Books

Mind the Gap, Dash & Lily by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan

Rating:

Rating: 3 out of 5.

What It’s About:

In Mind the Gap, Dash & Lily, we find that our favorite pair are in a good place. Dash was accepted to Oxford University and Lily took a gap year in order to grow her dog walking business (and become a dog-fluencer in the process). Things are finally looking good for the couple, that is until Dash announces that he won’t be coming home for Christmas. As a romantic gesture, Lily hops on a plane to give Dash a much needed holiday surprise. In true Dash & Lily form, however, things don’t go exactly as planned.

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Books

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

Rating:

Rating: 2.5 out of 5.

What It’s About:

The Twelve Days of Dash & Lily picks up a year after the events of Dash and Lily’s Book of Dares. In that time, Lily’s grandfather suffered a heart attack and his road to recovery has left a strain on her usual cheery disposition. With twelve days left until Christmas, Lily’s older brother Langston swallows his pride and teams up with Dash* and company to help Lily rediscover the magic in the world around her.

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Books

Dash And Lily’s Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn & David Levithan

Rating:

Rating: 4 out of 5.

What It’s About:

From the authors who co-wrote Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist comes Dash & Lily’s Book of Dares, a story of a girl, a boy, a red notebook, and New York City. 

Two partially-aloof strangers meet through quirky circumstances as Lily leaves behind a red notebook in a book store only for it to come into Dash’s possession. What follows is a whirlwind romance as the two challenge each other with dares that’ll bring them outside of their comfort zone and, possibly, into each other’s arms.

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Books

Yes, Daddy by Jonathan Parks-Ramage

Rating:

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

What It’s About:

Yes, Daddy follows Jonah Keller, a Middle America young, gay man, who dreams of becoming a successful playwright. And while he moved to New York City to achieve this dream, he finds himself living in a rundown sublet, begging to work extra hours at a  restaurant, barely making rent each month. 

Enter Richard Shriver, a Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright. Jonah orchestrates their meeting and soon they’re having a passionate affair. Things go well, at first. Richard lavishes Jonah with gifts and even offers to help pay for his rent. But nothing is free in this world, as Jonah soon finds out. 

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Books

Bath Haus by P. J. Vernon

Rating:

Rating: 5 out of 5.

What Is It About?

When do you call time of death on a marriage?

Oliver Park is a young recovering drug addict. His older husband, Nathan, is a prominent trauma surgeon. And yet somehow they have managed to create a perfect illusion of marriage. And illusion that’s beginning to crack when Nathan suspects Oliver of cheating. 

Oliver knows that Nathan’s ever watchful eye is always following him. He knows that he shouldn’t be going to places like Haus. He knows he shouldn’t be going into a private room with a strange man. But things go wrong quickly in Haus, and Oliver barely makes it out with his life. 

Faced with bruises on his neck and a stalker on his tail, Oliver watches as the secrets begin to pile between him and Nathan. And as he struggles to keep it together, a ghost from his past enters his life. Just who can he trust and how long can he go weaving his lies? 

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Books

The Druid’s Call by E.K. Johnston

Rating:

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

Let’s Talk About It:

Set years before the events of Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, The Druid’s Call follows Doric as she attempts to find her place in the world. Abandoned as a child by her human parents, Doric is rescued by wood elves and raised as one of their own – well, sort of. She faces adversity and takes charge of her destiny, mastering the arts and magic of being a druid. 

What I like about this YA novel is that the reader doesn’t have to be familiar with Dungeons & Dragons lore or have watched Honor Among Thieves. While there are some Easter eggs throughout the story, a casual reader won’t be left confused by them.

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