Did I Mention I Need You? by Estelle Maskame
Genre: YA Realistic Fiction
Blurb (on back of book): Love has no rules.
It’s been a year since Eden Munro last saw Tyler Bruce: her stepbrother…and secret love. Although they swore to ignore their feelings and put their family first, Eden can’t help but feel excited when Tyler invites her to join him in New York City for the summer. But it’s not like anything is going to happen. Eden is happy with her boyfriend Dean, and she knows gorgeous, green-eyed Tyler must have moved on as well. But as they spend the long, hot summer in the city that never sleeps, it becomes obvious that those old feelings are still there…simmering beneath the surface. Will Tyler and Eden be able to resist temptation?
Did I Mention I Need You? is book two in Wattpad sensation Estelle Maskame’s DIMILY trilogy: three unforgettable summers of secrets, heartbreak and forbidden romance.
MY OPINION: ***
I read this back at the beginning of July and have yet to review it until now, two days from the end of July. I am behind on a lot of book reviews so these are all going to be pretty short and to the point, especially as I don't remember a lot of what happened within these books anymore.
The story of Tyler and Eden continues in this sequel. I loved the setting of this one being in New York, because I absolutely adore New York and want to spend a good amount of my future there (preferably college). I loved reading about the different tourist attractions in New York City and seeing it from the eyes of both Tyler, someone who has been there for a while, and Eden, someone who has just arrived for the first time.
The first book ended poorly for the relationship between Eden and Tyler. The pressures of the "forbidden" aspect of their relationship, as they are stepsiblings, combined with Tyler's attitude and overall mindset on life was too much for two young teenagers to handle. It's been a year and Eden has been in a solid, healthy relationship with Tyler's best friend, Dean, the sweetest boy you could ever meet. However, Eden decides to take a summer trip to visit Tyler, who has restarted his life in New York. Of course, this causes all sorts of old feelings to resurge and they end up falling for each other for a second time, despite the fact that Eden is in a relationship.
Old characters make reappearances that threaten to ruin the start of a second-chance relationship with Eden and Tyler. I didn't particularly like Eden or approve of any of her actions and wish she had handled the situation better. Now that I have read the last book as well, I still believe that overall, she could have been better to Dean, her sweet boyfriend who loved her more than anything. I believe that it is selfish to be with someone while still loving someone else, no matter how forbidden or seemingly unable to work out that that relationship is.
Although I did not really like Eden, I loved the new Tyler. He definitely improved his self-character, something that I appreciated. I loved that he realized that he had to work on himself before he could start a relationship with someone else, something that Eden didn't really seem to understand in the first book. He is less moody, less aggressive, less likely to cause problems. While he still has some work to do, the character development of Tyler from the first book to the second is stark. He is able to talk about his father and the abuse he endured, even going so far as to speak to the public about his experiences in an effort to help those in need.
I loved the new characters in this book. Tyler's roommate Snake was a funny and interesting side character that definitely added to the humorous aspect of this book. I also loved Emily, Tyler's friend from the panel on abuse, although she seemed as if she could be a potential love interest. Emily was sweet and painfully British and I loved her personality and her friendship with Eden. I also appreciated seeing the old friends of Eden's and Tyler's in this book, especially Rachael.
I hated the ending of this one. It felt rushed, cruel, and forced. It felt like the author only included all the problems and less-than-happy reactions to build up to the third and last book. I do think that Tyler's final action was respectable, despite Eden still not understanding.
The family dynamics in this book was definitely more strained, setting up potential future conflicts in the next book. I despise Eden's dad and was rooting for a divorce between Eden's father and Ella, Tyler's mother, which would very obviously get rid of the main conflict between Tyler and Eden. Of course, that is just too easy despite how much I was praying for it to happen. Tyler's brothers are two very different people and while I did not particularly like Jamie, I can sort of understand his reaction.
This book felt way more developed and less Wattpad-esque than the previous one but something about it lost the initial spark that drew me in in the first place, hence the mediocre rating. I would recommend this book to readers looking for a dramatic, romantic summer read.
Main Character: Eden
Sidekick(s): Tyler, Ella, Chase, Dean, Snake, Emily, etc
Villain(s): Lying, cheating, misunderstandings, etc
Realistic Fiction Elements: This book is all very real to life.
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