"Dash and Lily's Book of Dares" by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan

NOTE: I received this title from Netgalley.

I'm a total sucker for contemporary YA books, where there's an original and interesting story line. Dash & Lily's book of dares was one such book, that impressed me very much.

I liked the writing style. It was easy to read and follow, and I felt like it pushed me to read on until I was at the last page. The story was engrossing and full of cheery suspense, making me curious to know what the next challenge in the book would be. I really really enjoy such dare games, though I've never participated in one myself. So this was a nice way to experience the adventure.

Enough about the story. Now the characters:

*Dash... mmm... well, what can I say about that sarcastic boy who seems to see the world through a black lens? He was dashing, real and he had suffered through a lot with his family. His witty cynicism was spectacular, although there were times when his attitude totally disappointed me. But of course, there were times when he surprised me with his hidden sweet demeanor. He was a complicated guy, and I honestly really love complicated guys. It's always fun to figure out their story.

*Lily was the embodiment of sweetness. She was just generally good, she'd never hurt a mosquito, she'd never insult anyone, she'd always help whoever however she could. But there was just one problem - her family was so overprotective of her, no boy was ever allowed in a mile radius of her. Thanks to her brother though, things changed. The book of dares was thought out and planted and voila! There was a hook for just the right boy.

All of Lily's relatives were sweethearts, except perhaps Mark. Aunt Ida was awesome in her support of Dash, and I totally loved her for it!

If you love a great contemporary romance, this is the book for you!

My rating is: