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A review by emmareadstoomuch
The Twelve Days of Dash & Lily by David Levithan, Rachel Cohn
1.0
200 pages has never felt more like 400. (And this is a sequel, too.)
For background on my history with the first book: I read it for a middle school summer reading list the year it came out. (Six years ago.) I think I liked it but I was 13 and can’t hold myself to that belief. The other thing about it being six years ago is it really seems like a sequel is unnecessary.Especially one that takes place a mere year after the first. But I was on a quest for Christmasy books and I saw this. So I picked it up.
Unlike my last attempt at a festive read, What Light, I doubted this one from the start. It started off rocky, improved a bit, went further and further downhill and lasted forever. In short, I would have DNFed this if not for the fact that this was 200 pages. But God help me if it didn’t feel way longer.
As always, the characters are the main part. (Disclaimer: I can’t speak to whether they’re worse than in the first, because I don’t remember the first.) Let’s start with Dash, since he comes first, title wise. He’s, on paper, a male me - loves reading, grumpy, anti-love. Luckily, I was spared even the short-lived belief he could be a new book boyfriend by the fact that the first chapter is in his POV. And his POV sucks. “He” thinks in long, gaudy sentences without point beyond making him sound smart. And he’s boring. He doesn’t have much of a personality beyond the aforementioned list and his obsession with Lily, and even that isn’t followed much.
But unfortunately, he’s not the worst part. Because Lily? Lily goddamn sucks. (Follow-up to the disclaimer: I’m pretty sure she’s significantly worse than in the first.) Here’s a list of adjectives I angrily applied to Lily while reading: childish, attention-starved, b*tchy, bratty, unsatisfiable, selfish, annoying, and - God I hope - unrealistic. The entire book is Dash’s hopeless attempts to get her back in love with him/cheer her up - because she refuses to have an actual discussion with him.
But the book doesn’t end once they FINALLY stop with the irritating, unnecessary, unrealistic lack of communication. No, more bone-chillingly-annoying hijinks ensue. They each try to express their love for the other, but - get this! - it’s not that easy! Hahaha! Isn’t that fun! (Is the sarcasm coming through? Because I couldn’t be more sarcastic if I tried.) At this point, I was so fed up with both of their characters that seeing them have ooey gooey grand gestures of romance made me feel physically ill.
This book doesn’t even have the Christmasy feeling that redeemed What Light to two stars. No, this book doesn’t make me feel jolly or festive at all, let alone inspire the need for a candy cane that W.L. did. I could be reading this in August and have it feel equally appropriate.
Bottom line: Everything that happened in this book was so pointless and avoidable, and I didn’t even have a nice character or Christmasy feeling to help me cope. I can’t speak to the first book, but I can say that I couldn’t stand reading this one.
For background on my history with the first book: I read it for a middle school summer reading list the year it came out. (Six years ago.) I think I liked it but I was 13 and can’t hold myself to that belief. The other thing about it being six years ago is it really seems like a sequel is unnecessary.
Unlike my last attempt at a festive read, What Light, I doubted this one from the start. It started off rocky, improved a bit, went further and further downhill and lasted forever. In short, I would have DNFed this if not for the fact that this was 200 pages. But God help me if it didn’t feel way longer.
As always, the characters are the main part. (Disclaimer: I can’t speak to whether they’re worse than in the first, because I don’t remember the first.) Let’s start with Dash, since he comes first, title wise. He’s, on paper, a male me - loves reading, grumpy, anti-love. Luckily, I was spared even the short-lived belief he could be a new book boyfriend by the fact that the first chapter is in his POV. And his POV sucks. “He” thinks in long, gaudy sentences without point beyond making him sound smart. And he’s boring. He doesn’t have much of a personality beyond the aforementioned list and his obsession with Lily, and even that isn’t followed much.
But unfortunately, he’s not the worst part. Because Lily? Lily goddamn sucks. (Follow-up to the disclaimer: I’m pretty sure she’s significantly worse than in the first.) Here’s a list of adjectives I angrily applied to Lily while reading: childish, attention-starved, b*tchy, bratty, unsatisfiable, selfish, annoying, and - God I hope - unrealistic. The entire book is Dash’s hopeless attempts to get her back in love with him/cheer her up - because she refuses to have an actual discussion with him.
But the book doesn’t end once they FINALLY stop with the irritating, unnecessary, unrealistic lack of communication. No, more bone-chillingly-annoying hijinks ensue. They each try to express their love for the other, but - get this! - it’s not that easy! Hahaha! Isn’t that fun! (Is the sarcasm coming through? Because I couldn’t be more sarcastic if I tried.) At this point, I was so fed up with both of their characters that seeing them have ooey gooey grand gestures of romance made me feel physically ill.
This book doesn’t even have the Christmasy feeling that redeemed What Light to two stars. No, this book doesn’t make me feel jolly or festive at all, let alone inspire the need for a candy cane that W.L. did. I could be reading this in August and have it feel equally appropriate.
Bottom line: Everything that happened in this book was so pointless and avoidable, and I didn’t even have a nice character or Christmasy feeling to help me cope. I can’t speak to the first book, but I can say that I couldn’t stand reading this one.