I feel like anything I write about this book will be insufficient in telling you how much I enjoyed it, and I say that with no exaggeration. After I finished this book, I sat there for a moment thinking, What am I supposed to do now? No book will ever beat this wonderful story. However I will try my best in explaining the many aspects of this book that I liked and (the one thing) I disliked.
The Characters:
For me, a book with unlikable characters who undergo no development whatsoever during the tale might as well go unread because I feel a story is driven by the characters.
The two main characters in this were just perfect though. Dash was a snarky and sarcastic loner boy who sat and read poetry and classical books, and brought a dash (pardon, the pun) of humour to the story. And Lily was a funny and likable character going on a journey to discover herself, who I seemed to relate to the most.
I also found in this book that every secondary character actually had a reason to be involved in the story which was great because I didn't have to remember dozens of irrelevant characters names who would bring nothing to the plot.
The Writing:
I loved both David Levithan's and Rachel Cohn's writing style and I felt they shaped the writing so it fit the characters perfectly. If the book had been solely written by one author, I don't think it would have been as authentic or as genuine, therefore taking some of the magic away. The only issue I had with the writing is how David Levithan made it almost impossible to understand who was talking and Rachel Cohn used the word 'said' far too many times for my liking. It's the little things that get to you the most.
The Plot:
I had never read anything like this before I picked this up and read it (obviously), and honestly it was such a refreshing read, so unique compared to nearly every other Young Adult Contemporary Romance I'd read. The plot was quirky, different and nothing like what I had read before, making it all the better.
• Buy this book at the Guardian Bookshop.
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