Yes, I can hardly believe it myself - my all-time favourite novel, Dash & Lily's Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn & David Levithan, has been adapted into a Netflix series titled Dash & Lily, which will be premiering this November.
And I am both excited 😁 and terrified! 😨
I'll admit I'm late to the party on this news, having only learned about this days ago when Netflix dropped the trailer for this Christmas-themed series premiering in just a few short weeks. I'm sure those more tuned into the BookTube or Netflix or even publishing scene would've been tipped off to the existence and production of this series a long time ago.
Speaking of said trailer, take a look at it below and see for yourself:
Friends of mine that I ran to after seeing this trailer - some of which have also read the book before, some of which haven't - agreed with me that the trailer for this series does seem really great, and that there's plenty of reasons to feel hopeful. But I'm sure that anybody who has learned that one of their favouite stories is being adapted by Netflix or Prime - or, gulp, Hollywood - has felt this same type of anxiety and fear that I haven't been able to shake, no matter how many times that I've re-watched the trailer.
It doesn't help that this book is one that I have read and re-read countless times before, and I've even made a tradition of reading it within the months leading up to Christmas and New Year's Eve, as that is when this story and its sequel take place. You could say that out of my entire personal library, this book is the one that I have the strongest attachment to - and that puts me in the position of getting clobbered if the adaptation doesn't live up to the original book's potential.😵
But instead of letting myself spiral into a pit of negativity, I decided to whip up a quick list of pros and cons to this upcoming adaptation of my favourite novel.
Dash & Lily Netflix Series: Pros & Cons.
Pro #1: More Love for Dash & Lily!
These characters have a very special place in my heart, and with any page-to-screen adaptation, this series will extend the reach of these beloved characters so that hundreds if not thousands more people will get to fall in love with them just as I did. 💗 Whether or not the series encourages people to pick up the book isn't that big of a concern, although that is always a great perk!
Con #1: What if it Sucks?
Obviously this is one of the biggest concerns I have, and this thought encouraged me to look back on Netflix's history with regards to adaptations. For example, the page-to-screen adaptation of Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events was fantastic, not just as a stand-alone show but as a great example of an adaptation that stayed true to the original books.
But if you want a less successful example, well.... One need only remember the Netflix film adaptation of the hit manga and anime series Death Note..... That thing needs little to no explanation.
