and that night, it makes no sense, because one moment they are bickering and the next they are kissing. and jill's dad is catching them in the middle of something. but jill can't explain what. max has a girlfriend. he's drunk and a mess. and still kissing him is the only thing she can think about. even if it's wrong. even if it changes everything. even if she has no idea what he's thinking.
mostly jill assumes she's a mistake. a lot of the time in kissing max holden, she thinks she can't mean as much to him as he means to her. but that kiss, it actually brought max back to life. his home life has been a mess since his dad suffered a stroke six months ago. nothing is the same and he blames himself. but being with jill makes him feel like maybe things can be better.
ironic that as max's home life improves jill's falls apart. but when max is there for her, when he lets himself be the person she can rely on, it's pretty wonderful. i really enjoyed this book. i loved jill and max and their friends and family, even jill's jerk of a father was a compelling character. and that's saying something because he is such a jerk.
jill and max's relationship is stormy and emotional and full of sparks, and while those things don't stop once they get together, there is also the sweetness of loving someone who knows you as you are. they've seen each other at their worst and can love each other in spite of it. the family drama that surrounds them from all sides adds some weight to the novel, this isn't just a light and frothy ya. yes there's romance, but there are some real issues tackled here in a way that allows the characters to grow. it's not just drama for drama's sake, it's well done.
**kissing max holden will publish on august 1, 2017. i received an advance reader copy courtesy of netgalley/macmillan children's publishing group (swoon reads) in exchange for my honest review.
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