Salve-me

Maxton Hall #1

by Mona Kasten, Karoline Melo (Translator)

Todos merecem um mundo cheio de possibilidades

Dinheiro, glamour, luxo, poder ― a jovem Ruby Bell não poderia se interessar menos por tudo isso. Seu único desejo é passar despercebida e se formar com honras em Maxton Hall, um dos melhores e mais caros colégios particulares da Inglaterra.

Mas quando Ruby acidentalmente descobre um segredo que põe em xeque o futuro de várias pessoas, seu plano de um ensino médio livre de incidentes está ameaçado, principalmente quando o popular capitão do time de lacrosse, James Beaufort, cruza seu caminho.

James é irritantemente bonito, mas também arrogante, mimado e milionário e não poupará poder e esforços para proteger as pessoas que ama, mesmo que isso inclua vigiar Ruby para impedir que ela revele o segredo de sua irmã. No entanto, essa proximidade repentina pode despertar sentimentos que nenhum dos dois previa.

Salve-me é o primeiro volume da trilogia alemã Maxton Hall, que foi adaptada pelo Amazon Prime Video e se tornou a série de língua não inglesa mais assistidas da história da plataforma. A trilogia Maxton Hall é uma história envolvente sobre amor, autodescoberta, perdão e a luta para não se perder de si mesmo em um mundo em que as aparências são tudo.

Genres: Romance, Young Adult, New Adult, Enemies To Lovers, Audiobook, Contemporary, Fiction

400 pages, Paperback

First published February 23, 2018

About the author

Mona Kasten wurde 1992 geboren und studierte Bibliotheks- und Informationsmanagement, bevor sie sich ganz dem Schreiben widmete. Sie lebt gemeinsam mit ihrem Mann und ihren Katzen sowie unendlich vielen Büchern in Hamburg, liebt Koffein in jeglicher Form, lange Waldspaziergänge und Tage, an denen sie nur schreiben kann.

Reviews

[Eeva · Rating 2 out of 5]

Was this book good? lol, no.
Was I up until 3am to finish it? lol, yes.
Will I keep on reading this series? Obviously.

[kendyl ʚ♡⃛ɞ (hiatus)]

❥ 𝒎𝒂𝒙𝒕𝒐𝒏 𝒉𝒂𝒍𝒍
reading this series would definitely pull me out of my reading slump, but they’re not translated to english yet. so until that happens…can we all scream about the show together in the comments? i wanna hear everyone’s beautiful thoughts so bad🥹good or bad! this is a safe space for any opinion, but please keep it respectful!!

feel free to put spoilers in the comments, but please be sure to put a warning<3

❥ 𝓂𝓎 𝓉𝒽𝑜𝓊𝑔𝒽𝓉𝓈:
eeeeeek! for those who follow me on bookstagram (@kendyl._.reads if you have a book account too!🤭) know that i’m absolutely OBSESSED. i’ve watched and rewatched this show numerous times. it has absolutely become my entire personality! everything was perfect…the actors, their acting, the plot, the romance, the drama, i could seriously go on and on. the actors have AMAZING on screen chemistry. also the fact that they already confirmed season 2😭so excited because i need more than 6 episodes😩i 10/10 recommend watching if you haven’t already<3

also, whoever was in charge of the soundtrack deserves a raise because some of the songs they played during certain scenes brought tears to my eyes. the amount of times i had to stop and recollect myself before continuing just because of the song choice😭let me just say that episode three has my entire heart. y’all don’t even wanna know how many times i cried.

to those who haven’t seen the show yet and are deciding to watch it after seeing this…please please please come back here and update me🥹

[Laura Evlolle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Es ist 3 Uhr nachts, ich habe gerade fast 340 Seiten am Stück gelesen und das sagt eigentlich auch schon alles.
Es hat mich richtig richtig gut unterhalten und auch wenn viele Leute es hyper dramatisch und überzogen fanden, habe ich es geliebt, caUSE I LIVE FOR THE DRAMA. 💁🏼‍♀️

[♥︎ Heather ⚔ (New House-Hiatus) · Rating 4 out of 5]

˗ˏˋ ★ ˎˊ˗ 4.5 𝕊𝕥𝕒𝕣𝕤 ˗ˏˋ★‿︵‧ ˚ ₊⊹

So - I know there's a tv show for this series but I couldn't really get into it. But I saw the arc pop up on NetGalley and I thought ehh let's just give it a try and see. Omg I loved every single page of this book! When I tell you my expectations were on the floor - I really thought this was going to be a little stale and a little cringe lol. But it's so so good!

✧₊‧˚⁀➷ We follow our FMC, Ruby a scholarship student who's finishing up her studies at super posh and private school, Maxton Hall. Ruby is super studious and very driven and determined to graduate and further her studies at Oxford.

Ruby does not dally. She is very goal oriented and always busy with school functions and events. A bit of a wall flower and not many friends, but she prefers it that way. Less distraction from her dream of getting accepted to Oxford.

✧₊‧˚⁀➷ Our MMC, James is the quintessential rich, posh bad boy. His family owns a clothing design company that's been in business for decades and his family name holds quite a bit of weight around the community. He's the lacrosse captain, the life of the party and ofc every girl swoons after him.

Ruby's life changes when she accidentally witnesses a secret about Lydia Beaufort, the sister of James Beaufort, the arrogant and wealthy golden boy of the school. James is determined to keep Ruby quiet, and he starts interfering in her life. However, as their interactions intensify, their mutual dislike turns into undeniable attraction.

Ooooh wee! I loved this story so much! I knew it was going to leave me on a major cliffhanger around 60% lol I could just feel the weight of it coming and yes I'm screaming and I need the second book right now - thankfully books two and three will be released this year in English as well so we won't have to wait too terribly long.

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ I really didn't expect to love this one as much as I did - I picked it up the other night at random after accepting the widget from Berkley and thought oh, let's just see how a couple of chapters go - when I tell you, I could not put this thing down!

I enjoyed the writing, it felt very natural and comfortable.. The pacing was done very well, I didn't feel that the chapters very overly long or anything. The story is told in mainly Ruby's POV for about 2/3 of the book, but we do also get chapters from James's POV. Which I thought was nice, I liked jumping into his head and hearing his thoughts, but I also like the tension that was created not hearing from his as often as Ruby.

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ I loved Ruby, I think she's a great character- there's a few things that annoyed me, nothing significant enough to really call out. I thought she was super empathetic and caring. Such a good listener and an all-around good person. Something I always love seeing in any kind of story, but especially in one that has younger characters is female characters that are girls' girls. I love that and Ruby is such a freaking girls girl that my heart squeezed - I absolutely loved the budding friendship between her and Lydia.

Speaking of a compelling side character - I'm very interested in finding more out about Lydia and how she'll grow more as a character. It really seems like her and James are good deep down and just carry so much baggage due to their name and the way their father is.

The whole time reading this book I really got a lot of Cruel Intentions vibes - I definitely don't think it's as 'graphic' as Cruel Intentions was in this first installment. But the whole feel of it really just brought me back there... The elite school, the rich, the hard-working student, the high stakes games that get played.

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ If you enjoyed the show, I think you'll enjoy the book as well. And if you didn't vibe with the show like me lol I think you'll appreciate the book more. I'm super excited for the next one later this year! Highly recommend! Super bingable and addictive!

Expected Pub Date - 07/01/25

💚Enemies to Lovers
💚Academia
💚Rich MMC x Poor FMC

⋆✴︎˚｡⋆ Connect with me on Instagram ˗ˏˋ★‿︵‧ ˚ ₊⊹

Many thanks to Berkley Pub for the advanced digital copy, all thoughts are my own. 💐

[Josu Diamond · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sorprendido para bien.

La nueva serie de Mona Kasten aparenta ser una novela romántica más... pero me ha parecido que va un poquito más allá. A ver, que he de reconocer que soy un gran fan de los clichés bien hechos. ¡Y este libro está lleno de ellos! Sin embargo, la autora tiene muy buena mano a la hora de plantear las tramas y puntos de vista, haciendo que la novela atrape y sorprendiendo aun utilizando clichés.

En Save Me tenemos la historia de Ruby y James. Son dos polos opuestos. Se odian. Porque sí, este libro es un enemy-to-lovers de manual. Y es una de las cosas que más me ha gustado, sin duda. Además de que no es para nada un amor a primera vista y es bastante interesante ver cómo se desarrolla su trama romántica, porque tiene puntos muy interesantes.



Para mi sorpresa, el personaje de Ruby me ha encantado. Es bastante diferente a mí, porque es super organizada y se toma la vida demasiado en serio, pero siento que tiene bastantes más capas y he podido conectar bastante bien con ella y el tema de la familia o la universidad. No sé por qué exactamente, pero me ha caído bastante en gracia y siento que va a tener un gran desarrollo en las siguientes entregas. ¡Porque tiene un par! A diferencia de en otros libros de este estilo, cuando el chico que le gusta pasa ciertos límites, ella dice: hasta aquí con tus mierdas, byeee. Y lo hace y lo cumple.

Una de las cosas que más me ha convencido y más me ha hecho disfrutar de esta lectura han sido los personajes secundarios. Las tramas de Lydia y Alistair me han enamorado, especialmente este último. Me encanta la relación que tiene con James, la naturalidad con la que se hablan de algunos temas entre ellos, y creo que en la segunda y tercera parte tendremos un poquito más de historia. O SI NO ME ENFADO ARROBA MONA KASTEN. Por otro lado, Lydia... YAS. Sin duda mi secundaria favorita. El desarrollo de personaje -para ser una secundaria- está muy bien llevado y me he llevado bastantes sorpresas durante el libro.

No os voy a engañar tampoco: es un libro que he disfrutado y devorado, pero no me va a cambiar la vida. Podré fangirlear de él, eso sí, porque anoche me leí más de 300 páginas sin separarme de él. Y eso es muy buena señal cuando estás leyendo un libro. Estoy seguro de que muchos aspectos mejorarán en la segunda entrega Save You que se publica en junio, así como en Save Us que sale a la venta en octubre de este mismo año.



Save Me es un enemy-to-lovers de manual con un buen desarrollo de personajes y conflictos y una trama romántica que me ha mantenido en vilo durante horas. Recomiendo para pasar un muy buen rato, echarte unas risas o enamorarte del tira y afloja de los protagonistas.

[janaherondale · Rating 1 out of 5]

Zuerst hatte ich nicht vor einen Kommentar zu diesem Buch zu schreiben, da ich gar nicht wusste wo ich anfangen sollte. Ich weiß es immer noch nicht, aber ich werde einfach mal beginnen. Es gibt schon genug mir unverständliche positive Reviews, warum hinterfrägt niemand etwas? Ich muss hier einfach mal ein Statement setzen und meine absoult ehrliche Meinung sagen. (Spoiler!!)

Als erstes zu den Charakteren. Ich weiß immer noch nicht wer Ruby ist. Die Autorin wollte mich glauben machen, dass sie extrem klug, zielstrebig und rational ist. Und natürlich schüchtern, ihr großes Ziel ist ihr ihr ganzes Leben lang, entschuldige zumindest nur in Maxton Hall, unsichtbar zu sein. Ein schönes Lebensziel. Wenn man nach Oxford will, denke ich, ist es keine gute Strategie nicht aufzufallen und von niemandem gekannt zu werden.

Aber ihr Vorsatz nicht aufzufallen hat sowieso nicht hingehauen, was ganz sicher nicht nur an James lag. Wann war sie bitte schüchtern oder hat ein Blatt vor den Mund genommen? Nie. Sie flippt andauernd aus. Kann sich nicht beherrschen. Und hat sie ernsthaft melodramatisch diese Geldscheine in die Luft geworfen?*Facepalm* Und bei jeder Diskussion wurde sie sofort extrem persönlich. Was einfach nur peinlich, unprofessionel, kindisch und kein bisschen rational ist. Anscheinend hat sie seit sie James getroffen hat eine vollkommene Persönlichkeitsumwandlung durchgemacht. Von schüchtern und rational zu temperamentvoll, direkt und emotional.

Genug zu Ruby. Kommen wir zu James. Ich habe mir zuerst halb im Scherz gedacht: "Wetten sein Vater schlägt ihn?" Guess what. Sein Vater schlägt ihn wirklich. Okay, so weit so gut. Es wird nicht einmal erwähnt warum seine Mutter nicht für ihn einsteht? Bei dem einen Mal bei dem Ruby seine Mutter trifft, wird sie als starke Frau beschrieben. Ruby wünscht sich zu sein wie sie. Was? Habe ich was verpasst? Sie ist doch intellektuell und will nach Oxford, abgesehen davon kennt sie seine Mutter nicht. Aber zurück zu James. Dass sein Vater ihn schlägt gibt ihm keine Entschuldigung sich wie ein Idiot aufzuführen. NICHTS gibt ihm eine Entschuldigung sich so aufzuführen. Er ist ein typischer Bad Boy mit viel Geld, dem langweilig ist und der keinen Plan hat was er mit seinem Leben anstellen soll. Armer Junge.

Kommen wir zur Handlung, bzw. zu ihrem gemeinsamen Drama denn aus etwas anderem besteht dieses Buch nicht. James hat Angst, dass Ruby seine Schwester verrät und will sie deswegen bestechen. Ruby weist ihn zweimal von sich und benimmt sich dumm und naiv. Ich weiß nicht wie ihre Handlungen als stark rüberkommen sollen. Er demütigt sie und benimmt sich wie ein arrogantes Arschloch, aber anscheinend fasziniert ihn etwas an ihr, weil sie ja anders als andere Mädchen ist. Sie fährt für die Schule mit ihm in seinem Rolls Royce plus gut aussehendem Chauffeur nach London und bildet sich anscheinend ein, dass zwischen ihnen etwas ist, weil er sie hübsch genannt hat? Dann ist sie überrascht dass er sich wieder fies verhält und sie demütigt. DIESES VERHALTEN IST EINFACH NICHT OKAY. Warum beschreibt sie sich selbst sozusagen als hässlich und alle anderen als wunderschön? Warum sind alle in diesem Buch wunderschön? Das ist doch nicht normal.

Sie verzeiht ihm aber droht ihm, dass sie sich das nicht nochmal gefallen lässt. Natürlich benimmt er sich wieder unvezeihlich und sie verzeiht ihm wieder. Das wird wohl noch einige Male in den nächsten Büchern passieren. Hat dieses Mädchen keine Selbstachtung? Ich kann nicht erkennen, dass er irgendetwas für sie empfindet. Es kommt einfach ein Klischee nach dem anderen.

Ich hätte dieses Buch vielleicht noch als 0815 abgetan, wäre das Ende nicht gewesen. Das Ende hat mich wirklich aufgeregt. Darüber konnte ich nicht mehr genervt die Augen verdrehen. Sie kommen zusammen und schlafen miteinander. (Was war das für eine unauthentische Sex-Szene? Ich dachte sie war noch Jungfrau?) Und dann stirbt seine Mutter. An einem Hirnschlag. Sie wurde übrigens nur 2mal erwähnt. Die Autorin bringt einfach seine Mutter um und benutzt diesen sinnlosen Tod um ihm erneut eine Entschuldigung zu geben, auszuflippen, Drogen zu nehmen und seine neue Freundin zu betrügen, die er ja so liebt? What the hell??? Es macht keinen Sinn. Hätte er sich verändert und würde er sie wirklich lieben würde er so etwas einfach nicht machen.

Falls sich jemand fragt wie die anderen Figuren waren. Sie waren quasi nicht existent. Über ihre Schwester Ember bekomme ich eine Seite lang erzählt wie toll sie ist und wie sehr sie zu kämpfen hatte, aber davon habe ich nicht das Geringste gemerkt. Eine Szene gab es in der Ruby fast ertrunken ist, wegen ihrem traumatischen Erlebnis. (Natürlich musste sie auch noch ein Trauma haben und einmal fast misshandelt werden.) Die Reaktion ihrer Schwester: "Ohhh wie süß James BEAUFORT hat dich gerettet." Wie bitte? Ihre ganze Familie ist "perfekt", obwohl Ruby ihnen nichts von ihrem Leben in der Schule erzählt. Ihr ganzes Leben besteht aus Schule, über was reden sie dann bittesehr??

James "Jungs" kann ich immer noch nicht auseinander halten, weil sie alle gleich sind. Einer ist schwul und hat gedroht Ruby das Leben zur Hölle zu machen, wenn sie es jemandem erzählt. (Warum findet sie aus Versehen die Geheimnisse von allen heraus?) Ein anderer hat sie einmal fast misshandelt und ein anderer hat sie in den Pool geworfen und sie ist deswegen fast ertrunken. Dieser Typ hat sich nichtmal bei ihr entschuldigt.

Abschließend möchte ich sagen, dass dieses Buch nicht nur aus langweiligen Klischees besteht, die vielleicht noch ganz lustig wären. Nein, der Tod seiner Mutter, als Rechtfertigung für sein Verhalten war wirklich unterste Klasse für mich. Darüber kann ich nicht hinwegsehen. Nein. Das einzig Positive waren die Meetings des Organisationsteams und die Beschreibungen von Oxford.

Die nächsten Bände werde ich ganz offensichtlich nicht mehr lesen.

Edit:
Ich möchte auch erwähnen, dass ich die Autorin sehr symphatisch finde und sogar ihren Geschmack in Büchern teile. Aber diese Tatsache ändert nichts daran, was ich von ihren Büchern halte.

Ihr Schreibstil war extrem simpel, wesewegen man schnell durch das Buch kommt. Aber manche Vergleiche waren einfach nur cringy. *Augen verdreh*

[Anniebananie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Im Vergleich zur Again-Reihe fand ich den Start in diese Reihe jetzt echt nicht gut.
Es gab leider so viele Sachen, die mich gestört haben :(
Allen voran wurde hier nicht an Klischees und angeschnittenen Themen gegeizt. Es wurde zusätzlich zum Klischee braves Mädchen und reicher Badboy noch versucht Übergewicht, Schüler-Lehrer-Beziehung, Homosexualität und Drogen zu verarbeiten. Fand ich ja etwas viel des Guten aber nunja.
Außerdem wurde ich aus vielen Sachen ehrlich gesagt einfach nicht schlau. Zum Beispiel hab ich Ruby nicht verstanden und konnte ihre Handlungen oft nicht nachvollziehen. Und wie naiv kann man bitte sein?! James fand ich hingegen einfach nur unsympathisch. Fand die Erklärungen für sein Verhalten auch nicht wirklich entschuldigend...
Generell konnte ich die Entwicklung der "Beziehung" der beiden nicht nachvollziehen und es gab für mich auch einfach gar kein Prickeln zwischen den beiden.
Einzig der Schreibstil hat mich bei der Stange gehalten. Das Ende war ja auch nix, aber ich fürchte ich werde trotzdem lesen wie die Geschichte der beiden über noch 2 Bände ausgeschlachtet wird.

[ˋ✧*⁀➷ ʙᴇᴛᴛʏ (med school got me good) · Rating 5 out of 5]

PHENOMENAL. SHOW STOPPING. GROUNDBREAKING. EARTHSHATTERING. BRILLIANT. ASTRONOMICAL. STRIKING. SPECTACULAR. SIMPLY AMAZING. DAZZLING. STUNNING. EYE-CATCHING. BREATHTAKING. UNFORGETTABLE. MIRACULOUS. ASTOUNDING. NEVER THE SAME. COMPLETELY NOT EVER BEEN DONE BEFORE. PUT IT IN A BLENDER, SHIT ON IT, VOMIT ON IT, EAT IT, GIVE BIRTH TO IT.

(p.s- review for the show)

[LiB · Rating 1 out of 5]

An implausibly wealthy prat is intrigued by a priggish scholarship student, because she isn’t a sl***y prostitute like all the other girls he knows. He still treats her terribly though.

The crux of what makes this book shockingly bad is the author’s failure to decide, or possibly even distinguish, between writing either a realistic portrayal of teenage sexuality or a junior version of an angsty billionaire romance. The problem is not that we have two extremely emotionally immature leads in a superficial relationship - James runs hot and cold and pretends not to know uptight Ruby when his obnoxious friends are around - because obviously that is not an unknown dynamic, and could be a worthwhile subject for a serious and sensitive YA novel. The problem is that this awful not-quite-relationship is portrayed as deeply romantic and meaningful.

Plenty of other self-hating misogynistic tropes from women’s fiction make it into the book.
- Ruby is a girl not like all those other girls, who want James for his money and degrade themselves by gawking at him. Ruby is above such things, at one point rejecting a staggering bribe he offers her(1) and thus winning his interest.
- James’ supposedly romantic gestures are almost entirely correlated with being wealthy - he gives her lifts in his family’s chauffeur driven limousine, he takes her to a party in an opulent mansion, he gives her an expensive bag (made by his family’s business) and he loans her a priceless dress from his family’s collection(2). We are told (certainly not shown) that he has scintillating discussions about current affairs with her, but the only actually romantic thing he does that doesn’t consist of being filthy rich is rescue her from drowning in a pool and carrying her off in his muscular arms, Ruby conveniently having a phobia (3) that has made her physically helpless to save herself.
- Ruby is a priggish judgemental virgin and that makes her a worthy heroine. All the other girls James has slept with are worthless sluts who deserve being emotionally irrelevant to him.
- We are told Ruby is smart because she works very hard and fetishises timetables and organisation; James on the other hand coasts by on natural intellect and in the first meeting of her precious events committee effortlessly comes up with better and more creative ideas than her. We are assured the pair have off-stage conversations and that they are really deep and intelligent, but Ruby can't muster an intelligent insight in her POV to save herself. James, despite being emotionally damaged and constantly behaving like a ****wit, is a lot more self-aware.
- Probably worst of all, in a sub-plot involving a teacher sleeping with one of Ruby’s classmates in an affair that began when she was 15(4), it becomes apparent the author really is suggesting that the student is somehow the seductress. Because this occurred in a YA book written in the 21st Century I kept on waiting for some understanding that the teacher is acting immorally; instead, we find out this is real love and has rescued the girl from sleeping around.
In terms of gender relations the whole novel is old school reactionary brain-rot.

There’s plenty more to rant about. The author apparently has no idea how education or the class system works in England. The physical model for Maxton Hall is apparently Fettes College, ie. a school that is actually in Scotland, which may explain why this most prestigious secondary school in England is co-ed and has a rector rather than a principal. That is a quibble, but in not understanding that English schools are not quite the same as Scottish schools, the author shows her lack of understanding of her setting(5).

When it comes to the cultural life of the school, Kasten is apparently drawing from deliberately heightened US high school dramas, where the students are ostentatiously wealthy, democratically fashionable, throw elaborate parties on campus, drive cars to school, and of course are co-educational day students. She has the “rector” of a posh English school require his students to organise parties for their teenage classmates, random alumni and parents, at which alcohol is served and drunkenness amongst the students overlooked to the point of tacit encouragement. Yes, English culture is pretty tolerant of surreptitious youth drinking but I can’t imagine a school, let alone the most famous and prestigious school in England, forcing children into an official situation practically designed to embarrass them in front of adults and encourage harassment. And then as part of a prank, strippers come to the school… yes, someone hires strippers who coerce a minor into a lap dance because apparently in this world the strippers' booking agency didn’t bat an eyelid at a request to go a high school, they weren’t phased by their audience being suspiciously young once they got there, and they aren’t afraid of harassing clearly unwilling underage participants. You get the picture. Almost everything that happens in this book is completely ridiculous which might be fun if the book wasn’t also practically humourless and convinced of the timeless depth of the central romance.

There are some positive things to say, beyond that it made a wonderful book club book because there was so much to pick at. There are many potentially interesting minor characters and sub-plots that don’t get much airing here but might be developed in the sequels. The characterisation of Ruby and James could be interesting in a book that wasn’t invested in them as romantic heroes. The first few chapters are substantially better written than the rest; the chapter introducing Ruby’s family has some particularly lovely scene-setting. I don’t know what pressures meant the author couldn’t sustain that level of writing. It’s quite possible she wrote a more commercially successful book by abandoning a better one.

(1)James, a child whose only source of money is his obnoxious and controlling parents, has apparently ready access to a sum greater than the average annual UK income to bribe his fellow students with. Even billionaires might blink about letting their kids run around with enough cash to buy a sports car stuffed in their pockets.
(2)Ruby wears this precious 150 year old dress to a school party, after it is altered to fit her. ****ing barbarians.
(3)Realistic characters have phobias and vulnerabilities, and I would be fine with a phobia plot line if we were reading a realist YA novel. This particular vulnerability however, feels very much as though it was constructed to leave Ruby a helpless damsel in need of rescue.
(4)Yes, that is below the legal age of consent in the UK. It is a crime for teachers to sleep with students under 18 in any case.
(5)I don’t expect a ton of research in a piece of fluff, but I think the author has no feel for her setting at all. The thing that really confirmed this was the section where James and Ruby go for their Oxford interviews, because the author clearly had researched this bit, probably even visited Oxford and crammed in copious tedious details of the process and buildings, while still getting the flavour completely wrong. For example, there are many lovely historic pubs in Oxford of great historical significance such as the one that plays a role in the book. However the Oxford colleges would never organise official beer-heavy admissions events in them, because they are tiny and divided into tiny little rooms, because most of the students invited would be still 17 and not legally allowed to purchase beer, and because they aren’t sadists who are trying to get a lot of nervous kids sloshed before some of the most important interviews of their lives.

[rei ‧₊˚✩彡]

pre-read:

i’m reading this one because i loved the series adaptation so much?! i need to know which one is better—series adaptation or books?! the cliffhanger at the end of s1 was crazy i can’t wait for s2 but at least the books are here!! 🤭💗

[✨Julie✨ · Rating 4 out of 5]

✩ 4.25 stars ✩

What to Expect:
➼ Prep School Setting
➼ From “Different Worlds”
➼ Rich Boy x Poor Girl
➼ Enemies-to-Lovers
➼ Forced Proximity
➼ Slow Burn
➼ Perfectionist x Golden Boy
➼ Dual Narration
➼ Dual First Person POV

In my prep school era! 📚

Fully willing to admit that I likely enjoyed this more because of my love for the show, but for me, this was a great read! It had just as much angst and longing and gave me all the same feels. I do think his parents involvement was depicted a little more clearly and consistently in the show, and the pool scene didn’t have quite the same gravity on the page, but other than that the show was pretty spot on. 🙌🏻

I’ve heard book two will be rough and frankly I’m not sure I’m ready to vicariously experience that much self inflicted trauma, but you better believe I’ll be reading/watching the minute they each become available! I think it will be a wild ride as the FMC pursues her dreams at Oxford while the MMC tries to meet his father’s expectations while simultaneously going on a downward spiral because of what he experienced at the end of book one. The romantic suspense will surely be through the roof though! I’m sat.

Sep 1st, please come quickly! 🙏🏻

✼　 ҉ 　✼　 ҉ 　✼　 ҉ 　✼　 ҉ 　✼　 ҉ 　✼　 ҉ 　✼

Pre-read: If the pool scene isn’t in here, I’ll riot.

≪ ◦ ❖ ◦ ≫

Connect with me on Instagram

[⋆˚୨ৎ˚⋆ Kim ⋆˚୨ৎ˚⋆ · Rating 5 out of 5]

જ⁀➴ 4.75 stars (rounded up to 5 because dang it, I'm feeling nice today)

"If you're with me, I feel as though I could do anything."

౨ৎ⋆ ｡⋆𐙚⋆.˚₊⊹♡ ౨ৎ⋆ ｡⋆𐙚⋆.˚₊⊹♡ ౨ৎ⋆ ｡⋆𐙚⋆.˚₊⊹♡ ౨ৎ⋆ ｡⋆𐙚⋆.˚₊⊹♡ ౨ৎ⋆ ｡⋆𐙚⋆.˚₊⊹♡ ౨ৎ⋆ ｡⋆𐙚⋆.˚₊⊹♡ ౨ৎ
I have never been so happy in my life to get the ARC for Save You, because OHHHHH MY GOSH I feel like my slump is 100% gone. This book had me giggling, kicking my feet, smiling like an idiot (I'm still smiling like an idiot, by the way), and also made me feel all the rage for Ruby and James when it was warranted. To my friends in my book club who already read the book, thank you for putting it on my radar!

By the way, JAMES MORTIMER BEAUFORT, COUNT YOUR DAYS, YOU BLOODY IDIOT.

✎𓂃Full review to come soon!
౨ৎ⋆ ｡⋆𐙚⋆.˚₊⊹♡ ౨ৎ⋆ ｡⋆𐙚⋆.˚��⊹♡ ౨ৎ⋆ ｡⋆𐙚⋆.˚₊⊹♡ ౨ৎ⋆ ｡⋆𐙚⋆.˚₊⊹♡ ౨ৎ⋆ ｡⋆𐙚⋆.˚₊⊹♡ ౨ৎ⋆ ｡⋆𐙚⋆.˚₊⊹♡ ౨ৎ
⋆˙⟡ 𝒫𝓇𝑒-𝓇𝑒𝒶𝒹: Am I behind on ARCs? Yes. I'm catching up though! (sorta!) Has this been taunting me for a month now, sitting on my TBR cart waiting to be read? Yes. So that's how I'm reading this now!

I'm also a big believer in "read the books first before watching the movie/TV series." That's why I've put off watching the show for so long- I've been waiting for the English translation to come out! I've heard from so many of my Goodreads friends overseas in Europe saying this series is really good, so I'm hoping it delivers!🤞🏼🍀💕

[Phils Osophie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dass ich diesem Buch mehr als 2 Sterne gebe, grenzt eigentlich an ein Wunder. Es ist nicht mein Genre, und auch sonst bin ich mit vielen Dingen aus diesem Roman auf Kriegsfuß. Und trotzdem fand ich es stellenweise gut geschrieben, sympathisch, einigermaßen realistisch und sogar von der Handlung her gar nicht mal so schlecht. Dennoch haben mir die unglaublich nervigen Charaktere und das bescheuerte Ende einiges verdorben.
Vielleicht das beste New Adult Buch, das ich bisher gelesen/gehört habe.
Aber das heißt ja nun wirklich nicht viel. 😁

[Alina ♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

☆☆☆☆

Save Me by Mona Kasten features an enemies-to-lovers storyline, which is a trope I enjoy, but I have to say, this one was especially well done. The tension between Ruby and James was handled with great care, and I found myself completely invested in their slow-burning relationship. The way their animosity slowly turned into something deeper felt natural and kept me hooked from the very beginning.

Ruby is an interesting character, ambitious, goal-driven, and undeniably strong-willed. I really enjoyed her determination to make her own path, even if her naivety occasionally led her into frustrating situations. She’s the kind of character you want to root for, but sometimes her decisions made me wonder if she was a bit too trusting for her own good.

James, on the other hand, was a more complicated character for me. While I could understand his motivations at times, there were moments where his actions had me really frustrated and questioning his intentions. He wasn't my favorite, but I think that's a testament to Kasten’s ability to craft multi-dimensional characters.

Reading this book in German was a unique experience for me, as I hadn’t read a full book in my native language for over five years. It did slow me down a bit, but that’s not a reflection on the story itself, more just the challenge of getting back into the rhythm of reading in a different language.

And the ending? Absolutely jaw-dropping! I did not see that coming, and it has me eagerly anticipating books 2 and 3 to see how the plot and character arcs will unfold. This series definitely has me hooked, and I can’t wait to dive back into it.

All in all, Save Me is a solid read, and I’m excited to see where the next installments take us.

[astarion's bhaal babe (wingspan matters) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Frigging Maxton Hall got me reading books in German, now 😩

Soooo cute! I liked the tv show was better tho🤭

[Lyla · Rating 5 out of 5]

wow that was singlehandedly the worst and most aggravating ending I’ve read in a while. i thought the shows ending was heartbreaking, this just made it so much worse.

aside from that, I loved this book so much and I cannot wait to write a full review! Ruby and James are so special to me, my heart can’t take it

update 1 (about 20 minutes after finishing the book): I’m gonna drive off a cliff

update 2 (an hour later): I’m going to sleep on a highway tonight

update 3 (a day later): EVERY PAGE THAT I WROTE YOU WERE ON IT FEEL YOU DEEP IN MY BONES YOU’RE THE CURRENT AND I SHOW NO RESTRAIN IT WAS SOMETHING I WAS SCARED UP TILL YOU MADE ME LOVE IT IF YOU FIND YOURSELF OUT IF THERE IS A RIGHT TIME.. CHANCES ARE I’LL BE HERE..

[Katharina | katharia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ich muss sagen, nach den ganzen sowohl positiven als auch negativen Rezensionen war ich sehr gespannt, hatte aber auch Angst, dass es mir nicht gefällt.
Es ist für mich letztlich kein neues Lieblingsbuch aber ich hab auch nichts auszusetzen was weniger als 5 Sterne rechtfertigen würde. Ganz ehrlich: ich versteh nicht, was alle haben 😂 das Ende ist klar nicht geil, aber es ist doch von Anfang an klar, dass sie am Ende nicht zusammen sind, wenn es eine Trilogie ist! Dass da manche ganze Sterne abziehen nur weil sie es nicht Friede Freude Eierkuchen ist? Kann ich nicht nachvollziehen.
Ich mochte sowohl Ruby als auch James. Ich hab mich nicht wirklich in ihn verliebt, aber ich finde allein den Fakt, dass er Drogen nimmt, unattraktiv 💁🏼‍♀️ Mit Ruby konnte ich mich teilweise sogar recht gut identifizieren und sie war mir einfach sympathisch. Auch ihre Schwester bzw. ihre ganze Familie fand ich toll. Die Freunde von James sind nicht so meins, aber gut 😅
Mir hat die Geschichte einfach super gefallen und es war definitiv mal was anderes, was ich so noch nie gelesen habe.

[Alina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ich hatte so so viel Spaß mit diesem Buch! Ruby und James waren einfach wundervolle Protagonisten, in die ich mich mit jeder Seite ein wenig mehr verliebt habe.
Auch die Nebencharaktere waren große Klasse und ich würde mir so sehr wünschen eines Tages eine Spin-Off Geschichte über Ember oder Lydia lesen zu können!

Alles in allem ist Save Me ein wunderbares New Adult Buch, welches mich auf ganzer Linie in seinen Bann ziehen konnte! Ich zähle dann jetzt mal die Tage bis zum 25.05... 97 btw...

[Melle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Das kann und darf nicht wahr sein, dass ,Save Me‘ auf diese Weise endet! Wie zur Hölle soll ich bis Band 2 weiter machen? Ich glaube mit weinen ... einfach nur weinen.

[autumn ✶ (ia) · Rating 3 out of 5]

·۫ 3.5★ ༘.ᐟ·˚.

I’ve read this so I could watch the series and I think both complement each other. I watched the first episode and while in the book some things, especially aspects of the romance and the timeline, felt undeveloped, the show made me comprehend Ruby and James’s motives more. The romance itself (bookwise now) definitely has some moments, that make you want to giggle and kick your feet. Overall, I felt for the characters and wanted their dreams to come true. The story itself is very wattpad-y, but has some elements that make it stand out from similar stories. I really like the main character Ruby and her urge to organize and plan everything. She has too little flaws to make her realistic though. Generally, I wish the author would have given her characters more depth and more bonding with another. I despise some of James’s friends and I’m interested in how they’re gonna be portrayed in the sequel and whether they’re going to redeem themselves. I actually think I’m going to read the next book, though I’m scared of all the drama because I definitely think it’s going to be dragged out. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to watch the show or has liked it!


________
pre-read:
want to read this so I can watch the series!!

[ashlyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book had potential, but I never fully bought into the romance. Ruby was a solid lead smart, driven, easy to root for but James🫩? He gave me emotional whiplash. One minute he’s tolerable, the next he’s acting like a walking red flag dipped in generational wealth.

The private school drama had its moments, but some parts genuinely gave me secondhand embarrassment. Like, I had to put the book down and stare at the wall for a second. I know teenagers are dramatic, but whew.

And then… that ending ITS SICK AND EVIL. I closed the book and just sat there in disbelief, wondering what I did to deserve that emotional sucker punch. Not dramatic for effect I was genuinely offended.

I won’t be reading the next one. I refuse to let this series hurt me twice. Best of luck to everyone braver than me.

Thank you netgalley for the arc and the pain.

[Maren’s Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ruby Bell lives two lives - one at her elite prep school and the other at home - each vastly different from the other. She is determined that the two shall never mix; that is until she uncovers a scandal that will change her life and force her to go toe-to-toe with James Beaufort, the head of the lacrosse team and ringleader of the school’s party boys.

I had no idea this was a newly adapted series, nor an international hit. But when I saw a couple of intriguing reviews, my interest was piqued. I ran and downloaded it on NetGalley and never looked back. I found myself completely enthralled, disappointed any time I needed to put it down.

If To All the Boys and Gossip Girl had a baby, it would be this series. While there was nothing especially new about this story, it still felt fresh and fun and had me completely hooked from the go. Each of the characters felt fully fleshed out, with a good amount of backstory presented. I found myself connecting most with our FMC and her family, thought I was incredibly intrigued with the subplot that is at the center of the story, and would love to see a little more focus on it in the second book (I do love me a good scandal after all).

The writing felt more YA than new adult; however, the themes are definitely on the mature side, and there is a bit of spice, though not overly descriptive or frequent in nature. I noticed there were occasional issues with the verbiage, mainly stylistic, but I think that may be due to the fact that this is translated from the original, which was written in German. Even with that, this book is very easy to become completely absorbed in, which, as it turns out, is just what I needed. I now anxiously await the second book in the series.

Read if you like:
▪️new adult
▪️prep school
▪️rich behaving badly
▪️enemies-to-lovers
▪️forced proximity
▪️opposite sides of the track
▪️ensemble cast
▪️moderate spice


Check out my Bookstagram post here ♥

Thank you Berkley Romance for the advanced copy.

[Laura · Rating 1 out of 5]

Dieses Buch verkörpert alles, was ich an diesem Genre hasse. Sowohl die Handlung als auch die Charaktere sind klischeebeladen, völlig überzogen und haben keinerlei Tiefe. Alles wirkt künstlich und überdramatisiert, noch dazu ist die Liebesgeschichte richtig toxisch und einfach nur furchtbar geschrieben. Ich verstehe nicht, warum es 3 Bände zu diesem Pairing gibt. Wer tut sich das freiwillig an?

[Bücherbrise · Rating 2 out of 5]

Okay. Ich bin etwas verwirrt. Es gibt so viele gute Meinungen zu dem Buch, mich konnte es aber gar nicht überzeugen. Ich hätte den Typ längst abserviert, aber nein er hat ja so eine schlimme Herkunft und schwierige Eltern, da muss man wohl sein dummes Verhalten akzeptierten. Der arme muss einem wohl auch noch Leid tun. Ernsthaft nein! Er ist 18 und verhält sich wie 12.

[Eli · Rating 3 out of 5]

Das war überraschenderweise gut! :O 3*!
ABER DAS ENDE!


Tatsächlich hatte ich gar keine Erwartungen an dieses Buch - und wurde doch angenehm überrascht.
Ich finde ist ziemlich schwierig im Bereich Contemporary, Young/new Adult etwas wirklich Gutes zu schreiben, was nicht abgedroschen oder an den Haaren herbeigezogen klingt. Aber ich wurde von diesem Buch überrascht, da die Charaktere (vor allem Ruby) doch sehr nachvollziehbar waren.
Von all den Leuten in diesem Buch mochte ich Ruby und ihre Familie am meisten, sie sind, finde ich, ziemlich realistisch und absolut liebenswürdig. James und all die reichen Schnösel konnte ich aber das ganze Buch über nichts anderes als abstoßend finden - das hat sich auch nicht geändert, als James seine netten Momente hatte. Nur Lydia ist irgendwie okay, aber damit ist sie auch die Ausnahme.
Das Buch habe ich fast in einem Rutsch gelesen, es fesselt wirklich sehr, aber das ewige Hin und Her zwischen James und Ruby war doch irgendwie anstrengend. Dieses ständige Wegstoßen von Ruby hat mich doch total aufgeregt. Vor allem das Ende vom Buch fand ich.. naja... abstoßend und dämlich. James ist manchmal wirklich nicht nachvollziehbar und einfach nur doof.
Insgesamt hat es sich ein wenig gezogen und man hätte gut 50 Seiten wegstreichen können, um das ganze etwas spannender zu machen.
Und obwohl der Plot irgendwie seine schwachen Momente hatte (hat mich doch sehr an eine Seifenoper erinnert), ist "Save Me" als Gesamtwerk (und vor allem wegen Ruby und dem tollen Schreibstil!) doch irgendwie total unterhaltsam!

Danke an Netgalley für das Rezensionsexemplar!

[Paula · Rating 1 out of 5]

... I can't even explain how bad this book is.
I can't, I literally just by seeing the title knew this was going to be absolute crap- but i still made the mistake of reading it. Gods, I can't even understand why does it has so many good reviews, guys are u okay? Like the protagonist is more boring than me and the love interest is just not a good love interest, he is aggressive, plays with her, kinda alcoholic and cheated on her...

I wish I could say maybe I'm too old for this, but since when being a teen is being old? Maybe I just don't really want someone who treats me reaaaally bad and think I would sleep with them for money, or at least, someone who has 0 respect for me. Guys, do people really like this main interest? BECAUSE HE SUCKS-

Well, at least the ending made me laugh xd

Just don't read the book, do yourself that favor

[Aya ☕︎ · Rating 4 out of 5]

*+:｡.“𝓣𝓱𝓪𝓽 𝔀𝓪𝓼 𝓪 𝓵𝓲𝓮. 𝓘’𝓿𝓮 𝓫𝓮𝓵𝓸𝓷𝓰𝓮𝓭 𝓽𝓸 𝔂𝓸𝓾 𝓼𝓲𝓷𝓬𝓮 𝔂𝓸𝓾 𝓽𝓱𝓻𝓮𝔀 𝓶𝔂 𝓶𝓸𝓷𝓮𝔂 𝓫𝓪𝓬𝓴 𝓲𝓷 𝓶𝔂 𝓯𝓪𝓬𝓮, 𝓡𝓾𝓫𝔂 𝓑𝓮𝓵𝓵.”｡.｡:+*

TF!!!! We haven't agreed to that!! Why!!! Give me the second book right NOW. Why tf haven't anyone told me it's not a standalone?! Should I just wait for the next book to be translated??? NOOOOO, THIS CAN'T BE REAL. I'm having a tantrum rn. Give me my freaking book 😭😭😭

⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚𝖀𝖕𝖉𝖆𝖙𝖊 ˚୨୧⋆｡˚ ⋆

I found out that the other two books are indeed translated and published but not by Berkeley, so if I went MIA, know that I went into the rabbit hole of reading these books.
Now that I've calmed down, I have something to say about the James-the ML; he's the weakest-minded ML I've ever read about; he's improved so much throughout the book, and once Life threw him off balance, he relapsed and went to worse than before.
Ruby-the FL- is so patient and forgiving. I'm in awe. If she really
forgave him a third time for his shit actions -which she will; it's a three-book series 🙂- she'd be a saint. She'd be jeopardizing everything she's ever worked for, just for him to break her heart again.

⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚𝕻𝖗𝖊-𝖗𝖊𝖆𝖉˚୨୧⋆｡˚ ⋆

I read a Mona Kasten book once, and it was AMAZING; I've been so sad since most of her books are in German. I'm so happy I got to read this early copy so thank you so much Netgalley and Berkley Publishing Group for this opportunity 💕💕

Find my review on Instagram

[justmiaslife · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review zu diesem WTF-I-DON‘T-KNOW-WHAT-TO-SAY-ABOUT-IT-IT‘S-SO-FREAKING-PERFECT Buch folgt am 23. Februar, wenn es offiziell erscheint hehe ♥️🙊

(Man kann sich jaaaa meine Meinung darüber gar nicht selbst erschließen oder? 🤔 *ironie on*)

[nina ★ ⸝⸝]

and finally i‘m glad i speak german, let‘s fucking goo 🏃🏼‍♀️🏃🏼‍♀️ !!!!
update i bought the special edition today and OHMYGOD she‘s gorgeous. i‘m broke now tho 😪😪🤝🏼

[Jannik Unger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ich fand den ersten Teil der Reihe sehr spannend und musste danach auch direkt den zweiten Teil lesen.
Die Hauptprotagonistin Ruby hat ein Stipendien für die Maxton Hall bekommen und möchte danach an der Oxford University studieren.
An einem Schultag als Sie zu ihrem Lehrer wollte sieht Sie Lydia die Schwester von James wie Sie einen Lehrer küsst.
James versucht alles damit das was Ruby gesehen hat geheim bleibt und niemandem erzählt.

Euer Readandfit