Mind the Gap ends with hints at what the rest of Dash and Lily’s Christmas will hold, but the story finishes before we get to see it.Īs much as I loved the final section of the book, I’m not sure that it makes up for the frustrations I felt in the first half.

I only wish this element had been given more attention. We are treated to a myriad of festive sights and events which made me want to snuggle up in the festive season. When we get to the final quarter of the book, though, that familiar, cosy, Christmassy feeling that made me love Dash and Lily’s Book of Dares so much in the first place finally returns. Dash’s panic attacks are relatively glossed over, without a resolution or even follow-up in some cases. He becomes lonely and stressed, and there are references to panic attacks in the novel. Having abandoned his life in New York, Dash finds himself in an Oxford that doesn’t quite live up to his expectations. One thing I did enjoy was the attempt at including some discussion on mental health. If you’re looking for something new in the couple’s saga however, you might struggle. If you’re looking for a comfortable, formulaic Dash and Lily read, then Mind the Gap will probably be enough for you. Even more, I was annoyed at the adults in Dash and Lily’s lives, who had gone from being mild, yet realistic nuisances, to simply being cruel. From the overuse of the miscommunication trope, to Dash and Lily themselves having not really developed since the first book, I ended up quite disappointed. Generally, the first half of Mind the Gap was awkward. It was difficult to work through this - being thrown in at every opportunity - and get lost in the story beneath. Whereas some of the book’s content feels like a love letter to the UK (well, to Oxford and London), I found a lot of it simply demonstrated a misunderstanding of my country. Next, cue painfully stereotypical (and sometimes incorrect) depictions of the UK. The first chapter is a whirlwind of information that only serves to throw you in at the deep end. However the way the reader is brought up to speed felt very rushed. The jump in time didn’t bother me, as the same year-long gap happened between the first and second books. Mind the Gap begins another year on from The Twelve Days of Dash and Lily, with Dash now at university and Lily taking a gap year to focus on her dog-walking business. It’s the perfect romantic gesture - but it quickly spirals out of control.Īnyone that knows me knows that I adore the Dash and Lily series. When Dash breaks the news that he won’t be coming home for Christmas, Lily decides to join him in London. Unfortunately, Mind the Gap, Dash and Lily didn’t wow me as much as I’d hoped.ĭash and Lily are now an ocean apart, with Dash at Oxford University and Lily in New York. As a huge Dash and Lily fan, I was ecstatic to hear about the third novel in the series.

Mind the gap dash & lily