The book did not really work for me. I DNF'ed it. I wasn’t able to connect with any of the many characters in the book and I found myself putting down the book a lot because it was never really catching my attention.

There were so many good reviews for this book, I genuinely thought I'd enjoy it. I mean, sure, there were a few bad ones too, but for the entertainment value, I can handle a corny love story. But this just really bothered me. So that's why I gave up around chapter 23.

Eden is an annoying character. For someone with a severe eating disorder, she doesn't really have much of a right to call someone PATHETIC all the time for having a different coping mechanism than her. She doesn't eat, runs all the time to keep up her weight, takes things the wrong way when people talk about clothes fitting, agonizes over it. Just because not one person in the book was actually observant enough to notice, doesn't mean it's not there, and that it's not affecting her life and self-esteem. Another thing, she lies and keeps things inside and N.E.V.E.R says what she's really thinking that it's just annoying as hell. Which is hilarious because the first thing she says is 'I could never lie to dad, he always knew when I lied'. You're lying to him throughout the book girl.

Inwardly: OMG I AM SO MAD AT DAD FOR LEAVING GR@*$%.
Outwardly: I missed you, dad.

And it goes like that with EVERY SINGLE THOUGHT. Most of the book she was just a pushover. She doesn't like parties, but she'll go to them all. She doesn't like shopping, but she'll do it. She doesn't want to get in trouble for doing illegal things, but she'll do them. Most of the book she was the one who was PATHETIC (her go-to word with Tyler). She prides herself on being this goodie-two-shoes 'dad will be mad at me', but also, still does them. Or with her making out with Tyler even though she knows he has a girlfriend. Then goes to 'comfort' the girlfriend for being hurt over Tyler. WTF? I hate that the author gives you so much insight into her mind, but NEVER gets to allow for any of that to come out. So we are left frustrated over all the things she's bottling up but never voicing out, while she acts like a timid mouse with zero personality except with Tyler. Maybe that's meant to be symbolic on the author's part? Like she's a boring wimp, but Tyler brings out the interesting in her? Except, she starts acting like that from their second interaction which in my opinion made zero sense. Who the hell are you to pretend be concerned about someone you only met twice so far? But naturally, it's because 'there's something about Tyler'.

Eden is also a grade-A hypocrite, as I mentioned with regards to her thoughts. But even deep inside she's wishy-washy with her own thoughts. One second she's like 'I like Jamie', the next she's like 'I hate my stepmother and my stepbrothers'... girl, make up your mind.

Another thing that might be weird, but it's really bothered me since the start is, where is Eden getting her money for all she's doing? Did she have a job back in Portland and she's using the money she's saved from there? Is her mom (who is barely making ends meet even with the money her dad pays) giving her the money? Is she getting it from her dad? She's always out buying stuff or shopping and not ONCE was it mentioned where the money was coming from. 

Anyhow, I won't go into a litany of all the things wrong with Tyler and his mother Ella. I'll just keep quiet here.

This book was definitely not something I expected, but I think that's why I enjoyed it so much. I loved the characters and their arcs and growth as people. 

The romance in this was definitely not for everyone, but it worked for me. I was rooting for them and I am craving the second book in this series. I thought this was well written and I can see why it's so loved by many.

this is a good series, it was good to get back into it and invest back into the characters, much like the others it didn't disappoint.

I received this free eARC novel from NetGalley and Edelweiss. This is my honest review. 

This book had a lot of heavy topics in it. And so much happens! Tyler is a troubled boy who can't seem to find his way back to a normal life. Eden sends to be the only light to bring him back, but she's his stepsiste. The attraction they feel for each other is wrong, yet why does it feel so right? 

The parting and drinking in this book was to much in my opinion. I think it would have been a great book if it had a fraction of those scenes. The situation between Eden and Tyler was torture and unfair, yet I think they both need time to figure out what they really want. I mean,  they are 16 and 17 years old! 

Overall I enjoyed this book and I'm very curious to see how things continue in the next books.

I did not finish this book and therefore do not feel comfortable fully reviewing it. The fact that I did not finish should indicate how I felt.

I went into this blind (like always). I just knew several fellow YouTubers love it and I decided to give it a try. OMG, I wasn't ready. I so wasn't ready for the depth, the development or for the full-on crazy that this story holds.  We start with Eden who is angry she has to be in California with her father and his new family. She's still angry at him for abandoning her so this summer before she finishes high school isn't going to be any fun.  Tyler is currently drinking & drugging his way through his senior year and for him, this summer is also going to suck.  At the end of this rollercoaster, I fell in love with Eden because she was sarcastic as heck, & witty when she wanted to be.  



At first, I was totally unsure of where this was going, the cover, and the bright colors didn't really give a clue of what this story entailed.  I was originally thinking this was going to be another painful Gossip Girl wannabe but oh nooo this was actually really good. I got hooked so fast and before I knew it I was laughing, talking back to the book and totally absorbed by what was unfolding.  This story is told from Eden's POV, she's trying to get ready for college, find her place in her father's new family while still being loyal and loving to her mother who has never abandoned her.  I absolutely loved how the LA landscape was described and how it played as much of a character as the humans. My favorite scene from the book would have to be the Hollywood sign scene, the description of the hike and the landscape just made me feel like I was there.  I just loved the daring hike up to the sign, and the trip of getting away before getting into trouble. It totally felt like something my friends and I would have done during the summer in high school.   



As with all teen romances, there has to be angst, drama and of course a bit of the forbidden.  This book was truly about Eden and her growth as a young woman. She came to California to get away from the old her, & to prep for college. She certainly grew and somewhat learned to open her eyes to how adult relationships look different from the outside.  While there were so many things to enjoy about this book I personally didn't like Eden's anger at her father, but I understood that as a child she simplified it down to two choices, even though there were way more things that she wasn't seeing.  I also didn't like her father's anger at her, because at the end of the day he should have realized that she's a kid and she didn't see all that was happening. However, because humans fail at many things this felt the most real.  



For me, the ending wasn't predictable at all because I didn't know what I was walking into. I knew I was a bit shocked by some of the turn of events and I absolutely loved that the author didn't gloss over the consequences of Eden's actions. This didn't go smoothly, her friendships and relationships were thrown into turmoil because of her choices and it was raw and real.  I really enjoyed the friendship between the girls, I really had expected it to be a backstabbing kind of friendship but it wasn't and I loved that it was a bit of a sore point for all the girls.  They all had insecurities and yet they didn't feel they could be completely honest even with their friends and this was awesome to see them learning who they could open up to. 



Since this was told from Eden's POV we only know and see what she sees. this both worked and didn't because we only knew what she did about the secondary characters, we didn't know their emotions, take or feeling on a situation unless they verbalized it.  I went into this not knowing what to expect and walked away absolutely addicted to the point that I ordered all three physical books plus the final ebook so I could read at work.  I really enjoyed this one and all the emotions it evoked.  



 ★★★★☆

RECOMMENDATIONS

Movie:

Clueless
Books: 
Pushing The Limits by Katie McGarry
Raine by J.C. Valentine

Happy Reading my loves,

Eden Munro is a sixteen year-old who travels from her home in Portland to L.A. Her dad has invited her to spend the summer as his place, with his new wife Ella and her three new stepbrothers.
She is totally clueless what to expect of her dad's new family, and she steps into this summer blank.
She soon is taken under the wing of her stepbrother Tyler, who is the oldest of the tree brothers. He takes her to parties of his friends, where Eden discovers that Tyler is using drugs. And she get's to know Tyler's girlfriend Tiffani, who is claiming Tyler to the max.

During her stay, Eden and Tyler get to know each other better and better, and this leads to a little romance, something thatodd because they are stepbrother and sister. They try to hide their feelings for Eden's dad and Ella and their friends, but this is quite difficult. Especially when Tiffany is told by one of her friends that he saw Tyler with another girl. Tiffani confronts Tyler and tells him she's pregnant of him. It seems Tyler makes a mess off his live, and takes Eden with him. 

I liked the most parts of the story, altough I had the feeling this was not the most original YA novel, as a lot of YA novels with a bad boy in it has this type of plot. Eden was a nice main character but she doesn't make any progress throughout the story. She doesn't make any standups against Tyler's bad drugs habits, as far as I remember. Tyler, well, what to say about him? He was just the annoying bad boy character as we have read about in so many other YA novels, nothing new here. It would be an even nicer novel if the author would have choose to let the characters make a change in their lives, but it all stayed the same till the end. It was enjoyable, but not mind blowing or original. I am curious though for the next novel in this trilogy.

Did I Mention I Love You is a book that will not necessarily appeal to all readers. I for one, realized that the book wasn’t what I was expecting to read. This book is extremely dramatic and deals with really intense subjects, including drugs and alcohol. The main character makes really poor decisions and is very frustrating. However, there is fantastic writing that kept me inspired to continue reading.

Did I Mention I Love You is a bit too dramatic and intense for my taste. The characters go to a lot of parties and use drugs and alcohol often, which I didn’t like. While some may find this type of story relatable, I did not and it was hard for me to enjoy the plot. This storyline also causes a lot of unnecessary drama, which made the book less interesting for me. I prefer books that are more laid-back and less extreme, and I definitely wasn’t expecting so much drug use out of this one.

Another reason why Did I Mention I Love You was a bit difficult to get into is the fact that the main character makes too many poor decisions. It is understandable that the protagonist, Eden, has a desire to go out and have fun, but she goes to basically every party in the neighbourhood and always does what her friends drag her along to do. Eden’s poor decision making skills really bugged me, and I found it difficult to continue reading. The main character in a book really determines how much I enjoy it, and I just wish Eden wasn’t no naïve.

Despite the drama and intensity of Did I Mention I Love You, it is written very well. I noticed that this book was originally from Wattpad, and was very intrigued. Also, I appreciated while reading that this book is chock full of beautiful descriptions and it is developed so well, even though what was described didn’t really appeal to me. This writing was what saved me from potentially putting the book down.

Did I Mention I Love You is a bit too dramatic and deals with subjects that are too intense for me. The main character doesn’t make good decisions, and is pretty frustrating to read about. However, the writing in this book is phenomenal, and if you are fine with the harsh topics discussed, I would recommend this book to you.

I loved it! LOVED this story! even with all my emotions of it all over the place I loved it!!

Love this whole series! This author is fantastic and I can't wait to read anything written by her. The characters are ones that I connected with right away and from page one I was hooked.

Hello and happy Wednesday. I have now decided to start taking notes about the books I'm reading to help me remember my thoughts when I'm reviewing, and so I have one page and a half full of notes on Did I Mention I Love You? by Estelle Maskame. Are we ready for them? 

Let me start by thanking the author and NetGalley because I had the chance to read an ARC of this book and now share my review with all of you. I love reading books by Wattpad authors because I think that is an amazing community, and I love to see writers succeed thanks to it. 

If you're looking for a great summer read, this is it because it will make you fly all the way to California and be sixteen again. It's your typical "girl flies to another city to spend time with her estranged parent" scenario, which we've already read in The Statistical Possibility of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith and How Hard Cal Love Be? by Holly Bourne. If you know me, you know I adore both books, but I rolled my eyes to see that was a part of this book. 

I had a major issue, and I would put it out there as a potential trigger warning, with Eden (the main character) always skipping meals and having problems with her body image. This wasn't explored in depth as an eating disorder, but it was hinted that way. I've said it before in reviews and I'll say it again now: authors have to be very careful when addressing issues like eating disorders; they have to document themselves, and they have to be aware of the fact that their readers are most likely teenagers who might be prone to suffering from them. Eden doesn't seem to understand the seriousness of her problem, and her family's not aware of it either, so treatment is never mentioned, and that was a big no-no for me. 

When I was taking the picture I used for this post, I read the text in the cover, which says something about a forbidden kiss or something like that. Then, as I read, Tyler, Eden's step-brother was mentioned and, of course, everything made sense to me. Needless to say, the plot was super predictable from then on. Something that bothered me big time, though, was the fact that before the "forbidden kiss" Eden absolutely despised Tyler for no apparent reason. Like, yes, he had an attitude towards pretty much everyone, but she'd encounter him twice and seemed to think of him as her worst enemy. 

Eden herself was a character I didn't like at all. She was immature, but immature in a relatable Lara Jean Song kind of way, you know? She was more like, why is this kid still here bickering about everything. I didn't appreciate the fact that she was always insinuating how she was "not like other girls" because she liked running and her Converse had song lyrics written on them. And yet, despite how original and different she was, guess who she hung out with? Hypocrite much? 

My dad is married, and his wife has two kids, who I consider my siblings. I know not all family dynamics are the same, but I don't understand why Eden hater her family so much. Like, honestly, nobody forced her to travel to Santa Monica to be with her father and his family, it was Eden who made the choice, so why was she always complaining about everything? 

Let's go back to Eden and Tyler because the story centers around them anyway. I felt that some situations were forced in order for them to be together, you know? Like it's summer and they're staying at the same house and they share a group of friends, so just let their encounters be more organic. The fact that their encounters were so not casual, made it obvious that they were going to end up together, even to those not reading the little text on the cover. In YA, two people don't spend so much time together and not end up being a couple, that's just not how it works. 

Now let me get something off my chest (no pun intended, I swear), but what's with heaving a sigh? I'd never heard that expression before, which is not weird because English is not my first language after all. I got to read it repeatedly throughout the novel and it annoyed me every time. 

You know I love me some bad boys, and Tyler was definitely one, but I feel the way he was portrayed didn't do him justice. For instance, he was a vegetarian, which was sorta thrown out there halfway through the book like it was nothing. I think it would've given depth to Tyler's character if the reasons for his vegetarianism had been explained in the story, you know? There's also Tyler's story, which might call for another trigger warning on child abuse, or rather domestic violence. It was briefly and (at least to me) superficially explored, although it then led to a bit of character development and to an interesting plot twist. 

Tyler compensated for a few things I didn't like about this novel, which in all fairness are things I don't like in general. For one, it's the fact that Eden and Tyler engaged in a relationship that was not only forbidden because they're step-siblings, it was plain cheating. Tyler had a girlfriend called Tiffani, and she was the most stereotypical character ever, who also caused or was always at the center of your stereotypical high school drama. An example? Sure, here's an example of her drama, but it's a spoiler, so skip to the next paragraph if you don't want to read it: the whole baby drama. I mean, seriously? Are you really going to pretend to be pregnant? Ugh. 

I grew up in a country where parents are super involved in their children's lives, so it was a little odd for me, and rather hard to believe that the parents in this story were rarely around. They were always conveniently away whenever there was a party or a big event. Not realistic at all, if you ask me. 

I'm nearing the end of my notes and they're happier than the others, so let's explore the things I liked about this novel. I really liked Dean and Eden's relationship. I thought their friendship was fresh and nice. I enjoyed the fact that although this book is over 400 pages long, it took me over a week to read it. And, oh, let's go back to Dean and Eden: the ending of the novel reminded me a whole lot of It's Not Summer Without You by Jenny Han. Then I read the epilogue and, yep, definitely like INSWY. The epilogue, though, made me think "what the hell...?" because honestly Estelle, did you just skip ten months? What? Why? Nonetheless, it was probably my favorite part, and it of course made me want to devour the second book in the series.

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.

I found a few minor mistakes/things that didn't make sense as I was reading, but otherwise I think I enjoyed this book. There were so many great parts and I highlighted several parts that made me laugh. I can't wait to read the other two books!