Holidays

The novel is set in the week before and the week after Christmas. Christmas plays a major role in the adventure that Lily and Dash have for two different reasons. Dash dislikes Christmas and has chosen to lie to both his parents this year so that he will not have to spend the holiday with either of them. Lily, however, loves Christmas and is upset that her parents have postponed it so that they might spend their anniversary in Fiji.

As Lily and Dash begin their adventure, many of their dares toward one another involve the holiday. Lily picks a Christmas movie, gives Christmas cookies, and asks Dash about his favorite Christmas holiday. Dash also includes Christmas in his dares, but focuses more on the darker side of things.

Family

Family is a theme in this novel because of the number of Lily’s relatives who...