Just Don't Mention It
Rating: 5/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy
Source: Copy courtesy of Ink Road (released 21st June 2018)

At seventeen, Tyler Bruce is hot – a hot mess. His girlfriend is a knockout, his reputation untouchable, parties are nothing without him. Even his car is unreal. But inside Tyler is in ruins – and he'll stop at nothing to keep that a secret.

Then one 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 irresistible and dazzling as its Californian backdrop, Just Don’t Mention It is Tyler's story – his heart-stopping tale of past hurt, finding hope and figuring out who the hell he wants to be.

I am so excited to be on the Just Don't Mention It blog tour today. Check out my 5 starred review below...

I had heard so much about this series, and Estelle and I had been following each other on Twitter for a while - so when Ink Road asked bloggers to come forward for the blog tour, I knew it was the motivation I needed to get my butt in gear and read this series. I ploughed through the first 3 books before I started the 4th. I assumed you'd have to have read the first 3 to enjoy Tyler's story, but that was definitely not the case. It could quite easily be enjoyed as a standalone, or as an extra book to go alongside the Did I Mention I Love You? series.

When I first read the synopsis and discovered it was about stepsiblings falling in love with eachother, I was honestly really excited. It's a topic that's not discussed anywhere near enough, and let's be honest: it happens. As much as we pretend it doesn't, it does. And I think that's why this series is so highly addictive.

When I started reading JDMI, I discovered it was so much more than just a love story between two stepsiblings. The story focuses on 17 year old Tyler Bruce. It's set in two time periods with alternating chapters; five years ago and present day. Present day is where Tyler and Eden's love story takes place. Five years ago is where we find out more about Tyler's childhood and why he has turned into the typical "bad boy".

Before I go further into the review, I think a trigger warning should be issued here. If physical and verbal abuse triggers you, I would highly recommend not reading this book. Nothing ever phases me in books, but the chapters from the past left me in tears a few times. The DIMILY series is quite light-hearted and easy reading; this book is a lot darker, more harrowing and heartbreakingly devastating.

The abuse between Tyler's dad and Tyler really reminded me of A Thousand Perfect Notes by CG Drews; so if you're a fan of that book, you will definitely love this.

But back to the story. Eden comes to stay with her dad for the summer and when she's met with Tyler; her stepmum's son; she gets a lot more than she hoped for that summer...

Tyler and Eden's love story is beautifully written, and most importantly? Believable. It wasn't the instant "love at first sight" trope that YA seems to love. They were faced with real life teenage problems - alcohol, drugs, relationships, drama. Their path is certainly not an easy one.

I was far more invested in twelve year old Tyler's story because I really enjoyed (that feels like the wrong word, considering) discovering what made him who he was. And how he was able to hide it so easily from the people he loved most. As someone who has lived through something similar, I want to applaud Estelle for making the story of Tyler's abuse so heartwrenchingly realistic - however hard that made it to read.

I also want to take a moment to talk about Tyler's mum, who reminded me so much of my own. Whatever Tyler did - drugs, alcohol, sneaking out, being arrested - she supported him wholeheartedly, and I fell in love with her charater fairly early on.

As said earlier, this isn't an easy read, but it's an important one. It's a great addition to the DIMILY series, or still just as enjoyable as a standalone. I always love reading stories from a different character's perpsective as it makes me see stories I know, and love, in a new light. And as a reader, there's nothing more exciting than that.

I'm excited to see what Estelle does next, and if it matches up to the incredible, Just Don't Mention It.