The Twelve Days of Dash & Lily by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan (UK/Zoella Book Club edition)

Title: The Twelve Days of Dash & Lily (Dash & Lily 2)
Authors: Rachel Cohn and David Levithan
Genre: Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult
Publisher: Electric Monkey (6th October 2016)
Blurb:

Twelve days.
We had twelve days.

It was going to take more than finding the perfect tree.

It was going to take a miracle.

Dash and Lily have been dating for nearly a year, but when Lily’s beloved grandfather falls ill, the repercussions take their toll on everyone. Even though they are still together, somehow the magic has gone out of their relationship and it’s clear that Lily has fallen out of love with life.

Action must be taken! Dash teams up with Lily’s brother and a host of their friends, determined to get Lily’s groove back in time for Christmas.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4 stars)
Review:

THE TWELVE DAYS OF DASH & LILY by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan is a brilliant continuation of Dash and Lily’s story. This book starts just before the one-year anniversary of Dash and Lily’s relationship, during the run-up to Christmas. A lot can happen in a year; Lily’s beloved grandfather is ill, and this has turned Lily’s family’s lives upside down. And, although they are still together Lily and Dash seem to be drifting apart. Lily herself is definitely not in the mood to celebrate Christmas. Dash teams up with Lily’s brother, and the rest of her family, to try and reignite Lily’s love of Christmas.

Seasonal books are not, generally, my kind of read. Although having said that, I read and enjoyed DASH & LILY’S BOOK OF DARES by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan. As THE TWELVE DAYS OF DASH & LILY is a continuation of that story, once I heard about the book I was really looking forward to getting my hands on it. I can honestly say that Cohn and Levithan did not disappoint: THE TWELVE DAYS OF DASH & LILY was everything I wanted in a sequel to the first book – it has all the fun, romance and Christmas cheer you could want.

It has been a while since I last read DASH & LILY’S BOOK OF DARES, but I found it easy to fall back into Dash and Lily’s world in THE TWELVE DAYS OF DASH & LILY – it was easy to keep track of who was who, and I didn’t feel that I missed anything not re-reading the first book before I started this one. It helped that, like the first book, each chapter is told alternately from Dash and Lily’s point of view; seeing events from both of their point of views really helps to build the bigger picture of what is going on. The plot of THE TWELVE DAYS OF DASH & LILY is also pretty similar to what I remember from the first book, so if you’re looking for something a little different then this may not be the book for you. Having said that, I did enjoy the familiarity of the story.

Although THE TWELVE DAYS OF DASH & LILY is very much about Dash and Lily’s relationship, it is also about family and the trials, tribulations and love that family can bring. Cohn and Levithan balance the romance, humour, and family feels brilliantly and at no point does the story feel overly twee – though it can get a bit sugary! Fans of DASH & LILY’S BOOK OF DARES will definitely enjoy this book and the return of familiar faces in New York at Christmas. If you are looking for a quick, short, read (my copy of this book is only two-hundred-and-thirty-three pages) with some romance and plenty of Christmas spirit then THE TWELVE DAYS OF DASH & LILY is definitely a book you should pick up.