Title: Dash & Lily's Book of Dares
Authors: Rachel Cohn and David Levithan
Series/Standalone: Dash and Lily (Book #1)
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Pages: 260
Publisher: Ember
Year Published: 2010
Format: Physical Copy (Own It)
First Line: "Imagine this: You're in your favorite bookstore, scanning the shelves."
"'I've left some clues for you. If you wan them, turn the page. If you don't, put the book back on the shelf, please.
Lily has 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?"
My Rating: 3/5
This is a highly raved about book for the holiday season, which is why I decided to pick it up with year around the holidays. I thought that this story would be right up my alley especially at the start with a sarcastic, nerdy character to read from at the start. Throughout the book though i found that it overall was rather blah. I should be able to get through this book in an evening or a few hours, but sadly it took me almost two weeks to work my way through it. I think that the characters were sweet and lovable but at the same time too young for me to be reading from. While I own the second book, I doubt I'll pick it up again until the next holiday season.
Thanks for reading,
Sidny
This is an incrediblely popular book for this time of year. And I can see the appeal. It's very much like the hallmark Christmas movies we all love around this time of year. That being said, it read a little young for me. I really enjoyed Dash's perspective of the story as he's cynical and pessimistic which is how I feel most days. That being said, I just couldn't relate to the story, and I didn't care for the additional characters in this story. Overall, the setting is one of the only reasons that I continued to read this story and finished it. That being said, I might attempt the second book next holiday season.
Characters:
Lily: She's a very childish 16 year old girl. Which shouldn't have shocked me so much, but the more I read from her perspective the less i enjoyed her story telling. She was too optimistic for me and seemed to think that things would always just be her way, which isn't realistic, not even a little. Something I think most of us find out before we are 16 years-old.
Dash: Now Dash, Dash I like. He's pessimistic and snarky. He's not rude persay but he is able to put people off through omission and strange conversations. He didn't really seem to fit in but he was also able to speak with those around him which is something I can only hope to relate to someday. That being said, by the end of the book he just wasn't everything I hoped he would grow to be.
Boomer: He's a fun character to read from, if only for the reason that he is blatantly honest and true to those around him. He tells people what he thinks and why he thinks them, even though his perspective is a little unusual.
Langston: I liked the fact that there were diverse side characters, but I would be interested in a story about Langston and Benny. I would be interested in his first great heartbreak and love and how he got to know Benny over time.
Sofia: I think that she was ok, but she didn't really hold up to the anticipation that was held out for the reader. She wasn't so great.
Priya: I liked that she was straight forward and friendly, but I do wonder about her friendship with Dash and their other friends. How did they all get to know each other?
Moments to Remember:
Final Line: "'Wake up, Dash.'"
Thanks for reading,
Sidny
Title: The Bodies We Wear
Author: Jeyn Roberts
Series/Novel: Novel
Genre: Young Adult, Science Fiction,
Pages: 368
Publisher: Ember
Year Published: 2016
First Line: "People say when you take Heam, your body momentarily dies and you catch a glimpse of heaven."
"Sometimes redemption can look like revenge.
Heam: It's the hottest drug around. Users claim they are able to see heaven- a place so beautiful, so indescribably serene, many people never want to come back. And some don't, like Faye's best friend Christian. But when Faye was forced to take Heam, she didn't see heaven; she saw hell. And now she spends her nights training to take revenge on the men who destroyed her future and murdered Christian."
My Rating: 2/5
I want to start off by saying that the following is my opinion. Other may have really enjoyed this book, that being said it just wasn't for me.
This is a pretty low rating for me to give. I rarely give below a 2.5, but the way I look at my rating system is the following:
1.... I hated it
2..... I didn't really like it
3.... MAH (ok i guess)
4.... I liked it
5.... I loved it.
This book took a long time to get going and I found that the writing style didn't immediately catch my attention. The way that the story was written didn't interest me although the idea was interesting. I liked the beginning few chapters of the book but over time I found the main character to be predictable and annoying. The world that the characters live in is interesting but not one that I found interesting enough to think about when I wasn't reading the book. I also found that this whole book was jumping from a variety of themes and I couldn't seem to focus on what was going on and what I was supposed to be thinking about during the thickening of the plot.
All and all, I just didn't care for this book. This book may be better suited for a younger crowd as they may relate more to Faye the main character but other than that, I just didn't find anything gripping about the story.
Thanks for reading,
Sidny
I found that this wasn't the read that I hoped it would be. The idea of a different kind of drug and it's effect on man kind was an interesting idea, but I found the execution to be boring and slow. This is simply my opinion, and I encourage anyone to find out what they think about this book for themselves. I found that this book was slow to start and I was interested more in how humans had evolved with the use of Heam and the idea of a change in religion. Although this is touched on it isn't really followed through. This and the use of different thoughts such as reincarnation and angels was an interesting take, but not one I completely understood in the course of the story. I found that I though quite often "WHAT IS GOING ON?" and not in a good way. I think this book was trying to be to many things at once and I just couldn't keep up with what it was trying to be.
Characters:
Faye: This character drove me crazy. I couldn't take her seriously and though she was bad ass to begin with she later on just became a poor me cause. Especially when she decided to shut out everyone else. I found that this was hard to relate too and became more annoying as those around her tried to help. It was so silly.
Chael: I thought that his character was useful in some ways but mostly just a convenient romance. I found that he was not well explained and less of a mystery and more of an annoyance. I wish that I could find a different way to describe this character but really he wasn't of much interest to me.
Gazer: I think that he was the most interesting character for me. His past as a cop could have been an interesting character.
Rufus: I didn't hate him. He was just a dealer. I get it. Crime is crime no matter the drug.
Beth: She was a sad character and one of great importance to understand the overuse of Heam.
Moments to Remember:
Final Line: "I've still got too much living left to do."
Thanks for reading,
Sidny
