The Twelve Days of Dash & Lily, by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan

Rachel Cohn and David Levithan's The Twelve Days of Dash & Lily is the sequel to 2010's Dash and Lily's Book of Dares. Once again, the authors flip between the two title characters' points of view, as Dash and Lily drift around New York at the holidays. A year into their relationship, the once-devoted couple is struggling on several fronts, but don't worry—in Cohn and Levithan's books, there are few problems that can't be fixed with an impossibly twee grand gesture.

As many of you may know, I spend a lot of time watching Korean TV dramas. They're glossy, entertaining, and frequently pretty far-fetched, much like this novel. Unfortunately, The Twelve Days of Dash & Lily also reminded me of my least favorite part of any Korean drama: the inevitable section where the main characters are separated due to an easily preventable lack of communication. And Dash and Lily's inability to communicate is doubly irritating, because otherwise these characters never stop talking, and in an utterly ridiculous style. Young readers will probably still find this novel compelling, but I find it hard to take any story seriously that includes a line like “It's an affront to every strain of my insouciance.”

Review based on publisher-provided copy.