Review: Did I Mention I Love You? | Estelle Maskame

This review contains spoilers.

“I really wish you hadn’t said sorry for it. Because apologising means regretting.”

Series: The DIMILY Trilogy
Published: 2015, by Black and White Publishing.
Pages: 422
Format: Paperback
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Contains: Strong Language, Alcohol/Drugs, Implied Sexual Content, Mental Health, Mental Illness, Child Abuse, Abuse

‘Did I Mention I Love You?’ is the first instalment of the DIMILY trilogy, telling the story of Eden Munro, who spends the summer holidays with her Father in Santa Monica, California, where he lives with his wife and three sons. Jamie and Chase welcome Eden into the home quickly, being full of life and optimistic of the discovery of having another sibling. However, the eldest child, Tyler Bruce, is known the black sheep of the family and immediately rejects Eden… who soon discovers why.

While at YALC last month, I picked up all three books in the DIMILY Trilogy, deciding that it’d be an easy read and something to break up the heavier books on my To-Read lists. Although, the book had it’s cons, I still really enjoyed reading.

Eden Munro is a lovable character. Although, she follows the YA cliche of being ‘not like the other girls’, in that shopping, relationship gossip and boys weren’t particularly high in her priorities, she’s a well-rounded character. She is driven and determined, refusing to allow the opinions of those around her to hinder her beliefs and is someone worth routing for. However, Eden also makes mistakes, to say the least. She’s insecure, clumsy and betrayed those around her. This is exactly why I enjoyed reading ‘Did I Mention I Love You?’, adoring reading of a protagonist in a YA romance that realised and admitted to her mistakes, and then proceeded to change them. Plus, considering this is the beginning to a series, the fact that some of these mistakes weren’t fixed in that she still suffers the punishments, is a brilliant technique for future plot developments.
For the most part, Tyler’s ‘tough-guy’ facade was a bit of a drag, meaning I became disinterested in his character quickly. However, when his feelings for Eden came into light, I gradually understood why she seemed infatuated with him. Without the mask, Tyler was a believable hero in the story, being protective and loving towards Eden. I will admit, for the majority of the novel, I was still in shock about the slight incestuousness of their relationship and the continuous mention of them being siblings fuelled it further. However, for those needing clarification; they are not related. Eden’s father married Ella, Tyler’s mother who had children previously; Eden and Tyler’s parents are completely different people. Don’t make the mistake of reading this novel in shame like I did!

The story itself was an extremely easy read, being full of parties and teenage relationship drama; it felt more like watching a rom-com or soap opera to me, which made for a breath of fresh air between heavier novels. The chapters are a little longer than what I’m used to, but the language and plot devices within the pages made up for it. It’s simple, addictive and fun.

Although, this book is full of cliches and has the tendency to include paragraphs of dialogue unnecessarily, I found the overall story entertaining and will definitely be moving onto the next as soon as possible.

4/5