Series Review | Did I Mention I Love You? Series by Estelle Maskame

One of my goals for 2018 was to try something new with my reviews and, having realised in my mid-year update that I haven't done that yet, I thought now would be a good time to mix things up. I recently read the second and third books in the DIMILY trilogy by Estelle Maskame, as well as the spin-off/companion novel Just Don't Mention It, so I thought I would try something new and combine my reviews for these books into a series review.

*Please Note: Minor spoilers for previous books in the series may be included in the reviews for the later books. I will try my hardest to avoid spoilers but please be aware that some may slip out.*

Estelle Maskame's DIMILY series follows sixteen-year-old Eden Munro as she spends the summer with her father and his new family in Santa Monica, California, where she meets her new stepmother and three stepbrothers for the first time. One of those stepbrothers is troubled Tyler Bruce, whose bad boy ways both infuriate and intrigue Eden. Throughout the series, we see how these characters grow and how their unconventional relationship develops, as they navigate the challenges of difficult pasts and unknown futures.

Did I Mention I Love You?
Series: DIMILY #1
Published On: April 30, 2015
Published By: Black & White Publishing
Genre: YA, Contemporary, Romance
Pages: 422
Format: eBook
Source: Bought
Rating: ★★★½
Amazon | Goodreads

A full review of this book can be found here.

I previously reviewed this book after first reading it last year and went into much more detail on my thoughts in that review. Overall, I thought this was a great introduction to the series that was fun, fast-paced and had me not wanting to put it down. It still amazes me that this series was written by someone so young, as it is written so well. However, this made the teenage voice much more authentic and the actions taken by characters felt very realistic. It is 90% a cute, fluffy romance but there are more series topics dealt with throughout the book, which add a lot of depth to the story. I was impressed by how well someone so young wrote about such serious topics, everything was covered with great sensitivity and maturity. My one and only issue with this first book was that some plot points were a bit predictable and a little immature at times, but I did find that this became less of an issue as the series went on.

Did I Mention I Need You?
Series: DIMILY #2
Published On: October 19, 2015
Published By: Black & White Publishing
Genre: YA, Contemporary, Romance
Pages: 387
Format: eBook
Source: Bought
Rating: ★★★★½
Amazon | Goodreads

Did I Mention I Need You, book two in the series, is most definitely my favourite! This book in no way suffers from second book syndrome, it's full of great story and a whole lot of fun. This book is set two years after DIMILY and follows Eden as she goes to spend the summer in New York with Tyler. I absolutely adored the setting, as I love New York, and was very impressed with Estelle's knowledge of the city, even more so when I discovered she had never even been until after writing this book. I also really loved the development in Eden and Tyler's relationship and to see how their dynamic changed when they were away from family and friends and didn't have to keep things secret. Tyler himself has grown so much between the first and second books, and while it would have been nice to see that growth as it happened, it was great to see how much he had progressed. He did still have a bit of a bad boy side in there though, which I really liked seeing. There is a bit of a cheating storyline in this book that didn't take away from my enjoyment, but did make me a little uncomfortable and may well be an issue for others. Once again, Estelle throws in a big shocker in the ending, as she did with book one, and makes you need to pick up the third book straight away. I can't praise this book enough, I loved it.

Did I Mention I Miss You?
Series: DIMILY #3
Published On: July 21, 2016
Published By: Black & White Publishing
Genre: YA, Contemporary, Romance
Pages: 384
Format: eBook
Source: Bought
Rating: ★★★★
Amazon | Goodreads

The third and final book in the series takes place a year after the events of DIMINY, during Eden's first summer of college. I had very mixed feelings at the beginning of this book because, for the first time during reading this series, I disliked Tyler! I thought his actions were unnecessary and actually found him to be very patronising throughout the book. He grows so much throughout the series but by the third book he isn't showing any of his former bad boy ways, so as a girl who likes a bad boy I kind of lost interest in him. However, there were many things I loved about this book. I loved seeing how Eden and Tyler dealt with not everything in their relationship being good, it made them seem more real and like an authentic relationship. I also found the situation with their family very interesting to read about, particularly as each family member was dealing with things in different ways. We also get another new setting in this book, which I won't disclose because spoilers, and I absolutely loved it. The settings in each of these books are so well written and explored that I feel as though I am visiting these places with the characters, and this setting was no exception. Overall, I think this was a great conclusion to the series as many of the issues arising throughout the series were addressed, as well as some great new plot points and twists introduced, but things weren't wrapped up in a neat little bow. I loved seeing all the characters in this series, not just Tyler and Eden but also their family and friends, grow and develop into the people they are by the end of book three and deal with all of the challenges life throws at them. I honestly feel like these characters are my friends and I have been on one hell of a journey with them.

Just Don't Mention It
Series: DIMILY #4 (kind of)
Published On: June 21, 2018
Published By: Black & White Publishing
Genre: YA, Contemporary, Romance
Pages: 470
Format: eBook
Source: Netgalley
Rating: ★★★★
Amazon | Goodreads

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.

Overall, I really love this series. It starts off as a pretty light, fluffy forbidden romance story but becomes so much more. As I mentioned, the characters are written so well that I feel as though they are my friends and I have experienced this journey with them. The settings are written so vividly that I feel as though I have been there. It blows my minds that this series is written by an author who has only recently turned 21! I can't wait to see what else is to come from Estelle Maskame, she is now one of my favourite authors and I will pick up anything she writes.

Mini Review | On The Fence by Kasie West

On The Fence by Kasie West
Published On: July 1, 2014
Published By: Harper Teen
Genre: Contemporary
Pages: 296
Format: Paperback
Source: Gift
Rating: ★★★★½

Amazon | Goodreads

For sixteen-year-old Charlotte Reynolds, aka Charlie, being raised by a single dad and three older brothers has its perks. She can outrun, outscore, and outwit every boy she knows—including her longtime neighbor and honorary fourth brother, Braden. But when it comes to being a girl, Charlie doesn't know the first thing about anything. So when she starts working at chichi boutique to pay off a speeding ticket, she finds herself in a strange new world of makeup, lacy skirts, and BeDazzlers. Even stranger, she's spending time with a boy who has never seen her tear it up in a pickup game. 
To cope with the stress of faking her way through this new reality, Charlie seeks late-night refuge in her backyard, talking out her problems with Braden by the fence that separates them. But their Fence Chats can't solve Charlie's biggest problem: she's falling for Braden. Hard. She knows what it means to go for the win, but if spilling her secret means losing him for good, the stakes just got too high.

Kasie West kills it once again.
I have loved everything I have read by Kasie West and this was no exception. It was a cute, fun contemporary with great characters and a great overall message. It was so close to being a perfect 5 star read for me.

Very family focused.
Often in YA books there seems to be very little focus on the family at all. This book was one of the exceptions as there is a big focus on family. I absolutely loved the family aspect and seeing Charlie interact with her brothers. I loved her relationship with her brothers and the larger family dynamic, which is something I love reading about, especially as an only child.

Her 'introduction to being a girl' was fun.
I really enjoyed reading about Charlie being introduced to makeup and all the other "girly" things. It was fun to see her discovering a whole other side to herself and it reminded me of my introduction to makeup.

Loved the relatable, important underlying message.
There is a strong message in this book to not change who you are in order to impress other people, and I think that is such an important message for young people to be hearing. I know, particularly in my early teenage years, I spent a lot of time trying to be someone else to impress other people and would have related a lot to Charlie in her situation. This message is definitely something I needed to hear at that age.

There was more to this than a cute romance.
As well as the romance and the family aspect, there were some deeper aspects thrown in. Though I found those aspects of the story interesting, they didn't really feel necessary to the story and a bit like they were just there to fill up some space. Don't get me wrong, everything was well written, including the 'mystery' aspect, I just feel the book would have been just as good without those things.

The cute romance was pretty great though.
I absolutely love Braden. I loved his and Charlie's friendship but they were perfect for each other from the beginning. I liked the fact that they both knew they liked each other but didn't want to ruin their friendship, I thought that was adorable. And most of all, I really loved their fence chats!

Overall, I did really love this book but it didn't blow me away enough to get a full 5 stars. The characters and story were great and I loved the romance but there was just something missing. However, I think this is still a perfect cute summery contemporary read that is so easy to just devour. I couldn't put it down and then didn't want it to end.

Review | The Book Thief by Marcus Zucak

The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak
Published On: March 14, 2006
Published By: Black Swan
Genre: Historical Fiction
Pages: 554
Format: Paperback
Source: Bought
Rating: ★★★★½

Amazon | Goodreads

It’s just a small story really, about among other things: a girl, some words, an accordionist, some fanatical Germans, a Jewish fist-fighter, and quite a lot of thievery. . . . 
Set during World War II in Germany, Markus Zusak’s groundbreaking new novel is the story of Liesel Meminger, a foster girl living outside of Munich. Liesel scratches out a meager existence for herself by stealing when she encounters something she can’t resist–books. With the help of her accordion-playing foster father, she learns to read and shares her stolen books with her neighbors during bombing raids as well as with the Jewish man hidden in her basement before he is marched to Dachau.

This book is so well-loved around the world and to be honest that is why it has taken me until 2017 to pick it up. Hype scares me. I always put off reading the most hyped books for fear of being disappointed, and the majority of the time I'm left wondering why on earth I didn't pick the book up sooner. That was the case for The Book Thief. This was such a powerful, important read, especially for younger people to understand the impact of the Second World War.

This was my first foray into historical fiction, and what a great book to choose. I have always been a little scared of historical fiction, if I'm honest. It's a genre I have always considered out of my comfort zone, which is probably another reason why it has taken me so long to get to this book. Although I haven't read any others to compare, I would definitely suggest this book as one to get you into historical fiction if you're not sure where to start.

One of my main worries with historical fiction was that it wouldn't be as fast paced as I like, and the story wouldn't hold my attention because of this. However, in this book at least, I thought the pacing was great. It was a bit slower paced than I tend to like but the story didn't drag and it still kept my attention. I actually really appreciated the slower pace as it gave me time to properly take in what was going on.

A quality this book is well-known for is it's very unique narration. I know a lot of people, including myself, are initially drawn to this book after discovering the book is narrated by Death. I was so intrigued by that aspect as it is definitely not something I have ever read before. I actually very much enjoyed Death as a narrator, which I wasn't sure I would, and thought it added much to the story to see it told through his eyes. As well as the unique narrator, the way the book was written was very unique. The notes from Death throughout the story were an interesting addition, though I didn't always like them.

The one thing that did hinder my enjoyment slightly was the way in which Death basically spoils the whole plot for the reader. As I mentioned, I didn't always like the notes from Death, in particular when they just explained what was about to happen in the story, or how the whole story ends. I felt as though the major events could have been much more impactful had I not already known what was to come. I often found myself waiting for a specific event to happen and then when it did I often felt a bit underwhelmed. However, I will admit I did still get emotional over many of the events, despite knowing they were coming.

My only other issue with this book, though it didn't bother me too much, was that I felt a little bit disconnected from the characters. I think this was due to the book being narrated by Death. Like I said, it didn't bother me hugely I just didn't feel the connection I would like to have had with the characters and that would likely have been different with a different narrator, although I'm not sure the book would be just as great without that unique aspect.

Overall, this book was most definitely worth the hype. I wish I had read it sooner, I think I may have enjoyed it even more when I was younger, but I am glad to have gotten to it eventually. As I mentioned, I would definitely recommend this book if you are just getting into the historical fiction genre, as I found it to be a great introduction.

Mini Review | Happily Ever After by Kiera Cass

Happily Ever After by Kiera Cass
Series: The Selection #0.4, 0.5, 2.5, 2.6
Published By: Harper Collins
Published On: October 8, 2015
Genre: Dystopian
Pages: 387
Format: Paperback
Source: Bought
Rating: ★★★★½

Amazon | Goodreads

Meet Prince Maxon before he fell in love with America, and a girl named Amberly before she became queen. See the Selection through the eyes of a guard who watched his first love drift away and a girl who fell for a boy who wasn't the prince.


The Queen
I had already read this as an ebook but with the added illustrations, and because I love this series so much, of course I read it again and actually liked it more the second time. I liked getting to see what Amberly and Clarkson were like before Maxon and before we meet them in The Selection. It was interesting to find out more about Amberly and her life before she was thrust into the public eye. I definitely still wasn't a fan of Clarkson, even though you do find out a bit more about why he is the way he is, to me he was just disrespectful and a downright not very nice person.

The Prince
This is another one I had read before and while I liked it the first time, I loved it the second time around. It was interesting to see the scenes from The Selection in a different way as they were shown from Maxon's point of view. It was also good to see a bit of what Maxon's life was like before The Selection. Really I just love Maxon so I obviously loved this story.

The Guard
Again I had read this before and again I liked it more the second time around. I did find it less interesting than The Prince, as I did the first time around, but I still really enjoyed it. This is the one I remember the least about after reading it, I don't know what that says about it. I will say though, it made me like Aspen a little less than I previously had.

The Favourite
This was the only one of the stories I read for the first time and OH MY GOODNESS I loved this! I was in tears, I just loved Marlee's story so much. She was always one of my favourite characters so to find out more of her story, particularly her love story, was great.

Extras
As well as the novellas, there were some other extras; scenes from Celeste's POV, a scene from Lucy's POV, bonus epilogue, where are they now feature. I really loved these. The scenes from Celete's POV were my absolute favourite. I loved seeing her character change and grow just through three short scenes and it was really interesting to see the though process behind some of the things she did throughout the series. All of the other extras were also really great and fun bonus features that any fan of the series would find interesting.

Overall, I would definitely recommend you pick this up if you are a fan of the series. While I enjoyed both The Heir and The Crown, neither compared to this extra insight into the world of the original trilogy. I loved going back to some of my favourite characters and getting to relive some of my favourite moments in the series.

Review | Dark Places by Gillian Flynn

Dark Places by Gillian Flynn
Published By: Phoenix
Published On: June 10, 2010
Genre: Mystery
Pages: 424
Format: Paperback
Source: Bought
Rating: ★★★★½

Amazon | Goodreads

Libby Day was just seven years old when her evidence put her fifteen-year-old brother behind bars. 
Since then, she has been drifting. But when she is contacted by a group who are convinced of Ben's innocence, Libby starts to ask questions she never dared to before. Was the voice she heard her brother's? Ben was a misfit in their small town, but was he capable of murder? Are there secrets to uncover at the family farm or is Libby deluding herself because she wants her brother back? 
She begins to realise that everyone in her family had something to hide that day... especially Ben. Now, twenty-four years later, the truth is going to be even harder to find. 
Who did massacre the Day family?


When Libby Day’s family was murdered, the seven year old testified against her brother, putting him behind bars. Twenty-four years later, Libby is contacted by a group who believe her brother to be innocent and she begins to doubt her memories of that night. With so many unanswered questions, Libby is determined to finally uncover the truth about the Day Massacre.

This book, as is to be expected from Flynn’s work, is insanely messed up. This was the first point I made in my review of Gone Girl so I was expecting this book to be a very strange read but I wasn’t expecting this. Flynn really says it all in the acknowledgements for this book when she says, when thanking her husband, “What do I say to a man who knows how I think and still sleeps next to me with the lights off?”

I can’t say I liked these characters, as they are very difficult to like, but they were fantastic, intriguing characters. Our main character, Libby, is one of the strangest and most difficult to like characters I have ever read, rivalling Gone Girl’s Amy Dunne, but she was so interesting. I must admit, Flynn is incredible at writing characters.

I spent the majority of the book not knowing what to feel. I had such mixed emotions while reading this that I was so confused about how I felt about characters or plot twists. This book seriously screwed with my head, in the best way possible.

One thing that contributed to the screwing of my head was the intriguing mystery. While reading, as you do with this kind of book, I was developing my own theories about what happened and those theories were forever changing. The mystery element to this book was not at all predictable and I never once felt as though I had it all worked out, it was a continuous guessing game.

The multiple points of view and the jump between past and present were very well written. I am not usually a fan of jumping between people and times throughout the story but I really enjoyed the way Flynn did this. The jumping about of the story really emphasised how messed up this plot and the characters were. It didn’t feel in any way disjointed but more like everything was slightly jumbled, which complemented the story perfectly.

Unlike with Gone Girl, I really liked this ending. I know it has had some criticism but I thought it was a great final twist. I was not expecting it to end the way it did and could never have guessed that outcome.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I went into it looking for Flynn to redeem herself after not loving Gone Girl, which I can’t help but compare it to, and she definitely did. So why didn’t I give it 5 stars? For me, there was a little too much animal killing and I can’t condone that. However, Flynn has most definitely become an auto buy author for me. Having both loved and not really loved her books, I will always be intrigued to see what she can come up with next.