When I watched the "Maxton Hall" series and saw that it was based on a book series, I couldn't contain my excitement! Then I realized the series wasn't available in English and my hopes were dashed. I was floored and overjoyed to see all three books translated into English and available on NetGalley! Of course, I had to immediately submit my request.

I thoroughly enjoyed Save Me. It felt as if I was watching the series once again, but this time getting a little more insight into some of the characters I had overlooked. Our library immediately order the book when it became available. I am sure our patrons will be as excited to dig in as I was.

This book takes you on the journey of Ruby and James. Ruby is a scholarship student at Maxton Hall. James is a BMOC at Maxton Hall. By accident, Ruby sees something she shouldn't have and several lives are changed in the process.

James' twin, Lydia makes James take care of business which in turn puts him in Ruby's path consistently. Ruby doesn't want this and neither does James but proximity takes over and its a enemies to lovers situation.... Until Daddy Beauford finds out. Things are fine but spiral wildly out of control when James and Lydia's mother passes away, now nothing will be the same.

Thoroughly enjoyed this, I read it after watching the tv series, I am going to rewatch now!

I. Could. Not. Put. This. Down. I am a sucker for a good academy, enemies/bullies to more romance, and this one had me hooked from the getgo. After the first page it was "yea, this is gonna be good", and yep it was. Angst, sizzle, emotions, spice, and did I say angst? Ends on a painfull cliff that you see coming, but more to come ...

“Save Me” by Mona Kasten, the first book in the Maxton Hall trilogy, was a long overdue book for me to read. I saw the series and knew I had to read it. I devoured books one and two back-to-back. The ending in book one made me glad I could jump right into book two! Ruby is a relatable and sympathetic protagonist, my favorite character. James was special, but I disliked him initially. Looking forward to the third book.

Maxton Hall is a new world to me, and I went into this knowing nothing. I liked that reading experience as I was able to form my own world in my head. And I like even more that I can now go check out the series on Amazon with the book perspective in my mind. This definitely reads as the start of a series - not a good or bad, just a FYI - but does a really great job of setting the stage for the story of James and Ruby, and it definitely made me want to read more. I really liked how the story was told from two perspectives which really helped with the story and relationship building. It's one that gave me enough to want to read more! Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the look at this July 2025 release!

Honestly, when I heard about the books and the TV show, I was waiting for it to be better. It was entertaining enough, but it lacked something... It felt a bit childish at times, and maybe I’m older than it’s target audience. But I didn’t feel connected with the characters the littlest bit.
I didn’t watch the TV show yet, so maybe it’s one of those rare cases where the show is better than the original book.
Despite all of this, and because of this book’s ending, I’m still the tinyest bit curious for the next book in the series.

Review to come soon

A book that puts people working together will one knowing the secrets of the other. Can they succeed during their planning and having to work together. School can be hard, but dealing with added issues can be harder. Can't wait for the next book in the series.
I received an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher and leaving a review by my own accord.

After I received this book to review, I regretted it. I had trouble getting engaged in these characters and their issues.
I did not like the strong language and the open door.
The book is a favorite of many as I see on the reviews. But it is not for me.
Thank you to Net Galley for allowing me to read this book. The opinion is entirely my own.

"Save Me" is an entertaining, drama-packed start to the Maxton Hall series, but it ultimately wasn’t the kind of romance that wins me over.
Ruby and James have undeniable chemistry, and the private school setting offers plenty of secrets, tension, and that addictive enemies-to-lovers vibe. I can see why so many readers get hooked, the banter is fun, the stakes are high, and the world Mona Kasten creates is easy to fall into.
But for me, the story leaned a bit too heavily on familiar tropes without giving me enough surprises, and I never fully connected with the characters beyond the surface level. I read it mostly out of curiosity for the upcoming series, and while it was a quick, entertaining read, I’m not tempted to continue beyond the second book.
Thanks to Netgalley, the author and the publishing house for the chance to read this book.

Thank you Berkeley Publishing Group and NetGalley for the ARC of Save Me in exchange for an honest review.

Having already watched season one of Maxton Hall on Amazon Prime, I knew I was going to enjoy this book. What I wouldn’t anticipate was how much more I would love it than the TV series. The book allows you to personally get to know and relate to Ruby and James on a level that the show just couldn’t achieve. I enjoyed that it held so closely to the show, but also enjoyed the deviations, especially at the end. Through the show, Ruby and James’s relationship seemed almost too surface level and it was hard to connect to the passion there. But being that the book is written through both of their perspectives, that connection seems so much more authentic and far less of a reach. Season 2 is set to release soon, but I will certainly be diving into book 2 far before that hits the air. Thank you so much for releasing this series in English! I cannot wait for book 3 this November!

Ruby is a driven scholarship student at an elite private school in England. When she stumbles across a scandal waiting to happen, she is thrust into the attention of millionaire twins, James and Lydia. When James pulls a prank at a school party, he is forced to partner with Ruby to plan school events. As they grow closer, they realize that they have more in common than meets the eye. Can they overcome their differences and the judgements of others?

Ruby is an insanely likable teenage character, but the rest were rather insufferable. I also have no desire for them to get together because I don't think that many people meet their person in high school.

Some of the drama was a bit contrived, but it was an engaging read. The plot line is excellen,t and I would not have guessed that this was a translation.

Thank you to Net Galley and Berkely Publishing Group for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

I recently read Save You by Mona Kasten and really enjoyed it! The characters pulled me in right from the start, and the mix of drama, romance, and emotion kept me hooked until the very last page.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC

This is hard to rate because it didn’t grab me as fast as I hoped it would. Was it messy and drama filled, yes. Am I still going to read the second book, also yes because who doesn’t love mess and drama?

AHHH, I LOVED this book. I heard about it through the show, which is a favorite, and was so thrilled to see the book is so similar yet even MORE. This is everything I love in YA.

Also would not recommend finishing unless you have Book 2 RIGHT next to you. Thankfully I did but if I had not, I would not have been okay lol.

A fantastic book, and a wonderfully accurate tv adaptation. Can't recommend either enough. SO grateful to Berkley and Netgalley for treating me with ARCs!

3.5 stars

I loved Maxton Hall on Prime, so I knew I had to read the books once I had the chance.

The first book, Save Me, pretty much contains all that happens in season one of the series, including the ending. I read it mainly to acclimate myself with the author's writing. I'm not sure if it's a consequence of this, or if it's the translation, but some sentences read as clunky and a little robotic, which took me out of an otherwise seamless story.

All in all, I enjoyed it and I'm ready to dive into the sequel as soon as I have time.

Thank you to Netgalley and Berkley for the advanced reader's copy.

4.5 ⭐️

I live for the type of drama in this book. Lots of rich kids at a private school who act like consequences don’t exist as long as you can pay someone off, and one girl on scholarship who happens to find out everybody’s secrets but doesn’t want their money. The setting was very much giving Gossip Girl.

Ruby was strait-laced, motivated, hard-working, and totally in over her head with the popular crowd. James was the typical bad boy, set up to take over the family empire, despite his best efforts to get away from it.

The plot of this book gave me total A Walk to Remember vibes, minus the cancer. James played a prank, got in trouble, ended up having to help plan a school dance with Ruby, fell for her, and had to defend her from his asshole friends. Ruby tried not to fall back, but she was a goner from the start.

I wasn’t expecting the end at all, it was majorly messed up and such a big cliffhanger. I want to start book 2 ASAP! I will also be doing a full binge of the TV show immediately.

Thanks to NetGalley and Berkley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review!

Thankfully I have Book 2 & 3 downloaded so I can keep moving! This was great! I'm not usually a romance reader but this is amazing!! Meeting from different walks of life under bad circumstances, you think this is not going to end well. Ruby is a hard working student that is goal oriented to what she wants. She grew up on the wrong side of the tracks opposite from the Ivy League school she is attending but works her butt off to get a scholarship. Maxton Hall Academy is one step closer to her dream of attending Oxford University. She is not consumed by drama or hanging out with friends or drawing attention to herself but chooses to invest her time in school activities and events. When she witnesses a secret the very wealthy Lydia Beaufort has, Lydia's brother James decides to put a stop to her revealing it. James is not only wealthy but very handsome and gives off a bad boy persona that girls fall for. He is captain of the Lacrosse team and everything he touches turns to gold.
Their differences at times are heated but soon turns to obsession. Wow!! This was written so well that I could not put it down. You will ignore the entitlement after the sparks consume you. You soon realize the Beaufort kids want to share their hearts and the entitled behavior is expected more from their family. Good job to the author! Now I can watch the series and see their relationship develop from animosity to romance and pressures of their different worlds.
Thank you NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for this incredible ARC in exchange for my review!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | Save Me by Mona Kasten

This addictive enemies-to-lovers romance brings the glitz and drama of elite academia to life, now finally available in English, and already a hit on Prime Video.

Ruby Bell is a scholarship student just trying to survive Maxton Hall, a world of wealth, power, and privilege. She’s laser-focused on her goal: get into Oxford, avoid trouble, and definitely avoid James Beaufort—resident heartthrob and the infuriatingly arrogant prince of the school’s elite. But when Ruby uncovers a secret that puts her on James’s radar, she’s drawn into a tangled web of family drama, scandal, and undeniable chemistry.

Forced to work together, Ruby and James spark in all the best ways. Their slow-burn romance is full of tension, push-pull dynamics, and just enough swoon to keep you turning the pages. Ruby is smart, determined, and grounded—exactly the kind of heroine you root for—while James is more layered than he first appears. Watching their walls come down was both emotional and satisfying.

While some tropes and twists feel familiar, the storytelling is heartfelt and well-paced, and Kasten captures the intensity of first love in a high-stakes world. The cliffhanger ending definitely left me reaching for the next book.

Perfect for fans of Elite, Gossip Girl, or After, Save Me is drama-packed romance escapism with just enough heart to keep it grounded.

i’ll start this review by saying how impressed i’m with “save me”, it was such a fast read, literally read it in less than 24 hours and it was cozy until the end :,)

save me is the first book on maxton hall which you may have watched on amazon prime or heard about it in the last few months because damian hardung and hariet herbig-matten were incredible !!!

i’m really amazed by how fast i read it but mostly i really loved james’ pov because i’d never think he would describe his friendship with alistair the way he did and how he said he would never pull a prank again because HE KNOWS what it means for ruby

the final scene broke me and i’m not ready to watch it but i can definitely say that i’m ready for “save you”

thank you netgalley, berkley publishing group and mona kasten for the arc in exchange for an honest review !

So I need to preface this review by saying that I realize I am not the target audience! However, when my 20 year old daughter asked me to buy her this book when it came out, then I was offered the opportunity to read it through the publisher, she convinced me to do it so that we could talk about it. The rating is a mix between my thoughts and my discussion with my daughter about her thoughts!

So I read it. I do not think it is particularly written well- not earth shattering. And it seems to be typical of the way a lot of these books are being written: serious, smart, poor girl wins a scholarship to a prestigious private school where wealthy kids attend. She meets wealthy, slacker rich boy who has a lot of issues. They clash, then fall in love.

Here is the surprise- I devoured it!! I think it was a guilty pleasure!

But I wanted to know the draw from the audience it is geared towards. So my review is based on the discussion I had with my daughter once she finished the book I ordered!

What is it about this story that is drawing you to read it? And not stop!
Her answer: It's the fantasy of being different, and meeting someone who sees you and still wants you, fights for you, without any expectation of change from you.

Me: OK- but does that work in reverse? Do you expect to be able to change someone else?
Her: No- I wouldn't want to. But if they were struggling I would want to be there to listen and support him- and I think that is what we see in this story.

Me= Is this what you are looking for in a relationship? The drama, tension, miscommunication?
Her: No, MOM! But I can't help it- I am going to read all three books when they come out. I want to know if it works out. Sometimes I like to read about this, because then I feel better about the people in my life, and how they treat me!

So now we will be reading the rest! There was a lot more of our discussion that I am not including. But I get it- sometimes you want to escape, and sometimes that escape helps you have fun, but also appreciate what you have!!

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkeley Publishing House for the ARC. This is my honest and voluntary review.