Diary of a bookworm

Just Don’t mention It – Estelle Maskame

Content Notes:

Published/Pages: 2019/498

POV: Single – Hero

Trope: Forbidden Romance, Friends to Lovers

Goodreads Bookshelves: contemporary romance, favorites, forbidden romance, forced proximity, friends to lovers, high school romance, love triangle, summer romance

HEA: No

Steam Level: Sensual/Steamy

Swearing: Moderate

Trigger Warnings: Addiction, Alcohol, Anxiety, Cheating, Child Abuse, Drugs (Marijuana)

My Rating:

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Book Description: Just between us, can love heal all wounds? At seventeen, Tyler Bruce is hot – a hot mess. His girlfriend is a knockout, his reputation’s untouchable, parties are nothing without him. Even his car is unreal. But inside Tyler is broken – and he’ll stop at nothing to keep that a secret. Then one big summer Eden comes to stay. She’s upfront, sharp, and far more enticing than a stepsister should be. She also sees straight through Tyler’s bad boy façade to the vulnerable kid within. The quiet kid who took all the punches. As Eden draws Tyler in, his defenses start to crumble around him. In his past, vulnerability only brought him danger. But now, it might just bring him everything he needs…if it doesn’t break him.

My Goodreads Review

My Review:

Tyler & Eden  

This book was a beautifully, terribly sad book about a young man trying to overcome his demons and be the person he was meant to be. While also trying not to fall in love with his new stepsister. 

This book is considered the 4^th book in the DIMILY series. However, if you’re wanting to read them in chronological order, you should read this book after you read the first book, Did I Mention I Love You. They are essentially the same book, but this one is told from Tyler’s perspective. This means that we really understand the things we didn’t in the first book, and we also get flashbacks to Tyler’s childhood-his abuse. This may be triggering for some, so please read with caution. 

I read this book after I finished the series, and I wish I had read it after the first book. Or, like I did with the Thoughtless series, I read them simultaneously. It took extra work, but I was able to see both perspectives at the same time. Either way, it’s still a good read. 

“She’s so much more than that. She came into my life when I needed it most, even though I didn’t know it at the time, she saved me.” -Tyler

This book was terribly sad. Not only do we see why Tyler is the way he is-because of the abuse. But we hear his inner monologue and how much he was truly struggling with his past and present, and how much light that Eden brought him. As if I didn’t already despise Tiffany, this book strengthened that hate.  

I liked that we were given Tyler’s perspective. I didn’t mind reading Eden’s, she’s a good heroine. But there was just so much that Tyler went through, and it was nice to get his perspective. 

Maskame’s writing was great. It felt like we were covering so much time, but really, it was a few weeks. Signs of good writing.  

I would not only read this book again, but the entire series. A great series about love, redemption, and accepting yourself. 

This is book 1 out of 4 in the DIMILY series. It is NOT a standalone.