The 18 Biggest ‘Maxton Hall’ Book Changes in Season 2
[Warning: The following contains MAJOR spoilers from Maxton Hall — The World Between Us Season 2.]
Maxton Hall Season 1 was a faithful adaptation of Mona Kasten’s Save Me, with only minor book-to-screen changes. Ruby (Harriet Herbig-Matten) and James’ (Damian Hardung) enemies-to-lovers, private school-set romance hit all of the major points that the book did, right up until its ending. The second season, on the other hand, surprised book readers from the get-go. Each new episode of Season 2 featured some notable deviations from the novel — especially the finale.
We couldn’t wait to find out what Ruby and James were in for, so we devoured Kasten’s sequel novel, Save You, as soon as it was translated from German to English. (You can check out Swooon‘s plot guide.) Almost right off the bat, we noticed that though it’s faithful to the essence of Kasten’s book, the Prime Video show took a different approach to quite a few characters and storylines, especially when it comes to James.
Keep reading for all the major book changes in Season 2. Let us know what you think of the book-to-screen adjustments that the show has made in the comments below! (Plus, be sure to enter our Maxton Hall giveaway. You could win signed copies of Save Me and Save You!)
Maxton Hall – The World Between Us, Season 2, Streaming Now, Prime Video
James' Car Crash
After his mother’s funeral in Episode 1, James’ car crash is a major catalyst for him realizing that he needs to change. In the show, when his dad (Fedja van Huêt) tells James that he’s nothing but a disappointment, James runs away from the gravesite, steals a car, and speeds away. Erratic, James tries to call Ruby, who doesn’t pick up, and he winds up flipping the car and going to the hospital.
In the book, no such thing happens. The scene ends with James and Lydia (played by Sonja Weißer in the show), supporting each other. James is reminded that he needs to be there for his sister, though he’s still pushing her away at that point. After the funeral, James decides to stop drinking on his own, and he starts excessively working out to cope and ignore his darker thoughts.
Aunt Ophelia's Involvement
Episode 1 also shakes things up by increasing Aunt Ophelia’s — the sister of the twins’ late mother — presence. In the show, Ophelia (Dagny Dewath) approaches her niece and nephew at the funeral. We find out that the twins thought Ophelia didn’t want anything to do with them, but she reveals that she wasn’t allowed to see them. Once Mortimer approaches and reams her out for being a “leech,” she snaps that the “leech” title actually belongs to him, and they’ll see how things shake out at the reading of Cordelia’s will.
From there on out, Ophelia continues to appear. When James crashes the car, it’s Ophelia who witnesses it and calls for an ambulance. At the hospital, she even has a heated interaction with Mortimer, revealing that Cordelia was in touch with her before her death. She’s going to keep an eye on James and Lydia from then on.
In the book, Lydia only spots Ophelia briefly at the funeral, but her dad steers her away before they can exchange words. James later tells Ruby that Mortimer won’t allow him or Lydia to reach out to their aunt, and that’s the last mention of her for the rest of the novel.
James' Therapy Journey
In Episode 2, one of James’ nurses gives him a therapist’s business card, which James eventually uses. Episode 3 opens with James talking to a professional about losing Ruby and revealing that he wants to change. He’s doing exactly what Ruby asked him to do in Episode 1: get help. He’s doing the work not only for himself, but for her.
In the book, James does take action to earn Ruby’s forgiveness, but therapy isn’t one of them. He doesn’t get any professional help before they get back together.
Gala Obstacles & Alice Campbell's Involvement
In the show, James takes action to get back into Ruby’s good graces by helping her raise money for a charity gala. Earlier, Ruby submitted a concept for the Campbell Foundation’s annual fundraiser, offering to throw it at Maxton Hall, and the Campbell Foundation accepted. The only downside? They have to come up with $40,000 to throw the event on school grounds. As a result, Ruby comes up with the idea to get artists to donate their works and auction them off to attendees, and she gets the majority of the money that way. James secures the rest through his connections.
In the book, they don’t have to raise any money at all. In fact, the school’s PTA gives them a “huge budget” to work with. The book’s gala also isn’t an event for Alice Campbell’s (played by Proschat Madani in the show) foundation. They’re raising money for a totally different mental health organization. Alice is involved in the gala, but it’s only because James gets her to sign on as a speaker, knowing that Ruby admires her.
Oh, and the ballroom isn’t destroyed by a fire like it is in the show. James and the lacrosse team do save the day when the decorators don’t arrive to help set up, though.
Mr. Sutton's Promotion
Similar to the show so far, Lydia keeps her pregnancy a secret from Mr. Sutton (Eidin Jalali), the teacher she had an affair with. They also cut contact for most of the story. One big change in the adaptation, however, is that Mr. Sutton is promoted to Maxton Hall’s Deputy Principal in Episode 3, which gives Lydia more reason to keep her distance from him.
James' Gala Speech
James’ grand gesture for Ruby comes in Episode 3, when he opens up to the gala crowd about his struggle with grief. Ruby gets emotional while James talks about how he pushed away the people he cares about (including the woman he loves), but now he’s ready to love again. His dad is in attendance, and he angrily takes James away before he and Ruby can exchange too many words.
As you probably already guessed, this scene doesn’t happen in the book. Since James doesn’t go on a therapy journey in the book, he doesn’t make any speech about working on himself once the gala occurs. However, James does have a pivotal conversation with Ruby there, explaining that she doesn’t need to forgive him or get back together with him. He tells her that he just wants her in his life, and they hug it out. It’s still a major turning point for them.
Elaine's White Party 'Picnic'
Episode 4 adds a few new elements to the story, including Elaine’s (Eli Riccardi) party. So far in the season, Elaine is putting up more of a fight for James than she ever did in Save You. Unlike the show, Elaine doesn’t invite Ruby to the party in an attempt to drug and sabotage her. Nor does James have his confrontation with Frederick Ellington (Basil Eidenbenz), Elaine’s brother, which leads to James publicly declaring that he and Ruby are together. Fredrick does exist and causes a little trouble in Save You, but he’s more annoying than antagonistic when he briefly appears at a hangout that Alistair (Justus Riesner) organized.
Alice's Scholarship Offer
While Ruby does get an offer to visit Alice’s London office in Save You, she doesn’t actually make it there before the end of the book. Episode 4, on the other hand, not only has Ruby and James go to the office, but Alice also grants Ruby a scholarship to Oxford and a part-time job at her foundation. Ruby’s pretty much on top of the world by the end of Episode 4, more so than she is at the same point in Save You. We won’t spoil the book’s cliffhanger ending just yet, but let’s just say that Episode 4 gives Ruby a lot more to lose.
Beaufort's Board Issues
There’s an increased focus on the Beaufort company in the show compared to the books. Since James never makes a speech at the gala in Save You, it doesn’t cause any issues for the business like it does in Episode 5.
Then, in Episode 6, James decides to skip out on a board meeting to play in a lacrosse game instead, deciding that showing up for Cyril is more important. Things go disastrously for Mortimer at the meeting: Elaine’s dad, the company’s main investor, pulls out. None of this happens in the book.
Mortimer Takes Ruby's Scholarship
Mortimer is definitely hell bent on destroying Ruby and her influence on his son in the book, but he doesn’t take away her scholarship like he does in Episode 5. Again, that’s because Ruby doesn’t get the Campbell scholarship in Save You. The show also deviates in that Ruby doesn’t have to chase down the mailman to hand him her scholarship exam application at the last second.
Lydia Tells Graham About Her Pregnancy
Like the book, Episode 5 has Lydia and Graham reconcile after spending time apart. But while Graham does proclaim that he wants to be with Lydia no matter the cost in Save You, Lydia doesn’t use the moment to tell him about her pregnancy. Instead, Cyril (Ben Felipe) stumbles across them and interrupts their conversation.
Cyril & Elaine's Photo of Lydia & Graham
Cyril does indeed find out about Lydia and Sutton’s relationship at the Midsummer Night’s Dream ball in the book, but it plays out much differently. Lydia notices Cyril watching them, and she has a whole conversation with him. The show makes it so that she has no idea Cyril knows about her secret affair. Episode 5 also ups the stakes by having Elaine (Eli Riccardi) see them, too. She also encourages Cyril to snap a photo, which he doesn’t do in the book. It’s bound to create more drama down the line.
Mortimer Gets Ruby's Mom Fired
Mortimer decides to keep blaming Ruby for his misfortunes. He doesn’t just stop at taking away Ruby’s scholarship — he gets Ruby’s mom fired from her bakery, too. Seriously, could he be more evil? In the book, Mortimer’s no saint, but he’s not quite so ruthless. It’s actually in Kasten’s third book that he threatens to get Ruby’s parents fired from their jobs, but he never gets around to it.
The Reading of Cordelia's Will
Cordelia’s will doesn’t come up until the third book, so Maxton Hall has moved this event up. It also changes some things about how it goes down in the book: Lydia and James don’t attend the reading of the will like they do in the show. Aunt Ophelia tells them about it later. They find out in Save Us that their mom left everything to Mortimer. None of them immediately clocks that it’s suspicious, so, unlike the show, they also don’t have the will contested.
Lydia & James Move Out
After the will reading in the show, James and Lydia pack their things and get away from Mortimer as fast as they can, leaving the Beaufort mansion for Cyril’s house. They don’t do that until the third book, and even then, it’s not really by choice. In Save You, Lydia tells her dad off for getting Sutton fired, and when he forbids her from seeing him again, she tells him about her pregnancy. In true Mortimer fashion, he kicks her out. Lydia lives at Aunt Ophelia’s house from then on. James stays at home to try to keep the peace, but when he can’t take it anymore, he moves into Ruby’s house.
Mortimer's Involvement with the Photo
In the book, it’s not Mortimer who sends the photo of Ruby and Sutton to the school board. By the end of Save You, we actually don’t know who sent the photos at all, though Ruby notices that the photo came in a folder with the Beaufort logo on it. The show instead makes it clear from the get-go that Mortimer’s the culprit. Before the finale, you’ll remember he snooped through James’ phone and found it there. In the book, someone else entirely is responsible: Cyril. That reveal comes in Save Us.
Oh, and another difference is that the photo was edited to make it look like Ruby and Sutton were kissing. In the show, the photo appears far more innocent, just showing them standing closely.
Ruby Doesn't Know James Took the Photo
In the final lines of the book, Cyril informs Ruby that James took the photo. Understandably, it rocks Ruby’s world and poses another challenge for the couple, though it isn’t addressed until the third book. The show doesn’t get to that, just having Ruby cry in James’ arms.
Sutton's Arrest
In the book, Sutton is merely fired from Maxton Hall when the photo comes to light, but the show has him leave the school in a police car. What does that mean for Lydia and Sutton’s romance? Is Sutton going to be put behind bars? We need answers! Season 3 needs to get here yesterday.
