Dash & Lily's Netflix series review

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A few years ago, I remember reading Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist and falling absolutely in love with everything about it, and after finishing I discovered there are more to where that came from. 

In a series of books, Rachel Cohn and David Levithan have created situations were characters get to know each other not through normal human communication but rather shared interested and habits. As a teenager who loved books and only books, imagine how lovely these concepts were for me. 

Fast forward to 2020, I open Netflix for my daily question of what will I watch today? Only to see that a ghost from my teenage past has popped on the screen; New In: "Dash and Lily" a 20-minute-long 8-episode miniseries. 

Now Dash & Lily's series of three books has been on my reading list since 2016 but I haven't got a chance to read them because I am a lazy sloth, so this was a bright surprise to myself on that evening. I click play thinking it's a movie only to realise it’s a series and be hooked within the first twenty minutes. 

Just a declaimer before we begin, I like all things cliché and with tinsels. Despite my persona, I like to watch stuff that makes me feel warm and happy on the inside and Dash & Lily did exactly that, and more. 

In this Christmas tale because all good tales happen around Christmas apparently; set in New York, Dash, an anti-Christmas spirit who believes love is a hoax and everyone's happiness is temporary after his girlfriend left him crosses paths with Lily. 

Lily is whatever you imagine when you think of the word sweet, she's bubbly, she's happy even when she's not and most importantly, Christmas is her favourite time of the year because it means family, jingles, sweet treats and everything in between. Her only problem? this year everyone else has something to do or someone to be with and she doesn't. 

How their paths cross? A notebook. 

Yes, you heard that right, thanks to Lily's brother, she is pushed to write more than her thoughts in her red journal and turn it into a quest of finding a soulmate instead. Whoever finds the notebook and dares to open it, will soon be faced with a set of dares that he can choose to partake in if he also was interested in finding someone to be with. 

Dash, having nothing better to do and no one to be around than the Strand where he finds the notebook hidden beside Franny and Zooey, is immediately hooked, even trying to find out who left that notebook right away.  

Think You've Got Mail, but an even harder method of communication. 

In the days leading up to Christmas, Dash & Lily get to know each other more and more. Fears, childhood traumas, favourite places, food, you name it. All while challenging each other in a series of dares that help them know the other better. Without ever seeing each other and Lily not even knowing Dash's name. 

Only person who has seen Lily and knows Dash better than anyone else is Boomer; Dash's best friend, pizza shop worker and the counterpart of the word "happiness" if you ask me. Portrayed by Dante Brown, Boomer is the best friend you'll wish you had in your life. 

There are obviously hurdles like there is in every story, there are ghosts from the past popping up just like it does in every Christmas movie. And on Christmas day everything erupts, but together they find a way to help one another jump through it all. 

Austin Abrams and Midori Francis did perfect jobs portraying their characters you won't even stop and think where you saw Abrams before. Paper Towns if you're wondering. The chemistry they have is the perfect amount of awkward yet sweet, you'll be cheering on them to finally meet up before you know it. 

I cannot ignore all the side characters that were sometimes barely there and yet feel fundamental to the story like Lily's brother Langston, brilliantly portrayed by Troy Iwata; their grandfather Arthur portrayed by James Saito; or Dash's ex- Sofia portrayed by Keana Marie; Edgar, Lily's former bully turned friend played by Glenn McCuen; and most importantly Lily's great aunt 'Mrs. Basil E' portrayed amazingly by Jodi Long. 

It's the perfect light watch you can give yourself on a night where you just want to feel good and forget about the world, and don't we all need a night like that? 

So next time you have a couple of hours on your hand -because you won't want to leave it in the middle- and the need to feel warm in this cold, don't hesitate to switch on Dash & Lily and follow their journey through.