Just Don't Mention It

October 1, 2019
Seventeen-year-old Tyler Bruce is spending the summer before his senior year of high school in turmoil. Through flashbacks, readers learn of Tyler's physical abuse by his father before he went to jail. Now, his mother is married to Dave Munro, and Dave's daughter, Eden, is coming to Santa Monica to stay with them for the summer. Eden's first impression of Tyler is that he is a major jerk, but over time Tyler finds he cannot stay away from Eden, and she, in turn, is drawn to him. Will they be more than friends--and can Tyler finally begin to heal? This companion novel to Maskame's Did I Mention I Love You? trilogy is narrated from Tyler's first-person perspective. Maskame (Dare To Fall, 2017, etc.) skillfully moves the plot forward with chapters alternating between the present and 5 years ago. Readers will feel invested in the story, wondering what will happen with Tyler's questionable relationship with substances and where Eden fits into his life. However, Eden and Tyler's developing romance often feels unrealistic because he is so cruel to her and others that his appeal can be difficult to understand. The book situates whiteness as the norm, and it is unfortunate that the one significant adult male character of color, Tyler's half Mexican/half white father, is violent and abusive. A quick guilty pleasure. (Fiction. 14-18)

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November 15, 2019

Gr 9 Up-Seventeen-year-old Tyler Bruce seems to have it all. He's got a great car, a hot girlfriend, and is the life of every party he attends. It's all a mask. He drinks and does drugs to dull the memories of the abuse he experienced as a child. He can't stand his girlfriend, Tiffani, but she blackmails him to stay with her. Tyler knows the front he puts on makes him look like a huge jerk, but that's what everyone expects, and no one stops to ask him questions. With so much anger and shame rolling around him, it's a wonder he can keep his temper at all. Then Eden, Tyler's stepsister, comes to visit. She questions everything and refuses to take Tyler's attitude and behavior as normal. The two dance around each other in the same circle of friends as Eden plans on spending the summer with her dad, Tyler's stepdad. The attraction between them is a surprise that complicates everything. This is a companion novel to the author's "Did I Mention I Love You?" trilogy. The narrative mirrors Did I Mention I Love You?, told from Tyler's point of view instead of Eden's. While readers don't have to read the earlier series to know what is happening in this book, fans of the trilogy will get more out of the story by seeing Tyler's point of view. Tyler is relatable and self-aware of his behavior and actions. VERDICT Recommend to romance readers and fans of the author's other works.-Natalie Struecker, Cedar Rapids Public Library, IA

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