Mind the Gap, Dash & Lily

Gr 8 Up–Dash and Lily, now two years into their relationship, are currently separated by the Atlantic Ocean. Dash is attending his dream school of Oxford University, and Lily stayed behind in New York City to take a gap year and grow her dog walking and dog crafts brand. It’s now Christmas, Lily’s favorite time of year, and she flies to London with the intention of surprising Dash. After arriving, things do not go as she had anticipated. Dash doesn’t appear to be excited that she’s there and is struggling at Oxford; reality isn’t matching the expectations he built up over the years. Lily is debating whether she should turn down Barnard College and accept an invitation to attend the Pembroke Canine Facilitator Institute in the UK so the two can be closer. Cohn and Levithan have teamed up again to take readers on another adventure with their favorite couple. This light and warm collaboration touches on postsecondary insecurities many teens may have. While the story takes place only over a couple of days, it feels as though the couple are unrealistically able to form long-term solutions for their current situations.