ARC Review: Did I Mention I Love You? (The DIMILY Trilogy #1) by Estelle Maskame (+US/CAN giveaway)
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Series: The DIMILY Trilogy #1
Author: Estelle Maskame
Published December 1st 2015 by Sourcebooks Fire
Goodreads 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?
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.
Goodreads
Review
I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher via NetGalley. This in no way impacted on my view.
I've seen this book mentioned a few times on twitter, as it has been out in the UK in April. Since I was approved for an ARC of the US edition, I've seen a fair few mixed reviews out there, and was a tad apprehensive going into the book. To be perfectly honest, I think that was for the best, otherwise I would've had higher expectations than I did have.
In DIMILY, the main character, Eden, is sent to spend the summer with her estranged father, whom she hasn't seen, or heard from, in other three years. She now has a step-mother, and three step-brothers, and a father whom she has absolutely nothing in common with. As she slowly settles into living with virtual strangers for eight weeks, she discovers she has feelings for a few different guys, one being her eldest step-brother, Tyler. There's a lot of partying, and teenage angst worthy of any tv show, and Eden has to adapt in a new environment.
First things first, I didn't like Eden from the off. That was a sign to me that the book and me weren't going to mesh well. She was just too wishy-washy for me. She was a push over when it came to her new friends, and I didn't really like them either. The group of people she started hanging out with were all a year older than her, and their lives basically revolved around money, drink, and drugs - not my sort of scene. I know it's completely naive to think that teenagers never drink, etc., but the way it was sort of glorified in this book makes it so wrong. The audience of this book is aimed at teenagers, and they might see this as something to emulate - nah, totally wrong.
I hated Tyler - not just disliked, honestly, truly hated. I thought he was a douche from the moment he was introduced, and even when he past came to light, and you could understand why he acted like he did, it still didn't completely excuse him - not to me. I just couldn't get my head around him and Eden being together - and it wasn't only the fact that they were step-siblings. They were complete opposites, and their relationship seemed toxic. On a number of occasions, Tyler even said he was using Eden as a 'distraction'. His girlfriend, Tiffani, was a manipulative SoB, and one of the only characters I hated more than Tyler. She did some things in the books that made me so angry,that I wanted to grab hold of her, and give her a good slap.
The other teenage characters were all a tad problematic. They would just get drunk and sleep around, a lot, and the only one who really had any sense was Dean - I liked him.
The character who I hated most of all was Eden's dad. Even after basically abandoning his daughter three years ago, he never tried to reconnect with her when she was living in the same house as him. He acted as if he had a right to be a 'father' to her whenever she stayed out, and I think he forfeited that long ago. He acted like he was the perfect father, and I actually think Eden would be better off without any father at all.
I wanted to DNF this book at so many times, I surprised I'm actually writing a full review here. The only saving grace for the entire book was the Epilogue, and because of that, I think I might actually try and get a copy of the sequel - just to punish myself a bit more. I liked the writing style, and this is one of those books that I just hate reading - because it draws you in, even though it's extremely problematic, and leaves you wanting more. I guess we'll see, if I read book two Did I Mention I Need You? in the future. I wouldn't exactly recommend it, but wouldn't actively discourage anyone from reading it either.
Dates Read:
November 19-21, 2015
Rating
3 Stars
Rating
3 Stars
Giveaway
Enter to Win a Copy of DIMILY & an advance copy of DIMINY. This giveaway is active December 1st-December 31st. Open to US & Canadian residents only.
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Enter to Win a Copy of DIMILY & an advance copy of DIMINY. This giveaway is active December 1st-December 31st. Open to US & Canadian residents only.
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