Did I Mention I Love You?

DIMILY #1

by Estelle Maskame

When sixteen-year-old Eden Munro agrees to spend the summer with her estranged father in the beachfront city of Santa Monica, California, she has no idea what she’s letting herself in for. Eden's parents are divorced and have gone their separate ways, and now her father has a brand new family. For Eden, this means she's about to meet three new step-brothers. The eldest of the three is Tyler Bruce, a troubled teenager with a short temper and a huge ego. Complete polar opposites, Eden quickly finds herself thrust into a world full of new experiences as Tyler's group of friends take her under their wing. But the one thing she just can't understand is Tyler, and the more she presses to figure out the truth about him, the more she finds herself falling for the one person she shouldn't – her step-brother.

Throw in Tyler's clingy girlfriend and a guy who has his eyes set on Eden, and there's secrets, lies and a whole lot of drama. But how can Eden keep her feelings under control? And can she ever work out the truth about Tyler?

Did I Mention I Love You is the first book in the phenomenal DIMILY trilogy, following the lives of Eden Munro and Tyler Bruce as they try to find their way in an increasingly confusing world.

Genres: Romance, Young Adult, Contemporary, New Adult, Contemporary Romance, High School, Fiction

422 pages, Paperback

First published April 30, 2015

About the author

Estelle Maskame is a novelist from Peterhead in Scotland. After gaining universal acclaim online during her teenage years, she signed a print contract with the Edinburgh-based publisher Black & White Publishing at the age of seventeen. She left school and now writes full-time. Did I Mention I Love You? is her first novel.

Reviews

[daph pink ♡ · Rating 1 out of 5]

STOP USING GIRLS AS REHABILITATION CENTRES!

"We have sneered at one another since the day I arrived, fighting to try to find each other’s weaknesses. Mine is my insecurity. Tyler’s is the truth.
And beneath it all lies attraction.
Tyler is attracted to me, and I am attracted to Tyler."

That's how you bluff your readers and I hate myself for falling in that trap!

I have nothing against the author and that's good for her, I am kinda happy for her that she wrote this series when she was 16 but girl this book is problematic!

These kind of books are the reason why I hate wattpad!

Over the years wattpad has given us some REALLY REALLY GREAT BOOKS which did nothing except

• romanticising abuse
• making possession "cute"
• slut shaming
• antagonise women choices
• demonizing men
• glorifying virginty
• unrealistic romance
• appropriating crime
• propping p in yup and nope!

Apart from above mentioned factors this book also have two of the most selfish assholes as protagonist .

Tyler aka drug addict, borderline alcoholic with severe anger issues , a relationship with such a boy is definetely going to be an invitation for toxic and abusive relationship which a girl should restrain from but no that's not how these books works because of all people in the world our heroine is the only one who can fix this hence they fall in love
(Plus the fact that our hero have smouldering eyes is stated like a 100 times in the book ...that at one point I felt he is gonna burn a hole in our heroine's heart)

Speaking of heroine Eden aka "she is not like other girls" because she is 10 times more annoying and selfish

The basic tagline of this series was LOVE HAS NO RULES except yes there are rules....you can't cheat on your boyfriend with his his best friend or you can cheat with your best friend's girlfriend who is your step sister! Aka it's all fucked up .I was happy that the book ended on good note and Tyler took help he needed and decided to improve himself and help other people like him !

fucked up storyline ✔
Selfish asshole protagonist✔
Worst side characters✔
Mediocre and basic writing ✔
Nothing like WOW ✔
Uncomfortable romance and cliche dialogues✔

I recommend this book to no one unless you hate yourself or wanna die.

[Lucía · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was even worse than what I expected.

[NiCoLeTa E. {Addicted To Books} · Rating 5 out of 5]

***4,5 "That was so unfair!" stars***



Damn!!! What was that book???
I don't know why but it get into me so deeply!!!
I can't stop thinking about that story and for the last 1/3 part of the book, i was crying all the time... For several reasons!!!

And i have to say that all those shits that happened was so unfair for Tyler and Eden.
And now after all this sadness, i'm dying to learn what will happen in the next book!!!
I'm really dying here!!!


Well, i have to admit that in the first 1/3 part of the book, i wasn't sure how i was feeling for what i was reading...
The gang was al little bit surreal, wild, reckless... They were making me angsty and worried all the time!!!
As for Tyler??? He was the biggest asshole that ever existed!!!
Okay, there are much worser men out there!!!
But he was so aggressive without a serious reason and he was pissing me off.
Usually, I am for those kind of girls that i love bad boys and i really was starting to wonder if Tyler would manage to make me love him!!!
And yep, i have to inform you that he did it!!!
And now all this hate toward him turned out a big love!!!
And the same goes for Eden too!!! We LOVE him!!!


Another thing that i think that made me love this book is that i felt connected with the story.
I know how it feels like when you are in the position to meet a new family that it's not really your family...

The only difference for me was that i didn't have a yummy stepbrother!!! Damn!!!
Maybe life would be more bearable if i had or more messed up, as happened to our heroes!!!

Well, Eden is going for the summer in L.A. to live with her father and his new family...
The situation is painful and too much... awkward, and it got worse when she met the older of her three stepbrothers, Tyler.

Tyler is very angry and rude with everybody and he seems to hate Eden's guts...
But after all his ugly behavior is hard for Eden to feel something else than hatred for him...
And it doesn't help the fact that his friends want her to hung out with them so she stuck to be around of the prick of her stepbrother...


Eden is very observant person, especially toward Tyler.
And as the time is passing she can see that Tyler is pretending all the time in front of everyone... He is wearing a mask!!
Except that, she is starting to realize that Tyler is in deep shits and she wants to help him.

She wants to unravel all his secrets and after a while she is starting to realize that she wants more of... him!!!

"His walls are a mask. It’s all an act, a role he’s trying to play. The crude comments and leching over Tiffani and the addictions: they’re fake. It’s all fake...
Sometimes his facade slips. And sometimes I’ve been there to see beneath it.
It’s the way his eyes sometimes soften, offering a true glimpse of what he’s about to anyone who is willing to look. And I don’t know why it hasn’t hit me until this moment. It is so, so obvious. Our irrelevant arguments and pathetic small talk and constant glares seem so…so inevitable, like we couldn’t stop, like we enjoyed the bickering. Somehow. We have sneered at one another since the day I arrived, fighting to try to find each other’s weaknesses. Mine is my insecurity. Tyler’s is the truth.
And beneath it all lies attraction.
Tyler is attracted to me, and I am attracted to Tyler."

And the same goes for him...
Eden is the only person that could see beyond his charade and that terrified him and exciting him at the same time.
She is making him feel... alive!!!
In all his messed up life, she is the only light!!! And he wants so fuckin' badly to be with her...

But there is this problem!!! They are stepsiblings!!!
How can you be siblings when you never have met someone before a month???
But anyway that is a really long discussion!!!)

So what will happened with those two???

The obstacles between them are too many and too big!!!
They are "family", Tyler had a girlfriend that he can't leave her...
(Don't ask!!! It's a long story!)
So, there is a possibility for them to have a future together???
Or they will have to supress their feelings for each other???
And if they will try to stay away from each other, the love that they are feeling will vanish like it never existed or the feelings and the longing for each other will grow more and more???


Well, I have to say that i liked Eden very much!!!
I could relate with her so much with how she was feeling about her father and his new family.

I liked how close she was with her mother.
She was kind and sweet and i liked that when she recognize Tyler's problem, she demanded to help him, even though that she didn't like him at all, at that point.
And when she realized her feelings for him, she knew that she should stop it, but she couldn't!!!

I also liked how good friend she was!!!
When she and Tyler became a "thing", she couldn't stand to be a cheater, even though that Tiffany didn't deserve her friendship and kindness!!!
And even though her decision near to the end made me extremely sad, i admire her strength!!!


"I don’t want this to stop. Tyler and I…we shouldn’t be together and we shouldn’t be doing what we’re doing, because the bottom line is that we’re stepsiblings, no matter how much we wish we weren’t. I’m so attracted to everything about him, and I shouldn’t have to feel like I’m doing something wrong because of it. It’s not wrong. Where’s the blood relation? There isn’t one."

As for Tyler???
I told you! In the beginning, he was appearing like a totally prick, but there were more to him than that...

He was just lost and nobody realized it. He didn't want anyone to think that he was weak and he transform himself to a bastard.
And i have to say that he had good reasons for his attitude...
His past was making him react reckless and he became self-destructive and my heart was aching for his behalf!

He was just trying to distract himself with stupid things, until Eden become his distraction...
When the real Tyler made his appearrance, i just loved him!!!
In the same scene that i admire Eden's strength, Tyler was breaking my heart and i wanted to hug him so tight and never let him go. I couldn't stop the tears running down my face...

And as much as my heart was breaking, i'm so happy that he finally took the decision to go to New York... I think that this is a step closer to get over the demons of his past!!!

“Don’t you get it? You’re not my distraction. This is me, Eden. This. Right now. You’re making me a goddamn mess, but I don’t care, because it’s me. I’m a mess. And the thing I love about you is that I’m allowed to be a mess around you, because I trust you. You’re the only one who’s cared enough to figure me out. I want to be your mess.”

God, I really hope Tyler and Eden to find the way back to each other and to overcome all the obstacles that are standing in their way. It was so unfair for them all this situation.
When you love somebody, how is it possible to stay away for him???

Why they have to be doomed to ignore the love that they are feeling for each other???
Damn!!! I need to find out what will happened next and I'm warning you Estelle, give me something good because my heart can't handle it anymore!!!
It wrecked me all this emotional ride!!!


As for the rest of the characters???
Family: I adore Tyler's two younger brothers...
And I have to say that for a stepmother Ella was a great person!!!
As for Eden's father??? I'm still mad with him!!! For everything!!!

Friends: Rachael and Dean were amazing persons.
Jake was just indifferent and Meghan just okay...
As for Tiffany??? I hate those kind of girls!!!
She was a manipulating bitch that she was trying with blackmailing to take what she wanted...

At this point, I have to remark that as friends all of them were sucking!!!
Because when you care about your friend and you see him to destruct himself, you ought to help him.

They were so self centered that they didn't see beyond their own noses and that's sucks!!!

Finally, i have to reffer that i didn't like that our heroes were so young, but then i read the blurb of the next book and i saw that it's almost two years after, so maybe there is a plan for those two!!!
And please, please... I need salvation for Tyler and Eden...

God, i need the next book IMMEDIATELY!!!

***ARC kindly provided via NetGalley for the exchange of an honest review***

[Leigh Collazo · Rating 1 out of 5]

More reviews at Mrs. ReaderPants.

REVIEW: I'm going to sound like a big ol' prude here, but I really hope teens reading this review listen to the voice of reason here. I am 40 years old. I've been where you are. Trust me, toxic relationships are TOXIC. This book glorifies that, and while I give the author kudos for publishing a series at a young age, I can tell she is a very young author.

I know there are plenty of high school and college girls who just love this book. I am not one of those girls. There is just something inherently wrong in this quote from Eden, which pretty much sums up Eden and Tyler's entire relationship:

"He tastes like beer and tobacco, but there's something enthralling about it. It's so familiar because it's so him, his permanent taste." (312)

Just YUCK. This boy has so many problems, and while I'm glad Tyler eventually gets the help he desperately needs, he in no way needs the complications of a relationship with go-along-with-the-pack Eden. For a very long time. He needs time to heal. I do not understand for the life of me what Eden sees in him. He is an absolute mess. If he weren't so hawt, if he looked more like Bill Gates than Brad Pitt, trust me, Eden wouldn't have given him a second glance. This boy is big-time toxic, and she is only 16 years old. Bad plan, girlie.

I did not like one single character. They are all either special snowflakes (Eden) or unremarkable (the little brothers) or party girls (Rachel and her gaggle of drunken friends) or sluts (Tiffani) or ignorant parents (all parents in the book).

I also hate the message of this book. That a girl can save a drug-addicted boy if she just loves him enough. That's not real. But, hey, he's so hawt! And she lurrvvvesss him! No. Go home, Eden. Finish high school and go on to your college in Chicago. There are loads of boys there, boys who are motivated and aren't your stepbrother and have never been addicts. Tyler does not need the drama you will bring; he needs years of intense therapy.

And I'm just done. Happy to be moving on from this one.

THE BOTTOM LINE: No. If you love New Adult (I'm growing tired of it myself), try Abbi Glines or Jessica Sorensen. Or even Miranda Kenneally or Katie McGarry.

STATUS IN MY LIBRARY: Not gonna happen.

RATING BREAKDOWN:

Overall: 1/5
Creativity: 1/5
Characters: 1/5
Engrossing: 1/5
Writing: 1/5
Appeal to teens: 2/5
Appropriate length to tell the story: 1/5


CONTENT:

Language: extreme--40+ F-bombs; 30+ sh**; damn, hell, bitch
Sexuality: high--kissing, making out, sex in public places, second base, third base, loss of virginity, discussion of pregnancy
Violence: mild--previous child abuse, not descriptive
Drugs/Alcohol: high--teens party often, get drunk, smoke cigarettes, marijuana, do cocaine

[Maria Espadinha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Um Bocadinho Assim...


Eden porta-se bem:

É simpática, gosta de livros, saladas, adora a mãe, e água é a sua bebida de eleição.
Gosta de agradar e ajudar, e é aquela miúda com quem se pode contar agora e sempre, amen 🙏


Tyler porta-se mal:

É antipático, provocador, auto-destrutivo e detesta quase tudo e todos.
Consome álcool e drogas, e à primeira vista é um daqueles seres indesejáveis que intoxicam deliberadamente o dia a dia de todos os que lhe caem na órbita.
Á primeira vista...

Eden é o Anjo — a menina boazinha que apetece mesmo, mesmo desencaminhar!
Tyler é o Demónio — o imbecil-idiota que urge encaminhar, não vá ele algum dia acordar serial-killer, e arruinar (ainda mais ...) as vidas alheias!

Eden e Tyler são cargas contrárias que se aproximam, e inevitavelmente se atraem!...

“Já te disse que te amo” é um retrato muito bem conseguido da adolescência, com todas as suas complicações e nuances.
Regra geral, essa é uma fase de intensa auto-descoberta que vai desabrochando num continuum de experiências mundanas mais ou menos destrutivas, sempre que aquele que as experiencia carece de orientação.
E orientar um adolescente não é tarefa fácil, não — não fosse ele aquele palerma-ignorante-sabichão que responde torto a qualquer adulto que se aventure contrariá-lo...
Salvo raras excepções que confirmam a regra, os adolescentes são seres que vivem em rebanhos, e por lá se encaminham e desencaminham mutuamente!...

“Já te disse que te amo” é pois, uma leitura que se propõe encaminhar adolescentes desencaminhados!
Ao falar a sua linguagem, consegue chegar-lhes duma forma mais eficaz que qualquer adulto com análogas intenções!
Podes ir por aí, mas lucras mais se fores por aqui, é a sua mensagem fulcral :)

E para nós adultos é uma excelente oportunidade para nos revisitarmos e avaliarmos o quanto evoluímos desde então, pois também nós já fomos um bocadinho (bocadão?!) assim! 😉😊

P.S.: Para os apreciadores da série After, este livro é mais um petisco, pois esta jovem escritora é uma gémea literária da Anna Todd! 😉

[Karla Martínez · Rating 2 out of 5]

ughhhhhh. que terrible este libro, no se acababa nuncaaaaaa jajaja. literal me obligué a terminarlo, porque quería saber qué pasaba al final... obviamente todo fue muy predecible.

primero que todo, el cliché del hermanastro me causa mucho rechazo. entiendo que no tienen relación biológica, pero viven en la misma casa, "comparten" padres y hermanos y para mi eso ya ES MUY INCESTUOSO XD. ya, pero dejando eso de lado, tampoco pude disfrutar el libro. odié a todos los personajes. a todos. menos dean. Y OBVIAMENTE VAN A JUGAR CON SU CORAZIÓN.

siento que este libro tocaba varias temas importantes, sin embargo no le dan profundidad, ni mucha importancia. no le toman el peso suficiente y uggh.

no sé, la pasé pésimo, pero había harto salseo y eso lo disfruté xd por eso le puse dos estrellas jajaja. pero eso. quizás continúe, ya que tengo la trilogía completa :B

[Isa Cantos (Crónicas de una Merodeadora) · Rating 3 out of 5]

[3.5]

Cuando me llegó este libro y vi la sinopsis quedé de palo... Hermanastros enamorándose, ¿a qué me sonaba eso? Jajajaja. Tengo que confesar que empecé leyendo el libro muuuuy prevenida porque temía que terminara convirtiéndose en un Mi Hermanastro 2.0, cosa que, afortunadamente, no pasó. Dicho esto, vamos a ver de qué se trata Love You.

Eden, una adolescente cuyos padres están divorciados se va a pasar el verano a casa de su padre en Los Angeles. Allí, él ha construido una nueva vida, tiene una esposa y tres hijastros. Nuestra protagonista llega dispuesta a pasar el peor verano de su vida, pues la relación con su padre es fatal, pero en medio de todo se va dando cuenta de que Los Angeles es más divertida de lo que parece, que puede pasarlo fenomenal en fiestas (así no lo admita...) y que su hermanastro mayor, Tyler, a pesar de ser un capullo, es un chico bastante interesante.

Si bien todo empieza bastante pegado al cliché de "conozco a mi hermanastro, que resulta adorar el alcohol y las drogas y que, encima de todo, es un capullo arrogante", la trama se va desarrollando de manera que vamos viendo cómo evoluciona la relación tanto de Eden con su nueva familia, como con sus nuevas amigas y, por supuesto, con Tyler.

¿Qué me gustó de este libro? Que si bien la historia pudo haber sido un completo y redondo cliché, no lo fue. Sentí que la relación y la atracción mutua de Eden y Tyler se fue construyendo poco a poco y no de la noche a la mañana. Conversaciones, interacciones, historias pasadas... todo hacía que las piezas fueran cayendo en su lugar y, cuando llegó el punto álgido del libro, me creí completamente la escena, no fue forzada.

Otro punto positivo del libro, y esto es algo de lo que carecen muchas novelas que se centran puramente en el romance, es que la autora no olvidó a los personajes secundarios. Si bien está claro que ellos son el telón de fondo de los protagonistas, sus historias son igual de importantes para que se sienta que la novela es real y que dichos personajes no están puestos por allí para rellenar espacio. Cada uno de ellos tiene un papel vital para el desarrollo de la trama principal, que es el descubrimiento de los sentimientos que Eden y Tyler tienen hacia el otro.

Quizá lo que más me gustó de Love You fue que me iba enterando a cuentagotas de qué pasaba realmente con Tyler, empezaba a entender página a página, al mismo ritmo que Eden, qué era lo que él ocultaba... porque estaba clarísimo desde el principio que su actitud de chico malote era sólo una fachada.

¿Qué no me gustó del libro y por qué le doy 3.5 estrellas? Creo que le faltó un poco de ritmo sobre el principio. Como cualquier adolescente que se ve obligada a pasar el verano con su padre desaparecido, Eden se pasa las primeras... ¿150? páginas del libro quejándose y regodeándose en su miseria... a la vez que describe minuciosamente cada detalle de todo. No pasa mucho en ese inicio, es una introducción y un contexto gigante que creo que se habría podido distribuir un poco más para que la lectura fuera más ligera.

¿Recomiendo el libro? Sí, si estás buscando una historia veraniega, muy romántica y con un final que prácticamente te obliga a querer leer el segundo libro. ¡Chapeau por eso! Ahora, si estás pensando que este libro es como After... descártalo. Son historias con tonos completamente diferentes y con narradores muy opuestos.

PD: Algo físico que no me gustó del libro es que es durísimo, literalmente, y eso hacía que tenerlo abierto requiriera de fuerza constante y se me cansaban los brazos. Ya, ya lo sé... dato completamente irrelevante, pero tenía que decirlo, jajajaja.

[Nine Gorman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bon, disons-le clairement je crois être vraiment un bon public pour des histoires pareilles...

À chaque fois que je me lance dans ce genre de roman je me dis : allez en avant les clichés, la romance nian nian, les personnages stéréotypés, et 350 pages d'ennuis. Et pourtant à chaque fois je finis comme une nana qui a un surplus d'hormone et qui ne veut qu'une chose, lire le tome suivant.

After m'a fait le même coup d'ailleurs, le saligaud !

D'ailleurs je dirais même que ce roman c'est un peu le After pour les plus jeunes ( car entre vous et moi, After pour les moins de 15 ans je dis non, après chacun voit midi à sa porte ) Ici pas de scène de sexe détaillé de A a Z, c'est tout dans la magie des mots et du sous-entendu, et c'est ma foi, pas plus mal.

Pourtant c'était pas très bien parti, au début je trouvais l'écriture trop lisse, pas d'attachement aux personnages, une intrigue qui ne cassait pas trois pattes à un canard ... et puis progressivement sans m’en rendre compte tellement ça s’est opéré doucement, je me suis faite prendre dans le tournant de l'histoire, je me suis attachée aux personnages, et j'étais foutue. Complètement foutue. Je voulais la suite, encore et encore, et maintenant que j'ai terminé ce premier tome je ne pense qu'au suivant.

En bref, DIMILY est une jolie romance, certes elle ne révolutionne pas le genre, mais ce n’est pas non plus ce qu’on lui demande. Elle nous happe dans ses filets, nous rend accros, et nous fait passer un bon moment. Que demander de plus ?

[Sarah Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

“We shouldn’t be kissing on the floor of his bathroom and his hands shouldn’t be on my body and I shouldn’t be enjoying it.”

This was an okay YA contemporary romance about a girl who fell in love with her stepbrother.

I didn’t really see how Eden was going to fall in love with Tyler at the start of this book because his behaviour was just awful, and even she called him a jackass! He really wasn’t a nice person to be around at all, but somehow the attraction happened.

The storyline in this was mainly about the forbidden romance, although there was a little bit of mystery about why Tyler behaved the way he did too. The romance came about quite slowly, and the whole book felt quite slow in fact, but I did want to know what happened next.



7 out of 10

[Maria Espadinha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eden and Hell


Eden and Tyler?!
Why not Eden and Hell?!

This is the classic tale of the good-girl meets bad-boy and:

KAAAABOOOOOMMM

the chemistry-click (almost) immediately happens!

He’s the obnoxious-alcoholic-drug-addicted that needs to be fixed

She’s the too-good-to-be-true sort of girl who needs to be unfixed

Eden is the proton and Tyler the electron — between the two of them, IT has to happen!
In that stage of their life paths, they can be each other’s balm!...

Did I enjoy this zillions déjà vu kind of story?!

Surprisingly...YES!

Why?
It has humour, drama and it means well!

4 stars to this humorous-dramatic-well-meant lil book 😉👍🎶

[Cody · Rating 4 out of 5]

Did I Mention I Love You is easily my favourite contemporary romance of the 2015!
It will grip you from the beginning and won't let go until long after dark, with a scorching forbidden romance at it's core. Maskame produces a daring debut filled with fun, friendship and a whole 'lotta feels. This is one series you don't want to miss.

DIMILY begins with Eden the sixteen year old protagonist, her parents are divorced and after a three year silence from her father he’s finally back in touch and wants her to visit Santa Monica for the summer with him and his new family. Upon arrival Eden isn’t impressed, with her new surroundings or the company, her two younger stepbrothers Jamie and Chase are okay as can be but the eldest Tyler is nothing but a whirlwind of trouble with a serious attitude problem…that is until her treacherous heart falls for him.

So after the intriguing synopsis I pretty much thought I would be getting a light and fluffy read, which are completely fine, I’m a big fan of those types of books don’t get me wrong but you can imagine my surprise when I stumble across DIMILY and it’s anything but. Not only does this book tackle some pretty hard-hitting subjects but it also was able to evoke so many emotions and the one that stuck with me the most was the thrill that came with reading this book. I was unable to tear my hands from it and it inevitably lead to me loosing quite a lot of sleep, which hardly ever happens because I’m a lazy sod.

Before I go town about my thoughts on the romance let me just state that this will not be for everyone. After seeing so many reviews about this series there’s an obvious trend and it all comes down to the reader and what type of romance they like and what they expect from the book. We all read a book differently and we all take something differently from books- different strokes for different folks I suppose but for me I will always always always fall for Good-girl-changes-bad-hot-boy-with-issues-and-bad-attitude-into-hotter-good/bad-boy-with-less-issues, throw in a forbidden romance and I’m a complete mess on the floor, so DIMILY had pretty much everything I loved and wanted; tonnes of angst, tension, stolen smoldering looks and touches, so sue me for devouring this in a day. I’m just a glutton for punishment. Y’all have been warned, don’t hate get on the guilty pleasure DIMILY train and appreciate ;)

“Who the hell is this jackass?”
“I'm guessing you haven't met your step-brother yet.”

The slow burn romance will drive you crazy, it’s filled with tension, angst and the torturous progression of feelings of hate turning into something more. I absolutely devoured the chapters with Eden and Tyler, their animosity and chemistry was off the charts. To me everything progressed at a natural pace, let’s not forget that Eden and Tyler have never met before, they’ve been pushed together into an awkward situation with their parents and are now labeled as step-sibling's but they’re really anything but.

The book touches a lot on being young, carefree and in love and while I was able to connect with this book in more ways than one, it predominately felt like a really great coming of age story. It fully explores being a teenager in a world with drinking, smoking, abuse, sex, bullying and to me it was portrayed realistically, mistakes are made but it’s always about the journey and not the destination.

The ending was the most shocking of all and probably the most adult/mature decision Eden made and even though it broke my heart, it made sense. However the sneaky little epilogue at the end is now eating away at me and it’s making sure I invest in Did I Mention I Need You which was why I made sure I got my copy this week. At first glance this may seem like any other contemporary romance but I assure you it's not, it's one I won't be forgetting anytime soon anyway.

Literary-ly Obsessed

[Khadidja · Rating 1 out of 5]

You know that kind of books in which you keep flipping the pages and then you find out that you've barely read 10 pages? This is it.
I want to unread this so bad, I need to really!
The lamest plot I've ever encountered.
Here is the story :
Divorced parents. Rich father whom she goes to spend the summer with. the father is remarried to a woman who has 3 children. Eden finds out that her stepbrother is a jackass. the jackass stepbrother has a girlfriend. Eden goes to parties with him. Tyler is a drug addict. she fell in love with the jackass stepbrother, kisses him, hook up with him, get arrested with him also. and then her summer is over.
I told you the lamest. am grateful for not having to read the whole serie, I would end up committing suicide.
I want my time back!

I WILL NEVER FORGOT THIS SHIT OMG

[Geo Marcovici · Rating 5 out of 5]

Translation widget on the blog!!!
O carte care îți taie respirația și-ți trezește curiozitatea. O carte despre emoțiile adolescenței, despre fapte care influentează viața acestora, despre o maturizare forțată de împrejurări, din care fiecare poate avea câte ceva de învățat.
Recenzia mea completă o găsiți aici:

https://www.delicateseliterare.ro/ti-...

[Marcia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ik had niet verwacht dat ik dit boek zo leuk zou vinden. Toegegeven het verhaal kwam wel wat traag op gang, maar na 150 pagina's begon ik er echt van te genieten. Een geslaagd stapje buiten mijn comfortzone.

Mijn complete recensie lees je op Oog op de Toekomst.

[Maddie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This brought me right back to the kind of books I was reading five years ago and I had so much fun! Party after party, forbidden relationships, detailed locations, popular kids...it was like an episode of Gossip Girl and I'm definitely continuing on with the series.

[Elise ✘ a.k.a Ryder's Pet ✘ · Rating 2 out of 5]

We have sneered at one another since the day I arrived, fighting to try to find each other’s weaknesses. Mine is my insecurity. Tyler’s is the truth.
And beneath it all lies attraction.
Tyler is attracted to me, and I am attracted to Tyler.

Boring. B.o.r.i.n.g. Boring. That's the word I would use to describe this book. Nothing really happened, and when something finally did, it wasn't even big. I didn't find it funny, nor sad. I didn't find it heartbreaking, nor loving. All I found it was just that, boring.

I don’t want this to stop. Tyler and I…we shouldn’t be together and we shouldn’t be doing what we’re doing, because the bottom line is that we’re stepsiblings, no matter how much we wish we weren’t.

Yeah, I mean, of course Tyler's backstory is sad and kinda heartbreaking because something like that actually happens all the time in this messed up world, but still, I didn't feel it. I just felt that he was acting childish and annoying and I didn't find it attractive at all. I did, however, like that Eden didn't give up, and kept pushing. So I'll give her a plus for that.

We shouldn’t be kissing on the floor of his bathroom and his hands shouldn’t be on my body and I shouldn’t be enjoying it.

I don't necessary regret reading this book, but I do feel like I wasted too many hours on it. Sad thing is, this book had a lot of potential, but it just didn't work out for me. I hope others have way much better luck with it than I did.

“Who the hell is this jackass?”
“I'm guessing you haven't met your step-brother yet.”

[Kayla Brunson · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was looking for something along the lines of Paper Princess. I’ve been wanting to find another series like that to fall into and always saw this one around. This was so predictable and the characters were one dimensional and immature. I don’t even know if I liked any character in this book. Well that’s a lie, I liked Dean. He was probably the only good person here.

While I could see the appeal of Tyler, the guy had issues and I don’t really understand what Eden saw in him. She was determined to get past his walls and really try to fix him. What I didn’t understand was why.

Also, as much as people hated Anna and the French Kiss for cheating, why has this book not gotten the same treatment. Tyler was so willing to cheat on his girlfriend and keep cheating on her with Eden. While she did feel bad about it, she sure kept being a willing participant.

With the way this ended, it really could have been a standalone. However, this is a four book series? Somebody take the wheel because I’m not sure if I’m up for it. If you don’t mind endless drama, angst, and rolling your eyes a thousand times, then maybe you’ll like this.

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[Srta Books · Rating 2 out of 5]

2,5/5
He tardado en leerlo casi dos semanas...no me enganchó como pensaba que lo haría. Los personajes, la trama...no me gustaron

[m ✦ foesandlovers · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 “Relatable, entertaining and perfect for the summer!” Stars



Genre: Young Adult/Contemporary romance
Type: Book 1 of 3, The DIMILY Trilogy.
POV: First Person - Eden
Release date: July 1st, 2015
Cliffhanger: No
HEA: Not really because it’s the first book in a trilogy

If there’s one thing I’m sure of when it comes to this book, it’s that it’s the ultimate summer read. I’m glad I waited for the summer to arrive to read it because it was absolutely perfect.

Story line: 4/5 stars
First of all, I really, and I mean really enjoyed this book. Yes, there were some tropes and stereotypical plot points, but it’s a fluffy YA contemporary romance, so what else do you expect? However, the fact that the actual storyline lacked a bit of originality didn’t lessen my enjoyment in the least bit because it was well written, and it was really entertaining. It was fast-paced and the flow of the story was really good. Every scene had a purpose -- no scenes or chapters felt like simple fillers -- which really kept the story going. Also, I know this was Estelle Maskame’s first novel, and I also know that she’s only 18 years old -- and started writing this story at an even younger age -- and to be honest, I’m very impressed. The book was well-written, there weren’t any plot-holes, and the characters were very well developed. So all I have to say is this: you rock, girl!

Characters: 4/5 stars
Just like the story, I really enjoyed the characters. Both Tyler and Eden were awesome characters.
Not once did Eden piss me off, which is surprising, because I tend to get annoyed with female protagonists. Eden reminded me a lot of myself -- I’m cringing because I sound so vain -- but it’s honest. Just like her, my parents divorced when I was in my early teens, and there were so many things that Eden thought or so many emotions that Eden was going through that I could totally relate to. And so I found myself really liking her and her attitude, it felt realistic to me.
As for Tyler, well, that guy is messed up. But a good messed up. A messed up that you can't help but fall for. I definitely enjoyed him. He was angsty, mysterious and right up my alley. At times, he was a bit confusing and he was a bit stereotypical, but overall, he still won my heart.........oh, and he drives an Audi R8, like, how am I supposed to resist that?! I can't. Simple as that.

Overall: 4/5 stars
I usually hate “stepbrother romances”, it’s just not my cup of tea, but quite surprisingly, I can say that I really liked this one. It was fun, angsty, and totally worth the read. Like I said, the perfect summer read. I absolutely recommend it!

Lastly, if you really enjoyed the After series by Anna Todd, I’d say you would probably enjoy this trilogy as well. Now, don’t get me wrong, the characters and the stories aren’t the same, but both series have a similar vibe. That’s why I think that if you enjoyed one, you’ll probably enjoy the other.

Now, gimme that second book. Now.

ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

[Sentranced Jem · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm going in...
Because I enjoyed the AFTER series by Anna Todd, someone recommended this series. Let's do this!

Update:

Nothing much happens to be honest.
I also had to keep reminding myself that this is a YA book because the drama is eye rolling at times hahaha

Don't ask me why or how I finished this book because I did. I also finished the series. Yup. Read all three books in a day. Hello weekend read!

So, here's the thing... I feel like if you just read the first book, it's not great. It requires dedication and patience because the characters are all Young Adults so at times the immaturity is pretty glaringly obvious. But as the series progresses you can see a lot of growth. And I know that that was one the the major factors why I continued to read the series even though I didn't enjoy the first book that much.

Book 2 was a lot better that the first. Hallelujah for that hahaha

Book 3 is where the magic happens. I flipping loved Tyler in book 3. which is a complete opposite of how I felt about him in the previous books where I wanted to throttle him most of the time.

As I was saying, I think I can see the similarities between the After and the DIMILY series. I enjoyed my weekend read.

Note: if you've made it this far, I'd like to point out that my star rating is for the series/trilogy as a whole and not just for book 1 because if I put the star rating for just the first book, I think a lot of people would skimp out on the series.

Happy Reading!

[Marieke | Marieke's Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wat een leuk boek! Eden vond ik een enorm leuk personage en ik kon me heel goed inleven in haar. Haar gedachten waren erg realistisch. Haar vader vind ik wel een rare vent, maar meer kan ik daar niet over zeggen.

Dit boek bevat wel erg veel drama en het einde vond ik totaal niet geloofwaardig, maar toch heb ik enorm genoten van dit boek. Maar dat is wel de reden dat dit boek 4 sterren krijgt ipv 5.

Nog even over dat einde: In het hele boek is Eden er fel op tegen dat Tyler vreemd gaat. Ook is ze boos op hem omdat hij bij Tiffani blijft terwijl hij haar helemaal niet leuk vindt. Maar dan op het einde heeft ze iets met Dean en dan is ze alsnog verliefd op Tyler? (Sowieso vond ik die hele relatie met Dean uit de lucht vallen) En dat vind ze wel oke? Dat snap ik dus echt niet.. En dat vind ik ook zo waardeloos aan het einde. Maar aangezien ik Tyler en Eden leuker vind samen, ben ik wel super benieuwd naar boek 2!

[shannon✨ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dit boek vond ik echt geweldig! Ik ben verliefd geworden op Tyler en Eden lijkt mij ook een super leuk persoon. Alhoewel ik alle karakters wel een goede toevoeging aan het verhaal vind hebben! Ik vind het heel intrigerend dat er zoveel meer achter Tyler zijn gedrag zit. Dat laat maar weer zien dat er altijd wel een reden is waarom een persoon zich op een bepaalde manier gedraagt. Ook vind ik Tiffani haar gedraag uiterst interessant! Bijvoorbeeld hoe ze op de raarste momenten alleen maar aan haar reputatie kan denken.

De epiloog vond ik een leuke toevoeging op het verhaal, wat daarin werd verteld veraste mij ernstig en het einde al helemaal. Nu ben ik echt super nieuwsgierig en kan ik echt niet wachten totdat ik het volgende deel kan lezen!

[Kelsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wat was dit een leuk boek. Totaal uit m'n comfort zone, maar zo leuk!

[Elle G. Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mini Review: Did I Mention I Love You is a sweet, young adult, forbidden romance (they are step siblings). While I didn't care for the way this one ended, I do look forward to seeing what happens with Eden and Tyler in the next book. This book isn't JUST romance either. This book deals with some pretty heavy topics (the effect of divorce on kids, drug and alcohol abuse by a minor, child abuse, and the imprisonment of a parent). Tyler has some serious issues within the book and watching him find a distraction in Eden was tough, but sweet. I look forward to the next one!

[Tami · Rating 3 out of 5]

Solide 3 Sterne sind vollkommen angemessen, finde ich. Kein weltbewegender Plot, keine weltbewegenden Wendungen.

Aber ich muss sagen, ich bin durchaus überrascht von Maskame's Erstlingswerk! (Die schottische Autorin ist übrigens erst 18!)
Obwohl alles in diesem Buch vorhersehbar war, haben der tolle Schreibstil, die sympathische Protagonistin und die tollen Nebencharaktere es (fast) wieder wett gemacht.
Zugegebenermaßen hatte ich Angst, dass es genauso wird wie After Passion und alle anderen "Goodgirl-meets-Badboy-und-betrügt-ihren-Freund-mit-ihm-weil-er-so-geil-und-böse-ist"-Bücher. Aber glücklicherweise war es nicht so! Ich hab das Buch in einem Rutsch gelesen, hatte ein durchgehendes Summerfeeling und eine Menge Spaß.

Ob ich den zweiten Band lesen werde, weiß ich noch nicht. Ich finde, die ersten Kapitel vom ersten Buch und ganz besonders den Epilog, sehr, sehr schwach und es gibt einfach ein paar Logikfehler und schwerwiegende Punkte in der Story, mit denen ich nicht einverstanden bin. Und das Ende des Buches gibt mir die böse Vorahnung, dass Eden diese eine Sache tun wird, woraufhin ich sie hassen werde, was dazu führt, dass ich alle Folgebände nicht mögen kann.

Alles in allem ist es aber ein nettes Buch für Zwischendurch und KEIN New-Adult-Roman! ;)

[Jillian · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars purely for the entertainment/enjoyment aspect i mean i couldn't put the book down. otherwise this is not written well, characters are really superficial and one dimensional, problematic...etc etc

am i addicted enough to continue reading? YES YES I AM. i'm sort of annoyed bc i can't find my copy of the 2nd book lmao i'm trash for this type of story honestly

[Sybil aka Lala · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a bit of a guilty pleasure read for me since it’s YA. I started reading expecting to like this book and then to forget about it. I definitely did not expect to love this as much or expect it to affect me as much as it did. I adored this book and it turned out to be one of my favorite stepbrother romances of all time.



Eden’s parents are divorced and after three years of radio silence from her father, he begs her to join him and his new family in LA. Once there she meets her new stepbrothers. The eldest brother, Tyler, is a troubled boy with a devil may care persona and she quickly falls in with his group of friends. Eden and Tyler have a love-hate relationship but the more they are thrown together through friends and family the more their connection turns to love.



Tyler was such a beautifully broken, lost boy and my heart bled for him. He displayed some real assholish behaviour, and at times he was really unlikeable but there were glimpses of vulnerability and softness that had me in tears. Eden was a sullen and snarky heroine and even though she was thrust into a world she had no experience in, I never felt as if I was dealing with a delicate flower who couldn’t deal with the situations she was thrown into.



Without writing anything explicit (this is YA after all) the author still managed to create some amazing tension between the characters. Their romance developed slowly and with the slow burn of their feelings their chemistry sizzled and it had a lot of addictive angst. It contained all of the awkwardness, insecurities and dramatic passions if young love.



I read stepbrother novels for angst factor of the taboo type romance, and I definitely got the taboo aspect here. Not only because they are step-siblings but also because with Tyler being such a bad seed I had my own torn feelings about whether these two should get together or not. But again, Tyler was such an addictive bad boy fantasy and his need to be with Eden was so consuming, that at the end I totally needed this to happen for them.



This is not a fluffy little read. These characters are flawed. None of them, not a single one, are perfect. The story revolves around a group of teenagers who make poor decisions, party, drink and use drugs. The adults in the book don’t do any better. I was amazed at how this author tackled some pretty tough subjects so eloquently and at such a young age, much better than some of her older contemporaries. I thought the plot devices were handled responsibly and with the necessary brevity they deserved in a truly refreshing voice. The ending was also not one I expected and the author didn’t take the easy way out. I felt it was realistic and handled responsibly and I can’t wait to see what is in store for these two in the next book.



Please note that this book deals with under-age drinking and drug use and it touches on subjects such as child abuse and cheating. This book may not be for everyone so if these subjects aren’t your cup of tea, steer clear. I for one, definitely recommend this book.

(ARC received via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review)

[Samantha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ik had totaal niet verwacht dat ik dit boek uiteindelijk 5 sterren zou gaan geven, maar wat een knaller!

'Did I mention I love you?' gaat over Eden. De vader van Eden is enkele jaren terug plotseling uit haar leven en dat van haar moeder vertrokken om een nieuw leven te starten en nu, 3 jaar later, wil hij ineens dat ze de hele zomer bij hem doorbrengt. 8 hele weken bij haar vader, een heel eind van haar woonplaats vandaan. En dat niet alleen, ook bij haar stiefmoeder en haar 3 stiefbroertjes. Deze stiefbroertjes zijn alleen niet zo jong als dat ze eigenlijk dacht, sterker nog de oudste, Tyler, is 1 jaar ouders als Eden. Tyler is onuitstaanbaar en onhandelbaar en op de een of andere manier ontwikkelt Eden toch een zwak voor hem. Maar dit kan uiteraard niet. Hoe gaat ze dit oplossen?

Oke, de flaptekst maakt het boek echt een cliché, maar niks is minder waar. Ik vond dit niet cliché, ik vond het heerlijk! Eden is een meisje waarmee ik bevriend zou kunnen zijn. Een meisje dat redelijk snel vriendinnen maakt, eigenlijk heel rustig is, maar af en toe toch lekker uit de band springt. En dan Tyler.. In het begin vond ik hem echt niet leuk, maar je leert hem steeds beter kennen, waardoor je hem tevens steeds beter begrijpt. Je groeit samen met Eden steeds meer naar hem toe en aan het einde kon ik niet anders dan zelf ook als een blok voor hem vallen.

Lang geleden dat ik echt vanaf bladzijde 1 in een boek gezogen werd en het allerliefste dit boek in een ruk uit zou lezen. Dit lukt helaas niet met mijn drukke leven ernaast, maar toen ik vanochtend besloot om een relaxdagje te starten, kon ik niet anders dan dit boek oppakken en genieten van de laatste bladzijdes. En dat heb ik gedaan. En nu voelt het alsof er een gat in mijn hart achterblijft. Jeetje, dit einde had ik niet zien aankomen. Nee, dit was niet cliché, gelukkig! Des te wanhopiger wacht ik nu op deel 2.. Dit boek pak je op en voor je het weet zit je er middenin. Je geniet van de avonturen en leest binnen no time flink wat bladzijdes weg. Estelle schrijft heel vlot en makkelijk. Er is een prettige afwisseling tussen korte en wat langere hoofdstukken, wat maakt dat je nog sneller leest. Ja, ik ben fan! Op naar deel 2!

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Did I Mention I Love You?

Estelle Maskame


Eden is off to Santa Monica CA to spend eight weeks with her father. Her father left her mother three years ago and she hasn't seen him since. He has since remarried and Eden is going to spend her summer vacation with his new family including her three step brothers. Can life get any weirder for her? Eden only agrees to go to her father's because she had some problems at school and needs to get away for awhile


Once there she discovers that her three step brothers aren't toddlers like she thought. Tyler is one year older than she is and he is a huge jerk. She learns much later why he is the way he is but before that I totally hated him as much as Eden did. All he did was fight with his family, yelling at his mom and Eden's dad and was totally disrespectful to her as well as them. Tyler had me so angry with some of the crap he pulled and it seemed to me like he was so lost and just didn't care.


DID I MENTION I LOVE YOU had me on an emotional roller coaster. I was screaming at Tyler, wanting to hug Eden, and at the same time I wanted to scream at her to run as fast as she could back to her mom. Eden tries to get Tyler to get rid of his mask and stop all the pretending but he is a total jerk and yet, she still wants to help him. He puts up a front so no one will think he is weak and damaged and comes across as a self destructive and reckless idiot. Eden knows there is more to him than that and constantly tries to get through to him. So what does Tyler do? Acts like an even bigger moron to her and still, she never gives up on him.


DID I MENTION I LOVE YOU? Is book one in the DIMILY trilogy and I can't wait to devour the second book, DID I MENTION I NEED YOU? I can't imagine what is going to happen to Eden and Tyler and all of their friends. Be prepared to be captivated while reading this drama filled tale and not being able to put it down until late into the night. I must be a glutton for punishment because I am reading the next book as soon as I finish this review. Eden and Tyler are going to stay with you long after you finish reading.

[Lina Lovegood · Rating 4 out of 5]

Es hat so süchtig gemacht! Und ich freue mich schon wahnsinnig auf den 2. Teil. Leider muss man darauf ja noch bis Mitte Juni warten. Ich hasse warten.