Blog Tour: Kissing Max Holden by Katy Upperman

Hi everyone, today I get to share my review of Kissing Max Holden by Katy Upperman as part of Xpresso Book Tours, before that though here's a bit about the book. 

Kissing Max Holden by Katy Upperman
Publisher: Swoon Reads 
Publication Date: August 1st 2017
My rating: 4 stars. 

Kissing Max Holden was a terrible idea... After his father has a life-altering stroke, Max Holden isn't himself. As his long-time friend, Jillian Eldridge only wants to help him, but she doesn't know how. When Max climbs through her window one night, Jill knows that she shouldn't let him kiss her. But she can't resist, and when they're caught in the act by her dad, Jill swears it'll never happen again. Because kissing Max Holden is a terrible idea. With a new baby sibling on the way, her parents fighting all the time, and her dream of culinary school up in the air, Jill starts spending more and more time with Max. And even though her father disapproves and Max still has a girlfriend, not kissing Max is easier said than done. Will Jill follow her heart and allow their friendship to blossom into something more, or will she listen to her head and stop kissing Max Holden once and for all?

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Kissing Max Holden really took me by surprise, I went into the book expecting a light, cute, fluffy read, but I appreciated the depth and serious issues that Upperman dealt with. Jill and Max have been friends forever, although they’ve sort of drifted apart at school, they’d never imagined something more than their friendship until one night, they end up kissing. It comes completely out of the blue, as Max has a girlfriend and with everything being chaotic for Max at home, maybe it was just the comfort that he needed? But really what I loved most after was the turmoil of emotions that it left our characters in afterwards. Jill is constantly denying it that it’s just a onetime thing, but she really can’t get it out of her head or go back to the way things were between her and Max. It was obvious to me, that there was the potential for great things between Max and Jill if they ever decided to go down that route, but with so many obstacles in the way, was that even possible? 

Both Max and Jill had a rough time over the course of this book, Max’s dad had a stroke, he was the light of the family, but now that he was restricted to a wheelchair, things weren’t the same as they used to be. On top of that there’s the conflicted feelings between him and Jill, Max also has a girlfriend, so shouldn’t it be best that they stay away from each other. I know Max wasn’t in the best of situations, with him kissing Jill whilst having a girlfriend, I don’t condone cheating at all, but with the way things were going with Max and his girlfriend I just wanted him to finally sort things out and be with who he wanted to really be with instead of going behind other people’s back and hurting a lot of people in the process. There was Max’s girlfriend, Max’s sister (who was his girlfriend's best friend) and even Jill’s dad to consider who didn’t want Jill to be anywhere near Max, which I could understand especially with the reputation he had. But with all the stuff going on, I was glad that Max and Jill were able to find solace with each other. If you thought Max’s situation was bad, I really felt for Jill as the story progressed, it completely changed my assumptions about how I felt regarding certain characters. 

Kissing Max Holden really had a lot going for it, it had the boy next door forbidden romance vibe going on, one which I was fully rooting for, but the depth and number of issues that was tackled by Upperman was really done well too. I loved watching Jill and Max grow into wonderful characters over the course of the story and also the meaningful relationships that they developed along the way with people I didn’t expect. Also I was completely won over by Max by the end, he’d gone from this uptight guy who was hell bent on destroying his life, to someone who was sweet and wanted the very best for those he loved, I for one wouldn’t mind Max popping in through my bedroom window! ;) I’ve only read a handful of debuts this year, but Kissing Max Holden will definitely be one of the most memorable!

Katy Upperman is a graduate of Washington State University, a former elementary school teacher, and an insatiable reader. When not writing for young adults, Katy can be found whipping up batches of chocolate chip cookies, or exploring the country with her husband and daughter. Kissing Max Holden is her debut novel.

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