Stranger Things: Runaway Max

Stranger Things #3

by Brenna Yovanoff, Sophie Amoss (Reading)

Don't miss this gripping, emotional prequel to the hit Netflix series, Stranger Things! The never-before-told backstory of the beloved Dig Dug maven, Max Mayfield, written by New York Times bestselling author Brenna Yovanoff.

This must-read novel, based on the hit Netflix series, Stranger Things, explores Max's past--the good and the bad--as well as how she came to find her newfound sense of home in Hawkins, Indiana.

Genres: Young Adult, Science Fiction, Fantasy, Fiction, Horror, Thriller, Paranormal

Audio CD

First published June 4, 2019

Reviews

[Miya (severe pain struggles, slower at the moment) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Love love love Max! This book I would say, didn't do her justice though. As strong of a character as she is...this was just meh. Still fun for fans, but ya know...it's MAX. It could has been epic. Definitely more of a YA feel than the first two books.

[zuzu. · Rating 4 out of 5]

★★★½

⤷ UPDATE (2025): I have officially switched to Storygraph and thus won't be active on Goodreads any longer.

• Help my eyes got wet just from reading the first sentence cause I love Max so darn much and S4 BROKE ME
• ADHD!Max is real and valid (she's always been real and valid, but this book makes it veeeery explicit)
• when Max said "the only time I'm able to sit still is at the movies" I felt that
• Billy's gay ass though… you’re not subtle, bro
• yeah alright, Max does have a bit of a "not like other girls" thing going, but I don’t mind
• loooove the complexities and nuances of the Max x Billy dynamic… this book just gets it
• Max going "there are four dumbass boys lurking behind a building staring at me and whispering, thinking I can’t see them"… they are idiots, alright
• Max naively hoping to become friends with Billy and to get along with him eventually… ugh, now I am sobbing again because of Dear Billy
• Fetus!Lumax has my heart aghdghhdghsdfhhdjjvjkv
• Max immediately comparing Will to her extremely queercoded best friend from California, I see what you’re doing (besides, WillMax is so underrated, I need more of them *snivels*)
• Billy is so well-written, I swear… the portrayal of that sadistic asshole is SPOT ON
• Mike is such a hostile and petty bitch, though… ugh, I love my depressed repressed cringefail emo loser son

We looked around and noticed that Will was gone. I had no idea how we were supposed to find him, but Mike was already off and running, darting around the side of one of the big brick houses.

When Lucas and Dustin tried to help them up, though, Mike shrugged them off and put his arm around Will.

• ah yes... an overprotective boyfriend has been spotted
• the domestic abuse inflicted upon both Max and Billy is so well-handled… and gutwrenching
• the mlm/wlw hostility of (platonic) Madwheeler IS GIVING ME LIFE - they are besties, your honor
• Max is a Byler truther confirmed (I mean we all know she’s the vice president of the Anti-Milkvan club - obviously founded and run by Hopper - but I love that she’s picking up on Byler literally the second she meets these two idiots… Max is the bi bridge between gay Mike and lesbian El, I’m calling it)
• excuuuuuse me… that random middle-aged lady trying to humiliate Max by stealing her diary wtffff is your problem, woman ???
• ADHD!Dustin is also real and valid… but we knew that already
• Mike yelling "because you're annoying" is still sO hilarious to me because… buddy plsss take a look in the mirror lol. Besides, you guys are literally the epitome of "same person, different fonts"
• low-key annoying that the dialogue is often copied one-to-one from the show… would have loved to see more detailed conversations
• PLATONIC MADWHEELER IS SO REAL THOUGH. Max is literally like: now that Mike and I have had our heart-to-heart in the gym we can finally become besties. And Mike is like: haha no :)
• it’s so interesting seeing Max getting anxious and worried that she might become too much like Billy… babe, you could never<3
• Max' favourite genres being slashers and old monster movies... it just makes sense
• Not Neill being a hardcore Reagan supporter… the math is mathing indeed
• love that Max just does not question the Dustin x Steve friendship... she's like 'ah yes how totally normal that this seventeen-year-old dude spends his Saturday afternoon hanging out with a couple of kids on a junkyard playing monster hunters'
• "Steve didn't look like a hero, just some random guy" awww poor steeebie

Then Steve was in front of me, shoving me out of the way, squaring up with the bat like he'd face down the whole world and take a chunk out of it before he let anything get to us.

• yeahhhh he's truly the best babysitter❤️
• awwww Max gushing over Nancy and how fierce and pretty she looks… cute cute (bisexual awakening? maybe? hehe)
• Max going on and on about Nancy for an entire page then adding: oh, and there’s some other guy standing next to her. His name is Jonathan. He has shaggy hair. Description over.
• EW. Max witnessing the Milkyway hug and claiming she has never seen anyone look as sure about someone as Mike. lmao S4 "wHo sAiD tHaT i diDn’T? / yOu'rE mY suPerHerO!" Mike is in your walls.
• I’m not even a Harringrove shipper anymore but I can’t deny the fruitiness of this:

The way Billy and Steve watched each other made me think that maybe it wasn’t even about me. Or at least, not all of it. They were looking at each other with the kind of fixed stares you only get when it’s personal.

• the way they skipped the entire zoomer passage where Max drives Billy’s car… the audacity
• rounding my 3.5★ rating up to four stars even though it was a fairly average read and a pretty straightforward retelling of the events of S2 for the most part, and there really wasn’t much in there I could possibly use for my thesis, but I don’t care. I love Max and I love S2 and I am emotionaaaaaal😭😭😭

Runaway Max (#3) ⭑⭑⭑⭑☆
Rebel Robin (#4) ⭑⭑⭑⭑☆

[exploraDora · Rating 4 out of 5]

***3,5 stars***

This is the third book in the "Stranger Things" Extended Universe. As the title hints at, it explores Max's past, while also rehashing events we've seen already in season 2, but seen through her eyes. It's basically half prequel, half retelling.

The story's well written and I think that Brenda Yovanoff captured Max's spirit and personality perfectly. We also get to see an emotional depth to Max's family, something that was missing from both season's 2 and 3 of the series; as well as much needed information and character background for Billy. I can't make up my mind if I think he's just a rotten person, or if I actually understand him and see the reasons why he is the way he is 🙈 but I enjoyed getting a glimpse into his twisted personality.

Overall a great, fast paced read that I would definitely recommend to any Stranger Things fan.

[Jim C · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a book based on the television program. This book coincides with season two of the television series. It tells events from the side of Max. It also shows events in her life before she comes to live in Hawkins. This book is basically a character book for Max that fleshes out her character.

This book is a very quick read and I believe should only be read by fans of the show. As for the writing I would consider this a YA novel and could be read by fans of all ages. Even though this book is about Max I did think this was a great character book for Billy. We get to see some of his motivations in season three of the series but in this book we dive more into his rebellious teenage ways. There were few scenes that were actual scenes from the series as this book was more about the life of Max and really concentrated on this aspect. That being said fans will recognize and rejoice at the familiar scenes especially the junkyard scene with Steve.

Overall, this book doesn't add much to the story arc as fans probably figured out that Max and her family wasn't the strongest family unit. It fleshes out her character more and I enjoyed that as I always said that was one of the weak points of season two. They brought in new characters during the season that were not fleshed out properly. Fans of the show might like this book as its purpose is for background information.

[vn. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Max a whole legend, an icon.
Billy can choke, so glad that mf is dead

[Renee M. P. T. Kray · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars.

This book is season 2 as told through Max's eyes, which actually doesn't bug me as a concept. I liked delving into Max's home life and her thought process, and there were some really solid scenes. To be fair, the first half was really enjoyable.

But ultimately, it didn't even attempt to fill in any blanks or add to the story of the show. The ending of the season, which is arguably Max's best stuff, was skimmed over so quickly that, as a ST fan, I was genuinely insulted. Add that with repetative prose (she describes figuring out who Nancy is twice on two separate pages) and typos and it's clear that no one really cared about the ending of this book.

Lucas is presented as "nice," but nothing else. We actually get more emotional Mileven stuff in here than Lumax, which I thought was just.... odd. Isn't this about Max? Wouldn't this be a great opportunity to really focus on their relationship? One would think.

As mentioned above, no creative attempt was made to give any supplement to the show. We don't get anything about, maybe, what went on after that last night- did Max go home and face her mom? Or did she camp out at the Byers' with the guys and wait for everyone to come back? How might that first awkward conversation between her and El have gone? Instead we get a summary so brief and pointless it's basically a sparknotes of the end of the show. We end at the snowball, not even with Max looking at Lucas but with her "craning her neck" to watch Mileven. Whut. Even.

Like I said. Enjoyable through the first half. Insulting in the last half. I went down from a 4 star rating to a 2.5 because of the last 75-100 pages. If you want a purely movie tie in, you'll enjoy this. But don't look for anything to expand the ST universe because this one just kind of gave up on that halfway through.

[Lauren Stoolfire · Rating 3 out of 5]

Max is a great addition to Stranger Things in season two, so I was really looking forward to this prequel/ companion YA novel from her perspective. The best part of this novel are the flashbacks set shortly before she comes into the show. It's pretty great getting to see all of her strengths and internal feelings about what's going on in her life and her family. The weakest points of the book are scenes that happen during the course of the show involving the main characters and plot instead of sticking with her and her family. The main reason for that is because the writing really glosses over it, so basically if you haven't watched the tv series you would really out of the loop. Otherwise, though, the writing's quite good and we get some nice character insight on Max. I definitely want to rewatch season two again.

[Nev · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 - This was at its strongest when it was focused on scenes that weren’t already part of the show. Exploring more of Max’s backstory in California and her relationships with her mom, dad, and then Billy and Neil when they were introduced were great parts of the book. There’s some pretty rough stuff in the book when it comes to Billy and Neil, but that’s to be expected based on what we see of them in Stranger Things. I really liked Brenna Yovanoff’s writing and the themes she was exploring through Max’s story.

But what dragged this book down for me was seeing all of the season 2 scenes play out on the page. It’s way more interesting to get all new content rather than having to see scenes rehashed from Max’s POV. For the most part I don’t think it added that much to what was already in the show. It also erased a lot of narrative tension from the book because I knew what was going to happen in a bunch of parts. I think it would’ve been a stronger book if it was all pre-Hawkins or a dual timeline story with her backstory interspersed with an all new story in between seasons 2 and 3.

[Brooke Clark · Rating 4 out of 5]

This emotional, must-read book tells the background of the beloved and independent Max Mayfield, and of her arrival in Hawkins, IN. While Max does her best to accept the reality of her new home, she also has to deal with family issues at home and a step-brother with a horrible temper. But then she meets Lucas and Dustin; could she have finally found friends?

Runaway Max takes place during the events of season 2 through Max’s point of view, and we learn of her background in CA (including meeting Billy for the first time) through flashbacks and what led to her family’s move to Indiana. There was a good bit of content from season 2 in the book from the parts where Max was present, and it was really insightful to see things from her angle, like meeting the team, growing closer to Lucas, fighting the demodogs, and finally standing up to her brother.

I’ve seen that most of the negative reviews of this book stated that it offered no new material or information into the world of Hawkins and the Upside-down. Yes, this is true. But if you can go in knowing that, I think you may enjoy it more. Go in expecting to learn more about the spunky redhead Max and her bullying step-brother Billy, and I think you’ll enjoy this little companion book to the Stranger Things TV series. Such a quick, fun read that helped me fall even more in love with Max Mayfield.

[Anne Pauline · Rating 4 out of 5]

Une super lecture hyper addictive, qui déroule l’histoire d’une personne encore trop mystérieuse de Stranger Things.

Une plongée dans la saison 2 de la série netflix du point de vue de Max qui nous raconte son passé, son présent, ses peurs, son quotidien douloureux et effrayant. Une lecture qui satisfera pleinement les fans de la série.

Et bien joué : je détestais Billy avant maintenant j’ai envie de le tuer.

[Christy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m not sure what I expected but what we got is a retelling of season 2 through Max’s narrative (which anyone could have gotten from watching the show) and a little bit of backstory. Nothing was added to the canon of the show that felt important.

[Marta Marlau · Rating 3 out of 5]

2,5/5 ⭐️ El principal punto en contra es que no aporta mucho más de lo visto en la segunda temporada. Realmente es el punto de vista de Max de lo que ocurre en ella. Para los muy muy fans gusta reencontrarse con la historia pero luego la traducción no está en español de España y cambia el nombre de ciertas criaturas a la versión latina y eso me sacaba de la lectura.
Próximamente reseña en https://rincondemarlau.blogspot.com

[Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this! The book takes place during the actual events of Stranger Things, season 2. We get the story from Max's perspective, as she gets to know Lucas, Dustin, Mike, and Will. It's not a shot for shot, line by line remake of pivotal scenes, and I really like that. Where the book shines, is showing what it's like in Max's home life. We know from the show that things aren't shiny perfect in her home environment. The book delves into that a little more and I would add that there are trigger warnings for scenes of physical abuse.
Out of all the stranger things novels that have been published so far this one is definately my favorite.

[Ivonne · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 Sterne

Liebe Max, hab’s aber eigentlich nur wegen Billy gelesen 🥺 die Einblicke in die Zeit vor Hawkins waren toll - hätte gerne mehr davon gehabt. Am liebsten hätte ich ein komplettes Billy-Buch 💓

[C.L. Cannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely adore Max to begin with, but I loved how this book introduced us to her life in California and her relationship with her mom, Billy, and Neil. I enjoyed learning more about her father and why things didn't work out between her parents. His being a little shady checks out, but I also think he really loved her and embraced her need to be different in a way her mom never could.

The book felt very true to Max's voice and her struggle to fit in. Her mother wanted her to be someone she wasn't, someone she could never be, and I think by the end of things, Max has realized that it's okay to be your own person, and I think she also found the strength within herself that her mother lacked. She found her little found family —people who weren't related by blood, but who would care for her, protect her, and have her back no matter what. It was for them that she offered herself up; it was the principles they helped reinforce in her that life could be hard, but you never pass the buck onto the innocent when you have the ability to help instead.

I'm not a Billy apologist. I think he's a vile, racist, PoS, but it was hard to get through the passages where Neil was abusing him and Max wanted to help. You get the sense that if someone had been there earlier in his life, maybe he could have been saved, but by the time Max meets Billy, he's too far gone, too broken to ever be put back together, and so instead of vowing not to be the monster his father is, he becomes just as bad. I like that by the end, Max has embraced her sense of style and her love of Horror media, and how different she is.

I also love the passage about why she chose Lucas over Dustin. I love Dustin, but she's right, he wasn't speaking to get to know her or understand her, he was foisting his interests off to her and speaking at her to impress her, while Lucas was trying to know who she was and how he could fit into her life.

The appreciation for Steve immediately being a protector and not teasing her, like she expected, is also top-tier! Steve is the brother she deserved, someone who would step in front of danger rather than cause her pain. Also, I love her description of Nancy and how she was powerful while still being feminine, because that is okay. Women don't have to behave like a man to be powerful nd badass, and no one is as badass as Nancy Walk 'Em Down Wheeler!

All in all, another great Stranger Things book! I'm off to read The Dustin Experiment next!

[Kalina Mincheva · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5*
Реално погледнато няма причина за тази книга да съществува, освен някой някъде там да дои още пари от франчайза. Което аз лично намирам за тъжно и грозно дори, но (въздишка) c'est la vie.
Ако обаче искате да сте позитивни, то тази история може да се разглежда като поредния разказ за трудния път към откриването на себе си, отстояването на "нестандартни" принципи и изправянето пред страха. Чудовищата не винаги идват от паралелна вселена, по-често са хора и се намират много по-близо до нас и носят лицето на някого, от когото е невъзможно да избягаме.
Въпреки че авторката очевидно залага на славата на сериала, за да пробута собствената си литературна каша, то не се заблуждавайте, ако сте фенове на Stranger things (каквато съм аз) - книгата проследява изтощителния мисловен процес в главата на мъжкараната Макс Мейфийлд от пристигането ѝ в Хокинс през събитията, развили се във втори сезон, без обаче да застъпва интересните места. Вместо това ще се убедите що за изрод е Били и защо не заслужава симпатиите на публиката.
А можеше вместо това 240 страници да отидат за живота на Ел и невероятните неща, които може да прави със силата на ума си...

[Karen Kohoutek · Rating 4 out of 5]

Through what I'm sure was no fault of the author, who probably was working within guidelines on a project like this, I was a little disappointed with the shortness of the book, and the fact that much of it re-tells events from the show's second season. I was expected more of a full-fledged prequel, leading up to Max's arrival in Hawkins, with more of a full story in that timeframe. Once I got used to that, though, I did really enjoy it. We are re-watching this season in preparation for the third, and getting the story from Max's point of view really adds to it. But yeah -- this proved I could read a whole series of books from Max's POV. She's a great character, her struggles were really relatable (despite the over-the-top family drama and the threat from the Upside Down, both which come from the show), and her victories were way more emotionally satisfying than I expected.

[mckenna · Rating 4 out of 5]

max mayfield you’ll always be famous

[Etienne · Rating 2 out of 5]

Cette série/collection n'est définitivement pas pour moi. Une écriture simple, ça en devient triste... et une histoire qui ne vaut pas la peine. On tente de capitaliser sur le succès de la série télé. Dommage!

[Joana | Khaleesiwithastarbuckscup · Rating 3 out of 5]

Uma forma diferente e com outra perspetiva de ler os acontecimentos da segunda temporada de Stranger Things. Além disso, acabamos a conhecer ainda mais a família com uma relação nada saudável de Max.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

I recognized many things from Stranger Things in this book like her difficult relationship with Billy and how she met the boys. It’s interesting to get to know Max’s whole backstory, where she used to live before she moved to Hawkins. I really don’t like Billy in the book, he’s a total jerk the way he behaves towards Max, it’s even worse than in the show and her stepfather isn’t better. Even though I didn’t love all the storylines I liked reading this book, maybe I will read it again in the future.

[gemma · Rating 3 out of 5]

i love max so goddamn much

[Dichotomy Girl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Initial Review:
This has left me feeling very ambivalent. On the one hand, very excited to get something new from Brenna Yovanoff, on the other hand, media tie-ins never work well for me.

I'm going to think happy thoughts and hope for the best.

After Reading:

This wasn't bad for what it was, but I was left feeling that I didn't read a *true* Brenna Yovanoff book.

3.5 Stars

[katabaza · Rating 2 out of 5]

i paid money to read about neil hargrove beating his son with a belt and said son burning a dead cat. also very exact descriptions of billy's eyes. that was worth at least one star more.

[Uche · Rating 3 out of 5]

I finished it so that's something.

[Dreamwriter.reading · Rating 3 out of 5]

Coś idealnego dla fanów Stranger Things. Napisane lekkim stylem, jednak niczym mnie nie zaskoczyło. Po prostu przyjemna lektura na wieczór lub dwa

[Kara · Rating 2 out of 5]

i love max but the writing was atrocious

[natalia · Rating 2 out of 5]

no może takie 2.5. pisane jak fanfik i mało rozwinęło ale to jednak stranger things

[Marcin (next in tbr) · Rating 1 out of 5]

1985 rok, Hawkins w stanie Indiana, no i tak samo jak w 2 sezonie serialu: niezwykle nudna Max. Maxine właśnie usłyszała że znienawidzony przez nią chłopak jej mamy - Neil ma zostać jej przyszywanym tatą, co może samo w sobie nie było by jeszcze AŻ takie złe, gdyby nie Billy - jego syn. Zmienia on życie Maxine w piekło. Znęca się nad nią psychicznie i fizycznie, uprzykrza jej życie na każdy możliwy sposób.

Gdy Max idzie pograć na automatach podstępem spotyka Lucasa - chłopaka z jej klasy w Hawkins Middle School. Dowiaduje się o potworach pochodzących z innego wymiaru. O magu, który potrafi je pokonać i o Willu, który rok temu zaginął po drugiej stronie.

Gdy natrafia jej się okazja na ucieczkę z domu - ...nie ucieka z domu. Bo postanowiła jednak pójść za Lucasem. Po co? No właśnie.

Tyle co do treści. A teraz: dlaczego ta książka była absolutnie FATALNA?

No, generalnie była w ona totalnie nie potrzebna. Historia w niej przedstawiona jest dosłownie akcją 2 sezonu Stranger Things, tylko opowiedzianą z perspektywy chyba najnudniejszej postaci z tego sezonu - Max.

Przeprowadzka, brat i ojczym psychopata, 4 chłopaków z klasy, którzy zamykają jej drzwi przed nosem, gdy akurat zaczyna się dziać akcja... Książka dosłownie pokazuje na zmianę jak Max nie została wtajemniczona w kolejne segmenty sprawy Darta, i jak bardzo Neil i Billy powinni już dawno zostać wyrzuceni z domu przez mamę Max.

Billy był jaki był, rozjechał Max deskorolkę, odwoził ją do domu za każdym razem jak zrobiła coś co mu się nie spodobało, ale nie przypominam sobie, żeby AŻ TAK się nad nią znęcał, a jednak jest to "the official stranger things novel".

Do tego tytuł (W oryginale: "Runaway Max"). Scena z ucieczką z domu była tak cholernie nie potrzebna, że chyba autorka dopisała ją już po skończeniu pisania książki, i wymyśleniu fajnego tytułu, żeby treść jakkolwiek do niego pasowała. Przynajmniej takie miałem wrażenie czytając ostatnie ¼ książki.

Szczerze tej książki nie polecam, nawet jeśli tak jak ja uwielbiacie Stranger Things.

[Everlinet · Rating 3 out of 5]

A book that focuses on Max´s past, some things that you could not see in the series, and more about her relationship with stepdad and step-brother, who is even bigger jerk in this book. But you get to see a bit of the background of their lives, and see a bit of traumatic experiences they both had.
I think it was okay. I really liked Max´s point of view, she was even more fun than in the series. I would have prefered less pages about the situations from the series we already know and saw, and instead really just make it all about her past etc.