REVIEW: Leave Before I Love You by Max Monroe

Leave Before I Love You by Max Monroe: Avery has always been the life of the party, down for whatever crazy adventure is on the menu for the day, where as Henry has always been the complete opposite, steady and reliable… and completely off limits as her brothers best friend! That is until a trip goes completely wrong, leaving Avery and Henry stranded alone on a deserted island! Suddenly Avery’s charm and Henry’s caution aren’t just quirks, they are survival tools. With the heat of the topical sun and the cool quiet nights, there is no escaping the new closeness that Avery and Henry find themselves surrounded in. As old walls begin to fall and new forbidden feelings surface, Avery and Henry need to figure out how to take their topical love story back into their very real lives…

I just ate this book up all in one go! As always Max Monroe deliver one of the most deliciously fun romcoms that you will come across. Truly this duo can do no wrong when it comes to creating funny, sassy, banter filled romcoms that will have you hooked from start to end! Avery and Henry had me hooked with their slightly forbidden connection, all their saucy banter and their hilarious misadventure. Leave Before I Love You was the kind of book that you just don’t want to put down!

I just adored our two main characters right from the get go. Avery was a ball of crazy, wild fun and it was impossible not to get drawn into her slightly zany antics. At first she comes across as this larger than life party girl, but as the story unfolds and we get to see behind her layers we get to see that she really just wants to be seen. While she is wild and crazy, she is quietly looking for someone to see the softer, quiet side to her that no one really get to know. Where as Henry was all serious and settled. He was the classic grump to Avery’s sunshine and I just loved their dynamic. I really liked how loyal and grounded Henry came across and getting to see him deal with his conflicted feelings surrounding Avery. We get to see his character really shine through in the way he deals with facing his feelings for Avery and bring their relationship back from the island. There was such a nice protectiveness to him that really made me warm to his character. For all his seriousness, he really just need a bit of Avery spark to bring out his playful side.

There was absolutely no shortage of chemistry in this book, I just ate up all the tension and banter between Avery and Henry! The island chapters were easily my favourite with all the tense build up, forced proximity and ultimate slow burn connection that neither could help but give into. Though things really got interesting once they returned home, I loved getting to see this part of the story play out, seeing how they deal with these new lingering feelings and the added emotional stake and how it effects their relationship. Max and Monroe have found the perfect balance between angst, swoon and heart melting as we get to see Avery and Henry figure out their slightly forbidden feelings for each other.

Leave Before I Love You was the perfect example of why I keep picking up a Max Monroe book, these two ladies will forever be my favourite romcom writing duo! They take the brothers best friend trope and just add a bit of extra sparkle as we get to follow Avery and Henry as they navigate being stuck together alone on an island, figuring out their feelings for each other and ultimately creating their very own fairytale happily ever after, with a bit of chaos of course! A complete must read for all romcom lovers!

Book Info:

Publication: July 24, 2025 | Max Monroe LLC | Midnight #2

Rich, party girl Avery Banks has had her eye on her brother’s best friend Henry for longer than she’d like to admit. She’s spent years pretending she doesn’t care—pretending he doesn’t get under her skin every time he smirks in her direction or calls her “trouble” like it’s a compliment.

He’s chaos, adrenaline-seeking, successful, funny, and hotter than the sun, but he’s also dangerous in a way Avery’s been built to ignore.

He makes her face things.

Actual feelings? Ew.
Responsibility? What?
A plan for her future? That sounds terrible.

But thanks to a freakishly unfortunate turn of events, Avery now finds herself locked in the most extreme case of forced proximity imaginable with the one man who’s always been too hot to handle—and now way too close for comfort.

Giving in to a little chemistry? That might not be totally reckless.
A quick fling to get him out of her system? Practically self-care.

She just has to remember to do one thing:

Leave before she loves him.