I think whether you liked Dawn kind of depended on your own life and experiences. I have an older sister, so I could very much relate to Dawn and the sibling dynamic and she was immediately very likeable to me. I think it was a nice change to have Buffy worry about family rather than a boyfriend. That being said, they didn't quite know what to do with her in season six and since the character was initially intended to be much younger, they struggled to write for her age until season 7, I'd say.