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readlikelasagna's review
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
saydez's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
izzys_internet_bookshelf's review against another edition
2.0
2.5/5
I don't know if you guys know this, but I am I fan of stranger things and when I saw there was books, I had to get my hands on them. Sadly, my library only has Runaway Max, so I'll need to find other ways to read the other books in the series. The book itself was alright, I was excited to learn some new things about Max, seeing how big of a role she has in Season 4 but even though I got to learn new things about her the book also started to be a repeat of some of the scenes from the show which kind of annoyed me.
I don't know if you guys know this, but I am I fan of stranger things and when I saw there was books, I had to get my hands on them. Sadly, my library only has Runaway Max, so I'll need to find other ways to read the other books in the series. The book itself was alright, I was excited to learn some new things about Max, seeing how big of a role she has in Season 4 but even though I got to learn new things about her the book also started to be a repeat of some of the scenes from the show which kind of annoyed me.
smolherbivore's review against another edition
2.0
I was excited to get more into Max’s mind because she’s definitely one of my favorite characters from the Stranger Things series, but I was pretty disappointed in this book.
The author did a very poor job of describing scenes. I assume she was banking on the reader’s own knowledge of the tv series.
She uses a lot of the same words to describe things.. for example, she used “warm” consistently to describe how Max felt when she was touching or next to Lucas.
I felt like I was reading a draft of a book, rather than a final product.
The author did a very poor job of describing scenes. I assume she was banking on the reader’s own knowledge of the tv series.
She uses a lot of the same words to describe things.. for example, she used “warm” consistently to describe how Max felt when she was touching or next to Lucas.
I felt like I was reading a draft of a book, rather than a final product.
e_r_elmwood's review against another edition
3.0
To be honest, I'm not completely sure how I feel about this book. I mostly picked it up hoping it would delve more into the complex relationship Billy and Max obviously have, and I certainly got what I wanted. What I'm on the fence about is if it makes sense for them, though. The book was released on the same day season three was, so I have a hard time believing that the author had no knowledge of the contents. Which is why it was confusing to see direct contradictions and confusing timelines. The timeline was confusing to me, at least, I don't know if anyone else struggled. The writing also felt very middle school, but that makes sense, it is from a thirteen-year-old's perspective. I will definitely give credit where credit is due for the two lines that made me say "damn" out loud, but I can't find them lol.
The explanation for why Billy and Max had to move to Indiana makes sense. I've been wanting to have an explanation for that for ages, though I wasn't expecting the book to put Billy in such a psychotic light. Not that it's undeserved - I probably should've seen that portrayal coming - but it didn't make sense for Max to feel such grief over her step-brother in seasons three and four when he broke her childhood best friend's arm. I don't know. All I can say is that I have mixed feelings.
If I have one main praise, it's the portrayal of Susan. She was a woman who married a man she must've known to some degree was abusive and watched him hurt his son again and again while she did nothing. The exploration of her character from her daughter's point of view was fascinating, and it gives season four a new layer of depth for me.
I wouldn't recommend it to anyone who isn't seriously interested in Max or Billy, but it wasn't bad all the same.
The explanation for why Billy and Max had to move to Indiana makes sense. I've been wanting to have an explanation for that for ages, though I wasn't expecting the book to put Billy in such a psychotic light. Not that it's undeserved - I probably should've seen that portrayal coming - but it didn't make sense for Max to feel such grief over her step-brother in seasons three and four when he broke her childhood best friend's arm. I don't know. All I can say is that I have mixed feelings.
If I have one main praise, it's the portrayal of Susan. She was a woman who married a man she must've known to some degree was abusive and watched him hurt his son again and again while she did nothing. The exploration of her character from her daughter's point of view was fascinating, and it gives season four a new layer of depth for me.
I wouldn't recommend it to anyone who isn't seriously interested in Max or Billy, but it wasn't bad all the same.
evie_0108's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
madelynhope's review against another edition
4.0
[ 3.5 ??? ]
i love max, so this was a fun read, and i loved reading about her life before hawkins and seeing things from her perspective. however, some parts of the book dragged especially when it was just a summarization of what happened in the show.
i love max, so this was a fun read, and i loved reading about her life before hawkins and seeing things from her perspective. however, some parts of the book dragged especially when it was just a summarization of what happened in the show.
hamletsskull's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
I must unfortunately come to the terrifying conclusion that Max Mayfield is me and I am Max. The only flaw is that I can't skateboard but I keep trying to rectify it. It's a bit more "plot of the show from an alternate perspective" for my tastes, but Max's perspective is a good and useful one, so I let it slide. Also her internal monologue cuts in with a lot of flashbacks to how she ended up Like This. (Her dad being a bored, bookie? incredible)
....
This books still makes me want to study Billy Hargrove like a bug. I must come to the conclusion that this is indeed my toxic trait.
....
This books still makes me want to study Billy Hargrove like a bug. I must come to the conclusion that this is indeed my toxic trait.
kimball_hansen's review against another edition
2.0
These novellas are getting worse and worse with even less content. The first two were good. These last two weren't very entertaining at all.