Did I Mention I Miss You? is a powerful love story that makes us question whether love will last

Did I Mention I Miss You? By Estelle Maskame
Published by Estelle Maskame
335 pages

Did I mention I Miss you? is a contemporary, young adult romance novel written by Estelle Maskame and published on October 6th, 2016. Maskame has written two previous books: Did I Mention I Love You? And Did I Mention I Need You?  Maskame started writing at the age of thirteen, completing the trilogy when she was sixteen. This book is the last in the trilogy. She is a lover of young adult fiction and wanted has made many contributions to this genre.

The setting of this novel varies from Santa Monica, California to Portland, Oregon. The eighteen-year-old protagonist, Eden Monroe, lives with her mother, father, step-mother and three step-brothers in Santa Monica. Monroe and her eldest step-brother, Tyler Bruce, have been step-siblings for about two years. During this time, they have grown to have feelings for each other. Tyler decides to leave Eden, without warning, partly because he is petrified of what his friends and family would think of their relationship. He is unsure whether or not they would support it. He also leaves in an attempt to decide where he wants to go in life. Tyler’s departure leaves Eden curious and unsure, wondering where he would be or how long he would be gone. The plot begins when Tyler returns a year later.

Each character contributes to the story as the plot develops. The two main characters in this book are Eden Monroe and Tyler Bruce. Eden is the first character introduced, being described as an isolated and negative person. Bruce appears much later when he returns to resume his relationship with Eden. His is described as being tall and muscular, with dark hair and emerald eyes. Eden becomes a more understanding and positive person when her family begins to be honest with her. She opens up in ways she thought were not possible, repairing her broken relationship with her father.

As soon as I read the summary of this book, I was immediately intrigued by the story. I also liked the author’s writing style. I hoped that the book would help me develop my reading and writing abilities. It is unusual for me to find a book that immediately catches my attention and sustains it from the very beginning to the very end. This book, however, caught me by surprise and exceeded my expectations. In fact, once I started reading the book, it was hard to put it down. Part of the reason I enjoyed this book so much is that it was easy for me to relate to the characters’ experiences. I did not experience exactly what Eden did, but I was able to relate to behavior in situations concerning my relationships with friends and family during the past year. We both have been hurt by someone we loved and the pain that we suffered changed who we are. It changed our way of thinking, and caused us to put up walls around ourselves to avoid being hurt again. We were no longer able to trust others as we had before. For a period of time, we both became more isolated and wary of establishing new relationships. In fact, this is the best book that I have ever read because I was able to relate to it easily, and understand the author’s logic expressed through her fluid style and with empowering words.

The message the author is trying to communicate to young adult readers is that you cannot always follow your heart, but that you can trust your instincts. Through the character of Eden, Maskame teaches us to do what is best for ourselves as long as it does not hurt others. Finally, do not spend your time trying to please everyone around you when the one person you should always please first is yourself. I find it very important for teenagers especially, to know that you should always make yourself happy first even though it may not be easy. I highly recommend this book to someone who is as crazy about love stories as I am. I guarantee they will love this book as much as I do.