Did I Mention I Love You?: A Forbidden High School Stepbrother Romance (Did I Mention I Love You (DIMILY) Book 1)

My Thoughts:Did I Mention I Love You, was a fast-paced, easy, and entertaining read. I enjoyed the story and read it in one day. It is about dysfunctional family relationships, drug and alcohol addiction, unhealthy body image, and the challenges of growing up.Sixteen year old Eden Monro hasn't seen or heard from her father, Dave, since he walked out three years ago. She still lives in Portland, Oregon with her mother, and her father now lives in Santa Monica in the lap of luxury with his new wife Ella, and three step-children, Tyler (seventeen), Jamie (fourteen), and Chase (eleven). When Dave becomes insistent that Eden come spend the summer with him, she finally agrees because she's a huge movie aficionado, and has always dreamed of seeing Los Angeles. Plus, she is dealing with some friend drama.When Eden arrives in Santa Monica, she is shocked to see her father's new and improved lifestyle. He lives in a wealthy neighborhood, has a beautiful and luxurious house, and his family owns expensive top of the line vehicles. This makes Eden upset, because even though Dave pays child-support, her mother works herself to the bone, and is always struggling to make ends meet.Eden expects her step-mother, Ella, to be the typical step-monster, but eventually realizes that she is a good person, and mother to her children. Jamie's a sweet step-brother, Chase keeps to himself, and Tyler is a nightmare. He is constantly rude, brash, and appears to resent her presence. When Eden arrives, Dave and Ella have a BBQ so that they can introduce Eden to their neighbors and friends.At the BBQ, she meets friendly and upbeat Rachel, who is one of the neighbors children. Rachel invites Eden to hang out and introduces her to her best friends Meghan and Tyler's long term-girlfriend Tiffany. All of these girls spend a lot of time with Tyler, Dean and Jake, soon to be seniors in high school, and they form a group of best friends.As Eden spends time with the group she quickly see's that Tyler has a substance abuse problem. His vices of choice are hard liquor, marijuana, and cocaine. His friends don't question his addiction, and Eden is highly disturbed by what she sees. She calls him out on his destructive behavior, and is disgusted by him. Simultaneously, Tyler doesn't respect any boundaries set up by his mother and Dave. He ignores the fact that he's grounded, stays out all hours of the night, does what he wants when he wants, and is very disrespectful. While initially, Eden thinks Tyler is a repulsive excuse for a human being, based on his behavior, she soon starts to break down his walls and see's glimpses to another side of him.As readers, along with Eden, we see that Tyler is a protective older brother that loves his siblings. We see his walls, and that his reason for his addiction lies in the fact that he has a secret that is eating away at him. Tyler constantly needs a distraction, or a way to "escape" something that has been the catalyst for his destructive and addictive behavior. As Eden and Tyler get closer, we start to see a different side to Tyler; a vulnerability, and the fact that he is truly "lost."Eden also has her own individual struggles. She has a lot of anger towards her father, because he hasn't apologized or acknowledged the pain he's caused her. Dave doesn't have meaningful conversation or rebuild his relationship with his daughter; and it's hard to see if it's from a lack of caring or a lack of know how. Also, Eden struggles with a healthy body image after being bullied and harassed about her weight a few years back. Therefore, she is always running long distances for exercise, doesn't eat much, and never indulges in sweets.Eden is determined to help Tyler with his addiction, and he is there for her also. We do see cheating in this story, as a warning for those who don't like to read books that contain this. It is due to the fact that Tiffany is holding a lot over Tyler's head, and he's scared to make her mad.Did I Mention I Love You? is a coming of age story that deals with a lot of serious issues. It is a good book to use to open up dialogue between a parent and their teen, since we are dealing with issues such as addiction, unhealthy body image/eating disorder, partying, drinking excessively, and regular sexual activity. I enjoyed it for it's entertainment value, and am looking forward to continuing this series and seeing what happens next...

Originally Reviewed on the Bewitching Bibliophile BlogI 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. ★★★★☆RECOMMENDATIONSMovie:CluelessBooks:Pushing The Limits by Katie McGarryRaine by J.C. Valentine

The book came in perfect condition without and damage to it.

I am a sucker for forbidden romances like Romeo and Juliet (except for the tragedy part). Two lovers who want to be together but can’t because of outside circumstances. If you love and crave stories like that, then this novel needs to find its way onto your bookshelf.At the beginning of summer Eden Munro is shipped to California to spend the summer with her father and his new family. His new family which happens to include a hot, brooding, high school senior Tyler. Amidst the turmoil that Tyler causes with his every action Eden and him fall for each other, but know that it’s wrong and cannot last.This novel is filled with steamy kisses, secrets, betrayals, family, friendship, love and loss. It takes you on an addictive ride while Eden and Tyler navigate their taboo relationship.I enjoyed this novel a lot. Sometimes the characters made frustrating decisions, but one has to just remind themselves that these characters are teenagers and everyone does dumb things at their age. I liked reading as Eden and Tyler’s relationship developed from enemies to lovers and lovers to friends. Also the way this novel ended means I have to go and pick up the sequel which I am quite excited to do.I can’t wait to see how Eden and Tyler’s relationship twists and turns in “Did I mention I need you.” Overall this novel was exactly what I was looking for and I highly recommend it if you’re a fan of Simone Elkeles.

I never had this series on my radar whatsoever. Then I followed Liv, and she raved so much about this book. The more we spoke the more I trusted her opinions on books, then when I saw DIMILY on 99p offer on Kindle, I bought all three. After a bit of coaxing I dived into DIMILY and two days later I'd devoured the entire book, laughed, screamed and found my homely feeling book. *tries not to waffle*Okay so Did I Mention I Love You (DIMILY) follows Eden, who's parents are divorced, living in Portland when her Dad, living in Santa Monica requests she spend the Summer with him, his new wife Ella and there three delightful boys! Reluctant yes, but Eden says yes anyway and leaving her mum behind in Portland she hops on a plane to sunny LA! *dreams* When she hits down in LA it's not exactly a warm welcome from her slightly estranged dad, then she's thrown into meeting two younger step-brothers, with her older step-brother no where in sight! Eden is thrown into a world of dysfunctional families, mayhem friendships, players, gents and partying! What could possibly go wrong?DIMILY is very character rich. My favourites were obviously Tyler and Eden. Eden was more reserved of a character but that's what made her so fabulous, slightly held back and found herself finding who she was in the summer. That's what a summer away is for right? Tyler, where do I even start? HOT!! Tyler was damaged, dysfunctional and brilliant. He was one of the most complex, intriguing and exciting characters I've read in a very long time. He's the perfect loveable rogue. Rachel was brilliant too, she was one of Edens friends she was such a good friend in all the right kinda ways. There are tonnes more you'll meet in DIMILY they were my top faves!DIMILY sounded controversial at first, I;d read some really mixed up reviews. After reading it, I get the mixed reviews I really do. It's a touchy subject. They're step-siblings. In love? We all know that's not going to sit right with some people. But I really really loved DIMILY, I raced through the book and I was just eating up the romance between Tyler and Eden. It was romantic, heartfelt and true. Estelle has clearly loved before because she wrote 'love' so well. The moments without words, are where you knew they'd fallen head over heels with each other.DIMILY is filled with beautiful lines, complex characters, an unusual storyline and it'll leave you broken. It's the bets kind of book. Estelle instils the right to write what you want, to dare to brave the unusual and the unknown. She's kinda brilliant! I want to shout and scream this book from the rooftops, I swear to god I do!

Eden's world turns upside down the minute she steps foot in the Santa Monica mansion where her father now lives with his new wife and her three sons. Estranged from her father for three years (since her parent's divorce,) Eden is hoping the summer will give her a chance to reconnect with her errant dad. But he seems intent on keeping his distance and she questions why he even asked her to spend the summer with him. She warms to her new stepmother and her two younger stepbrothers but her eldest stepbrother, Tyler, is the biggest douche to walk the planet.Tyler goes beyond mean and moody into a category all on his own. Clearly troubled, he is hooked on alcohol and drugs and he has a very unhealthy relationship with the uber-manipulative Tiffani.Eden gets sucked into his group, hanging out with his friends, and gradually starts to peel back Tyler's layers. As she does, she realizes the guy is hurting, and without conscious thought becomes the only one to give a damn about dragging him back from the brink.I was very impressed with Estelle's character development in this book. For a young, debut author she did a stellar job. I have a sixteen-year-old son with hormones running amok and a serious attitude problem, and I found myself chuckling at some of Tyler's antics and barbed comments because it nails the misunderstood teen boy so well. I'd like to clarify that my son doesn't have any addiction problems and he is in no way as obnoxious as Tyler, but there were glimpses that made me laugh. In a nutshell, it's very authentic and I was seriously impressed at how well his character was crafted. I also loved how she didn't glamorize his problems.Eden is a nice, sweet girl who is genuinely horrified when she discovers what Tyler is doing and what he is dealing with. She tries to help him and she is one of a few who tells him it's wrong and he has to stop. She is the only one who seems to be able to get through to him, and he starts listening to her.I love the forbidden nature of their romance and I was totally shipping them. I hated Tiffani, and wasn't mad about Rachel or Meghan either. Jake was an ass, Dean was a sweetheart. Chase and Jamie were adorable. A great well-developed cast of secondary characters.This book was chock-full of teen drama, angst, secrets, lies, revelations and betrayals and I just lapped it up. The pacing was perfect and this book held my attention the entire time.I had some issues with the plot and the writing was a little amateurish in parts, which is the only reason I knocked off some stars.Actual rating: 3.75 stars.A highly addictive series that will appeal to fans of YA contemp romance with lashings of teen-soap-opera style drama.

You know when you scroll through new books to read and find one with lots of good ratings and think , oh this looks good, let’s try it. That’s me with this story. I read it in one sitting and now I want to read the next ones because I’m intrigued to where this will go.I’m really not into step brother romance, whether is he real or not a step brother, but the story held enough twists and plot for me to want to read more.Let’s see how it plays out.

My gosh, where do I start? I have read these books 4/5 times now. I can't hell but fall in love with the two leads they are so entwined and written to be together. Only down side is that Netflix haven't pick this up yet!

Hmm...I expected this to end differently but considering it's a trilogy, I guess there wasn't any other way of writing it. Maybe it means that Tyler can clean up his act and make himself a better person for Eden to be with.I thnk I'm interested enough in Tyler and Eden's romance to read the rest of the series.P.S. I think Tiffani and Jake are perfect for each other.