Loved the stranded on an island storyline. After that it was pretty smooth sailing, but never dull. Overall, this was a sweet love story.

Leave Before I Love You was a beautiful surprise. On the surface, it looks like a simple romance, but it goes far beyond that, it’s emotional, heartfelt, and offers a storyline that feels refreshing compared to the typical romance structure. The pacing kept me engaged from beginning to end, and I genuinely couldn’t put it down.

What truly made this book stand out were the characters. Henry, in particular, was unforgettable, the kind of man who feels like every woman’s dream: someone who loves deeply and unconditionally, who brings peace and reassurance simply by being present. His relationship with Avery it didn't just feel romantic, it felt safe and grounding, which gave the story an added emotional layer.

I also appreciated how the book balanced emotion with intimacy. The spicy moments were there, but they never overshadowed the heart of the story, instead, they complemented it, adding depth to the connection between the characters.

Overall, Leave Before I Love You is not just a romance, but an experience of love that feels raw, unconditional, and profoundly moving. It’s the kind of book that lingers after the last page, and one I’ll be thinking about for a long time.

ARC Review
Leave Before I Love You by Max Monroe
5/5 stars

Max Monroe has put me in a conundrum of which couple I love the most! Henry and Avery had chemistry from the start to finish and it was so great to see Junie, Beau, and the entire Banks crew again!

Henry! I loved this man and how much he stepped up and gave Avery the support she needed and also to take charge. I was so happy when he got out of his way and finally got the HEA and family he needed and needed him!

AVERY. I loved her in Meet Me in Midnight, but she endeared herself to me in this book. She is a character that is full of depth and complexity and I love her for it. I was finally glad when she allowed Henry to see and love her truly. Also, I love her relationships with all of the characters as well.

My heart was full and eyes filled with tears of laughter , and tears of emotions with how Henry and Avery FINALLY allowed themselves to be happy forever.

You don't want to miss this installment of the Midnight series with Henry and Avery.

Leave Before I Love You is an interconnected standalone romantic comedy in the Meet Me at Midnight world. It can be read without reading Meet Me at Midnight (but it’s a 5 star read so I suggest you read it!).

😍 FORCED PROXIMITY
💕BROTHER’S BEST FRIEND
🙊BICKER & BANTER: SEXUAL TENSION
😅SECRETS 🍒
👯‍♀️MIAMI PARTY GIRL
🪂ALPHA ADRENALINE JUNKIE

This is the story of Henry Callahan and Avery Banks, specifically their chaotic love story.

Henry Callahan has this take charge attitude which I just loved immediately. Who doesn’t love a man who can take control!?

Then there’s Avery Banks, she gives Paris Hilton in her party girl days. Don’t get me wrong I loved Paris back in the day but I’m older now so Avery was a little annoying to me AT FIRST but then she was eventually endearing because just like Paris…she grows up & comes into her own. I loved her story of growth so much.

Overall it was super cute with a good bit of spice. Meet Me At Midnight remains top dawg for me but I loved that they were in the same universe it’s one of my fav bookish things that authors do.

Honestly. I got really bored of this really fast. There was a lot of cliches happening and I just wasn’t a fan of this one unfortunately.

Loved this book! It was quite different story in the beginning. I loved the relationship between Henry and Avery and how it progressed throughout the book. The book was a page turner and kept me engaged throughout. I can't wait to go back and read more from Max Monroe.

2/5 Stars

This was my first Max Monroe book and I have lots of thoughts.

The first half of this book was highly entertaining. Solid spice factor and good connection between Avery and Henry. I also really liked the flashbacks and dual POV. The last half was kind of a mess. I found it to be incredibly cliche and cringey at times. We went from lots of excitement to just a dragged out timeline of the MC’s finally committing to each other. There was no real tension or conflict in the latter half of the book which made it lag. I’m sorry to say this, but I really disliked Avery at times. I found her a little problematic tbh. Like, girl, why are you always expecting the men in your life to take care of you? I’m not a fan of surprise pregnancy storylines either, but that’s just my own personal hang-up.

Overall, this book just wasn’t for me. Biggest thanks to Max Monroe and Netgalley for providing this eARC in exchange for an honest review! ❤️

I absolutely loved Meet Me At Midnight, so I have been very excited to read Leave Before I Love You, and it did not disappoint.
I mean, Max Monroe plus my favorite trope of brother’s best friend, come on, of course.
I was not expecting that beginning, and what the characters endured, but it was great and something I hadn’t read before. I wasn’t a huge fan of Avery’s in the beginning, but by the end, she really grew on me. There were so many sweet moments, and also funny ones that made me chuckle (between Avery and Henry, and also between Avery and June).

Avery Banks always had a thing for her brother’s adventurous best friend Henry Callahan but tried to pretend she didn’t . That is until an interesting turn of events has them stuck together on an island. They are completely opposite but can this adrenaline lover and pampered princess find a common bond to
make it out alive? Oh this starts right off full of action and shock and keeps you turning the pages to see what’s next. Being stuck on an island definitely changes one perspective on life! This is such a fun and sweet romance. Told in first person and dual POV.

This was really cute. These two were so clearly in love they just needed to be stranded on an island to realize it.

I received an arc through netgalley.

This story shocked the crap out of me. It went in such a different direction than Max and Monroe have ever taken before, and I LOVED IT. Fantastic, fun writing, as always. I love Henry and Avery!

I overall thought this book was okay. For me personally the romance felt a little too one dimensional and I would have loved to see it be fleshed out more. The fmc and mmc weren't super memorable to me and were both honestly quite annoying at times. I did like the pacing of the book and I liked the writing overall

I was lucky enough to have the ARC and the ALC of this book and omg the way I LOVED it so much!
The narrators did such a great job at portraying the characters.
I didn’t watch this episode of Survivor! lol
Please tell me there will be more to come ?!

Leave before I love you was a surprising summer read for me. I love when you think you know what’s going to happen but the authors shock you because NO YOU DIDNT!!

The blurb was not misleading because this is close proximity and both have to leave before their hearts get further carried away but that twist…OMG I was in shock, I felt like I was right there going through it with them and loved every emotional word.

This story isn’t as heavy emotionally as some Max Monroe books can be but there are some elements there so just a heads up. Overall this book was a very easy read to get lost in and I couldn’t put it down because I had to know the outcome.

I do wish that I could’ve seen a little more growth from Avery. I didn’t flat out dislike her but at times I kind of wanted to shake her a little. She was still a very easy character to like and I loved her honesty just wanted a little more from her. Henry (insert heart eyes) is a go getter. I loved how he took charge and knew what to do even when he wasn’t sure he still found a way to make things happen.

Leave Before I Love You by Max Monroe is the second book in the Meet Me at Midnight series. This story is hilariously funny, steamy, swoony, and emotional. It's a best friend's younger sister/brother's best friend romance that is full of heat and heart. You'll laugh, you'll cry, and you'll be cheering for Avery and Henry from the start!

Avery is the princess of the Banks family. She's allergic to work, loves to dress in the latest designer fashions, lives for her Starbucks lattes, and loves a good night out at the newest hotspots. But beyond the superficial lies a woman with a heart of gold who is very much misunderstood. She's empathetic, smart, a loyal friend, and wants everyone to be happy and carefree. Avery has long had a secret crush on her older brother Beau's best friend, Henry. Henry is handsome, successful, smart, adventurous, and completely swoony. They take a trip together, and things go wrong from the start when their plane starts to nosedive. Forced to jump out of the plane with parachutes, they wash up on a deserted island where the real adventure begins. To survive, Avery and Henry must work together to find food, water, and shelter. As the days pass, they are unsure if they'll be rescued. To pass the time, Avery suggests they sleep together. The kicker, though, is that Avery is a virgin. Henry resists at first, but neither can deny the chemistry they have. And boy, is that chemistry smoking hot! I really loved these two together!

Eventually, Avery and Henry are rescued and are whisked back to their cushy Miami life. But they've come to depend on one another and can't seem to stay away from each other. While they navigate a bumpy road, things work themselves out, and these two find their well-deserved, happily ever after.

Leave Before I Love You is such a fun story. I found myself experiencing so many different emotions throughout the various stages of the story. Most importantly, you'll laugh, you'll swoon, and you'll be cheering for Avery and Henry through it all. Don't miss this fabulous story! 5 stars

Max Monroe is always an auto-read for me, so when I got the chance to dive into their latest book, I was ecstatic. As expected, I was not disappointed.

Henry, Avery’s brother’s best friend, has been in her life forever. Both of them are notoriously allergic to love, so their connection has always been playful flirting—nothing more. Avery is known as the life of the party, a bold, outgoing woman who doesn’t mind spending her dad’s money. Henry, on the other hand, is an adrenaline junkie who runs his own extreme adventure company. But when the two of them are thrown into a literal survival situation, things start to shift: emotions rise, secrets come out, and a whole new kind of relationship begins to form.

I devoured this book in one sitting—I simply couldn’t put it down. With classic tropes like brother’s best friend and forced proximity, this is a fun, heartwarming romcom that leaves you wanting more. It starts off with a bang (well, technically, a jump), and in true Max Monroe fashion, I laughed out loud, got a little teary-eyed, rooted for the characters, and felt totally satisfied with their HEA.

Leave Before I Love You is set in the Meet Me at Midnight world. While it’s not absolutely necessary to read the previous book, I highly recommend it for better context and character background. I’ll admit—I wasn’t the biggest fan of Avery in the earlier story, but she really grew on me here.

If I had one critique, it’s that the pacing felt a little too fast. I wish it had lingered a bit more in certain emotional moments, as it wrapped up quicker than I would’ve liked.

Still, like all Max Monroe books, I’ll definitely be recommending this one. I already can’t wait to get my hands on the next story!

4.5 rounded up!

Overall, I'd probably give this book 3.5 stars, will round up. I absolutely loved Henry, but I wasn't the biggest fan of Avery. Their relationship progression was written really well, even though I didn't love Avery, I couldn't help but root for them. This book had some good humor, I chuckled out loud several times, mostly at Avery's antics. The story line was interesting and made me wonder if I could ever survive something like that, definitely not by myself. This book gave me Still Beating by Jennifer Hartmann and a touch of One True Loves by Taylor Jenkins Reid vibes.

*Dual POV
*Brother's Best Friend
*Forced Proximity
*Trauma Bonding
*Stranded on an island

A fun romantic read!

I loved the drama brought by the forced proximity trope that hooked me into the story from the start.

However, Avery's personality annoyed me a lot of the time, so my review stars are set at 3 ⭐️. I can recommend the book to anyone hungry for fast and fun romance read.

Thanks to the authors Max Monroe and NetGalley for the early review copy.

I really enjoyed this. I wasn’t sure what to expect with Avery given the drama she is quite capable of creating but this gave us a woman with so much more depth of character. A woman who can see when others are hurting and knows how to help turn that around. Someone who gives up their time freely to help others - but doesn’t make a big deal about it by telling everybody. But as Henry points out, her passion is fashion, and that’s where she should be leaning towards.

Henry was sweet, but he still had the same preconceived notions as everyone else had about Avery. But when their circumstances force them together, secrets start to come out and Avery is no longer just his best friends little sister. Henry gets to see underneath all her layers and sees the generous person there. The woman that sees him also.

It’s almost sad that it took a forced proximity for these two to stop dancing around each other and accept the love that was ready to give. This one was really well written. The chemistry was there. The love easy to see. And the overbearing family to match.

Henry and Avery DO NOT disappoint in Leave Before I Love You. You can feel the chemistry between the two from the beginning of the book. To be honest, I was not sure how to feel about Avery in Meet Me at Midnight...but I LOVE her. I truly feel as though the way she was humbled and brought down to earth, literally, was the perfect way to give her a redemption arc. Henry, oh my word, he is probably hands down one of my favorite book boyfriends to date. His loyalty and protective nature starting right at the beginning had me hooked.
Thank you, Netgalley for allowing me to read and review another Max Monroe book!