I am SO happy to have received this ARC copy. I watched Maxton Hall and was obsessed and when I went to read it to find no English translation I was devastated. So this arc was such a wonderful surprise! I actually enjoyed the book much more than the show and cannot wait for the next book! Thanks NetGalley and Berkley!

*+:｡.“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 💕💕

I’m more than happy to admit that my first experience with this storyline was watching Amazon Prime’s Maxton Hall, so when I learned that the German novels were finally being translated into English, I was excited! Save Me certainly did not let me down because the show is an exact replica of the book—almost dialogue line for dialogue line. Since the book is fun, I now understand why I enjoyed the show so much.

Save Me is the forbidden enemies-to-lovers prep school romance that hits all the right notes. It’s fun, dramatic, a little bit ridiculous, and predictable in the best way. Ruby is the straight-A student dreaming of a scholarship to Oxford. She keeps her head down, maintains a perfect reputation, and waits for the future. James is the heir to one of the largest companies in the UK and a certified playboy with troubles at home. After a prank gone wrong, the two are forced to work together, but as sparks fly, they may have gotten more than they bargained for.

The translator did an excellent job of bringing the story to life. The sentences flowed naturally, the grammatical construction made sense, and the references weren’t foreign to an English-speaking audience. While the writing itself was bland, it fit in well with the casual nature of the story. I wished there would have been a little more figurative and descriptive language, but I understand why there is not.

As for the characters, they were pretty well-developed. I appreciated that they all had struggles that weren’t immediately visible upon first glance. The romance had me kicking my feet and giggling, so it was certainly cute. Some of the miscommunication was frustrating and unnecessary (hence four instead of five stars), but overall, I enjoyed the romantic dynamics.

If you’re looking for your next rom-com in the same vein as To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before or Anna and the French Kiss, then look no further than Save Me.

Available in English for the first time, Save Me is an utterly immersive dual-POV romance set in the prestigious Maxton Hall boarding school. It follows James Beaufort, the privileged "have," and Ruby Bell, the determined scholarship student who tries to keep her school and family life separate while dreaming of attending Oxford. Their worlds collide when Ruby accidentally witnesses a Beaufort family secret, pulling her into their elite circle and making her impossible to ignore.

This book is a German/British take on Gossip Girl, and I am absolutely here for it. The drama! The intrigue! The delicious moral grayness! From start to finish, Save Me was an addictive read, and I can’t wait for the next installment. I’ll be running straight to the Amazon Prime show to binge it. Every character is delightfully despicable, yet impossible not to love. For its rich world-building and perfect mix of boarding school drama and enemies-to-lovers romance, this book is an easy five stars!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

Opposites attract romance with some enemies to lovers. Ruby is a scholarship student at an elite academy and James is a rich jerk she’s forced to work with.

I am almost 35 but I love teenage drama. It’s so ridiculous but oh so fun. Especially when there’s rich people involved. I loved both characters. I loved the slow burn. I didn’t realize this wasn’t a stand alone so the end has me reeling. I can’t wait to continue Ruby and James’s story in book

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 they 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. 💐

Goddamnit.

Don’t read this until all 3 are released in English later this year!!!

It’s so deeply bingeable but AGH CLIFFHANGER. You WILL be aching waiting for the next one.

It was crazy to see how the show was so true to the book. If you loved the show, you’ll love the book. I’m about to buy Amazon Prime literally right now and watch it over again because my withdrawals are so intense.

This book would be a YA absolute banger if they just cut that one sex scene. New Adult rating is a bit iffy because the themes are very high school.


This book is the epitome of guilty pleasure. Think Gossip Girl but it’s British and also enemies-to-lovers.

Absolutely loved this! I was thrilled to find the book captured the essence of the Prime Video series so faithfully. But even better, the book offered so much more – richer emotional depth, beautifully detailed scenes, and a deeper dive into the characters. Each page was a delight, and I'm already eagerly anticipating book two!

I couldn't put this book down! Ive been in such a reading slump and this book just cured it. It was nicely paced and decently written. ill have to watch the show now.

A great story perfect for reading after watching the show Maxton Hall. I’m looking forward to the next book.

A well plotted and gripping novel.
Due to personal issues cannot write a proper review now
A more extensive review will follow. Many thanks to the publisher

This book is pure, delicious angst wrapped in elite academia, and I ate up every second of it. Definitely looking forward to seeing what happens next!

DNF at 23%

It was fun to be reminded of the tv series, and get some background info behind some of the characters. And it was fun to have James’s pov.

HOWEVER, the writing was cheesy and did a lot of telling instead of showing. And Ruby is sooo different in the book (and frankly annoyed me). I found that reading the book was ruining the tv show for me, so I’m done.

This was good, some of the text/translation felt like it was verbatim from the tv series on Amazon which took me out of it a bit - there was just some parts that were a bit cringe, but overall it was a fun story, with well rounded characters and a good plot. I'm excited to see where it goes from here.

this was SUCH a fun, juicy, immersive, dramatic story—all the vibes of Maxton Hall plus even more immersion in the characters' minds! couldn't put it down!

Thank you so much NetGalley for the English copy! (I had been so eager to read this, I was about to learn German from Duolingo)

This book gives you so much nostalgia. It feels like you are a teenager again reading Wattpad at 3am!!! It gives you the Wattpad feels in the best way!!
I really recommend the story. It is full of cliches but it is very well done. It was so much fun and addictive! I cannot wait to read book 2.

In case you live under a rock and do not know what the story is about (lol): Save Me by Mona Kasten is the first book in the Maxton Hall series, a German romance novel with strong enemies-to-lovers and elite school themes. The story follows Ruby Bell, a hardworking scholarship student at Maxton Hall, an elite private school where she tries to stay unnoticed. Her 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. It’s a drama-filled, enemies-to-lovers story with school romance.

P.S. The book made me want to watch the show so here I go.

This was a lovely, fun read. I am a sucker for anything 'boarding school' related and this absolutely filled that want! I also read that this was translated? Beautifully done.

I’m so grateful for the ARC of Save Me! This book completely consumed me—addictive, emotional, and full of moments that made me squeal out loud. I can’t wait for more!

I normally structure my reviews by gushing about the positives first, but I’m flipping things around this time to talk about the only two minor critiques I could come up with.

Minor Gripes (But Not Really)
1️⃣ This was my first time reading a translated book, and while the translation was well done, there were moments where I could tell it wasn’t originally written in English. Did this bother me? Not at all. It didn’t take away from my enjoyment, and I definitely wouldn’t dock points for it—just something to note if you’re unfamiliar with translated fiction.

2️⃣ That ending. MONA KASTEN, WHY?! What the heck was that?? She did apologize for it in the acknowledgments, so I guess I’ll trust her to make things right in book two. 😆 (Cliffhanger alert!)

Now, Let’s Talk About How Much I Loved This Book
This was perfect brain candy in the best way possible—fun, dramatic, and completely addicting. I may be biased because I love Ruby & James, but this book was so entertaining and full of swoon-worthy, squeal-inducing moments.

I wouldn’t necessarily call this a fast-paced book, but it kept me engaged from start to finish. I could NOT put it down… except when I physically had to because I was squealing too hard to keep reading. The chemistry, the tension, the drama, the ROMANCE—it had me grinning like an idiot. The writing is clean and simple, which made it effortless to binge, and I genuinely laughed and smiled multiple times throughout.

Final Thoughts
If you love high-drama, angsty romance with characters you just can’t get enough of, Save Me is an absolute must-read. It’s the kind of book that takes over your brain, leaving you desperate for the next installment. I’ll be impatiently waiting for book two!

Mona Kasten’s Save Me is an amazing, emotional story that grabs you from the start and keeps you hooked. The characters are real and their chemistry is so strong, making every moment between them feel special. The book beautifully mixes heartbreak and hope, with unexpected twists that keep you guessing. I loved seeing the characters grow and change throughout the story, and I found myself cheering for them the whole time. Save Me is a powerful, emotional read that stays with you long after you finish. It's a must-read for anyone who loves deep, gripping stories. This was one of my most anticipated reads and did not disappoint!

*thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*

I watched Maxton Hall season 1 and loved it which is what prompted me to pick up this book. I can’t believe how spot on the show is to the book. I loved reading dialogue and scenes that were adapted for the TV show. It was so fun!

I love the angst, yearning, and heartbreak we feel in this story. It starts off very lighthearted with Ruby and James at each others throats, but turns into this utterly romantic story of two people from different worlds trying to hold onto each other. Something I particularly love is seeing the distinct differences of James and Ruby's families. Ruby doesn't have much financially but has so much love and support from her family. James has all the money in the world but no support or love from his parents. It's a brutal and heartbreaking difference between the two that is shown so well here.

James has my whole heart. I already knew this going in, but my love was solidified here. He has already gone through so much with his dad and then he decides to engage in this relationship with Ruby which makes things even worse with his family. My heart was aching for him the whole time.

One thing I liked about the show better than the book is how many more details we get. We see more of James with the Beaufort company, and see motivations behind Lydia trying to be more involved with Beaufort and work out her future. In general we see more progression in the relationships and explanations as to why people are doing what they are; why James is the way he is. I would have liked more of this context and background in the book. And who knows, maybe more of this is coming in the following books, but I would have liked to see more of it in book 1.

Overall, an incredibly enjoyable read from someone who is already a huge fan of the TV show. I'll be eagerly awaiting book 2!