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maddieg's review against another edition
5.0
When I first read the synopsis of the book, I was instantly intrigued and couldn't wait to read it. I wasn't however prepared for how deep and relatable it was, especially with the family aspect with Jillian, Meredith, and her dad. That aspect hit really close to home with me with my life right now and reading those scenes and conversations made me want to cry. But the main aspect of the book that I absolutely adored was the romance between Jillian and Max. Their friends-to-lovers romance was so well-written and complex that I couldn't have asked for anything better. I loved how they were constantly faced with issues from both of them and they had to face them head-on. They worked so hard for their relationship and the obstacles in between and it honestly made their relationship stronger in my opinion. This is definitely one of my favorite books for storyline, characters, and romance!
Favorite Quote: "I don't like secrets, but more than anything… I just wanna be with you."
Favorite Quote: "I don't like secrets, but more than anything… I just wanna be with you."
vgrande's review
2.0
This was a cute romance that definitely made me feel all mushy and cute about the world. Weak in character development, but an enjoyable love story.
lydalbano's review against another edition
5.0
I loved this book for many reasons.
I think the biggest of those reasons was the complexity though. I love a good romantic plot, but I really appreciated that the romance - though super swoon-worthy and front and center - wasn’t the only driving force of the book. Jillian’s relationships were as a whole. I loved the family dynamics, friendships, romantic relationships; characters of all levels of importance felt fleshed out and flawed. they weren’t over-explained to the reader, they weren’t perfect. they just existed in Jillian’s life, and because of that they told a story that felt real and immersive. (Bill’s health situation was one of my favorites for this; not something you see a lot in fiction but something you do see in real life. and I loved Kyle a lot.)
Max was of course wonderful; again, super frustrating, super flawed, super lovely and broken and real and sweet.
I loved Meredith, and that relationship arc so much.
Jill’s dad- yeah, wow. I actually loved the lack of closure there. again, SO much more like real life than books that put a bow on everything.
and I really liked Jill herself. I liked that she was normal. I liked that she had friends and that didn’t mean there had to be drama. I liked that she had things she was passionate about, things she was stubborn about, insecure about, confident about. she and I are very different, but I don’t know- I just liked her. I think because she felt like a real person.
and now, I desperately need to make some lemon squares because WOW this book made me hungry.
I think the biggest of those reasons was the complexity though. I love a good romantic plot, but I really appreciated that the romance - though super swoon-worthy and front and center - wasn’t the only driving force of the book. Jillian’s relationships were as a whole. I loved the family dynamics, friendships, romantic relationships; characters of all levels of importance felt fleshed out and flawed. they weren’t over-explained to the reader, they weren’t perfect. they just existed in Jillian’s life, and because of that they told a story that felt real and immersive. (Bill’s health situation was one of my favorites for this; not something you see a lot in fiction but something you do see in real life. and I loved Kyle a lot.)
Max was of course wonderful; again, super frustrating, super flawed, super lovely and broken and real and sweet.
I loved Meredith, and that relationship arc so much.
Jill’s dad- yeah, wow. I actually loved the lack of closure there. again, SO much more like real life than books that put a bow on everything.
and I really liked Jill herself. I liked that she was normal. I liked that she had friends and that didn’t mean there had to be drama. I liked that she had things she was passionate about, things she was stubborn about, insecure about, confident about. she and I are very different, but I don’t know- I just liked her. I think because she felt like a real person.
and now, I desperately need to make some lemon squares because WOW this book made me hungry.
chelsbethbaute's review against another edition
4.0
This book was so cute that I read it in one sitting. I am a HUGE fan of the girls falls for best guy friend storyline and this one didn't disappoint. It had the perfect amount of swoon & depth.
maggiemaggio's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars. This could have been a dramatic overwrought story, but it really worked for me. I liked both characters by themselves and with each other. I also liked the way the stories with their families developed (even though they weren't perfect or easy to read at times).
cebaute's review against another edition
4.0
This book was so cute that I read it in one sitting. I am a HUGE fan of the girls falls for best guy friend storyline and this one didn't disappoint. It had the perfect amount of swoon & depth.
kaycee_k's review against another edition
3.0
Kissing Max Holden is as much as a summer read that you can get. Around this time of the year, I read a lot of swoony stories. Why? They are fast, light-hearted and just simple fun. Kissing Max Molden is all of those with a dash of drama.
The relationship between the lead, Jillian and Max has been a thing for years but they have crossed that line, to something more; in this book that’s what happens. Jillian’s family is a mess let just put it that way. I don’t want to say too much about this as it plays a HUGE part of this book. It was nice to see a change in a story of family relationships. The relationship between Jillian and her stepmother could be my family part of the story, because it goes through the most change, and develops the more. Jillian and her father also go through a change too, that plays a lot into this book. You also get to learn a lot about Max and his family, and things can impact people differently.
There was ‘teenage girl drama’ but it was overplayed and affect the story in the right ways. I felt like I didn’t really get to know Max as much as I wanted to. There are a few flashbacks to when they were kids and that’s also fun to read. Max is someone who seems to hide his true feelings. One of my favorite part of this book was the Jillian is a backer, that’s her dream. And with everything that’s going on she has this to ground her, but when something happens she could of easily of given up on her dream, but I’m glad to see a young adult girl not doing that and thinking outside of the box on how she could still get to her dream
Overall, this is a great summer read; looking for a fast easy, swoon book than this could be the books for you!
This review was part of a blog tour, these thoughts are what I personally think about this book.
The relationship between the lead, Jillian and Max has been a thing for years but they have crossed that line, to something more; in this book that’s what happens. Jillian’s family is a mess let just put it that way. I don’t want to say too much about this as it plays a HUGE part of this book. It was nice to see a change in a story of family relationships. The relationship between Jillian and her stepmother could be my family part of the story, because it goes through the most change, and develops the more. Jillian and her father also go through a change too, that plays a lot into this book. You also get to learn a lot about Max and his family, and things can impact people differently.
There was ‘teenage girl drama’ but it was overplayed and affect the story in the right ways. I felt like I didn’t really get to know Max as much as I wanted to. There are a few flashbacks to when they were kids and that’s also fun to read. Max is someone who seems to hide his true feelings. One of my favorite part of this book was the Jillian is a backer, that’s her dream. And with everything that’s going on she has this to ground her, but when something happens she could of easily of given up on her dream, but I’m glad to see a young adult girl not doing that and thinking outside of the box on how she could still get to her dream
Overall, this is a great summer read; looking for a fast easy, swoon book than this could be the books for you!
This review was part of a blog tour, these thoughts are what I personally think about this book.
ashleyelro's review against another edition
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
abinthebooks's review
5.0
Objectively this isn't the a great book nor is it that well written, but when I tell you I DEVOURED this shit, I ate this up like it was a 10 course meal and I'm not sorry about it