Read Dec 18

So, I haven’t read the series that this accompanies but now I want to! I just want to give Tyler a massive hug for what he went through! I do feel like after the sort of trauma he went through that there should be some kind of mandatory counselling to help him at east start to deal with what happened,

The flashback chapters were heart-breaking, and the later ones made me start to tear up. Tyler also didn’t seem to have any genuine friends to care about him until Eden. Well, someone called Dean was sort of around but not enough to notice. Tiffani was a psycho and needed to be called out on her crap sooner.

Unfortunately, I have not been able to read and review this book.

After losing and replacing my broken Kindle and getting a new phone I was unable to download the title again for review as it was no longer available on Netgalley.

I’m really sorry about this and hope that it won’t affect you allowing me to read and review your titles in the future.

Thank you so much for giving me this opportunity.
Natalie.

I had not read the original trilogy to this book so did not know what to expect.
I liked the way the author portrayed the emotions and hurt that Tyler was enduring and seeing domestic violence from a male perspective was eye opening. As a survivor of domestic violence this was hard hitting but I really enjoyed it and hope there is more to this series.

I’m not a huge fan of the same book from a different POV, I did enjoy this one though, I think it was well written, but I wouldn’t have missed it if it wasn’t part of the series.

I received an advanced review copy of this book from NetGalley.
I loved this book, this series is the reason I got into reviewing books as I didn’t want to wait for DIMIMY. I love Estelle Maskame’s writing, she pulls you into the story in such a way that you can’t put it down. Reading the first in the series from Tyler’s point of view was a nice change for the story, reading it all through Tyler’s eyes made the characters more relatable. I loved the flashbacks to Tyler and his dad, it gave so much more depth to Tyler, who I already loved, but wasn’t written in such a way that it was almost the shock factor of the incidents, it was written from the point of a young boy, but didn’t seem childish.
This was the perfect next book for the series, wether it’s the final one or not, I loved it.
5/5 stars

I loved the DIMILY series so was looking forward to reading Tyler's story. We know from the previous books that Tyler had issues with his dad and in this book we get to see more of that side and how it all started. He acts the big man in front of his friends to hide his past but with Eden he's completely different. I would highly recommend this book but read the first three first.

I would definitely recommend reading the trilogy first, which is well worth reading. I felt connected to Tyler instantly as I had some background information about him from the trilogy and I was more invested into his story.

Just Don't Mention It or JDMI to keep things short is written all in Tyler's perspective. Tyler suffered horrific physical abuse from his father as a child, so this novel explains the abuse alongside revealing the long term emotional and mental issues it has left Tyler.

Each chapter is set five years apart, they switch between timid, young twelve year old Tyler who is desperate to show his father how good he is, and 17 year old Tyler who has anger issues, a short fuse 'just like his father' and drinks and smokes excessively to drown out the thoughts running through his mind.

I think Estelle has created an amazing novel that depicts the mental scars left behind long after the physical abuse has stopped. This book really emphasises how important it is for children, teenagers and adults to know they can be listened to and believed. Attending therapy isn't a sign of weakness, it's a sign of courage and understanding.
Especially in the YA community, we need more books that challenge the stigma of mental health and that prove how priceless a listening ear can be to someone in need.

I've read all three books previously to this one so I was excited to get another book by this author and it was just as fun as her previous books had been. If you're looking for a ya contemporary

How is this published? I have no idea. The writing is terrible and jerky, and littered with grammatical errrors.

This book is told from Tyler's perspective from his past self at the time of the first book.



Told between the past, five years ago and present day, we learn of how Tyler was treated by his abusive father in graphic accounts and how it caused Tyler's behaviour to change from happy to angry as well as his memories about his father, we see how he met Tiffani and Dean and him attending games together to watch and how well his father and him managed to hide everything as their family let alone anyone else never spotted the signs even when Tyler's wrist got broken three times in a year due to his aggressive father and him blame himself for his father's horrific actions.



Dean and Tyler are the first best friends then Jake joins them late on and so does Tiffani as the new girl at their school before she was 'queen' of the school.



Partying, kissing girls and him and Tiffani using each other for sex really shows the extent of their relationship as they clash and Tiffani is super high maintenance and crazy with manipulating Tyler and using his secrets to blackmail him to stay with her despite his stronger feelings for Eden which are true and not just out to use her like he does Tiffani.



The pull for him toward Eden shows just how much their attraction worked both ways as he can't ignore his true feelings he never had for Tiffani ever and finds himself wanting to be better to be with Eden.



This was a good book and addition to the series rehashing the first book from Eden's perspective into Tyler's as we see his feelings and hurt he suffered through in his childhood and how it stayed with him affecting him to now. It raises the subject of violence and domestic abuse happening to boys too and not just girls. Tyler was a brave young character and so was his brother for eventually discovering it and helping him, there's always a way to stop abuse.

4.5 stars!

I read the first three books in this trilogy straight after each other at the end of May/beginning of June and loved the first three books a lot, so I was really excited to read this book! I knew that this book was going to be written from the male character's point of view, so this made me even more excited for it! I then signed up for the Blog Tour with the publisher, so received an early review copy! After reading this book, I can say that I enjoyed it just as much as the other books in this series! I loved that it went back to the past and showed the main character's struggle and what he went through to be the person he was in this series! It really gave a huge insight into his thoughts and the type of childhood he had! The plot also developed at a nice pace, but it did take me a while to read lol! I'm not sure why, but I felt like I didn't get very far whenever I sat down to read it lol! I did eventually finish it though and loved it a lot! The characters were also amazing and made this book even better! Tyler was the main character and this book was his story! Tyler was an intriguing character in the other books in this series, so I couldn't wait to get inside his head! My heart went out to Tyler in this book because it really showed how his childhood changed him and made him into the arrogant, misunderstood guy in the other books in this series! It was also interesting to see things through Tyler's eyes because it helped me understand and connect with him more! Eden was in this book as well and she was the love interest of Tyler! The first three books were written from her point of view! It was quite an experience to see Eden through Tyler's eyes because it showed how he felt about her and his feelings for her grow! I also still connected with Eden, but I guess it was slightly easier because I'd already read some of this story through her eyes lol! This book was only written from Tyler's point of view! I was obviously expecting this because the cover and synopsis say it's going to be and I already knew before I started reading it lol! I loved getting to go inside Tyler's head because he had such a complex childhood and acted out a lot, so it was amazing to get the chance to go inside his head and see what he went through to make him that way that he was! I'm really sad that Tyler and Eden's story is now officially over! I obviously wasn't expecting a fourth book lol, but it was a good way to wrap up the series and it really helped me understand Tyler more! I now can't wait to check out this author's standalone book and see what she's going to release next! I'll definitely be reading it and waiting for her next book! The cover for this book is also absolutely stunning! I love how well it suits the other UK covers and I love that the layout goes the opposite way to first three books! The cover suits the story perfectly too! Big thank you to Estelle and Ink Road for an early review copy of Just Don't Mention It and for having me on the Blog Tour!

I loved being back with Tyler and Eden and finally getting to hear Tyler's side of the story. But I mostly just loved being back in this story again.

I adored the Did I mention I love you series. So when I heard that Estelle was telling the first book from Tyler's point of view, I knew I had to read it.

This book gave me all the feels from start to finish. I've never read a book that's made me feel the way that JDMI made me feel. Estelle beautifully constructed the novel to allow you to see how Tyler's past has influenced his future. It allows you to delve deeper into the mind of Tyler and feel his pain. This book was so beautifully written that when Tyler was in pain I was in pain and not many books that I've read have made me feel as strongly as Just Don't Mention It has.

After reading Just Don't Mention It, I realised that this not only this book but the entire Did I Mention I Love You series is much more than Tyler and Eden's love story. 

There were some hard bits to read through in this novel especially as I had never been through what Tyler had and also because Estelle wrote it so stunningly that as a reader you feel like you  are in Tyler's position and that obviously makes the read even more harder.

I think for me what I loved most about the book was the way in which Estelle constructed Tyler's story in the present because I felt like even though Tyler was "free" of his past he wasn't and the way in which Estelle explored that through his relationships and being inside his head is beyond anything I could put into words.

I love this book and even though it definitely wasn't an easy read, I love that because Tyler's story isn't easy and what he went through is a reality for some.

I would like to praise Estelle for what I think was an amazing portrayal of a topic that can often be glanced over because it's too hard to talk about.

This book definitely gets 5 stars

When I first started this book I had a nagging feeling that it looked familiar, it turns out I had read a previous version of the book. It's a really good book to read. However, it can make you a bit emotional. I'll say that this version was edited very well.

Just Don't Mention It is a spin-off/companion novel to the DIMILY series, which follows two timelines told from Tyler's point of view. The first timeline, present day, is the first book in the series told from Tyler's point of view. The second timeline is five years prior to that telling the story of Tyler's life with his dad. This is a very, very tough book to read. On the one hand, it's great fun to go back to the start of Tyler and Eden's relationship and get to relive that story through Tyler's eyes. However, on the other hand, in the alternate chapters you have the story of Tyler's horrendous childhood and the horrific abuse he suffered. I really enjoyed the present day timeline, particularly as I spent much of DIMILY wondering what on earth Tyler was thinking. It was interesting to see situations from a different perspective and see what was going on when he wasn't with Eden. The past timeline is not something I can say I enjoyed, that definitely isn't the word to use. I found those parts to be incredibly difficult to read and just heartbreaking. Despite the content, they were very well written and such a difficult topic was covered with great sensitivity and maturity, which is impressive from someone so young. I was impressed with how well this book was written overall, and how easily it flipped from one timeline to the other so seamlessly, yet both stories felt completely different. I thought this was a great addition to the series and I felt as though I know Tyler so much better and understand the reasoning behind many of his actions.

Jamie’s eating his cereal with his mouth open, purposely crunching it loudly in my ear. Mom’s turned her attention to the TV mounted up on the wall, messing around with the remote as she tries to get the news on, and when she does, she lowers the volume and watches the screen out of the corner of her eye as she spreads Chase’s toast. He grins when she sets the plate down in front of him, and they all seem to be satisfied, just like they always are.

I feel so far away from them. And I know truly that I’m right here beside them, but sometimes it feels like I’m not really. Everything is just so numb, so empty. I’ve grown so used to tuning everything out that I can’t remember how to tune back in. I feel lost halfway between being here and being elsewhere.

The truth is, I don’t really know where I am. I’m just somewhere.

Review:

Cover: I like the composite of pictures on the cover – it looks like something you would find on Instagram. I’m not entirely sure what expression the guy on the front is going for through…

First impressions: The summary for this seemed interesting, but I was a bit worried that I wouldn’t understand it fully without having read the original trilogy. While I’m sure those who have read the first set of books will have a deeper understanding, not having read it didn’t affect my understanding in the slightest. Within just a few sentences I was drawn completely into Tyler’s world and I had to keep reading to find out what would happen to him.

The story is told in alternating chapters – one set several years before where we see Tyler changing due to his relationship with his Dad breaking down, and present-day where he first meets Eden (and, as far as I know, in the time where the original trilogy is set). I fund this really effective, because Tyler doesn’t come cross well in the later chapters because he has created a facade to hide behind and it’s not very pretty. The flashback chapters allowed us to see who he is behind that facade and the person he would be if not for building up walls to protect himself.

No matter how many nights I spend trying to figure these things out, I am still no closer to finding the answers.

I just wish I knew where I was headed. I’m too scared to think about my future, because I’m terrified I don’t have one.

What I liked: The alternate chapter format which allowed us to see Tyler developing and changing – if I had just met to present-day Tyler I wouldn’t have liked him at all! – but he has reasons for being the way he is. I thought that the depiction of abuse was heartbreaking, but realistic. I can see this being popular with fans of the original trilogy because Tyler as a child is endearing whereas the teenager is quite unlikeable at first.

Even better if: Well, I now need to read the original trilogy!


How you could use it in your classroom: There is swearing and reference to drinking, sex and drugs so I can’t imagine many schools being happy about this being used in the classroom. If recommending to a young person, I would recommend pre-reading. I think this would be a great addition to any young-adult library as it deals with a number of issues that teens might face.

Just Don't Mention It is part of the Did I Mention... series by Estelle.  I haven't gotten around to reading the DIMILY books yet, so I'm coming at the series all backwards, which is not that unusual for me! You absolutely can read this book as a standalone though, and it didn't diminish my enjoyment at all that I hadn't read the others.

Just Don't Mention It is Tyler's story, told from his point of view; part of it is set in the present day and part five years ago, and the chapters alternate between these two times. Present day Tyler is an ass. Or, that's what he wants everyone to think. He has a girlfriend (Tiffani) who he doesn't seem to like, and who doesn't seem to like him. He is bad-tempered, rude and constantly doing something he shouldn't be. He drinks an obscene amount and is starting to use drugs. Present day Tyler isn't easy to like.

The chapters telling his story from five years ago give a lot of insight into why he is like this. From the offset you know that something awful happened to him, that he is deeply hurt by, and is desperately trying to hide from. I am a sucker for any character with a difficult back story and I loved past Tyler almost immediately. The chapters telling his story from five years ago are emotional, at times they're difficult to read (trigger warning for violence and abuse), and my heart ached for him. It was so easy to see how he became the person he is in the present day.

Tyler's relationship with his mum was particularly interesting to read. She didn't know what was happening to him until the part at the very end of his "5 years ago" story and they have a tense relationship now. He pushes her away more than anyone, but she is also the person who understands him the most and who he needs to comfort him and help him through this.

A lot of this story is Tyler trying to come to terms with the trauma of his past, and I could empathise with his journey a lot. At times he feels like he will never find his way out:

"I'm totally fucking lost in this mess."

He's just about as low as he can possibly get, when his step-sister Eden appears and gives him something else to worry about, because he is falling for her and he really, really shouldn't be. But Eden isn't like the other girls: she doesn't throw herself at Tyler and she isn't going to stand for any of his nonsense. She's only interested in the real Tyler, the one under all the drinking and the bravado. But opening up isn't going to be easy for Tyler...

Just Don't Mention It sounded like the sort of book I would enjoy; I didn't expect to love it as much as I did. I adored Tyler's story and I've acquired the DIMILY books because now I've read this I NEED them all. Perfect for fans of the series, or anyone who likes a story about a bad boy, who isn't as bad as he makes out.

This book had alternating chapters between present time and Tyler's childhood with the issues surrounding his dad which It helped to shed light on why Tyler acts the way he does in DIMILY series whilst also tugging on your heart strings. I wasn't a big fan of the books as I thought they were a fun beach read but I really enjoyed this book the most for some reason. If you love the DIMILY series you will want to read this.