Today, I'm back with another book review, since I realised that it was a while ago since I last uploaded one. I was recently sent this book by the lovely staff at Black & White Publishing, which I'm incredibly thankful for. Although contemporary novels aren't something that I usually read, I really wanted to give this one a go as it sounded really interesting and had a fresh concept. I thoroughly enjoyed the novel, so I thought that it was only right for me to share my opinions with you, in the form of a review.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
The author of the DIMILY series, Estelle Maskame, is actually a teenager, which truly proves that you can be successful even at a young age and definitely serves as an inspiration for many readers internationally. Estelle started writing at the age of 13 and completed the DIMILY trilogy when she was 16. She is now a bestselling author and has risen to fame, which proves that age doesn’t matter and it’s the amazing quality of her writing that has helped her to gain success. She even signed the book for me, which I was really pleased with and added to my experience of reading it.
THE PLOT OVERVIEW
Did I Mention I Love You follows the story of the teenager Eden Munro, who moves to Santa Monica for the summer to spend time with her father. He walked out on her three years prior and has set up a new life in Los Angeles. Eden is thrust into what feels like a completely different life, surrounded by a new family and three step-brothers all close to her in age. She also makes a group of friends, some whom she trusts more than others, with each one having their own secrets and backstories that Eden must come to terms with. This novel follows Eden in her new life and is full of suspenseful plot twists and interesting storylines that gripped me throughout and are definitely worth the read.
THE MAIN CHARACTER - EDEN MUNRO
I really liked Eden's character, as I found her to be really relatable and a strong lead throughout the book. She was a very complex character with a lot of hidden characteristics, such as dealing with homesickness, the anxiety of being in completely new surroundings and the remaining emotional turmoil from her parent’s divorce, but I feel as though these make her seem more human and it makes it easier for the readers to connect with her. I feel as though Eden has a lot more meaning to her and secrets that haven’t been revealed, which definitely adds to her character and shows that she has been fully developed.
THE SECONDARY CHARACTER - TYLER BRUCE
THE SECONDARY CHARACTER - TYLER BRUCE
Tyler is one of those characters who I can guarantee you will love to hate, as he comes across as obnoxious, selfish and rude. I particularly like how Estelle included some redeeming features within him and gave him more of a tender personality when the reader realised what was really going on in his life. This proved that not everyone is how they initially appear and gave Tyler’s character much more depth and believability. Also, Estelle was incredibly clever in a sense that she was able to completely change our view on his character, and by the end of the novel we were convinced that he was actually considerate and thoughtful. It takes a skilled writer to be able to manipulate how the reader views a character, but Estelle did this incredibly well.
THE SUPPORTING CHARACTERS
THE SUPPORTING CHARACTERS
Often in novels, particularly those for young adults, there is a lack of development in the supporting characters, with them being cardboard-cut-out like people that are present to serve a purpose but are never really explored. I’m pleased to say that this wasn’t the case in Did I Mention I Love You, as there was a lot of character development and we really got a glimpse of the lives of the other people in the book. We definitely get little insights into their issues from Eden’s point of view, but I’d love for these to be explored further in the future, even if that’s in the form of a companion novel or series.
THE EVENTS
Like most contemporary novels, this story wasn’t based around a single event, but rather a course of events that took place over six weeks. I really liked this, as it gave the book a flowing feel to it and progression felt natural, but at times, it was hard to determine whether something was an important plot point or an insignificant event that wasn’t relevant. Throughout the book, Eden encounters lots of common issues, such as peer pressure, social anxiety, body appearance and everything in between, which made the book much more impactful. Having these laced within the events really made them stand out and show that these are common occurrences in most people’s lives.
THE POSITIVES - WHAT I LOVED
If you haven’t guessed it already, I really enjoyed this book and raced through it, which was due to its fast paced nature and addictive plot lines. I fell in love with the characters, with each one having their own loveable characteristics and endearing qualities. There were definitely a lot of unpredictable plot points and I didn’t have a clue what was going to happen at any point. Another part of the novel that I really liked was the humorous moments and witty lines which were nice touches and added a friendly, relaxed vibe to the novel.
THE NEGATIVES - WHAT I'D CHANGE
It’s really hard to critique this novel, as I really enjoyed it, but there are a couple of things that I wanted to change. Although it’s just me being a bit picky, I would’ve liked DIMILY to be a bit more challenging, as the story was interesting but this could’ve been coupled with more advanced vocabulary. Another thing that I wanted was a resolution between Eden and her dad, with at least an attempt at an apology and to resolve what had been started. However, there is hope for this in the future, as the sequels may provide an answer to this.
THE EVENTS
Like most contemporary novels, this story wasn’t based around a single event, but rather a course of events that took place over six weeks. I really liked this, as it gave the book a flowing feel to it and progression felt natural, but at times, it was hard to determine whether something was an important plot point or an insignificant event that wasn’t relevant. Throughout the book, Eden encounters lots of common issues, such as peer pressure, social anxiety, body appearance and everything in between, which made the book much more impactful. Having these laced within the events really made them stand out and show that these are common occurrences in most people’s lives.
THE POSITIVES - WHAT I LOVED
If you haven’t guessed it already, I really enjoyed this book and raced through it, which was due to its fast paced nature and addictive plot lines. I fell in love with the characters, with each one having their own loveable characteristics and endearing qualities. There were definitely a lot of unpredictable plot points and I didn’t have a clue what was going to happen at any point. Another part of the novel that I really liked was the humorous moments and witty lines which were nice touches and added a friendly, relaxed vibe to the novel.
THE NEGATIVES - WHAT I'D CHANGE
It’s really hard to critique this novel, as I really enjoyed it, but there are a couple of things that I wanted to change. Although it’s just me being a bit picky, I would’ve liked DIMILY to be a bit more challenging, as the story was interesting but this could’ve been coupled with more advanced vocabulary. Another thing that I wanted was a resolution between Eden and her dad, with at least an attempt at an apology and to resolve what had been started. However, there is hope for this in the future, as the sequels may provide an answer to this.
THE WRITING
One of my favourite parts of the novel is Estelle’s writing, which really was the cherry on top of the cake for me. Throughout the story, we are presented with beautiful descriptions and creative literary devices that really added to my experience of reading. It shows that, despite being a young author, Estelle was capable of not only creating an excellent story but adding some traces of imagery and other features that were well thought out and enhanced the novel.
Thank you for reading this blog post and I really hope that you liked it. Are there any other books that you'd like to see me review on my blog? Just let me know down in the comments and I might just get around to reading them. I'll be back on Sunday with a new post, so I'll see you then!
Love from Daisy x
This book was sent to me for review by Black and White Publishing. However, all opinions are my own and this review is 100% truthful and accurate.
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