1.5 stars. Thank you NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for this eARC!

No, no, and NO. You know, I’m glad for James and Ruby because FINALLY. I truly do not think this should be a trilogy. At most, I think it would be fine as a duology or even just one book tbfh. Once again, the extra POVs were interesting (some), but others should’ve been left out completely because excuse me, I am not reading for any of you besides James and Ruby.

The grooming situation?? Hello?? Are we just gonna ignore that?? Reminded me too much of PLL where literally no one cared. That is all I am gonna say about this book because I am honestly glad to just be done.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 ⭐️
This was such a great end to the trilogy!! Book 1 really set up the series with all the drama and angst, book 2 was enjoyable, but more like filler content, but this book had all the action! So much happened and I love how everything was wrapped up!

I really enjoyed the way Mona wrapped up this series. I loved each and every character. I would love for these characters to be followed into college or even a book solely for Ember and Wren.

✨ARC Review✨

4.5 ⭐ for Save Us by Mona Kasten

James and Ruby had me invested from the very first book (and episode because I loved the show) and I loved this last installment of the series. They definitely go ~through it~ on their path to their HEA, but I feel like the obstacles made their relationship stronger in the end.

I loved the addition of Graham and Alistair's POVs in this one, as well as the ones we already had in Save Me and Save You. I felt like these different POVs added depth to the story, and I enjoyed all of them immensely, especially Graham and Lydia's.

I can't say too much without giving away key elements of the story, so I'll just say this: I loved how each character's arc ended, and also loved how there's potential to revisit this world in the future, if the author ever decided to. A great YA series!

Thank you to Berkley and Netgalley for a copy in exchange for a review. All opinions are my own.

This third installment in the Maxton Hall series delivers all the drama and teenage angst of the previous books.

I enjoyed how this last book wrapped up everyone's stories nicely, especially Lydia's. I did feel a bit weird about the Ember and Wren romance, with what Wren had done to Ruby. That type of behavior seems like more than just a teenage mistake and I don't feel like it was handled as such. I was glad that James finally stood up to his father. I also enjoyed the additional POVs in this book, like Graham and Alistair.

3 stars

* I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley. Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this book. All thoughts are my own.

This wrapped up the series really nicely with a happy ending for everybody! I was really pleased with where the characters ended up. Would recommend.

I just finished Save Us and I honestly didn’t want it to end. It was such a satisfying and emotional wrap-up to Ruby and James’ story. After everything they’ve been through, seeing them try to rebuild and grow—both individually and together—was so rewarding.

What I love about this series (and especially this final book) is how real the characters feel. Ruby is strong but vulnerable, and James really steps up here. You can feel how much he's trying to be better, not just for her, but for himself too. Their relationship isn’t perfect, but it feels honest, and that made me root for them even more.

There were also some lovely moments with the side characters—Lydia and Ember especially—and I appreciated how their stories weren’t just left hanging. Everything felt like it was moving toward something meaningful.

Mona Kasten’s writing is so easy to sink into. It’s emotional without being over the top, romantic without being cheesy. Save Us gave me all the closure I was hoping for, with just the right amount of drama, love, and heart.

If you’ve come this far in the series, this one will definitely leave you smiling (and maybe a little emotional too). Loved it!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review an early copy of this book.

This was such a satisfying wrap-up to a seriously messy, emotional rollercoaster of a series. The drama was high, the tension was real, and I felt so invested in these characters finally figuring their stuff out. Ruby and James have put me through it, but I was rooting for them the whole way. I loved how things came full circle and gave us some real closure. That said, some parts felt a little rushed, like we were sprinting to tie everything up with a bow, but it still worked for me. If you’ve been along for the ride with this series, this finale delivers all the feelings and then some. Definitely recommend if you love your romance with angst, growth, and a little chaos.

A great end to this trilogy that had me absolutely rapt from book 1 - Ruby and James were so interesting to me and I loved watching their dynamic evolve over the three books.

This book was really interesting! I enjoyed the plot and the characters, and I would absolutely recommend it to others!

Thank you to Berkley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review! Save Us releases November 4th!

Just like the first two books, I flew through Save Us. The final book in the Maxton Hall trilogy gave me all the drama, angst, and swoony moments I was hoping for. Ruby and James’s story wrapped up perfectly, and I loved seeing James finally stand up to his father and choose the life he actually wants. My heart was so full seeing where they ended up because they deserve every bit of happiness. 🥹

Ruby getting suspended for something she didn’t do had me stressed, but I loved how James stepped up for her, even when his own life was a mess. Their relationship has always been my favorite part of this series, and they were such a strong team here.

We also got more POVs (Graham, Alistair, Ember, Lydia), and while I liked the added depth, I wish we’d gotten more closure for some of them. Lydia & Graham (and the twins) deserved more page time, and I really wanted to see where Ember & Wren ended up. Fingers crossed for bonus content someday, because their stories feel unfinished!

Still, this was such a satisfying finale. It had all the angsty drama, found family feels, and romantic tension that hooked me in book one. And the epilogue? So sweet and exactly what Ruby & James deserved.

Mona Kasten just gets how to write YA romance that feels addictive, emotional, and full of heart. If you loved the first two, this will be everything you want in a finale. Now excuse me while I go rewatch the Maxton Hall show because I’m not ready to let these characters go. 😭

🎓 Tropes & Vibes:
✔️ Grumpy x sunshine
✔️ Found family
✔️ Rich boy/scholarship girl dynamic
✔️ Enemies to lovers turned solid ride or die couple
✔️ Angst + sweet romance

📖 Spice: 1.5/5 (soft YA fade to black vibes, but plenty of chemistry!)

.5 Stars Just like the first two books in this trilogy, I flew through Save Us, the final book in the Maxton Hall series. The book wrapped up some storylines exactly how I hoped it would, but left some others unanswered.

After Ruby receives the bombshell news that she's been suspended from Maxton Hall for something she didn't do, her life is turned upside down. Despite inadvertently having a role in this, James is there for her and the two lean on each other in hard times. Together, they fight to clear her name and keep her dream of Oxford within reach once more. With outside forces looking to break them apart, will Ruby and James be able to hold on tight to each other and weather the storm together?

Like with Save You, I thought it was interesting that more POVs were added, but unlike last time, I don't think this necessarily helped move the story along. Especially since with both Graham's and Alistair's POVs, we got some answers to their stories, but not full ones. Same with Ember's and Lydia's POVs. I wish we had gotten more about where these characters ended up in the epilogue. Their stories just felt unfinished in a way that Ruby and James's story wasn't by the epilogue. I especially wanted to hear more about Lydia and Graham (and the twins), and Ember and Wren. I was happy for where Ruby and James ended up, especially that James finally stood up to his father and got to live the life he wanted.

Thank you Berkley for the ARC! Save Us releases November 4th!

‘Save Us’ is the third book in the Maxton Hall series and picks up right where book two left off. While it wasn’t my favorite book of the three, it was still an enjoyable page-turner full of drama!

There are (new) additional POVs in this book which felt a little jarring at times, but also helped give more depth to the other characters. There are 4 main couple stories with Ruby & James still being the primary focus. I loved getting closure with Ruby & James, they absolutely have my heart!!

I also found myself really invested in Lydia & Graham’s story. To keep it spoiler free as possible I won’t name the trope, but their love story is one I’m not usually a fan of in romance. However, for them, I would have read a whole series based just on their relationship!

The Maxton Hall series gives us a cast of characters who are trying to cling to their teenage past instead of embracing the changes that occur naturally in life. They each had to choose their own path, and accept the changes in each other, in order to maintain their friendships and dreams. I loved this series and can’t wait to see how it all plays out in the Amazon show!

Thank you to NetGalley, Berkley Publishing, and the author, Mona Kasten, for the opportunity to read an eARC in exchange for my honest review. I love this series and can’t wait to own all of the English physical copies.

3.5 ⭐

First, I want to express my sincere appreciation to Berkley—I'm so honored you chose me to read the entire series as ARCs 💜

My overall rating for this series is 3.5 stars, and that’s mainly because, while I absolutely loved the first book—the plot, the pacing, the characters—everything started to go downhill from there.

I was excited for the second book and enjoyed seeing Graham 's and Lydia’s POVs, but by the third book… I just didn’t care anymore. I couldn’t connect with the POVs of Kesh, Alistair, Ember, or Wren—they felt unnecessary and slowed the pacing even more.

The one strong emotion I did feel was absolute hatred for James’s father (and honestly, if an author can make you feel that deeply, it says a lot about their writing). Mona is definitely a talented writer, but I felt the series was dragged out too long. It could have been a tightly written duology instead of a stretched-out trilogy.

𝚄𝚙𝚍𝚊𝚝𝚎:

I can't believe I got this lucky 😭😭 I gotta read the three books in the series as ARCs 😭😭 Love you so much Netgalley and Berkley 🥺🩷🩷
*＊✿❀　❀✿＊*

I'm dying to know what happens next so please pray for me that Berkley approves my request🥺

4.5/5

I'm overall happy with how the series ended! My only complaint is that I wish we had more chapters for James and Ruby. I love them together and love seeing their relationship grow.

I appreciate that we saw development with so many of the characters. Especially ones we didn't have POVs for quite yet.

I felt like the ending was a nice resolve to the whole series. It feels complete.

I am really going to miss this series! I can't believe it's already over.

Thank you Berkley Publishing for my gifted ARC!

If you're a fan of the Maxton Hall TV series, you're going to want to grab book 3 of this trilogy to get a sneak peek into what season 3 will look like.

Save You ends on a cliffhanger, and I loved watching James, his buddies, and Lin come together to help Ruby. When James learned Ruby's color-coding system from Lin to bring her all of her assignments, it was a new kind of SWOON. haha!

I loved watching James find his place in Ruby's family. The character growth throughout this book and the found family grew to be larger and in a better place to watch after one another. I've always loved Percy and appreciated how he stepped up when he needed to. We meet the twins' aunt, and she is everything they needed at this point in the story, especially for Lydia.

I want to throat punch Mortimer and cheered when justice was finally served!

This is just overall a fun time, especially when you can vividly picture the actors for each of these characters and how they've brought them to life.

Romance Content: 1-2 Open door scenes

The Maxton Hall series has really grown on me, and Save Us is as great an ending for these angsty characters as I could have hoped for. If you haven't read any books in this series yet, please start at the beginning to avoid spoilers and experience the saga from the very beginning.

What an ending! In my opinion, book three made up for anything lacking in forward momentum in book two. Every character and every story line gets attention in this series finale that will give you hope and all the warm fuzzies for these young characters. I can't even pick a favorite story line because they've all absolutely won me over!

Mr. Beaufort is showing his true dark colors in this novel, continuing to fracture his relationship with both of his children in his quest for the perfect image portrayal to the world, and he'll stop at nothing to get it. His role as antagonist is as pertinent as ever as Lydia's pregnancy becomes impossible to hide, and James continues to be unhappy in his role in the company.

The drama does not disappoint either - futures hang in the balance through these pages, and tensions are running high. Have they learned their lessons from everything they've been through so far?

Now that I've finished the whole kit and caboodle, I would absolutely recommend this series. It could have gone either way, I think, but Save Us really gives you everything you're looking for in a series finale, and I couldn't imagine a better ending for everyone involved. Bravo to the author, Mona Kasten, for such an incredible ride!

Note:: I received an early copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Solid end to the Maxton Hall trilogy! The plot is addictive and you don’t want to put it down as twists continued to come. And the characters are lovable in their own way and was so glad to see growth in all of them.

I enjoyed the continuance of other POVs, liked seeing more of the relationships going on like Kesh and Alistair, Ember and Wren. And I am VERY glad a certain character got what was coming for them.

Definitely recommend this series.

3.5 Stars Just like the first two books in this trilogy, I flew through Save Us, the final book in the Maxton Hall series. The book wrapped up some storylines exactly how I hoped it would, but left some others unanswered.

After Ruby receives the bombshell news that she's been suspended from Maxton Hall for something she didn't do, her life is turned upside down. Despite inadvertently having a role in this, James is there for her and the two lean on each other in hard times. Together, they fight to clear her name and keep her dream of Oxford within reach once more. With outside forces looking to break them apart, will Ruby and James be able to hold on tight to each other and weather the storm together?

Like with Save You, I thought it was interesting that more POVs were added, but unlike last time, I don't think this necessarily helped move the story along. Especially since with both Graham's and Alistair's POVs, we got some answers to their stories, but not full ones. Same with Ember's and Lydia's POVs. I wish we had gotten more about where these characters ended up in the epilogue. Their stories just felt unfinished in a way that Ruby and James's story wasn't by the epilogue. I especially wanted to hear more about Lydia and Graham (and the twins), and Ember and Wren. I was happy for where Ruby and James ended up, especially that James finally stood up to his father and got to live the life he wanted.

Thank you Berkley for the ARC! Save Us releases November 4th!

What a satisfying end to an amazing trilogy. Save Us offered a conclusion to the stories of Ruby and James, Lydia and Graham, and all the other characters that made me love this trilogy more.

The story picked up where Save You ended. Ruby’s character “gree up” more in this book as she dealt with the controversy associating her with Sutton (Graham). I loved how Ruby dealt with the situation in this book. She listened to everyone’s explanations and even tried to be there for James’ circle of friends.

Meanwhile, James was more responsible and accountable in this book. The steps he took to care for Lydia, Ruby, and others showed maturity. I appreciate that development because when the series started, James was an entitled brat. I definitely grew to love James as I read more.

Lydia and Graham’s story had an, for me, expected ending. With everything this couple went through, I think that their ending was one that they deserves.

There were moments in the book that are a little cheesy for me. It was like reading a soap opera at times. However, those moments made the story entertaining. I honestly could not put the book down. I read it in a day.

If anything, I thought that the resolution to the problems created by Mortimer were solved too quickly. The build up was intense, but it felt rushed in the end. I wish that I learned more about Ophelia because she seemed to be such an interesting character.

If I were given the chance to read more about these characters maybe a time skip of 5 years or more, I would be happy. I would love to know how their lives turned after graduating. Now, I will just look forward to the TV adaptation!