Dash & Lily

It's the Christmas season in New York City. Dash hates Christmas. His parents are divorced. His girlfriend had dumped him. While browsing at the Strand bookstore, he finds a red notebook in the shelves. A girl had left it there to dare the reader. He is immediately hooked. They start passing the book back and forth with new dares. Unbeknownst to him, Lily loves Christmas. She is a ball of positivity and refuses to admit any darkness. The two teenagers find a deep connection and push each other to change for the better.

This is sugary sweet and adorably cute. Fairytale of New York is my favorite Christmas song and that's what this is. I also love the sing-along. Of course, I understand cutting out the crass section which doesn't fit. I have no problem with all the plot contrivances. This is a fairytale after all. The one thing that I do have a problem with is the age of the actors. They are so obviously twentysomethings. It was actually deflating when the characters reveal their ages. I understand the labor laws but maybe they should adjust the characters' ages. At least make them twenty. It's actually more compelling and adorably pathetic for Lily. She's a child-like person trying to grow up. It fits. This is an 8-episode series on Netflix. I don't think there is a second season.

When you get yourself into a teenage Christmas love story, you know what you expect to get, and this series will definitely give it to you. Actually it's quite cute, and even though it's filled with cliches, it's original.

I admit, the first episodes were better (solid 8 stars), but as the story progresses some things start to fall out of place (barely a 5 or 6 in my opinion). It's presented in a way made me expect it to be a little more introspective and serious, but at some point it evolves into a typical cheesy drama. It became disappointing at some point, but it's quite short, so it wasn't hard to finish it at all.

The biggest flaw is that the characters supposed to fall in love have no actual chemistry. The whole story was quite engaging while they were apart, but as soon as they started to approach, that couple stopped making sense. Don't get me wrong, I do not dislike the characters or the acting, it's just that they do not have that "something" as a couple.

Other things that may upset you are poor acting from some side characters or annoying cliches, but when you watch this kind of shows it's highly unlikely you can avoid those things, so I'll assume you already expect it.

This tv series was addictive from the pilot. Despite how cliched it was sometimes, it was also original and refreshing. The characters weren't your average 10/10 models, but normal people who were both relatable and interesting. Netflix did very well with this cute Christmas series.

It's a simple, lighthearted Christmas - love story about two, a bit nerdy and quirky adolescents finding each other through a paperchase. The story plays with traditions without being too cheesy, just a bit.

A good way to relax during these turbulent times!

I read the book that this was based on back in 2013 and loved the book. The way that New York City was almost an additional main character in the book has been carried over into the TV series. How can you not love a series that features the Strand Book Store, McSoreley's Ale House, Two-Boots Pizza and so many other New York City landmarks. And that's not even mentioning punk rock Klezmer players, beared drag queens and Challah Back Boys! I absolutely loved the scenes in the Morgan Library.