel Cohn. This companion novel has far less adventure in and Lily’s character in The Twelve Days of Dash & Lily is so negative. The constant negativity doesn’t make the book seem Christmassy at all.
❀ Not As Adventurous as the First
The Twelve Days of Dash & Lily, like Dash & Lily’s Books of Dares, contains adventure, though definitely not as much as the first book. The adventures in this story are mostly Dash trying to cheer Lily up, and even find her. I was hoping for something more like the first book’s wild and mysterious concept, so I was pretty miffed by this one.
❀ Lily is too negative
Dash’s character is more enjoyable to read about than Lily’s in this book. He is kind and does everything he can to make Lily happy. Lily, however, while being an okay character herself, is depressed, and her parts failed to get me in the Christmas spirit. While reading, I felt really sad for her, which I was not expecting from a holiday book. It got to the point where I dreaded switching to her POV because it was so negative. The Twelve Days of Dash & Lily really needs some more Christmas spirit.
❀ Too Much Negativity for a holiday book
My main issue with the book, which I kind of mentioned above, is the constant negativity. There are so many things that go wrong, such as Dash and Lily considering taking a break and Lily’s grandpa’s failing health. The whole book was pretty much everyone feeling sorry for Lily and trying to cheer her up. It didn’t even feel like a Christmas book after so long.
The Twelve Days of Dash & Lily is the companion to Dash & Lily’s Book of Dares. Since it is a Christmas book, I was expecting something happier, but was disappointed to see the negativity brought on by Lily’s character and the constant disasters. Although it does pick up at the very end, I feel like this book kind of ruined my experience with Dash & Lily’s Book of Dares. I would not recommend this book if you are 100% satisfied with the way the first book ended.
About David Levithan
David Levithan (born 1972) is an American children's book editor and award-winning author. He published his first YA book, Boy Meets Boy, in 2003. Levithan is also the founding editor of PUSH, a Young Adult imprint of Scholastic Press.
About Rachel Cohn
Rachel grew up in the D.C. area and graduated from Barnard College with a B.A. in Political Science. She has written many YA novels, including three that she cowrote with her friend and colleague David Levithan. She lives and writes (when she's not reading other people's books, organizing her music library or looking for the best cappuccino) in New York City.
About The Candid Cover
Olivia ❀ Canadian YA book blogger, Starbucks lover, & professional bibliophile.
Such a pity that Lily’s POV was so depressing, but I guess that’s sometimes reality. I love the cover though
Yes. This one was on my radar for so long. I never want to pick up a holiday read that doesn’t lift my spirits. So disappointing.
So sorry to hear this one wasn’t what you had hoped for! Constant negativity in a novel really dashes the holiday spirit, and makes the whole thing pointless! I much prefer holiday books that are full of hope and happiness to really get me into the spirit.
I guess I should probably go read Dash and Lily’s Book of Dares at some point!
Exactly! I would have liked it more if the story turned around towards the end. The first book is so much fun, that it was a real let down.
Good thing I still haven’t purchased it, as I haven’t read the first book in the series yet. If I end up satisfied with it, I probably won’t be picking this one up.
Awww! I hate to deter people from reading books, but there are so many books out there that you can enjoy. Picking this one up from the library to see for yourself might be another option. 😉
I’ll have to check out the first book in this series.
I’ve been hearing negative things about this book.. and I trust you completely, so I guess I’ll skip this one. 🙂
Well that is disappointing to hear. I haven’t read the first one, but I have seen the love that people have for it. I hate that this could be a disappointment for so many.
Great review! Sounds right up my alley!
This looks like a great series. Thanks for sharing.