GoodRead - Dash & Lily's Book of Dares

Next week's CHRISTMAS! So, to get you guys in the mood, let's review another Christmas-feel of a book!

While stalking the shelves at his fave bookshop, Dash finds a red moleskin notebook, filled with dares. Curious to see what happens next, he does the dares... Lily doesn't expect anyone to fall for her brother's "lucky-in-love" plan. So when she gets a call, saying someone did her dares and returned to moleskin, Lily is thrilled and surprised.

Slowly, the two use to the book to dare each other all over New York and, while doing so, fall slowly in love with each other. Expect they haven't met. So, will they take the biggest dare and meet face-to-face and will they on-page chemistry exist in real life...

Last year, I read Let It Snow and guest reviewed it for Mountains of Instead. I was sent the copy from my lovely pal in the USA, Sasha. I loved it as it felt like a cup of hot chocolate, perfect for this time of year. And with Jo from Once Upon a Bookcase letting me read her copy of Boy Meets Boy by David Levithan earlier this year (and making me go "OMG! I LOVE THIS BOOK!"), so when Mira Ink asked if I wanted to read this, I said yes without thinking. I wanted to read more David Levithan and I had high hopes that this will be like more reading Let It Snow...

And I loved this. This is a perfect Christmas read. It was light, fluffy, sugary read and had me smiling while I was reading this, whether I was in bed or on the way to work on the Park and Ride bus. It's a very chick-flick book and with rumours on Twitter that the movie rights to this book have been sold, I am very happy!

This is a Christmas read, which made me lust for snow and want me to return for New York, so I doubt you guys want to read this in, say, the middle of Summer (unless you are a TOTAL Christmas fanatic like Lily), but this is a lovely Xmas read!

I'm sorry this is short review. And I'm sorry that the book's Theme Song is more a Summer song than a winter song, but you know... Sometimes, short things are quite sweet. Plus, aren't you all meant to be doing last minute Christmas shopping? No... just me, then... Of course, I've got all my presents. Of course I have... *rushes off with his credit card* HELP ME!

GoodRead - Boy Meets Boy

It's actually Jo from Once Upon A Bookcase who got me to read this book. She tweeted about it one day and I, who vaguely knew this title (but nothing else), tweeted back, asking questions. Within seconds, A TON of people tweeted me, saying that I had to read this book (I forgotten who must of you are. Sorry. But I'm pretty sure that @FitzChivalry_, @IanLamb1 & it was either @LizUK or @PortraitofWoman [or was it both of you?] all said "read this!"). When I found that there was no Kindle version, Jo kindly sent me her copy with a small letter that described this book as "sweet, beautiful story."

One of the main reasons why I love the UK YA book bloggers. Everyone is so nice! And happy!

Anyway, Boy Meets Boy. The story follows Paul, a young gay man who had to tackle the joys and pitfalls of high school in a town that really doesn't have a straight scene or gay scene as it got "mixed up a while back" (aka he lives in a town where there is no discrimination against a person sexual orientation). He has two best friends, Joni and Tony, and is close to Infinite Darlene (homecoming queen and star quarterback). He has an ex - Kyle - who refuses to talk to him. So when Paul meets Noah, a boy that makes his heart skip a beat, he knows he want to be with him. So when his life goes nuts (Joni starts dating a jerk, Tony [who lives in another town] having quite religious patents who think being gay is the work of the devil, Kyle suddenly starts talking to him and Paul makes a mistake that could ruin everything between him and Noah), Paul has to makes sure he gets his Happy Ever After...

Am going to try and keep this short: this is one of the best YA LGBTQ books I have read in a very long time! It's was refreshing and fun. It was like watching a chick-flick where you knew how the story was going to end and yet, you were hoping that it would end with a happily ever after!

I know I should talk about the book as a whole, but I wanted to write briefly about two characters: Tony and Infinite Darlene. Tony, to me, is one of the bravest characters in the whole story. I just wanted to take him out of the book and hug him.

And as for Infinite Darlene. When I first met her (I'm making her sound real, aren't I?), I first thought "She's going to be a characterture, isn't she?" but within pages, I fell in love with her (as Jo will tell you from our tweets!). I kinda wanted to be her friend, yet not tell her any of my secrets. Not sure if I could trust her...

Yes, there are flaws. But I think the author did these to show the characters as people with flaws who make mistakes. The amount of time I mentally wanted to strangle Paul... But this is what made the relationship between him and Noah more real and endearing.

I really liked this book! And I do hope that if you can lay your hands on a copy, you treat yourself into this book's wonderful love story (because is first and foremost, a love story)! And now I can not wait to get my hands on another David Levithan novel...

(And again, thank you Jo for lending me your copy!)