Did I Mention I Love You? ~ Review
Series: DIMLY Series 1 of 3
Author: Estelle Maskame
Genre: Young Adult/ Contemporary, Romance
Publisher: Black & White Publishing
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐
Synopsis: "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?"
I borrowed my copy of DIMILY after hearing about it from my Pen Pal, who lives in Spain. I had actually never heard of this author or any of her books until I met Angie, my Pen Pal. I thought I would give the book a try so that we could talk about it together. I definitely love that we can connect with each other through a book. I wasn't sure if I was going to love the book as it is a contemporary, and I have never been a fan of Wattpad authors. That didn't stop me from giving it a try. You should never be afraid to try new books. Sometimes they will surprise you, and you may even find you have a soft spot for that genre after all.
The Plot of DIMILY was okay. It never really had a major conflict, except for the fact that it was impossible for the main character, Eden, to be in love with her stepbrother, Tyler. This conflict didn't even get introduced until about halfway through the book. In the beginning of the novel Eden hates Tyler and she just seems to get into trouble with her new friends. Nothing really interesting or important seems to happen. There are a few attempts at maybe Eden falling in love with some of Tyler's friends, but for the most part there is no real action. One thing I definitely got a bit frustrated with, was the fact that the only thing that every happened in the book was parties. Pretty much every get together was at some sort of party. This made the book seem very repetitive. That is one of the main reasons I am enjoying the second one a bit more. The plot itself lacked a bit.
The Setting actually managed to make up for the failed plot. The setting was amazing! I am actually a bit envious of Estelle's insane ability to describe a place. Considering that she doesn't even live in America she did an excellent job of making me feel like I was actually in California. In all honesty it kind of made me want to visit! Overall, the setting was perfect!
The Characters were a bit off for me. I felt as if Eden's friends in the book were a bit odd. To me it just didn't make sense that they were so welcoming towards Eden. Not to mention the way that Estelle described Eden's character just made it seem like she wouldn't be compatible with her new friends. Usually, you don't see a small town, good girl all of a sudden hanging out with a bunch of popular, party goers who are only interested in drinking. I just didn't ever warm up to the friends of the story. On the topic of friends, Eden's friend from Portland seemed kind of tossed in there. She was mentioned a lot at the beginning of the book, but when Eden really started to struggle with feelings she never turned to her. I felt as if that was weird. As for Tyler's friends, they were a bit easier to relate to, but we didn't hear too much about them. Tyler and Eden's relationship however, was really brought to light through the characters. Estelle did a wonderful job of really hitting every major subject in both of their lives. I loved how we seemed to discover who Tyler was at the same pace as Eden. It was really quite beautiful.
The Romance hit the spot with this book. Even thought the romance with Tyler didn't start until later on in the book, there were other love interests. I thought that this was good to compare the way that Eden felt towards her first love in California, and her second. Once Estelle finally makes it clear that Tyler and Eden have feeling for each other, I was dying inside. I had been waiting for that moment for so long, and when it finally came, I just couldn't put the book down. The love was so intense and the fact that it was forbidden made it better. The sneaking around between the two always left me a little tense during scenes when they were together because I was afraid that they would get caught. I love books that really allow you to feel for the characters in that way. I actually squealed multiple times during this book...out loud! 😆
The Good News:
Now I hate to just come on here and sound like I am tearing a book apart because I am not. This book was not at all a bad read. Like all books, it has its problems, but you can get past them. I flew through the last few pages of this book in record time. I literally sat in my room for an entire evening until I finished. I was so on edge. I even ordered the second book a few days before because I knew I would be needing it ASAP. This book kind of tore my heart in two directions at the end. Is it possible to love two guys? I just can't decide who I want Eden to be with. Anyway, I highly recommend this read. It was an emotional roller coaster. Not to mention some of the secrets that are revealed in the book you couldn't possibly see coming. Nice job Estelle!
Reason behind the stars:
I gave this book a three star rating because it was great. In fact it was better than most three star book, but it was just short of a fourth star because of its slow beginning and repetitive plot. If you can get over that, then this book would be wonderful. I was definitely emotionally attached! You should definitely go and give this one a try!!
Thanks so much for listening to my thoughts on the book! If you want to hear more of my reviews just hit the subscribe button to get email updates! Please comment your own thoughts on this book!! No spoilers!
xoxo,
ashleylarkinswriter
The Good News:
Now I hate to just come on here and sound like I am tearing a book apart because I am not. This book was not at all a bad read. Like all books, it has its problems, but you can get past them. I flew through the last few pages of this book in record time. I literally sat in my room for an entire evening until I finished. I was so on edge. I even ordered the second book a few days before because I knew I would be needing it ASAP. This book kind of tore my heart in two directions at the end. Is it possible to love two guys? I just can't decide who I want Eden to be with. Anyway, I highly recommend this read. It was an emotional roller coaster. Not to mention some of the secrets that are revealed in the book you couldn't possibly see coming. Nice job Estelle!
Reason behind the stars:
I gave this book a three star rating because it was great. In fact it was better than most three star book, but it was just short of a fourth star because of its slow beginning and repetitive plot. If you can get over that, then this book would be wonderful. I was definitely emotionally attached! You should definitely go and give this one a try!!
Thanks so much for listening to my thoughts on the book! If you want to hear more of my reviews just hit the subscribe button to get email updates! Please comment your own thoughts on this book!! No spoilers!
xoxo,
ashleylarkinswriter
Comments
Post a Comment