I actually had a harder time with book James (in 'Save Me' specifically) than I did with TV show James in the first season. Like his reasoning for ghosting Ruby after their first kiss was a little hard to pinpoint in the book, but from what I gathered it was primarily because he felt Ruby didn’t fit into his world…. So when Lydia asked if Ruby was really “worth it,” he decided she wasn’t-until he eventually realized he actually did care for her after already treating her poorly. Whereas, in the show, they add that he only ghosted her because his dad threatened Ruby and her family which I personally felt was more redeemable. Plus I am really interested to see how they handle the part written in the third book, ‘Save Us,” where James’ dad actually does end up blackmailing his son by threatening Ruby’s family, since they have now already done that in the show. I wonder how that will play out in the show because doing it again would feel very repetitive. But yeah idk I just didn’t like how wishy-washy he was in the first book in contrast to the show, where sure he was harsher in the beginning but once he fell, he was willing to do anything to protect her.
Oh, and the fact that in the show, James went to Ruby first after finding out his mom died, which he didn’t do in the book! By adding that, we could be more sympathetic, understanding that all his self-destructive behavior, like getting wasted for days on end and kissing Elaine in the pool, was just to cope with his mom dying AND realizing he would only ever be a burden on Ruby with all his problems after seeing how happy she was with her family through the window. Idk I have beef with book James for not at least showing us he was willing to go to Ruby first after getting such awful news instead of opting straight back into his old ways. So yeah I’m just saying that so far, I’m a lot more willing to forgive TV show James for kissing Elaine (depending on how they decide to film it, of course) than I was when book James kissed Elaine…
Props to anyone who reads these comments lollll As you can probably tell, I’ve just had this rant bottled up for a while and just needed to get it out. Feel free to disregard my jumbled thoughts hahaha
i’m like 👀👀👀 reading this, ‘cause i feel like i mixed the book James with the show James at the beginning of book 1, since i was reading in between the episodes just a little bit… but i definitely see where you are coming from with it! i really want to see them adapting the actual ending of book 1! i really hope to see the kiss and everything, ‘cause well… they shoot for the drama, GIVE US THE DRAMA THEN!
Thank you for reminding about this "reason" for James to ghost Ruby in first book... I'm so happy they've changed that in a script and overall all the characters feels deeper in a show, their motives and feelings! I've met some opinions that Beaufort parents are too dramatic, but for this particular show and the status of their family it felt right. The only thing I've appreciate from book 1 more than from the series its when we could read why James thought that Ruby will want any money or something from their family.
I’m so with you that series is much better then the books (at least the first one). The books are just cute and perfect for YA, but actors and all the details gave so much depth to this story! I’m so relaxed waiting for the season 2 and 3, because I’m sure it’s gonna be great! Can you imagine book 2 James with Damian’s face… eyes… emotions?.. God helps us all!
Same girl! I think they took the best parts of the first book and perfected them in the script. I hope the second script will be just as great. When I read the books again after watching the series, the actors made them even better. I’m so excited for season 2.
omg, YES! it was on the tip of my tongue, the books are so YA, but they made the adaptation actually ADULT! 🤭 i can’t wait for s2, the photos they share rn >>> 🥹
I loved it! Thank you so much (I'm laying at home being sick) Actually one of the most important parts of the books is her notebook and the colour codes, I think it's really describing Ruby. And also I feel like you completely missed out on Ambers lovestory or Lydias time at Cordelias which storylines are so beautiful so guys read the books if you can!
omg, get well soon, take care, okay? 🤍 i left out some plot lines on purpose 👀 idk why, just felt like the right thing to do, since i just know the English translation is coming! but now as we talk about it, Lydia’s time at Ophelia’s is one of those best moments of the story, the way she’s cared for and appreciated, FINALLY!
I litteraly find the show better than book 1 when i read it which is so suprising, i really hope they change some things in the next seasons like they usually do it, i just love it ❤❤
I liked the little adjustments they made. It made the story "rounder" in my opinion. And the dialogues felt more grown up than in the books. Maybe I feel this way becouse I am a little bit older than the average reader 😊.
I know no one that have read these books irl so bear with me, lol. Save Me vs MH s1: Let me start by saying that, to me, all changes made on MH were for the better. Ruby and Wren book storyline made him unlikeable, even when she said that was kinda down to kiss him, he took adventage and I can't let that pass as I can pass him just being a douche. Alistair & James friendship is showcasted better also, in the book he's a little susp about Ruby and not as nice overall. Cyril planted some easter eggs in s1, the way he looks while James is taking the photos of Ruby and Graham, the smirks when things are rough between R&J, at Oxford's when he tells Lydia that he don't like when things changes. Book's Cyril is like Kesh, they are just there. I really like that their first time is told in James perspective cause that allow us to see how big of a deal was for him also and how thoughtful he actually was. If there was just this book or if the show would ended with J kissing Elaine, I would have lost my f mind, no joke. I prefer to live with this uncertainty that with the betrayal (cause it's a fictional story, real life it's a different story). Save You is the yearning book... Nothing and a lot is going on at the same time! James' growth is so good, he's putting the work and his actions are louder than any "i'm sorry", and as you said Ria, there are a bunch of those! I loved how they decided to go slow and heal and didn't go for "let's break some -water- beds", their conection is the main star and we get some really hot moments anyways. Another highlight for me is friendship, we get to see the girls bonding and the guys be more present. Save Us is mostly great. Mom was harsh... I expected a bit more support from her. The bathtube, woah... I love how this intimate moment feels as spiciest as a spicy one. Lydia finally having some peace and happiness warmed my soul. Mona made some beautiful, flawed characters that learned throu the journey (not you, Mortimer). Are the books groundbreaking? Not at all, but I loved them because they gave me everything I needed in terms of feelings. And from those feelings alone, to me they are five stars (maybe Save You is a 4.5). Overall, it will be interesting to see how they adapt the rest of the books. Loved the reading blog and your highlights, Ria! Side note: your freckles are so cute!!
I loved your summery and opinions! I just had an idea while reading your commentary: without explicitly saying it, I think the books do convey the importance of communication not only in general, but between guys who are often groomed into bottling up their emotions and dealing with them in toxic ways- and woman ignoring it rather then putting in the work to change that aspect (while also making bad decisions themselves) Real communication is a craft that changes with each personality you are confronted with, imho.
@@Kriphiob oh, thank you 🫶🏻 While one should not be anyone's rehabilitation centre, it's important to try to lay the first stone of the communication bridge if the other person does not know or cannot do it, before saying "this sh!t is not for me". Breaking the circle, allowing yourself to be vulnerable even though one can get hurt and the beauty in experiencing and overcoming those emotions… there are several layers to this romance and that makes it more special for me
@@ImValeriaBal I can‘t agree with you more- that’s a lesson, that took me way to long to learn in my own life. On a literary level I can understand why these books might not be anything worth mentioning- but I feel that they a testament to the age right now, where people are finding out that working together and communicating is so much more then speaking mere words. It touches people in ways we can‘t fathom and changes our perspectives. The way everything works out in the books might not be realistic but the hope they convey are still very close to the heart. It‘s nice to see that the series has the potential to supersede that and highten their quality.
you are literally THE BEST for this!!! like scrap my video just read this! 🤭 absolutely obsessed with you… also like AGREE! and thank you for the cutest side note!! 🤍🤍
@@readswithria Haha- Never! While you gave a play by play, I have had the luxury (or just a phase at the moment 😝) of reading the books multiple times and revisiting ideas. Don‘t stop your enthusiastic vlogs ❤️love them!
Thank you for all the book spoilers! You're editing is amazing btw! I needed to know how invested i should get (lets be honest, I'm already obsessed with the show) not knowing if James and Ruby would get a happy ending...and now thanks to you I can rest easy knowing they make it!
thank you for watching this one and the reactions! 🤍🤍🤍 i totally get you, i’d be so anxious without reading the books and knowing the ending, my biggest fear 🫢
33:39 the second book is a slow burn. I was waited and waited for Ruby and James to reconcile. But in the end, I kinda liked it. It was not easy for James and we can see the development of their relationship.
I think the show’s ending was awesome, and I’m so glad they didn’t go with the book’s ending. If there hadn’t been a second season, it would have totally sucked and ruined everything that happened before. The series ending is intense, shows James’ emotional struggle, and that he goes to Ruby first before slipping back into his old ways. That makes him look not as bad, in my opinion. Honestly? I don’t know if I could forgive James from the show for that screw-up, because he seems way more in love with Ruby than the James in the book.
@@readswithria I think so… 😢 season 2 picking up right where Season 1 ended. It’s Lydia, not James, at Ruby’s door, and then they find him completely wasted with his friends and Elaine hitting on him, but hopefully, he’s too out of it to notice. 🙈 But then we can see him fix it over the next 6 episodes. 🤭 It’s definitely going to stay exciting.
So I want to respond after seeing you read the first book- I think I might forget what I wanted to say otherwise 😅. I wrote my bachelor thesis on a theory that concentrates on the way different media types translate into one another. I’m not trying to show off, but rather offer some food for thought, because it gave me some insights I hadn’t thought of before. Basically I think it’s really hard to adapt certain things from one type of media into another. Pacing, time, interesting themes and ways of conveying them are some of the topics that present larger obstacles than one might first think. This is the reason why my judgement on the decisions made to change the story might be more generous than some others. I find t(e fact that they could tell the bulk of the first book in 6 episodes rather remarkable. The episodes are jam packed without me as the recipient feeling the story is rushed in any way. I also find the decision to end the 1. Season where they did, a very smart decision, because the last part in the book opens up a new topic, which is the premise for the whole next book. Even though the ending is still sad, I think it would have been too much, as a viewer of the TV show, to have that fluttery feeling in Oxford diminished to much. I think I’ll end my comment there, before my post gets too long. Thanks again for your vlog- I enjoy them very much! ❤
first of all, YOU SLAY SO HARD! thank you for this comment, it was literally so interesting!! 🫢 i do agree, and about the ending: it’s definitely beneficial and smart of them to make it an open ending like this!
tysm ria for posting this! honestly, as an english speaker i'm a little too spoiled with the romance book options, so it's nice to feel like german and european girlies in general get this one!
so im reading the books parallel to your commentary and it’s soooo fun! it’s so good to see your reaction to a scene ive read too! ps. best birthday gift i got today: THE HARD COPIES!!!
I‘ve seen on Mona Kastens Instagram that they are working on a translation in English 🥳 I listened to all of the three books in German on Spotify before they published the show and I just love them! (Just wanted to listen to a new adult book while long trips, didn’t know about the hype before 😂) but to me for sure the first book is the beste one 😍 but the end hurts so much
i feel like for me book 1 is the best as well, just because of the vibes and the enemies to lovers, forced proximity 🤭 also i’m sure the books are gonna be out soon, definitely before s2!
It's interesting to hear you say James is softer in the first book because I felt the opposite and I liked him more in the show 😂 And I absolutely loved the second book because the grovelling was top tier and it showed how much James loves Ruby 🥹🤍 I loved the video and hearing your opinions!
📖💗 Thank you, Ria!! You do a fantastic job of reading books! Omg a Halloween party in the show would have so much fun. Ruby is all of us picking Ben&Jerry’s instead of champagne 🍨!
I enjoyed the show much more than book 1 tbh. They give the story more depth and the details they changed in the show make more sense to me. The only thing that kind of bothered me in the second book was when James and Ruby get into more steamy scenes like the one in the car, it's James who wants to go slow and not Ruby. In my head it makes much more sense for Ruby to be the one to go slow, since James was the one who betrayed her. And it bothers me that the mom at the end didn't want to believe Ruby. I don't understand the mom's reaction. Like, come on, don't you know your own daughter? Did she really think Ruby would do something like having an affair with a teacher? I haven't read the third book yet, but I will get answers and come back to watch the book 3 part of the commentary later haha
they made the show fit for more of an adult genre..? like it’s definitely much more exquisite if it’s the right word to use 🤭 the second book in general was super weird to me, even tho i do appreciate J not pushing and giving her space to heal, but all the back and forth between them was too much…
@@readswithriaI agree. And after book 3 I feel like Lydia deserved a better ark as well haha. I hope that in the show they make Lydia the head of Beaufort instead of the Aunt Ophelia that they never introduced. And that she can be a mother and perhaps not go to Oxford after all, since her mother can leave her the company. Show Lydia has a lot of potential for an amazing arc. The show is being overall much better, so I hope season 2 will be also better than the book, even if they stick to the source material a lot like in season 1
@@OliviaSilvaCompositora i feel like in the books Lydia is less pro-active about leading the company, like she’s more into creating..? so it makes sense just to leave the twins to figure their lives out without this huge commitment 🫢 i see her replacing Ophelia in the future tho!!
Ok so what I have understand from the last book the ending is open & it didn’t clarify that if James & Ruby ended up together... 😢 So I really hope makers of the show changes that & make them be & happy together openly 🤞🙏
k, so there’s an open ending, BUT they are together! Ruby goes to Oxford, but James doesn’t, he travels for weeks at a time, but he literally has an apartment next to Oxford 🤭
I really want to know how they will continue with the show, they basically took the dad threatening james from book 3 and did it at the end of season 1 already
i’m sure they’ll make Mortimer INSUFFERABLE! 💀 like there’s literally no buffer in the family now… in the books he’s not that actively disgusting at first!
@@julieyoung4480 well they get together, then they get home, in his pov he learn about his moms death and then drives of after fighting with his dad. We then switch to her pov with Lydia at her door and them trying to find him at the party, she just walks into him high and kissing another girl and thats how book 1 ends😅
I loved that Ruby's family let James stay with them. And James helped them as well. For me, book 3 was a little annoying because it was too many perspectives. And the relationship between Ember and Wren, it seemed irrelevant and useless.
We gave Save Me and Save You the same rating! For me, Save us is a 3,5 stars I guess😅 I really enjoyed this reading vlog, though! I missed your bookish videos🤍
I personally like Season 1 definitely more than book 1 but I wished they had included some little moments, like the ice cream scene or, like you said, the fact that the victorian themed party was supposed to be a Halloween party 🤷😅
Looking forward to the English translation. I read on another site a book summary (I don’t know if it’s accurate) that James gets an apartment near Oxford so he can be close to Ruby at the end (to tell us that they stay together)- is this true? Also, what book does the Aunt first appear in?
yes, they apartment tour at the end of book 3, so he can live near while she attends Oxford!!! 🥹 she appears in book 3, but i’m sure she’s just briefly mentioned in book 1!
hi, this video is just wonderful, you are great! thank you for such wonderful videos. i have a question, where did you buy the book maxton hall in russian? i would be glad if you gave me a link to the site. thanks in advance!
hey, babes, thank you so much!!! 🤍 ofc, i can give you the link, but i’m pretty sure they only deliver to Russia, Belarus and maybe somewhere else around here, haven’t checked, but here you go: global.wildberries.ru/product?card=28357844
I can’t lie I didn’t like the third book, I found them translated in English (unofficial) because it felt so predictable and repetitive, I hope the show does it better
ohhh, well, i wish i rated them like i usually do on goodreads, would be easier…🤠 the 1st book is probably 7/10 Save You is like 5/10? honestly don’t know… Save Us is in between, so 6/10? but these are ratings in comparison to MY FAV books, so it’s still very good, if it makes sense?
@@readswithria yeah finished all just now save you was pretty underwhelming… save us was quite nice but save me was the best overall the rating would be 6/10.. the show is MUCH better
