Reviews

Saving Max by Antoinette van Heugten

chelle22's review

dark mysterious sad

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Cursing, Child death, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Murder, Death, Medical content, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Pregnancy, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Blood, Child abuse, Mental illness, and Physical abuse

booklover28's review

challenging dark informative mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

lastpaige111's review

4.0

My second read of this novel, and I cared as much as I did the first time. Also, one of the best written sex scenes I’ve ever read. Brava, woman!

smcone's review

4.0

I loved this book. It was completely interesting from teh beginning and held me all the way until the last page. Once it was over, I wanted more!

There were a few times when the psychology and law terminology got to be a bit heavy, but beyond that felt it was a very quick read.

nicolepohle's review

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful sad tense fast-paced

4.5

samantha7815's review

challenging dark mysterious sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Gore, Physical abuse, Self harm, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Body horror, Chronic illness, Torture, Child death, Injury/Injury detail, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Blood, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Medical trauma, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, and Grief

mareswoodbury's review

4.0

Just a warning - this book had a lot of foul language.

jacki_f's review

2.0

Danielle is a successful lawyer and the single mother of a bright teenage boy called Max. Max has Asperger's Syndrome as well as some other behavioral issues. Danielle takes Max to a highly regarded psychiatric facility for assessment, where they meet another mother and son called Marianne and Jonas. The experts conclude that Max has severe issues and is uncontrollably violent, which Danielle disagrees with. However before she can remove Max from the facility, she discovers Jonas stabbed to death and Max cowering in the corner of the room, covered in blood and clutching the murder weapon. Danielle's first impulse is to protect Max by trying to cover up his part in the murder, which leads to them both being charged (she is charged as an accessory to murder). Danielle remains convinced that Max is innocent and she is prepared to do whatever it takes to get him off.

The book starts slowly but once the murder takes place, it tears along from that point. I felt that a few sections were over-written but generally it was easy to read and quite engrossing. I had two main problems with it, hence the 3 star rating. One was that we never really get to know Max at the beginning, so I didn't particularly care about him or have any reason to doubt the official line about what had happened. Therefore Danielle's behaviour felt totally irrational and unlikely, particularly given that she was a lawyer. I felt like the story lost believability.

Be aware that Max's autism is not a key element in the story and it's not the book to read if you want to find out more about Asperger's Syndrome.

chantelleleblanc's review

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

4.0

readingnightandday's review

3.0

The book wasn't what I had expected. Some of it was so far fetched but how Danielle managed it was ingenious. It was part legal thriller and part psychological thriller that was horrifying. I skimmed through some of it, the book could have been a 250 page book than a 376 page book. There is a sequel in the works.