Keeping 13

Boys of Tommen #2

by Chloe Walsh, Antona Simongiovanni (Translator)

TOMBER AMOUREUX ÉTAIT LA PARTIE LA PLUS FACILE.
C'EST L A SUITE, LE TEST...
Johnny Kavanagh a une vie différente depuis que sa blessure l'a mis sur la touche. Il n'a jamais rien connu sans son cher maillot floqué d'un 13. Par chance, une fille occupe ses pensées.

Shannon Lynch a toujours su garder les secrets. Elle sait que les hommes mal intentionnés n'existent pas seulement dans les contes ; ils sont bien réels. Elle essaie de s'en protéger, mais surtout d'épargner ses petits frères. Elle commence à redevenir celle qu'elle était avant, se cachant pour tenter de préserver les quelques bribes d'avenir qu'il lui reste. Un seul garçon peut la sortir de l'ombre dans laquelle elle se replie. Celui qui possède son coeur. Mais ce qu'elle ignore, c'est que des secrets sont sur le point d'être révélés et qu'ils pourraient changer des vies à jamais.

Shannon et Johnny parviendront-ils à survivre à l'incendie qui menace de ravager leurs coeurs ?


L'AUTRICE AUX 79 MILLIONS DE VUES SUR TIKTOK
LA SÉRIE AUX 132 MILLIONS D'ENGAGEMENTS SUR TIKTOK

Genres: Romance, Sports Romance, Sports, Contemporary, Young Adult, Friends To Lovers, Contemporary Romance

949 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 29, 2018

About the author

Chloe Walsh is the NYT and USA Today bestselling author of The Boys of Tommen series, which exploded in popularity on TikTok, Goodreads, and Amazon. She has been writing and publishing New Adult and Adult contemporary romance for mature audiences for over a decade. Her Tommen series has been translated into multiple languages around the world, finding bestselling success in several countries. Chloe focuses heavily on the mental health dynamics of her characters, shining a light on important, real-life topics that are close to her heart. Heavily influenced by her own real life experiences, she pens tearjerking, and often harrowing narratives, giving another perspective to, often, unspoken everyday issues. Chloe hails from West Cork, Ireland, where she continues to reside with her family.

Represented by Caitlin Mahony of WME - for business queries contact: cma@wmeagency.com

Reviews

[kendyl ʚ♡⃛ɞ (hiatus) · Rating 5 out of 5]

shannon and johnny…you will always be loved very deeply by me. i will forever cherish my reviews for binding/keeping because rereading them and remembering all the feelings i felt the very first time i read these books is so beautiful.

∞ 𝙖𝙜𝙤𝙣𝙞𝙯𝙞𝙣𝙜 ★’s

⁀➷ ❝𝒎𝒚 𝒃𝒊𝒏𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈 13,❞ 𝒔𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒏𝒐𝒏 𝒔𝒎𝒊𝒍𝒆𝒅. ❝𝒏𝒐𝒘 𝒊’𝒎 𝒌𝒆𝒆𝒑𝒊𝒏𝒈 13.❞

the title drop>>>>>
my heart goes boom🥺

°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･

𝓼𝓹𝓸𝓲𝓵𝓮𝓻 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝓮 𝓻𝓮𝓿𝓲𝓮𝔀

”i don’t want easy, i want you. just the way you are. every part and every piece.”
”even the broken parts?”
he winked. “especially the broken parts.”

i’ll be happily suffering from shannonjohnny brainrot for the rest of my life. these books have altered my brain chemistry in a way no other book has and i fear no other book ever will. the emotional depth this series already has within the first two books is incredible. there’s nothing i love more than having a deeply emotional experience while reading. it’s why i fell in love with reading and this series is delivering that experience with full force. my heart physically hurts thinking about what’s to come, but i couldn’t be more excited to continue simply because as heartbreaking as these books are, they’re very healing at the same time. binding and keeping 13 are absolute masterpieces. i’m so sad that i won’t be reading johnny and shannon’s pov anymore. it’s a very bittersweet moment, but i can’t wait to eat up all the breadcrumbs of them in the upcoming books🤭

°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･

❥ 𝓅𝓁𝒶𝓎𝓁𝒾𝓈𝓉:
- 𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙗𝙮 𝙘𝙝𝙧𝙞𝙨 𝙗𝙧𝙤𝙬𝙣
- 𝙝𝙪𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙧 𝙗𝙮 𝙧𝙤𝙨𝙨 𝙘𝙤𝙥𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙢𝙖𝙣
- 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙞 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙣𝙚𝙚𝙙 𝙗𝙮 𝙖𝙪𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙣 𝙢𝙖𝙝𝙤𝙣𝙚
- 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙞 𝙡𝙤𝙤𝙠 𝙖𝙩 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙗𝙮 𝙢𝙞𝙡𝙚𝙮 𝙘𝙮𝙧𝙪𝙨
- 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙢𝙚 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙙𝙤 𝙗𝙮 𝙚𝙡𝙡𝙞𝙚 𝙜𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜
- 𝙤𝙘𝙚𝙖𝙣 𝙗𝙮 𝙢𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙞𝙣 𝙜𝙖𝙧𝙧𝙞𝙭 𝙛𝙩. 𝙠𝙝𝙖𝙡𝙞𝙙
- 𝙮𝙚𝙡𝙡𝙤𝙬 𝙗𝙮 𝙘𝙤𝙡𝙙𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙮

❥ 𝓂𝓎 𝓉𝒽𝑜𝓊𝑔𝒽𝓉𝓈:
this book is a RIDE. an emotional rollercoaster that i never wanted to get off of. it feels like my mind is empty because my emotions have completely taken over. i was in no way prepared for this book to be heavier than the first. the first three chapters ALONE were heavier than the entire first book😭i wish i was lying. i could barely get through it and to think i’m going to have to relive that in another character’s pov makes me so fucking sick. i can’t believe i went so long without reading these books. i can’t imagine myself not knowing these precious characters and their stories. i hope i find this series in every single life time.

❥ 𝓅𝓁𝑜𝓉:
i gave a plot summary in my review for binding 13. since this is the second book, i’m not going to say as much about it. there was a cliffhanger at the end of book 1 and book 2 just throws you straight into it. i really want to stress how heavy the topics are. my heart aches and i’ve never cried sm. also the ANXIETY? i’ve never had to set a book down and take breaks as much as i had to with this one, but that’s really just the power of a good book. i love it. i’m a masochist. painful books are my favorite. i need therapy😀

❥ 𝓌𝓇𝒾𝓉𝒾𝓃𝑔/𝓅𝒶𝒸𝒾𝓃𝑔:
the way chloe wrote these heavy topics…so raw and so real, giving you a very painfully detailed picture of what these characters go through. it’s such a talent. a talent i wish i had. i love the writing style. these books are very long, but it truly doesn’t feel like it and i find myself wishing that the books were longer. if you know how to write a good book, i don’t care how long it is…GIMME😩

°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･

”what do you need from me, shannon?” he croaked out, voice thick and husky. “i’ll give you anything you need, baby.” shaking his head, he groaned like he was in pain. “i just…i want to make you happy.”
”you,” i whispered. “all of you.”
”i’m already yours,” he groaned, before covering my lips with his.
╰┈➤their love could move mountains.

❥ 𝒿𝑜𝒽𝓃𝓃𝓎 𝓀𝒶𝓋𝒶𝓃𝒶𝑔𝒽

⁀➷ ❝i don’t know where that strength comes from, but it’s so humbling. i don’t even have the words to tell you how fucking incredible you are, shannon lynch.❞

i didn’t know that it was possible to fall even more in love with johnny kavanagh, but that’s exactly what happened. all men need to read about him and take notes, i’m so serious😭i absolutely love how johnny puts his very all into every single thing he does. he works so hard for his future as a rugby player, but at the same time he shows up for the people he cares about. he’s a man that doesn’t have a lot of time to spare, but makes time when he is needed. i can’t get over how good of a person he is🥺

❥ 𝓈𝒽𝒶𝓃𝓃𝑜𝓃 𝓁𝓎𝓃𝒸𝒽

⁀➷ ❝i’m here for johnny the boy. not johnny the rugby player. i’ll stay for both, but i’m only in love with one.❞

her character development omg, thinking about it makes me wanna cry for HOURS. she’s so special to me and seeing her come out of her shell was the most beautiful thing. she found her voice and i couldn’t be more proud of her🥹no matter what she’s going through, she still manages to be there for the people who need her. she’s so incredibly strong and i can’t stress that enough. i don’t know how i’d handle it if i were her. i’d completely shut down. but shannon? she keeps going. she pushes through everything. i love her so much😔

❥ 𝓇𝑜𝓂𝒶𝓃𝒸𝑒:

╭──────༺♡༻──────╮
𝒏𝒐𝒘 𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒚𝒊𝒏𝒈:
𝒔𝒂𝒚 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒘𝒐𝒏’𝒕 𝒍𝒆𝒕 𝒈𝒐 𝒃𝒚 𝒋𝒂𝒎𝒆𝒔 𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒉𝒖𝒓
2:04 ──────|─── 3:32
↻ ◁ 𝕀𝕀 ▷ ↺
𝒗𝒐𝒍𝒖𝒎𝒆: ■■■■■□□□
╰──────༺♡༻──────╯

”you make me feel like i’m enough as i am.”
”you are enough,” i breathed, wrapping my hand around his neck. “just as you are right now.”
╰┈➤the song choice paired with this moment was too perfect😩

seeing their relationship blossom was everything. it’s so hard to believe that they’re just teenagers because of their maturity level. the way they communicate and make decisions together based on what they want their future to look like is just mwah mwah mwah, chef’s kiss! what johnny and shannon have is true love and i felt it so deeply while reading about them🥹i loved watching them navigate through life together. shannon was going through such a pivotal moment in her life, but was still pushing johnny to chase his dreams. she’s so selfless because as much as she needed him, she couldn’t take one of the biggest parts of his life away. they’re absolute perfection. the standard. this is the type of relationship you should want and the type of relationship that i’m proud to have in real life<3

❝𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒔𝒎𝒆𝒍𝒍 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝒉𝒐𝒎𝒆.❞
❝𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒉𝒐𝒎𝒆.❞

❥ 𝓈𝒾𝒹𝑒 𝒸𝒽𝒶𝓇𝒶𝒸𝓉𝑒𝓇𝓈:
i’m eating the found family trope up. it’s TOO good.

➸ edel & john kavanagh:
JOHNNY’S PARENTS!?!? they stand on business. they’re literally my favorite people ever oh my god😭it’s no wonder why johnny kavanagh is so perfect…he’s literally the son of two saints. protect this family at all costs. it’s the way i want a book with their pov so bad😩

➸ tadgh, ollie, & sean lynch:
shannon and joey’s little brothers are the cutest i can’t. tadgh is so funny and his banter with gibsie had me on the floor. ollie is the sweetest boy. him calling edel, “dellie”, is the cutest fucking thing. AND SEAN????? oh my god. i’m pretty sure he’s 3 years old and the way he says that johnny is “my onny” had me screaming and crying into my pillow. i can’t. they’re so precious and every moment involving them had me like🥺🥹

➸ joey lynch:
his pov in his two books WILL kill me. i literally won’t survive.

➸ aoife molloy:
i can’t wait for her pov because i already love her so much. her beating the shit out of bella was my one of my favorite scenes LMAOO what a queen.

➸ gerard gibson:
remember when i said that him and his humor carried my happiness so that it didn’t get left behind? well that’s still true…except the things i learned about him in this book just tells me that his book will also ruin me because i guess this entire series is just going to be incredibly painful😃

➸ claire biggs:
she’s the sweetest ever and i’m itching to get to her book with gibsie because i need to know more about them as a pair and about her as an individual.

➸ hughie biggs:
i’m so curious about him. he has to have a book right? someone please confirm and tell me he does because there’s just something about him that has me like👀

➸ patrick feely:
he’s a SINGER and can play the guitar. that’s what i learned about him. i also sense something between him and lizzie? IDK? but he’s nice to her in moments where she doesn’t deserve it.

➸ lizzie young:
as of right now, i hate her. i know i’m going to eat my words later on if she happens to get a book because there’s something going on with her that i know nothing about and surely chloe walsh is going to write a book about her to explain…right!?

°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･

❥ 𝓂𝑜𝓂𝑒𝓃𝓉𝓈 𝑒𝓂𝒷𝑒𝒹𝒹𝑒𝒹 𝒾𝓃𝓉𝑜 𝓂𝓎 𝓂𝒾𝓃𝒹:

”how are you feeling…about me?”
her eyes widened. “about you?”
”yeah.” i swallowed. “about me.”
shannon was silent for so long that i was afraid she wasn’t going to answer me but then she started to speak. “sometimes i feel like i’m stranded, like i’m stuck in the same place and i’m drowning.” clasping her hands together, she continued to speak, to gut me with her truth. “it’s like i’m watching the water rising, and it’s coming higher and higher. i can see it closing in on me, taking me under.” shivering, she bit down on her lip. “it’s terrifying.”
”i bet,” i replied gruffly, trailing my fingertips up and down her jean-clad knee, unsure of what else to say and terrified of saying the wrong thing.
”and then you walk in and it recedes.” tipping her chin up, she looked me dead in the eyes and exhaled a shaky breath. “you show up and all the bad just…goes away for a little while.”
i could feel her eyes on me, and it caused a slow burn to ignite inside of me. my skin was hot, my body coiled tight with frustration and excitement. i was so fucked.
”that’s how you make me feel,” she whispered, blue eye burning their way right down to my soul. “better. alive. free. safe. important. i feel like i can breathe for the first time in days, and that’s only because you’re here—because i’m with you.”
╰┈➤this fucked me up. took the air straight from my lungs in one fell swoop.

”i’m on your team,” he added huskily. “do you get that? i’m totally with you, shannon lynch. one call, that’s all you need to make, and i’ll come. i won’t let you down, and i won’t leave you alone in this. i promise.”
”it’s just weird for me because i’ve never had someone in my corner before.” shivering, i added, “not someone like you.”
”i’m not in your corner, shannon,” johnny replied in a gruff tone. “i’m standing right beside you.”
╰┈➤the amount of times my heart has skipped a beat because of this man cannot be healthy. AM I OKAY?😭

she was crying hard against my chest. she was bleeding through her tears. releasing pain and angst, devastation and fear, and i wanted to save her from it all. her tears rained down on me, drowning me right along with her, and that was the exact moment i felt the shift, the switch from this being something sweet and innocent to something deeply complicated with a hint of forever.
i was in so much fucking trouble.
╰┈➤A HINT OF FOREVER😭😭literally shut up, i was crying so hard omg.

”closer,” i begged, rolling onto my side. “i need you.”
his arm came around me, pulling my back flush against his bare chest before settling his hand against my lower belly. “i’m right here, baby.”
”i love you, johnny kavanagh,” i choked out, clenching my eyes shut as i grabbed his arm and held it to my chest. “most in the world.”
”i love you back, shannon lynch,” he said quietly in my ear and i felt the connection i had to him in the deepest part of my soul. “most on the world.”
”for keeps?” i breathed.
he kissed my shoulder. “for keeps.”
╰┈➤i felt their connection in the deepest part of my soul too🥺

for the final song of their set, the band started to play “hear you me”.
i listened to the lyrics, feeling that familiar surge of sadness swell up inside of me at the thought of my mother. a tear fell onto my cheek as i sang softly to myself. the feel of johnny’s hand squeezing my thigh drew my attention back to him. ”i love you,” he mouthed, craning his neck to look up at me.
sniffling, i mouthed, ”i love you, too.”
keeping his eyes on mine, he continued to mouth the words of the song, swaying us gently to the music. stroking his cheek, i leaned down and pressed my lips to his, not an easy feat given that i was sitting on his shoulders, but i had to kiss him. i just had to. the hand johnny had on my thigh moved to cup the back of my head as he kissed me back, right there in the middle of a field, surrounded by sixty thousand people and jimmy eat world singing to us.
╰┈➤this moment had me in shambles. it still does. jimmy eat world?!? HEAR YOU ME!? i can’t😭

❥ 𝒻𝒶𝓋𝑜𝓇𝒾𝓉𝑒 𝓆𝓊𝑜𝓉𝑒𝓈:
➛ ❝the very first day you walked into my life, you changed me. that very first time i saw you? you sparked to life something inside of me and i haven’t been the same since.❞
➛ ❝i already told you, i need you for keeps. there’s no expiration date between us.❞
➛ ❝you’re my everything.❞
➛ ❝my whole heart’s inside of ya.❞
➛ ❝there’s no one else on this planet who deserves a reprieve from pain more than you, baby.❞
➛ ❝i like you because you’re you, shannon. i’ve never met another girl as kind, and caring, and trustworthy, and loyal as you. and beautiful. jesus christ, you are so fucking beautiful that it’s painful to look at you. i’ve never seen anything like you in my life.❞
➛ ❝i like your trouble. i want your trouble and your complications and everything else that comes with you. i want you.❞
➛ i physically craved johnny kavanagh to the point where i wanted to crawl into him and stay there forever. she’s so real for this because same😩

°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･

❥ 𝒷𝑜𝓃𝓊𝓈 𝒸𝑜𝓃𝓉𝑒𝓃𝓉:
spicy kavanagh is just one of the many versions i love about him…

"i promise i'll make you feel good."
"fuck, you're so wet, baby."
"shh, just ride it out."

"you look good on my bed." clamping his hands on my thighs, he dragged my body closer, groaning loudly when we connected. "on your back," he added, hovering above me, "with me between your legs," before sealing his lips to mine.

smirking, he said, “je veux lécher la chatte de ma copine.”
i frowned. ”what?”
johnny grinned deviously. “i said, je veux être à l’intérieur de toi.”
i scrunched my nose up. “you know i’m terrible at french.”
”i’m counting on it.” he laughed as he sauntered off. “see you tonight, baby.”

when he’s a golden retriever with a dirty mouth>>>>>>
i’m entirely unwell. i knew he’d be the type to talk her through it. him talking dirty to her in french…when i translated that on google omg. i’ll let y’all translate it yourselves and experience it that way😏he’s so hot.

°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･

i love these books.

❝𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆, 𝒂 𝒄𝒓𝒂𝒛𝒚 𝒇𝒖𝒄𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒎𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒕.❞

[maria · Rating 1 out of 5]

1.50 ✰

This won the most glazed book competition.

If you really love this book to the point of it being your obsession then I suggest you either don’t read my review or take it with a grain of salt. I know that a lot of people loved this book but I have to express myself and break my silence. also please don’t unfriend me if you keep reading and disagree with me. I promise I’m enjoying the rest of the series

.ೃ࿐there could be some spoilers mentioned in this review‼️

I have to be honest—I was really enjoying the beginning of this book. And by ‘beginning,’ I mean the first 150 pages, because let’s be real, this book is ridiculously long for absolutely no reason. Then, somewhere after that point, everything just went downhill. (And to all the people who say, 'You’re going to wish these books were longer'—yeah, no. You’re all lying.)

The only truly redeeming part of this entire book was Joey Lynch. I swear, his character is hands down the best in the whole series. Every emotion I actually felt while reading came from scenes involving him. I don’t know what it is about that broken boy, but he completely stole my heart from the very first book and hasn’t let go since. His storyline had depth and actual impact—something I felt the rest of the book was seriously lacking

➽ Now with the negative

No character growth at all.

Coming into this book, I genuinely expected to see some real development from Shannon. I was hoping to witness her journey of self-discovery, maturity, and maybe even some emotional healing. But instead, all I got was her discovering what it feels like to be constantly horny and wanting to dry hump Johnny 24/7. That’s it. That was the extent of her “growth.” It was frustrating, because there was so much potential for depth and meaningful progression—but it was completely overshadowed by her obsession with Johnny and their physical attraction.

. . . ⇢ ˗ˏˋ [over sexualizing] ࿐ྂ

I need to have a serious conversation with whoever thought it was a good idea to label these books as YA, because there is absolutely nothing “young adult” about them—unless your definition of that genre is just teenagers who are incapable of thinking about anything other than sex. These characters don’t develop, reflect, or grow. They just exist to sexualize literally everything around them. They think about sex, talk about sex, joke about sex, breathe sex—it’s insufferable. And no, I’m not just complaining about Shannon and Johnny’s never-ending dry humping sessions (although those alone deserve their own rant). I’m talking about how every single character feels the need to throw in something sexual in literally every conversation. It’s not edgy, it’s not realistic—it’s exhausting. Give me a break.

➸ I get it, sex is a normal part of life, and yes, teenagers talk about it. But this? This isn’t just casual teenage curiosity or banter. This is an obsession. It’s like none of these characters know how to exist without making everything they touch, see, or say somehow sexual. It’s honestly a miracle they didn’t start moaning about the weather or sexualizing the damn oxygen in the room.

And let’s not ignore the most unsettling part: this was written by a grown adult. A grown ass woman decided that the best way to portray teenage life was through constant, over-the-top sexual dialogue. It’s not just weird—it’s disturbing. And what’s even more frustrating is that barely anyone is talking about how inappropriate this actually is. It’s not bold or relatable. It’s gross.

im aware that this book is set in a totally different culture than mine so probably that’s the reason why I feel this way

. . . ⇢ ˗ˏˋ [codependency] ࿐ྂ

Maybe I’m taking this book too seriously but the level of codependency between Shannon and Johnny is insane. These two don’t just love each other—they act like they physically cannot exist without being in the same room at all times. It’s not romantic. It’s not sweet. It’s suffocating.
They can’t go a minute without spiraling if the other isn’t glued to their side. The second one of them is out of sight, it’s full emotional collapse—as if the world is ending. Shannon doesn’t just love Johnny, she behaves like she doesn’t know how to function without him. And yeah, I get it—he “saved” her or whatever—but that doesn’t make this dynamic healthy. In fact, it’s borderline disturbing.

It’s giving “we probably pee together just to make sure we don’t lose sight of each other” energy. And the worst part? The book treats this behavior like it’s the ultimate standard of love—as if being emotionally fused to another person is the goal. No. It’s not romantic. It’s a red flag.

. . . ⇢ ˗ˏˋ [the writing] ࿐ྂ

The writing was atrocious. Terrible. Horrible. Straight-up ass. It was repetitive to the point of madness—like copy-pasting the same three scenes and emotions on a loop for 600 pages. The entire book felt like déjà vu on steroids. Every chapter bled into the next with the same tired lines, the same drama, the same recycled dialogue. And look, I get that people have different tastes. I really do. But calling this a masterpiece? Be serious. I’m genuinely confused—are we reading the same book? Because there was nothing masterful about this writing.

The whole book was:

“Hi Johnny”
“Hi Shannon”
“You are so small”
“And you are so big like a monster🥹🥹”
“Shannon you are like the river”
“I love you Johnny”
“I love you too my little Shannon like the river”

EVERY SINGLE PAGE. FOR THE LOVE OF GOD STOP THIS MADNESS.

➸ Keeping 13 is what happens when you confuse word count with storytelling. I kept turning pages thinking, surely something's going to happen soon—spoiler: nothing ever did. It’s like Chloe put words on a page and hoped they’d form a story by sheer luck.


. . . ⇢ ˗ˏˋ [characters] ࿐ྂ

Johnny

If you know me you already know I hate Johnny.

If Johnny were the last man to exist in earth I would prefer to kill myself before dating him. No one hates Johnny more than me. I’m his hater #1. I genuinely tried to understand the hype. I really did. I wanted to see what made everyone fall head over heels for this guy. But every page just made my blood boil more. I can’t stand him—his anger issues, his savior complex, his moody little tantrums, his entire existence.

➸ And don’t even get me started on the rugby. Supposedly, that’s his entire identity—his thing. But does he play? No. I get that he’s injured, but when he finally gets a golden opportunity, he straight up refuses it just to stay with Shannon. Like… why were you so melodramatically obsessed with your “I’ll never play again” sob story and with your dick in the first book if you were going to throw it all away for a girl anyway? Make it make sense.

Also why is this boy roaring like a wild animal every two sentences? Is he a boyfriend or a malfunctioning zoo exhibit?

Some fans being like “I can’t believe I’m never going to find my own Johnny Kavanagh🥺”
THANKS GOD FOR THAT, may a guy like Johnny NEVER finds me🙏🏻


shannon

what did they do to her in this book? In the first one, Shannon had potential. I actually liked her. She wasn’t perfect, but there was something there—a spark, a foundation for growth. But then this book came along and turned her into a walking thirst trap with no thoughts beyond Johnny’s body. Chloe really said, “Let’s turn her into a horny dog,” and ran with it. And for what?

➸ Her entire POV was just one long monologue about how badly she wanted to jump Johnny’s bones. That’s it. That’s all she had to offer. There was no emotional development, no internal strength building, no journey toward healing. I was hoping—needing—to see her grow mentally, become more confident, maybe even start therapy. You know, something realistic for someone who’s been through serious trauma.
But nope. According to this book, all she needed was to cling to a guy like her life depended on it. Trauma? Fixed with abs. PTSD? Just hang off Johnny’s arm a little harder. It’s insulting, honestly. Reducing her entire arc to sexual obsession doesn’t just ruin her character—it completely erases the weight of what she went through. She deserved better.


shannon and Johnny

Boring, yawning, sloppy… lazy.

They gave nothing, they are such a superficial couple. I don’t understand why everyone acts like these two invented romance. Like they’re the peak of love and devotion. Be serious. I’m not even being dramatic when I say I’m shedding actual tears of pain writing this, because I dislike them that much.

➸ I also hated that Johnny was constantly commenting on how small Shannon is, how she looks younger than her age—and then, not two seconds later, he’s going on about how hard he is for her and how he needs to fuck her because he’s in “beast mode”🧍🏻‍♀️ I’m traumatized by these characters.


The whole chapter of Shannon and the razors was uncomfortable asf

"My poor pussy," Johnny said with a sigh as he sank down on the bed beside me.
"You're a butcher."
Exhaling a strangled sob, I fell onto my back. "It hurts."
Mirroring my actions, Johnny flopped down on his back beside me. "I know, baby” He placed a hand on my thigh and gave me a reassuring squeeze. "But it will grow back.
"How long do you think that takes?"
He twisted to face me. "Do you want me to shave my balls?"
"What?" I gaped at him. "No!"
"Then stop asking me about something I have no clue about" he shot back.

Their first time

"Yeah...so, this is my dick" I stated and then mentally kicked the shite out of myself for saying something so fucking stupid. Like I needed to label a cock and balls. Jesus Christ.
"Yep." Shannon blew out a shaky breath and sat all the way up. "That's your dick, alright." I held my breath as she reached out and stroked a finger over the head, and of course my dick jerked and twitched from the contact. "It moved." Her gaze flicked up to meet mine. "By itself""
"You're encouraging it," I choked out, feeling weak at the knees as I took a step closer. "Touch it and it's going to get all kinds of fucking notions."

I don’t even know what to say

. . . ⇢ ˗ˏˋ [side characters] ࿐ྂ

I like Katie, Patrick, Joey, Aoife and Claire in this book.

gibsie

the biggest loss for me, I hated him in this book. I know that he has his trauma, I already spoiled myself the whole series. But why is he always sexualizing everything in the weirdest way possible. I’m really disgusted by his character in this book, his jokes are horrible, the way he talks about Johnny’s mom (or every character atp).

On top of all, why was he talking about Shannon’s panties and bra size🕴️



overall:deeply regretting my choice of not dnfing this book (I might hate it more than I should because it put me in the worst slump ever)




ᝰ.ᐟ pre-read: ᯓᡣ𐭩୭˚.

I wasn’t planning to read this right away but I need to after the way binding 13 ended😭

[Marianna Moore · Rating 5 out of 5]

REREAD: there are simply not enough stars on the planet to rate this book. This everything to me. I cried quite literally the entire time. The reread is even better and I stand by that but god it hurts so much more, especially after having Joeys POV, I’m sick. Johnny and Shannon are my babies, god they squeeze my heart. I actually never want to read anything else other than this series despite being so deeply emotionally affected by it. Like I actually can’t function normally. It’s all I think about. IM TERRIFIED for saving/redeeming 6…. Guys wish me luck and send prayers, idk if I’ll make it out alive. But Joey Lynch is my everything so here’s goes nothing.

“For keeps”
“I love you most in the world”
“I love you Shannon like the river”
“My whole hearts inside of ya.”

—————————————————————————

♾️⭐️!!!
I finished this an hour ago and cannot stop crying because I’m DEVASTATED that I’ll never read about Shannon and Johnny again!!!

I simply cannot even explain what this book did to me. It is now permanently engrained in my soul and I will never be the same in the best way.

THE FOUND FAMILY!!!! Simply nothing will top the characters and their relationships and connections in this series. I felt so emotionally connected to them and could read about them and interactions all fucking day. Like honestly give me a Gibsy and Johnny banter novella please. I laughed so hard, I BALLED my eyes out, I felt their love and heartache. Perfection perfection perfection.

Seeing Johnny and Shannon grow so much in their relationship and tackle life and the world together was everything I needed. Shannon’s development in this book made me so proud of her, she deserves the world. I adored the trust her and Johnny have in each other and their relationship as they went through hell and back together. I’m sobbing just thinking about how my babies story has come to a close…. I want to read about them FOREVER!

I really cannot even put into words what this book did to me. I had so much fun but was in so much pain. I felt like I was going through all the shit with them and I felt the love oozing from ever page!!!

[len ❀ · Rating 4 out of 5]

i read this in exactly 11 hours

that’s my flex now

i really said “fuck sleep” cause i haven’t slept in 2 days 🤪

[Rachel Catherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.75 ⭐️ !! these characters are living rent free in my head

[Emmy Rosam · Rating 5 out of 5]

I fear I will never be the same again

[maya · Rating 1 out of 5]

fuck this book, honestly. my disappointment is immeasurable and my day is ruined 😔

The beginning of this book was so good! I was literally so hooked and invested, looking forward to where Chloe Walsh was going to take us, and hoping and praying that it would be to great places so I could see what the hype was all about.

Well, she definitely took us somewhere. And that was, in circles.

If you ask me, I don't know her personally, but I think she lets all the intrusive thoughts in her head win and includes everything in the book except stuff that is actually necessary (read: character development, bonding moments, good dialogue). And she loves going in circles! You won't believe the number of times certain scenes are repeated in this book - truly blew my mind.

I'll just mention all the positives first because there's just one: Joey Lynch. Being an older sister with a somewhat dysfunctional family, I understood him on an astronomical level. He was the only character that honestly got any kind of an emotional reaction from me. I could feel his pain, and multiple times I just wanted to get into the book and physically hug him 🥹

Now the negatives. Oh boy, here we go:

1. I do not appreciate it when you give me a book that's 900+ pages long, and the characters don't have any sort of development or growth: I so badly wanted to see Shannon grow as a person and come out of her shell. I wanted to see her go to counseling (no idc if she's broke, she goes to a private institution, and I bet they have counselors). I wanted to see her handle her anxiety. I wanted to see what interests her. But all I got was her being horny, and her codependency on Johnny. She's still the damsel in distress she was in the first book. Yes, getting almost killed made her talk back to her brother, and mother, but it doesn't help her in any way. They get into the same 'johnny' argument multiple times throughout the book. Not once did she learn how to fight back for herself. All the 'killing them with kindness' at the end was a load of bs, I honestly rolled my eyes so hard at that. Even Shannon's mother had a lot of scope for improvement, but we got nothing.

2. Johnny: Just where do I start? What intrigued me the most about him was his dedication towards rugby in the first book (although we got a fat load of tell and no show there). Here, it all goes down the drain because he has a girlfriend, like seriously? We don't get to see his academy evaluation that he was freaking out about for the entirety of the last book. We get barely one or two paragraphs worth details of his first televised match. He isn't even fucking happy when he achieves something he has been working hard for the past 12 years of his life. Doesn't even crack a smile. Why? Because he's worried about 'leaving shannon behind.' Like, seriously, what the actual fuck?

3. The romance: *disappointed sigh* I was not rooting for them as a couple. They seriously gave me nothing except exaggerated love confessions that weirded me out because I really did not see where and how the hell had they fallen in love. They were also codependent as hell. Once they got together, almost every single interaction ended up with them entangled with each other, racing off to hornytown. Half of the book was them kissing -> shannon being max horny -> johnny saying it was a bad idea -> them getting cockblocked in the middle of it -> repeat (I'M NOT KIDDING, this exact scene happened like 4/5 times). And their first time, such a cliché scene, honestly made me feel bad for shannon because ain't no way they're convincing me he's experienced in bed with the way that was written. Moreover, I did not need so many explicitly written smut scenes between two teenagers.

4. The side characters: I loved Johnny's parents and Gibsie-Claire so much in the last book, I was seriously looking forward to seeing all their interactions. I'll just repeat anmol's words, because she put it perfectly - almost every single side character in this book was either a comic relief or a cockblocker or somebody who was against johnnyxshannon. That's it.

5. The dialogue: Oh my god, you will not fucking believe this. Almost every. single. conversation in this book revolved around sex. Johnny and shannon are constantly horny. Johnny and Gibsie are always talking about johnny getting the 'hole' (Which, yikes). Claire wants to know all the details of their sex life. We have multiple conversations where johnny's parents after his dick, or his sex life, and preaching to him and shannon about how they shouldn't have sex at such a young age and all that nonsense. We get a scene of his parents fucking too, and they're just talking with the kids while being half-naked. We get a condom shopping scene. We get Shannon's BABY brothers talking about shannon and johnny shoving tongues in each others mouths, or him being allowed to touch her boobs. We get darren telling shannon to not have sex. We get shannon's mom screaming about how johnny is a r/pist to want to have sex with her minor daughter. We get an elaborate discussion about gibsie's dick, just after the fucking funeral scene. When johnny's drunk he's talking about his dick. Like I think I've made my point. But seriously, that's all everybody talked about in this book, and it frustrated me to NO END!

6. Appearance: The way they talked about each other's physical appearance was borderline disturbing at some points.

She's so small, Gibs. And she's only sixteen.

I was painfully aware of the sheer size of him. I was so small in his arms. I was breakable to this boy and it was a troubling thought.

He was big and strong and dangerously powerful. Given the chance, he could do some serious physical damage to my body.

Yeah, no. I don't like this 😬

7. The hero complex: Seriously, everyfuckingbody in the Kavanagh household has a huge hero complex, and I was not here for it. Johnny multiple times takes the blame on himself and burdens himself with guilt when it's not fucking necessary, and nobody is blaming him at all and he's not going to get into trouble, it's just overdramatic and gave me headaches like the scene where he just took her brothers out to feed them and was acting as if he had kidnapped them, wtf was that 😭🙏🏻

8. Sob-stories: The way everybody in this book suddenly has a traumatic past or a story that we're just shown a 'hint' of riled me up. Multiple unnecessary conflicts happened at the end of the book, and situations where you just cannot justify what the characters were doing took place so we got those 'hints' for their books, and it really tested my patience.

9. Shannon: I know I've talked about her, but I think what gets overlooked is how selfish her character is, and I despised her sometimes.

I didn't understand why he had to leave, and I didn't want him to go, but he had signed the paperwork himself just before he stopped talking. He wanted to leave, and I was terrified of Monday coming, because I honestly didn't know how I was going to survive all of this without him.

Her brother is going through addiction problems, but all she can think about is herself? Like girl bffr? Multiple times throughout the book, she sees how much joey is wronged and the mental damage he goes through from just being near their mother, but she faults him for leaving. Meanwhile, she isn't making any such choices for her younger brothers, nope. talking about the scene where her dad is back and she's running away and tells johnny to leave her brothers be in the house and not cause trouble 🙂

I have much more to ramble about, but this is getting super long, and I just don't have the energy. Safe to say, nobody could pay me enough to read any of this author's books ever again.

I know I'm all over the place here so you should read her review instead. It's much better, I promise.

also, anmol, words cannot express how amazing I think you are 💘
--
buddy reading with my wangxian twin, wouldn't have continued this series if not for her

pleasebegoodpleasebegoodpleasebegood 😭

[Clace · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.85!

“For keeps?” I breathed.
He kissed my shoulder. “For keeps.”

In terms of writing this was so much better than binding 13 but in terms of story and pacing? Im afraid it was not (imo) I just feel like this could have been 200-300 pages shorter?? because this book followed a repetitive nature, it had no reason being like that except for its page count. See, with book 1 you at least were engrossed in the story because you wanted to know what would happen but I didnt really have that feeling when it came to this book. The same dialogues were being thrown around, Johnny was more about Shannon and his whole athletic part went away until the last parts. Shannon's story dragged as it went on as well, like the start was so good and by start I mean the first 250 pages and last 150-200 pages were really good as well but that middle?? sucked so fucking bad. I am still giving it a higher rating because I enjoyed most of this book especially the start with how things picked up right where they left off in b13 and in the end when shit went down but, for a second book for Shannon and Johnny....they felt pretty dull.

Shannon and Johnnyin terms of them as individual characters, I wanted more development on Shannon's part because tbh all the she did was talk back to her mother and Darren, and in a way I think this does contribute to character development because at least she was doing something but I wanted more. To sum it up she talks back (ok good for her) thinks about Johnny and whenever she's around him it's sex, sex and sex although I would admit how well her emotions were described and how the ptsd was shown through her point of view, I just wanted more of her overcoming it and one thing I specifically wanted was the confrontation with Bella which we did got but it was so diluted like actually so diluted smh atp. Johnny im a little conflicted because there were parts that I enjoyed so much and others were so disappointing, the disappointing one would be hi being consumed by the thoughts of Shannon like Shannon this and Shannon that and I love down bad MMC's but 900 pages is too much. I loved how Johnny treated Shannon's siblings, I loved their scenes so much and I liked how muchh cared for Shannon but I really wanted him to focus on his game as well. It was conflicting but I enjoyed it nonetheless. Them together were cute and I did understand the smut scenes like come on we literally spent a whole 800 paged book with slow burn seeping off it and even here it didnt really happen until 350 pages through but I liked their moments together. They were cute<33

The side characters are who took the spotlight!! Claire, Lizzie, Gibsie, Hughie, Feely, Joey and Aoife, Mama Kavs and Papa Kavs. I love them sm. I actually ship Hughie and Katie and Lizzie with Feely so there better not be a cheating switch tropes or im literally gonna riot. I like Lizzie and I want her story. Gibsie and Claire I cant wait for their book because I love them, ESPECIALLY GIBSIE! I want Joeys books so bad and I know his story will have me sobbing. Also I loved Joeys Mam and Da sm they are actually so precious with everything that they did!!! also that Aoife and Joey vs Bella and Cormac scene!! It healed me.

Overall, considering the hype and the avg rating, I was expecting something mind-blowing which I didnt get but I enjoyed it so much!
__
I just know this one will hit so hard, considering how things ended in the first one (or its just Hoda praying that I cry because she's hell bent on making me cry >:( )

[SK · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having THE BEST TIME with this series. Imo this one was not as good as the first one but it was much more emotional comparatively. I absolutely flew through this mammoth of a book and had such a great time. Am in love with Shannon and Johnny's story and their innocent, sweet, precious love.

As the two main characters struggle with their traumas and pain, the love they find amongst each other is so pure and keeps them grounded and sane. I loved how they had such a strong support system around themselves. Their love is worth fighting for. I loved how the two battled their fights and gave unconditional support to each other. Reading this book, I realized that although I like Shannon, it's Johnny who is the stronghold and life of this book.

🩷Shannon is a vulnerable teenager who has been bullied since she was a tiny kid tbh and for her to constantly seek reassurance makes perfect sense to me. But what did get to me in the middle of the book was how repetitive her quirks got, I wish that could've been better written or filtered out making room for more growth in her character arc.

🏉Johnny is the life of this book. He has such a big heart and he genuinely puts in effort, shows support and unconditional love towards everyone he cares about. I love those traits. I love how he was never shy of reassuring Shannon even though she asked him the same questions 100 times in a day. For him? It's all about what he can do to make her and her siblings feel safe and loved.

Coming to the side characters, my heart breaks for almost all of them but I found the one I love the most in this series- Joey Lynch. I love the man he is. I love him and his broken parts, his big heart, protective self, his selflessness, and his being. He is a character that deserves the world the most and all the happiness. I can't wait to read his books. I really like Aoife, she is Joey's stability and all things good. The punch she landed on Bella was badass. Gibsie and Claire have always been great to me. Their chemistry is chef's kiss. I don't like Lizzie at all so far. I love Shannon's cute sibling brothers and appreciate the Kavanagh family to bits.

The only issue I had here was that some of the conversations were too repetitive. I didn't really care for it much in Binding 13 but in this one it was a bit too much for me to handle.

The last 200 pages were wild. I never saw them come and it made me cry so much. The ending was perfect. It felt real and things wrapped up pretty well for all. I can't wait to find out what lies ahead for Joey but am mentally not prepared to read that yet. I just know my heart will be going through it so going to take a short break before that.


~•~•~
I MUST read this right now after that ending in Binding 13 😭😭

[Ri ♡ · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars

“For keeps?” I breathed.
He kissed my shoulder. “For keeps.”

Did I finish this book or did it finish me?

Heartbreaking, soul-crushing, profound but above all an unforgettable and a beautiful story. I expected this book to be full of sunshine and happiness, but it was so much intense, emotional and heartbreaking than B13. There were so many dark and heavy topics in this book and Chloe didn't hesitated to show us the raw, realistic and blatant vulnerability in this book. But above everything else, this book has one of the best, beautiful and genuine found family.

The romance was tender, charming, adorably awkward sweet. K13 focused more on the family dynamics, characters' growth and development, trauma and healing of the Lynch siblings. Chloe delved deeper into Lynch's family dynamics, showed us the pain and darkness that lurked inside their house, showed us that not everything in reality is always black and white, and that sometimes freedom, forgiveness and happiness costs life and death. I can't even imagine the pain the Lynch siblings has suffered for the years and its incomprehensible until you step into their shoes and Chloe reflected their pain, trauma and unhappiness in this book and let me tell you it was gut-wrenching and heartbreaking in the worst way possible.

“Well, I don’t want easy. I want you. Just the way you are. Every part and every piece.”
“Even the broken parts?”
He winked. “Especially the broken parts.”

➸ Shannon Lynch

I really liked how Shannon tried to come out of her shell in this book. It was a small growth on her part but I don't expect her to do a one-eighty in just a few months because Shannon has been through hell in her entire life. She is finally trying to let other people in her life and I liked how she's not lying to anyone even when it goes against her surviving nature. She stood up for herself against her family and her bullies when it was needed. She's so precious and strong and resilient and maybe she doesn't know it yet but she is a survivor through and through who did everything in her power to climbed back up on her feet.

“I’m here for Johnny the boy. Not Johnny the rugby player. I’ll stay for both, but I’m only in love with one.”


➸ Johnny Kavanagh The Bulldozer

Johnny Kavanagh the gentleman you are 🤌🏻💘 It still surprises me that he's just eighteen-years-old, but the way this man treats everyone in his life is admirable. His unconditional support and love for the people he loves. The things he says and the things he do melts my heart every time. Johnny is a protector (and a bulldozer) and it goes against his nature if he can't help someone he loves and Johnny played a huge role in giving Lynch siblings the life they deserved. His ambitions and passion for Rugby makes him even more attractive and I love me a man who knows his worth. Johnny may seem like a perfect golden boy on the outside but he had his own insecurities and fears about life and he is doing his absolutely best to sought them out and with Shannon by his side, he feels more like himself when she is with him.

“That from the very first day you walked into my life, you changed me. That very first time I saw you? You sparked to life something inside of me.”


╰┈➤ Johnny and Shannon

“You smell like home.”
“You are home.”

I loved the awkwardness between Johnny and Shannon whenever they were together, winging their way through their newly formed relationship, figuring out the physical attraction and love they have for each other. It was so pure, innocent, adorable and genuine and it was the actual representation of how teenage love feels like. I loved how they just couldn't get enough of each other and were always trying to be with each other and I hated every moment when someone cock blocked them and it happened so many times. Felt bad for Johnny and his Johnnies.

“I like you because you’re you, Shannon. I’ve never met another girl like you. I mean a girl as kind, and caring, and trustworthy, and loyal as you. And beautiful. Jesus Christ, you are so fucking beautiful that it’s painful to look at you. I’ve never seen anything like you in my life.”

Johnny and Shannon are the definition of “true love”. The way these two love and protect each other is everything. They are so ridiculously and irrevocably in love with each other that it's insane sometimes because they are just teenagers but I still want what they have. The tenderness and care they showed each other through their actions, patience, words, touches, and love confessions is everything. How Johnny always made sure she was safe and fought for her family and how Shannon was always there for him to support his career and his passion for Rugby even though she was affraid of letting him go was everything. I loved how they let go of their armor to let the other person see the emotional scars and vulnerabilities they hid from the world. Two people loving each other for simply who they are in reality, bringing changes and happiness in each other's life, supporting each other, making compromises and sacrifices to be together is the truest form of love and Johnny and Shannon understood that assignment.

“You make me feel like I’m enough as I am,”
“You are enough,” I breathed, wrapping my hand around his neck. “Just as you are right now.”

➸ Joey and Aoife

I love Joey so much and it hurts to see him like this. He was tossed into a role he didn't wanted to play. He was the father, mother, brother and the only person that brought balance and happiness in his siblings' life. He fed them, loved them, protected them. He is so selfless, always doing right by his siblings but nobody cared to do right by his side. Nobody cares for his feelings and his pain and it broke my heart because this boy deserves all the love and happiness in the world. I love how Aoife loves Joey and keeps him grounded. She was so badass when she fought Bella. Aoife and Joey had so many emotional and heartbreaking moments and honestly, I am not ready for their story because I know it's gonna ruin me in the best possible ways.

“You’re in there, aren’t you? Hmm?” She pressed a kiss to the corner of his mouth. “I see you, Joey Lynch.” She stroked her nose against his and whispered, “You can’t hide from me.”

➸ Gibsie and Claire

Gibsie is my precious boy. He always brings the joy and happiness with his funny and entertaining personality but behind all that lies a very vulnerable person who wants to hide all his pain with humour and laughs. Him going all mama bear for Claire was so cute. Claire is our sunshine girl. She's the best bestfriend in their group. I love how she understands Gibsie so well, always humour his weird and funny thoughts.

“You keep that head up,” he ordered, tipping her chin with his thumb. “Don’t you dare hide that angel face from the world.”

➸ Mammy K and Daddy Kav are the best parents in the world. Their love, support and care helped Lynch siblings a lot and I love how they didn't hesitated once to took all of them under their roof, nourished them, fed them, loved them. I want them to adopt me too 😭🙏🏼 I'll be a good sister, I promise.

➸ Lynch siblings: I love Tadgh's little bitch personality and his banter with Gibsie was so good. He's the only person who gets on his nerves lol. Ollie was such a cutie and Sean was the cutest kid. I love how he bonded with Johnny and how Johnny was so obsessed with Sean. Their small moments of happiness made my day.

“I want all of you to stay with my family.”
“But we’re a lot of trouble,” she whispered.
“I like your trouble. I want your trouble and your complications and everything else that comes with you.” Leaning closer, I stroked my nose against hers. “I want you.”

➸ Lizzie: I hated her in this book. She had no right to hurt Gibsie and then later on justify it with her trauma and pain.

I hated how Darren was meddling in Lynch family's business and completely ignored Joey. I did felt bad for him and it made completely sense why he left his siblings behind but it was selfish.

The scene where it all went downhill and the Lynch siblings were grieving the loss of their mother were heartbreaking. As a woman, I have so much sympathy for Shannon's mother, Marie. I hate her for not standing up for her children but I also understand her fears because when Darren said, “All she had in the whole fucking world was him. She was a baby having babies and it broke her!”, my heart broke for Marie. She didn't deserved that ending but atleast she chose her children and did the right thing for them in the end.

The ending was bittersweet but I was satisfied with the decisions Johnny and Shannon made and I am so ready to see more of them in next books!

I hate Chloe for giving me swollen and puffy eyes but but atleast I found another fictional found family ❤️‍🩹 I did not expected to have this many crying sessions while reading this book but everything was worth it for Johnny and Shannon. I am never saying goodbye to this series and these characters because I will be reading this series for the rest of my life and that's how much I love them.

“When it comes to you, Shannon Lynch, I’m all in.”
“Me too.”
“Where you go, I go.”
“Promise?”
“I promise.”

➙ Second read: April 2025 — 5 stars
➙ First read: May 2024 — 5 stars

——————
Pre-read review: I missed my precious pookies so here we are 😌💗 finally found the courage after 3 months to continue this series

[Alexa Raye · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW. just wow. ❤️‍🩹

[Phuong ✯ · Rating 5 out of 5]

☆⋅⋆ ── 1st read 2020: 5 stars
☆⋅⋆ ─── 2nd read 2023: 5+ stars

"I love you," she whispered, fingers digging into my neck as she pulled my face down to hers and kissed my lips. "A crazy fucking amount." "I love you, too –" my voice cracked and I exhaled a strangled breath before adding, "Most in the world."

johnnyshannon will always be famous for paving the way for the rest of the Boys of Tommen couples that will follow. my precious babies. i love them so much and now i'm more than excited to dive into joeyaoife's story even though i know they will break my heart.



1825 pages, 150 chapters and many many tears later .... THE HIGH RATINGS FOR THIS SERIES ARE REAL AND I'M 100% ONE THIS HYPE TRAIN!

WARNING: This review contains a lot of screaming, crying, fangirling and mental breakdowns. Be prepared for a rollercoaster of emotions.



SONG RECOMMENDATION:

Family Portrait - P!nk
Bruises - Lewis Capaldi
Jane - Picture This
Hurt - Christina Aguilera
Breath Me- Sia

The reason why this book (and series in general) deserves all these 5 stars is because it has HEART. It has so much HEART, SOUL AND LOVE in it. The love is real. The most beautiful thing about The Boys of Tommen Series is, that it emphasises that love comes in many shapes and sizes.

Obviously, we have the romantic love, which ofc is a big part of this series, but besides that, Binding 13 and Keeping 13 showcase all the different forms of love such as: the most amazing bromances, supportive female-female friendships, how strangers can become family, beautiful & heartbreaking sibling relationships, the love parents have for their children, the love the children have for their parents even though they can be quite embarrassing and more.

WARNING 2: Each book in this series is long, like really long. That means a huge cast ensemble and lots of different relationships between them and I will say something to each characters & their relationship, because they are worth mentioning and the reason why this series is so great. Therefore this review is going to be a long one. (Decided to do a jointed review for Binding 13 and Keeping 13)

First of all, this series was addictive to read. Lately, I've been having problems reading books in one sitting, but with Binding 13 and Keeping 13? No problem at all. I said fuck my life, fuck my responsibilities, fuck exam preparation, fuck it all, I'm just going to read this series in under 48 hours and I did.

As lengthy as these books appear, it doesn't feel long at all. I was so entranced with the story and characters that 900 pages fly by like nothing. After finishing these books, I even wished them to be longer. The reason why these books are so long is because you get a front seat to all these characters lives. Instead of telling you how these people do things, they get shown. Every milestone is shown. Every important conversation is shown. Was every scene in this book necessary? No. Would I delete anything if I could? Never.

Because of how every scene was shown, I had the feeling of being right next to all these characters. All this talk about the characters, but I haven't told you anything about them yet. So here we go:

↬ 𝐉𝐎𝐇𝐍𝐍𝐘 𝐊𝐀𝐕𝐀𝐍𝐀𝐆𝐇 (H)
OH MY GOOD!!! *SWOOON* OH MY GOD!!



You're going to hate him, cause he just THAT perfect. Johnny is boyfriend material. He's every parent dream for their daughter. Smart, Gorgeous, Handsome, Future Rugby star, but most of all he's KIND & GENEROUS. I'm telling ya that's a lethal combination for my heart. Johnny was so sweet, I might cry because no guy in real life will ever compare to him. It's actually unfair, how unrealistically perfect he is 😭😭

It's annoying how my mind can't come up with one single flaw. All I can say is that his mother and father have raised him right. His an overall great guy. No flaws detected.

All his life, his only goal was rugby. All he focus on is training and playing rugby. A big part of the story is Johny finding himself and what he is outside of rugby. I love how from the moment he meet Shannon, he realises that he hasn't lived, because he was so focused on rugby. I don't know who his biggest fan was: Shannon, Gibsie, Mammy K or me? My money is on me. 😂

↬ 𝐒𝐇𝐀𝐍𝐍𝐎𝐍 𝐋𝐘𝐍𝐂𝐇 (h)
Shannon is small, shy and extremely timid. If you look up 'damsel-in-distress' in the dictionary, you would find Shannon's picture. All characteristics I don't look for in a heroine to be honest. My favorite heroines are more the type of 'Kick-them-in-the-balls-and-burn-them-alive kind of girls. The only thing I wished would be different is, that Shannon had more of a backbone and stand up for herself more. But the further I got in the story, the more I understood where she came from.

I think it's so easy to judge a character by their behaviour just because you would act differently, but I know it's hard when you haven't walked in their shoes. At the beginning I was lowkey annoyed at Shannon for not telling her bullies to fuck off, but then I haven't been bullied and tormented my whole life in school. I don't have anxiety the way Shannon has anxiety, I haven't been mentally and physically abused by my father my whole life like Shannon. I haven't been separated with my family and got put into the foster system. That's just a fraction of terrible things that happened to Shannon. So who am I to judge how she's has or has not to behave?

For what life has given her so far, Shannon is a kind, strong & most of all resilient girl. She endured everything as best as she could. She's a survivor. One of the best thing was seeing Shannon finding herself and knowing her strengths. I love the character development she went through.

↬ 𝐉𝐎𝐇𝐍𝐍𝐘 & 𝐒𝐇𝐀𝐍𝐍𝐎𝐍
URG... Johnny and Shannon were so adorable together. Their interactions are so damn awkward that it's sweet to watch. It's funny how a guy like Johnny, who has all these girls at his feet, fumbling with words and acting all awkward, because it's the first time that he has a crush on a girl.

*sigh* Johnny treated Shannon with so much care and respect, just thinking about it makes me want to cry 🥺🥺🥺 he let her dictate the pace. He never rushed her to do anything. He was the most respectful guy ever. Did I tell you that I love him? I couldn't imagine a more perfect guy for Shannon. He's exactly what she needed.

Their love was just so innocent and pure. 🤍🤍🤍

↬ 𝐆𝐄𝐑𝐀𝐑𝐃 '𝐆𝐈𝐁𝐒𝐈𝐄' 𝐆𝐈𝐁𝐒𝐎𝐍 (H's best friend)
THE KING, THE MYTH, THE LEGEND, HIMSELF!!!

This guy.. holy shit he is mental 🤣 I have almost every single line of Gibsie highlighted. He's that funny. Every time he opened his big mouth:




Gibsie is hands down my favorite character in the whole series. This series has many amazing characters, but no one is on Gibsie's level. He's something else. He outshines everyone in every scene he is. The manwhore with the biggest heart.

His relationship with basically every person on page was comedy gold. He's never serious, but when it counts, he knows exactly what to do. If someone needs his help, he is there no question asked. I'm ready to build this man a shrine in my room. 🙌

↬ 𝐆𝐈𝐁𝐒𝐈𝐄 & 𝐉𝐎𝐇𝐍𝐍𝐘
They are the definition of platonic soulmates. Johnny and Gibsie are each other's RIDE OR DIE, or in their case RIDE AND DIE cause when you're riding with Gibsie, you're 100% going to die. 🤣

Gibsie and Johnny's bromance is one of the best thing that happened to me in 2020. Their friendship is to cry for. I loved it so much. Their banter is hilarious. I don't know how many times I LOLed, because of these two. These two don't have any secrets and are constantly giving each other unnecessary life advises. I WAS DYING!

The way they kept lift each other up during darker times. Their bromance was everything. One of the best male-male friendships in literature I'm not lying.

↬ 𝐂𝐋𝐀𝐈𝐑𝐄 𝐁𝐑𝐈𝐆𝐆𝐒 (h's best friend)
Claire is such a ray of sunshine. I was so happy that Shannon had Claire and Lizzie by her side who supported her all the way. Shannon never had the chance for a normal childhood, so when she transferred to the new school and had Lizzie and Claire with her that was a relief.

It was good to see that Claire gave her a bit of normality. Doing girly stuff. Talking about boys. Going shopping. I love that Claire and Shannon had each other.

↬ 𝐆𝐈𝐁𝐒𝐈𝐄 & 𝐂𝐋𝐀𝐈𝐑𝐄
Gibsie and Claire are friends since childhood and clearly care for each other, but refuse to be together. I WANT THEIR BOOK NEXT AND THE FACT THAT I HAVE TO WAIT UNTIL BOOK #5 IS A HATE CRIME AND PHUONG-PHOBIC 😭 Claire and Gibsie already bicker like an old married couple.

Their books is the one I'm looking forward the most. I'm already so fucking invested in their love story, it hurts 😭 I hate the childhood best friends to lovers trope, but I already know that Claire and Gibsie are going to own that trope.

↬ 𝐉𝐎𝐄𝐘 𝐋𝐘𝐍𝐂𝐇 (h's older brother)
My poor baby. Someone go and protect this boy who has the world's responsibilities on his shoulders. All he does is work, care for his good for nothing mother, protect Shannon from their father, care for the rest of the family, while dealing with the rest of his life. Somebody give this guy a gold medal and a break!

Joey went through so much in this book and all I want for him is to be happy and healthy.

I can't wait for the next book, which is Joey and Aoife's story. They are going to pull second-chance and accidentally pregnancy trope. Two tropes I'm not particular fond of, but I know Chloe Walsh is going to pull it off somehow. I trust her.

↬ 𝐒𝐇𝐀𝐍𝐍𝐎𝐍 & 𝐉𝐎𝐄𝐘
The two amigos. The oldest siblings. The protectors. Shan and Joey got the worst end of the deal. Joey as the second oldest brother after their brother Darren walked out their house, had to protect all his baby siblings from his alcoholic & abusive father. Shannon as the only girl also got abused repetitively. It was them against the world.

Their relationship broke my heart. Brother and sister relationships are normally not that close. When you're a teen, you find you're brother/sister annoying as hell and you constantly fight. Not these two. They are as close as how two siblings who went through hell together could be. Joey and Shannon had some really deep talk that was heart wrenching.

With 16 and 18 years, you shouldn't be sitting in the car in front of your house crying and talking about leaving everything behind, cause reality is too hard. With 16 years, you shouldn't worry about your brother walking out the door and never coming back, cause the pressure of caring about your family is too much. Every time Joey and Shannon had to walk through the door to their abusive father, I just wanted to cry with them.

↬ 𝐌𝐀𝐌𝐌𝐀 & 𝐃𝐀𝐃𝐃𝐘 𝐊𝐀𝐕𝐀𝐍𝐀𝐆𝐇


Never in my life, did I have a crush on parents as hard as I have with Edel Kavanagh and John Kavanagh. I don't know on who I crush harder??? Mama K is a fashion designer and the most protective mama-bear. She wouldn't even think for a second to throw herself into a fire to save her son. She's a fucking badass!! When I grow up, I want to be her!! She was also extremely funny. If she wasn't busy embarrassing Johny infront of Shan, she was cockblocking him hardcore 😂 I love her so much.

But John Kavanagh 🥵🥵🥵 I reached that age where it should be acceptable to crush on the son and the father at the same time LOL. If you read this book, you'll know. There is just something about successful lawyer, who are smart, kind and treat their family right that does something to me. Don't judge 🥵 😂 There is one scene where Daddy K is in the principal's office of Johnny's school and PLEASE the power play...




↬ 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐊𝐀𝐕𝐀𝐍𝐀𝐆𝐇 𝐅𝐀𝐌𝐈𝐋𝐘
I WANT THE KAVANGHS TO ADOPT ME, PLEASE. I say that every couple of days and in real life it's not possible to get adopted that often, but you know we're talking about fictional families here so I don't see the problem. I'm going to cry if they say no.



Mother a fashion designer, Father a lawyer, Son is a popular rugby player. Smart, gorgeous & generous. How does it feel like to be god's favorite?

I LOVE THEM I LOVE THEM I LOVE THEM. These three together are literally family goals. The way John & Edel kept supporting Johnny was nothing short but amazing.

They are the best. I don't know better people.

↬ 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐋𝐘𝐍𝐂𝐇 𝐅𝐀𝐌𝐈𝐋𝐘
Speaking of god. When god gave out luck, he ran out when he got to the Lynch family. It's sad how unlucky the Lynch siblings were.

I hated their father and mother with a passion. I was so furious at the mother that she didn't protect her children better. Because of her they are all completely messed up. For the father I have nothing to say except that he deserves his ending.

As messed up as they are, I love all the Lynch siblings so much. Joey, Shannon, Tadhg, Ollie and Sean. They are all adorable and I loved their relationship with each other. Siblings that went through hell together, stay together.

𝐉𝐎𝐇𝐍𝐍𝐘 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐋𝐘𝐍𝐂𝐇 𝐁𝐑𝐎𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐒
I'm just trying to insert how perfect Johnny is wherever I can. To no one's surprise he was perfect with Shannon's younger brothers. Tadhg, Ollie and Sean adore him.

I'm missing so many other relationship dynamics that are worth mentioning like Gibsie + Tadhg, Johnny + his dog or all the guys in the rugby team (shoutout to Feely & Hughie), but I'm running out of characters oops..

If you made it until here, I appreciate it very much and thanks for reading, but what are you guys waiting for? If you can read this bad written, almost 15k review, you can also start Binding 13 😂
This book will not be for everyone, mostly because most people will see Shannon as weak, but everyone should at least try to experience this book. ALL THESE FEELS!!!!

[lila]

free palestine 🇵🇸

(the author is problematic.)

𓏲 . ˙ ˖ 🩷 ꒱

[5 ★]

i love them 🥹 my loves my soul my heart beats for them. this is one of those books you wanna savor reading as well as finish reading all in a go and then reread as soon as you finish. it was addictive as fuck. this is definitely one of those books which will stay with me forever.

i’ve found my home with all these people - johnny, shannon, gibsie, claire, joey, aoife, tadhg, sean, mrs. kavanagh, mr. kavanagh, hughie, lizzie, katie and feely. i was living for joeyaoife crumbs. i laughed at every gibsieclaire crumb. i just love them so much.

they’re everything. that’s all i can say. 💗

[chan ☆ · Rating 2 out of 5]

lord almighty. my journey with this series stops here. i can't do it, i quite literally wasted 2 full days of my one precious life reading the first two books in the series. and i have nothing to show for it.

these aren't horrible but they are so fucking long. the conversations are repetitive. so is the storyline. i have such mixed feelings about the representation of abuse as well. so i think i'm just going to call it quits and move on. which frankly, is new for me lol. old me would have forced myself to finish the series to entertain y'all. but nah. not anymore.

[aleksandra]

2/5

It took me three months to finish it because every time Shannon was described as tiny, small and pea-sized, I had to close the book and ask myself if life was worth living.

[shei · Rating 5 out of 5]

—— 5.✰ stars.

'i want you just the way you are, every part and every piece' 'Even the broken parts?' 'Especially the broken parts.'

・❥・ Mood of the book:
: ̗̀➛ Bruises by Lewis Capaldi
: ̗̀➛ Paradise by Coldplay
: ̗̀➛ Family Line by Conan Gray

It has taken me a while to write this review because my thoughts and feelings are still chaotic as fuck, the pain, the suffering that these books have caused me cannot be described in words, just as the joy and the tears of pride that came from my eyes in the few (VERY FEW) moments of happiness. I don't think I'll be able to stop thinking about these books, these characters, and these feelings for a long time, and this paragraph alone clearly explains the well-deserved 5.✰ stars. I have some complaints, I'm not going to lie, but they have been totally overshadowed by all of the above.

'for keeps?'
'for keeps'

GOOD!! AFTER THE INTENSE MOMENT!! LET'S GO! For this review I will do a part without spoilers and then a small part with spoilers so I can expand on the characters.

Once again I insist that before reading the books, check the trigger warnings, since it deals with complicated and sensitive topics as well as explicit sexual content.

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ I'm sorry to be repetitive, but I can't not mention giuls, who passionately insisted that I read these books, and who has been accompanying me during them too, I love you a crazy fucking amount ye bleeding eejit.

'You show up and all the bad just...goes away for a little while'

•┈••✦ 𝒑𝒍𝒐𝒕 ✦••┈•:

The book begins exactly where the first book ends, so I can't say much about it without spoilers, but I can say that Johnny and Shannon will have to face difficult decisions, in their relationship, in their families, and especially in their futures.

'That very first time I saw you? You sparked to life something inside of me.'

If you think the first book is painful, wait for this one. I have to say that in terms of the plot, I liked the first book more, but only for the simple fact that I am the number 1 fan of slow burn, but since the romance is not the main point of the book, I don't care.

'-You smell like home.
-You are home.'

•┈••✦ 𝒑𝒂𝒄𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒘𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈✦••┈•:

The author's way of writing is simple, but at the same time, when you least expect it, she hits you in the face with a quote that takes your breath away.

'I felt like she had taken a knife to my chest, cut me right open, and every bit of me was bleeding into her'

The pace of the book is difficult to describe, because it is objectively slow, but it is so addictive that the pages fly and it feels like you have read a 400-page book instead of one with more than 800.

•┈••✦ 𝒓𝒐𝒎𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒓𝒆𝒍𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒑𝒔 ✦••┈•:

'I want your trouble, and your complications, and everything else that comes with you.'

As I already said on my Binding 13 review, the romance between Johnny and Shannon is one of the purest and sweetest romances I have read, if not the most. Reading Johnny's thoughts about Shannon made me feel butterflies in my stomach, it was like reliving the feeling of first love all over again.

Quoting mother Taylor, Johnny can be described as 'in a world of boys, he is a gentleman' his way of treating Shannon?? CRYING AND SOBBING HARD.

'Like a crazy fucking amount'

When I say that romance is not the most important thing in this book, I say it because in my humble opinion, the most important thing is the relationships, not only between the main characters, but also between siblings, friends and other secondary couples. For me it is necessary to highlight the relationship between Gibsie and Johnny, which could not be more fun and endearing, and the relationship between Joey and his brothers that breaks my heart into millions of pieces.

'Every bit of me misses every bit of you'

Thank you so much if you read until here, the following text will be full of spoilers, so avoid it if you didn't read the book.

•┈••✦ 𝑺𝑷𝑶𝑰𝑳𝑬𝑹𝑺 𝑨𝑯𝑬𝑨𝑫 ✦••┈•:

*:･ﾟ｡ 𝑱𝒐𝒉𝒏𝒏𝒚 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑺𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒏𝒐𝒏 *ੈ✩‧₊˚

'I'm all in, Shannon. Scars and all. Fucked up father and all'

Ok, the development of their relationship was cute, but it is true that it was the least important thing to me, as I have said before, I really enjoy slowburn, so when a relationship is established, I tend to get a little bored, but it wasn't the case. Between all of Shannon's family drama and Johnny's recovery and decisions about his future, the book is entertaining and their relationship progresses well. I'm glad Johnny decided to stay one more year and wait to make the national team, so he can enjoy his teenage years more.

'Because when it comes to you, Shannon Lynch, I’m all in.' 'Me too.' 'Where you go, I go.' 'Promise?' 'I promise.'

*:･ﾟ｡ 𝑱𝒐𝒆𝒚 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑨𝒐𝒊𝒇𝒆 *ੈ✩‧₊˚

'Because Aoife gave him something that day, something to cling to. Hopes for the future.'

'I cried for my broken home, for my fucked-up family, for my little brothers, but mostly I cried for Joey, for self-destructing and detonating the one good thing he had in his life.'

The truth is that this couple did not have it easy in this book, and it scares me a lot to read reedeming 6 knowing that turbulence is coming. I like them a lot as a couple, Aoife seems like a bad bitch with the biggest heart in the world, when she hit Bella to defend Shannon?? GO BAD BITCH GO BAD BITCH GO.

'Nothing will put him back together again. Dad threw him off the wall and you lost the pieces to put him back together'

'There is something very special about that boy, but he is lost, and if someone doesn't step up and do something, he will never find his way back'

*:･ﾟ｡ 𝑻𝒆𝒅𝒅𝒚'𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑴𝒂𝒓𝒊𝒆'𝒔 𝒅𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒉 *ੈ✩‧₊˚

Ugh, let's see how should I say this without sounding like a bad person, I was not at all sad about the death of Teddy Lynch, and about Marie's death... I have a conflict, because although I feel sorry for her because she has not had a life to not easy at all, she couldn't even stand up for her children, she was a coward her entire life and continued choosing Teddy over her children until almost the end. I know it's a toxic relationship and it's very easy to judge from the outside, but it's impossible to empathize with her given Shannon's point of view and Joey and Tadgh's words towards her.

*:･ﾟ｡ 𝑫𝒂𝒓𝒓𝒆𝒏 *ੈ✩‧₊˚

On this topic I also have conflict, I don't like Darren at all, but I can empathize with him more than with his mother. I can understand why he left home, because no one deserves to endure what those brothers endured, but as a person with a little brother, I couldn't abandon him to his fate like that, but I guess it's putting yourself in the situation. MY FEELINGS ARE ALL OVER THE PLACE ISTG, FUCKING CHLOE.

Thank you so much for reading until here.


⤳ Old Updates:
I will never recover from these books 😭. Definitely for the keeps and crazy fucking amount 💗. rtc
Feb 13: YAY MORE PAIN 😍 let’s get it lads!!

[Imme [trying to crawl out of hiatus] van Gorp · Rating 1 out of 5]

|| 1.0 star ||

This book genuinely gave me the biggest headache. It was so slow and so repetitive and so long. Not to mention, the non-stop drama and angst was really getting on my nerves, especially since it never actually led anywhere. Nothing actually ever happened; every relationship, every character, every situation, they all pretty much stayed the exact same from beginning to end.

This whole book honestly felt like a big trauma dump without anything else happening. These characters are literally nothing more than the heroine HAVING trauma and the hero OBSESSING over her trauma. It got old very quickly.
Johnny no longer seemed to care about any of his own future plans or passions and only spent his time worrying about Shannon, while she did nothing other than shiver at the big, bad world and needing constant reassurance about the most basic things. Which, admittedly, makes sense for a girl who went through as much trauma as she did, but she never grew from it. She stayed the same fragile and scared girl with no personality and no brain from start to finish.

Furthermore, how is it possible that there have been so many pages about this couple, and I still felt like there was NO DEPTH to their relationship?? There was no development whatsoever and all of their interactions were beyond dramatic or just about sex. There was no lightness, no romance, no true feelings. It was just non-stop intensity about her being a fragile mess and him wanting to bulldozer all over everything to save her. It was cute the first few times, but almost 2000 pages into their relationship, and I can safely say it became boring and annoying as hell. I just got the ick over her acting like a child 24/7 and him treating her like she was made out of glass all the time. It was definitely not a normal relationship dynamic; it was trauma bonding for Shannon and a savior complex for Johnny.
Also, their dialogue was literally the exact same every single time; all of their scenes together were pretty much identical. I kid you not. It was insufferable and so badly written.

I’m actually convinced every other relationship in this book was better written and developed than the main couple. I actually especially liked Gibsie. His friendship with Johnny was probably the best, and his potential romance with Claire was also full of life and banter. Shannon’s brothers had a few heartbreaking scenes with Johnny’s family as well. Ollie was a sweetheart, but Sean? Oh my, that sweet little baby broke my heart. The way Johnny took care of him was the sweetest thing.

I also just want to say one last quick thing: The whole Bella storyline never made sense to me and just pissed me off beyond compare. The fact that nobody ever put this horrible girl in her place was just insane. You’re telling me the most popular guys in school can’t ruin a slutty, jealous girl who’s behaving like a deranged stalker? No way. I’m not buying it. She should have been at the bottom of the food chain at that school in minutes, but somehow it never happened? Insane.

Anyway, long story short, this was just a very very bad book. The whole thing literally read like Wattpad to me and this author desperately needed an editor to skim the hell out of these million pages about absolutely nothing.


'Boys of Tommen' series:
1. Binding 13 - 3.0 stars
2. Keeping 13 - 1.0 star
5. Taming 7 - 2.0 stars

[Iqra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Edit: it CONSUMED me and left no crumbs :)

Will I finish this book or will it finish me?. . .

[anh · Rating 1 out of 5]

If you like this book, don’t read this review.

(I’m so serious, I have nothing nice to say)

Also, this will contain SPOILERS (and a lot of rage).

I could write a 10000-word dissertation on how this book begins in the garbage, marinates in the garbage and dies choking on its own garbage fumes. I could spend days unpacking the structural failures, dissecting the constant emotional manipulation, and conducting a forensic investigation into the sheer volume of unrelenting, unprocessed trauma masquerading as emotional intimacy. But I won’t—not because the material isn’t there, but because the longer I spend thinking about this duet, the more I feel my own mental health disintegrate, and frankly, I don’t hate myself that much.

This wasn’t just a bad reading experience; if I could best describe it, it felt like a soul-draining, serotonin-stealing psychological hostage situation, where each new chapter felt like a slow emotional strangulation. I have never experienced such sustained literary-induced spite in my life.

This book is a manipulative, oversexualised trauma fantasy with the emotional depth of a teaspoon and the narrative integrity of a Wattpad fever dream. What infuriates me is not just that it’s garbage, but that it thinks it’s meaningful. It parades around like it's profound when all it’s doing is sexually accessorising PTSD.

Don’t even get me started on the hype because everyone said this was “so emotional,” “so beautiful,” and “made them cry.” And you know what? I get it. I did cry too… tears of LAUGHTER from pure disbelief at how comically atrocious this experience was.

This is a book that fetishises trauma to manipulate readers into feeling something without actually doing the emotional labour to earn it. Shannon’s trauma is horrifying, but the book doesn’t explore or unpack it. It's only used and wheeled out when Johnny needs an excuse to go caveman or when the story needs a shot of drama and then shelved again like a dusty prop. Her suffering is never her own to navigate; it's set dressing for Johnny's heroic narrative arc. Her trauma is HIS character development tool.

Shannon exists solely to be broken, pitied, and sexualised. She doesn’t have agency, doesn’t make decisions, and she just doesn’t fucking grow. All she does is flinch, tremble and cry. All of her reactions are aestheticised, and her pain is eroticised. Her innocence is monetised for the male gaze. Shannon isn’t on a healing journey but on a slow conveyor belt toward being fully owned by a man with unresolved rage issues and a god complex.

And Johnny? I’m dead serious when I say I have never hated a fictional boy more in my life. I am his #1 hater. I wake up in the morning with the express purpose of resenting him harder than I did the day before. His arc doesn’t exist because he learns NOTHING. He self-soothes through violence and gets rewarded for it. Every time Shannon expresses discomfort or trauma, Johnny either cries about it, gets aggressive, or gets horny that’s fucking it!!!

Also I spent the entirety of B13 watching his whiny ass complain about rugby and his dick, only for him to forget rugby even existed in K13 because now his personality is just possessive and horny. His protectiveness is suffocating, infantilising, and controlling. The story romanticises his inability to separate Shannon’s trauma from his own ego and frames it as love. He gets praised for refraining from assault. He’s celebrated for being sexually turned on while “comforting” a traumatised girl. He is rewarded for making every ounce of her trauma about himself. And supposedly this is called romance??? Be so fucking serious.

The other boys in this series? Dick. For. Brains. The entire lot of them. Every male in this universe seems infected with the same tragic affliction: emotional constipation paired with insatiable horniness. They’re like rugby-playing Sims coded to flirt, fight, and make inappropriate comments at all times.

Gibsie in particular, should be illegal. I’m not joking- every time his name appeared on the page, I wanted to reach into the book and punch him so hard in the nards. His behaviour is so deeply repulsive that it activated a new level of rage in me. His obsession with Shannon’s tits was disgusting. I don’t care if he gets redeemed later I absolutely hated this motherfucker in these books and I stand by that.

Johnny’s mother- am I the only one who was deeply uncomfortable with how much she talked about her son’s sex life? In B13, she was “quirky,” and when she had the birds-and-bees talk, I laughed. But in K13? She’s a full-blown menace to sexual peace and sanity. The protection questions. The orgasms. The birth control comments. I don’t care how Irish-mammy-coded it’s supposed to be it was repetitive, invasive and creeped the hell out of me. And while we’re at it, let’s talk about the most cursed editorial decision of all time: the sex scene between Johnny’s parents. In the kitchen. On the counter. WHY. What purpose did it serve? None. Who was this for? No one. Just knowing that scene made it to the final print tells me no one in the editing room feared God.

But the worst part, the actual root rot, is how this book treats sex as a replacement for emotional healing. Shannon and Johnny don’t process anything. They don’t talk. They don’t reflect. They dry-hump their way, acting as if it’s a trauma management strategy. It is genuinely disturbing how this book turns a girl’s trauma into titillation and calls it love.

This book wants to sell you a dangerous fantasy where if you’re fragile enough, pretty enough, and broken just right, a man will swoop in and fix you with his dick. You don’t have to grow. You don’t have to reclaim your life. You just have to suffer beautifully. Shannon doesn’t get to tell her story—Johnny tells it for her. Her trauma is not something she heals from.

And 1600+ pages? FOR WHAT. No one will ever convince me that Chloe Walsh didn’t have a page quota and started padding it with nonsense. Emotional detours. Useless scenes and characters (ahem Darren and Bella). Filler filler filler that’s all this was.

I only made it through both books because people swore Joey’s story was worth it. Fine. Maybe it will be. Maybe he’s the one guy in this series who doesn’t have a glorified meat stick where his brain should be, but my expectations are on the floor because I’m already prepared for how ass the writing will be.

Thank you to my fav hater queen Ashley for reading this with me! If I had to endure this monstrosity alone I would’ve thrown myself off a cliff and our chats should definitely never see the light of day cause we for sure would get cancelled lmao.

___
I'M FREE
rtc
___

What happens when Johnny Kavanagh’s biggest haters/two heartless bitches (Ashley and I) read Keeping 13? We’ll see 😝

[♥︎ Heather ⚔ (New House-Hiatus) · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Hi, Johnny."
"Hi, Shannon." 🥹

3.5 Stars Rounded Up!⭐⭐⭐⭐

This story picks up right where book 1 ends in the middle of Shannon and Johnny's tumultuous relationship - but for everyone that has been commenting and are worried - there is a HEA here! ❤️

I'm going to keep this pretty short because there's not much detail that I can go into as this is book 2 and heavy on spoilers.

When I first started this series I was a major skeptic - the writing is very wattpadish and an editor would have been really appreciated. If I never hear 'Shannon like the river' again it will be too soon. But these characters wormed their way into my heart despite all of the flaws that I found with the books. So, I cannot even be a hater here- Johnny, Shannon and all of the others have won me over!

╰┈➤ I loved the growth of Shannon in this book. I will say, that even though I felt terrible for her in book 1 with everything that she had going on at home, and at school and well- in general. She frustrated me to no end. Okay, that's harsh, but I did find myself rooting for her to stand up for herself in some way when possible. I don't do well with frail FMC's so forgive me for some of my criticism of her.

In this book, her growth starts to shine. She's still insecure and a little grating for me but I found that the more she felt comfortable and loved - she really started to thrive and I loved seeing that for her.

╰┈➤ Johnny is just amazing. What an amazing, loving, caring, understanding, green flag hunk of a man. I loved how no matter what nothing would deter him from being there for Shannon, and how tender and patient he was with her.

Not only was he marvelous with her but with her family. Oh, that makes my heart sing! Her tight relationship with her brothers and despite being amidst all of the family turmoil - he held fast and was a true example of how a love interest should treat his woman/partner.

╰┈➤ Johnny's parents - omg. Shut the front door. They are the best and I love them so much!

I feel like I've been through such a long journey with these characters and I love them all so much - I can't wait to continue and read Joey's story because he is life and deserves all the best.

Overall, yes. I have many issues with these books and the writing but at it's core it's a story about tragedy, love, sacrifice, resilience, growth, compassion, hope and family. I highly recommend them!

✨Shy Girl/ Popular Boy
✨ Sports Romance
✨Found Family
✨Dual POV
✨Hurt/Comfort
✨Friends to Lovers

╰┈➤ 𝓠𝓾𝓸𝓽𝓮𝓼

“Every bit of me misses every bit of you.”

“My whole heart's inside of ya.”

“I loved her more than I knew what to do with. I could see it all ahead of me: my life, my future, my career, and her. The girl I knew would play the leading role in all of it. I'd thrown it all in with her and I had no doubts. Not a single one. She was my teammate now.”

“You show up and all the bad just...goes away for a little while.”

“That very first time I saw you? You sparked to life something inside of me.”

“We're all a little fractured.”

“I want your trouble, and your complications, and everything else that comes with you.” 💕

⋆✴︎˚｡⋆ Connect with me on Instagram ˗ˏˋ★‿︵‧ ˚ ₊⊹

[Val ⚓️ Shameless Handmaiden ⚓️ · Rating 5 out of 5]

So this was long...way too long...and sometimes really tedious as a result...but I still LOVED it.

Did I mention it was long?
And sometimes tedious?



Cause it was.

There were so many unnecessary scenes...
SO many superfluous conversations...
SO many blue Val balls...

But you know what?



Cause I adored this thing.

In the end, I adored all the unnecessary scenes. Because, yes, while they weren't really intrinsic as far as plot and character-building went, I loved spending more time with these characters and getting more moments and angles with them.

I adored all the superfluous dialogue. Because, yes, while some of it had NO point whatsoever and did nothing to move the story forward, again: I loved spending more time with these characters.

Plus, witty.

Also, just as in the first book, this one dealt with hard-hitting topics in a way that didn't feel false or over-dramatized. Were some of the events VERY dramatic? Absolutely. But they never felt contrived.

As I have already said, I loved all the characters, especially Johnny and Shannon's friend group. Especially Johnny (of course). The slow build of his and Shannon's relationship (while sometimes frustrating for someone used to reading a LOT of fast-moving smut romance) was SO worth it in the end. Blue balls and all.



I cannot WAIT until Joey's book...and I'm so glad I ended up starting this series right before book three comes out. The wait for book four might slay me.

[chloé ✿ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5

i have started countless drafts for this review and i can never quite come up with anything that seems adequate.

i’m going to keep it as simple as possible and spoiler-free:

these characters are everything to me. i think about them while i’m cooking dinner, while i’m at the gym, while i’m trying to fall asleep at night.

i can see why i’ve had endless friends on GR say that they wish they could read this series for the first time again…

me too, girls, me too.

[Ashley (back!) · Rating 1 out of 5]

i either have beef with or simply do not care about anyone in this book (except for joey)

i’d HIGHLY recommend you don’t read this review if you are a diehard fan of this series

one of my greatest aptitudes is forcing myself to finish a series, no matter the length, even when i am well aware that it will suck ass.

this book is exhibit a.

i’m gonna make this review as succinct as i can—so i now present to you, the commonly understood stages of grief that anh and i went through as we read this! featuring messages i sent to anh (in bold), and quotes from the book, naturally.

DENIAL:
“i feel like the way it was written and the choice of quotes was so cringe it was truly comical. i'm sorry, am i fucked in the head?"

initially, i gaslighted myself. i told myself that gibsie wasn’t that bad, when he’s truly another epitome of why i loathe most teenage boys an inconceivable amount (as anh so aptly put it, an annoying “typical teenage horny boy who can’t speak without sexual innuendos”).

i told myself the writing wasn’t that bad (a blatant lie) when the whole time it felt like robots/caricatures talking to each other.

and—worst of all—i TRIED to convince myself that there was chemistry between johnny and shannon, but each scene between them was just recycled conversations and trauma bonding followed immediately by johnny growling and announcing how badly he wanted to have sex with her. it was futile.

ANGER:
“essentially all the boys at tommen are walking ragebait”

“[shannon] DOESN'T EVEN EXPRESS DESIRE FOR ANYTHING EXCEPT FOR JOHNNY?? do you have no dreams?? where is your individuality?? what do you want to do with your life that isn't johnny related?? same thing applies for johnny. what happened to rugby??”

“there was this one scene where [gibsie] was talking about how much he wants to have sex with claire and how much "she wants it too" in front of hughie and i was like wtf”

the names gibsie/gerard and johnny are no longer welcome in my house. they are now classified as trigger words. utter them, and you will be asked to leave (half joking).

book quotes that made me fume:
"You look at her?" I demanded, appalled. "At my Shannon?"
"Your Shannon," he snickered. "Yeah, I do, and it's not just me. We all
look at her – and apparently looking at her is all you do, too."
"Are you fucking with me right now?" I demanded, furious.
"Nope."
"Who's we?"
Gibsie shrugged. "Me, Feely, Hugh, Danny Mac, Luke, Pierce, Donal –"
"Well, stop looking at her that way!" I roared, livid. "Jesus Christ!"
"I'm just saying, she's gorgeous and we all have eyes," he snickered.
"But that doesn't mean I'm imagining myself naked on top of –"

"Claire took that as her opportunity to counter attack. Ignoring all of the
other boys who were wolf-whistling and calling out suggestive comments
as they left the pitch, Claire scrambled onto her hands and knees and lunged
for Gibsie. "Keep laughing," she growled as she straddled his chest. "But
you're going down."
"On you?" he shot back, waggling his brows. "Yes, please."
"Gerard!"
"Claire," he purred. "Ag–"
She slapped a hand over his mouth. "Don't you dare finish that
sentence," she hissed, leaning close to his face. "And stop licking my hand."
"You…ant…e…oo…ick…your….ussy…stead…" Gibsie replied, but
his response was muffled by the hand Claire had over his mouth.
"Mmmmm–"

"I don't know, Johnny," Gibsie replied, smirking. "What do you want to
do?"
"I want to go back in time and not see my Da boning my Ma on the
bleeding counter," Johnny shot back, lifting himself up on his elbows to
glare at his friend. "But since I haven't perfected the art of time traveling,
I'm going to go with bleaching my eyeballs instead. Sound like fun?"
"Only if I get the full experience of seeing your mother naked, too,"
Gibsie shot back. "Although god himself couldn't make me erase the
mental image of your mother –"

“Nice floral bra, Shan,” [gibsie] added.
“I love the colours – hold on a second! Are you a B cup now?”


the sheer, unnecessary repetitiveness of this book that led to nowhere made me scream—AND I THOUGHT B13’S REPETITIVENESS WAS DIABOLICAL. i’ve read a plethora of bad romance books in my life, but none have enraged me like this one (and the north shore series). johnny and shannon have the same conversation on a loop: “i love you.” “are you sure? i’m broken.” “yes, even the broken parts.” “for keeps?” “for keeps.” choking myself.

meanwhile, joey was suffering SUBSTANTIALLY (even came home a few times drunk, high, and bruised, but apparently, it doesn’t matter!!), all shannon could think about was johnny. healing and family? never heard of them. here we only know of johnny’s massive dick and overwhemingly solid, big body. AND WHY WERE ALL HER PROBLEMS AND TRAUMA ALWAYS DISSIPATED WITH SEX??

johnny kavanagh, by the way, is one of THE WORST book boyfriends i’ve ever had the displeasure of reading about. not only is he perpetually horny, cringe, annoying, has a dick for a brain, egotistical, is too presumptuous for his own good, and about 100 other things i am too tired to type out right now, he calls himself a SAINT for not having sex with shannon when she was vulnerable and clearly not ready!! the bar is digging through the earth’s core.

shannon is no better. she is among the most inept fmcs i’ve ever read about. yes, she’s been through hell, but she has no individuality, no ambitions, and no personality whatsoever outside of johnny. she exists solely to be rescued, to reassure johnny (or be reassured by him), and sexualized. and unlike a typical manic pixie dream girl, she doesn’t even “fix” johnny!!! because he has no arc!! him suddenly falling in love after whoring around does not count as one!!

as for gibsie, i cannot stress enough how badly i wanted to slap that weird creep who believes he’s a comedian. every time he opened his mouth, i lost brain cells and gained another migraine. he exudes 12 year old who just discovered porn.

every time johnny growled, or i read “for keeps” or “shannon like the river,” my lifespan shortened and my eye twitched.

BARGAINING:
the only thing that actually happened was me bargaining with my sanity. i’m not a deeply religious person, but every time johnny or gibsie opened their mouth, i was praying for divine intervention.

DEPRESSION:
“marriage seems less and less appealing as i keep reading”

“I JUST READ THE SCENE OF THEIR FIRST TIME AND I SHED A TEAR”

book quotes that almost made me cry (out of utter disgust/trauma):
"My poor pussy," Johnny said with a sigh as he sank down on the bed
beside me. "You're a butcher."

"His lap wasn’t a soft place to sit; the opposite in fact. He was
ripped from head to toe and it was a painful test to my willpower to not
touch. Especially when everything inside of me demanded I do just that.
Touch, and pet, and rub…"

"The garage – I'll convert it," Johnny barked, still going strong. "I'll
move my girlfriend in with me and then I'll fuck her for good measure.
Loudly. Repeatedly. In fact, we'll both quit school so we can fuck all the
damn day long. Because, apparently, that's the norm around here!" Furious,
he waved a hand in front of himself. "Visualize that, you inconsiderate
freaks. Would you like that? And I won't wear a condom. I'll get her
pregnant. How about some grandchildren? Sound good? Shannon and I will
become another statistic, and you'll have no one to blame but yourselves for
traumatizing me!"
"Oh, you're so grounded," Mrs. Kavanagh told him, still smiling, still
half naked.
"Did you not hear me?" Johnny demanded. "I'm about to go out to the
garage and impregnate Shannon. Think about that."
"You're too smart to be stupid, Jonathon," his father shot back.
"Yeah? Well, we'll see about that." Grabbing my hand, Johnny dragged
me down the hallway. "Come on, Shan. Let's go make some bleeding
Babies."

“No, keep talking," I coaxed, curious. "Tell me what's going on in that head of yours?"
"In my head right now?"
I nodded. "Yeah, right now."
"Your tits, your ass, your legs, and your perfect pussy," he came right out and said. "I just wanna fuck you, and eat you, and lick you, and touch you, and … Jesus, I don't even know what else there is to do to you, but I know I wanna do that, too.”


the quotes speak for themselves—i think you can tell why i was screaming/shed a tear.

and finally, ACCEPTANCE (?)
“IM FREEEEEEEEEEEEE”

i’ve accepted that i will never be moved by johnny kavanagh or his friends and these so-called “romantic” or “emotional” string of events and conversations.

to conclude, i just want to say: anh, i love you—i cannot fathom how i would’ve read this on my own without giving my parents the impression that i need to get therapy again. i hope our full conversations never get leaked because we’d undoubtedly be crucified by this toxic mess of a fandom. (my messages that i included are the mildest of what i sent)

anyway, i’m drained. joey deserved better. shannon deserved a personality. and johnny deserved a good kick in the balls.



-

FUCKASS BOOK. full rtc soon 😛

-

controversial, heartless bitches full of vitriol/#1 johnny kavanagh haters (anh and i) are (hate) reading keeping 13! you don’t want to miss this one 😙😙!

[ˋ✧*⁀➷ ʙᴇᴛᴛʏ (med school got me good) · Rating 2 out of 5]

it's funny how binding 13 got me out of my reading slump, and keeping 13 put me back into one.

🪦🪦 here lies those trees who sacrificed their lives in the form of 900 pages and many many copies for absolute nothingness. i find a dog shit more interesting than whatever chloe walsh pooped here.

this book was an absolute torture in my ass. (don't torture your ass guys it's not pleasurable, trust me, trust this book.)

as much as I loved the first book, this one came with disappointment so immeasurable, my day is completely ruined.

this won't be a long review, well bcz there's nothing this book offered to talk about in the first place.

1. REPEAT AFTER FUCKING REPEAT. i'm telling y'all if this ain't a copy paste of the first book- except johnny apparently no longer cares about rugby since that factor was completely shoved under the carpet, L bombs here and there since the start of the book, two horny idiots humping each other every chance they get and then running off bcz "no sex rule", gibsie whoring around sexualising people's mums and sisters, more dick talk, and yes, the heroic brother is back with his milk: Darren.

2. the character arc was not arcing. the fact that the side characters were wayyy moreee interesting than the main couple was beyond embarrassing💀 i absolutely adored shannon+johnny in binding 13, i'd sell my soul for them, but sorry my comrades, they did not do it for me in this one. i was dragging my pathetic ass through their povs, hoping for another glance of gibsie, clarie, mammy kav, daddy kav, joey, hell anyone except these two. their private interactions physically pained me. here's how it always went:

J: Hi Shannon.
S: Hi Johnny.
J: are you okay?
S: um... idk i guess? what do you think?
J: you're literally so tiny lolz, but it's about what you want, are you okay?
S: ig not... i'm so so scared johnny, my father is back in da town💔 also, you're so big.
J: i love you. anyways, are you okay?
S: um i- i- yeah?
J: you sure right?
S: yeah
J: are you okay? don't lie to me, you tiny little toddler
S: chile anyways let's kiss
*cut to dry humping*
J: no we should not be doing this
S: you're literally so bigger than me, my tiny little body wants all of you.
J: you sure?
S: no actually i'm not lol. yk i can't say yes, how else will i repeat this cycle?
J: you okay shan?
S: johnny i'm so scared-

AND THIS IS HOW IT WENT EVERY SINGLE FUCKING TIME. IT NEVER ENDED. MY MISERY NEVER SUBSIDED.

shannon's character arc is what dissatisfied me the most. she was the most plain boring character ever. i get her past, her trauma. i understand her and i get why she reacts to things the way she does, i get why she's so scared all the damn time, but by the end i wanted her to stand up on her feet and fight her own battles. throughout the book she was so codependent on joey and johnny, and i understand why, but i wanted that to change by the end. that's the character development i was expecting, but all the girl ever did was kiss and hump johnny.

johnny completely lost his individuality in this one. his sheer passion for rugby, his drive, his craziness for the sport, all poof in the air like that. it was as if being shannon's support system was the only role he was programmed to play. and ofc, role no. 2 was to sexually please her. why do we even need men for anyway?

joey slayed as always. he's the only one that kept me going. he's the protector we all need in our lives. my poor baby has been mentally ruined, COMPLETELY, and i love it bcz that means he's gonna serve well in his book babyy!

ik this was going downhill when my love gibsie also started annoying me to no ends. he was hella weird in this one. i still do love him (i think?) but he needs to stop seriously. the repeated sexual comments that he passed to others mothers and sisters gave me an ick. all he ever does is make sexual innuendos and talk about fucking and fucking and more fucking. and i don't blame claire for the insecurity she has in their relationship, gibsie's a manwhore, every woman he meets, his very first thought is how fuckable she is. i see no depth in his character. but ik that's not the case (taming 7 is coming soon babyy), ik he has some past and humour is his coping mechanism (he just like me fr). but as far as this book is concerned, he was annoying as hell.

i'm so afraid to continue this series. these books are longer than my will to live (which is a lot), but if they continue the same way, it won't be long before my will to live would be cut short and this series would bore me to death!
until next time folks xx.

[Uswah · Rating 5 out of 5]

First, I want to say thank you to my bestie Laura Jane for listening to me about B13 and K13! 🥹🫶 It was really nice talking with you.

👏I’m 👏giving 👏this 👏book 👏6 👏FREAKING 👏STARS 👏AGAIN 👏
👏 LOVED 👏EVERY 👏SINGLE 👏PAGE 👏
Not once did I feel it was dragging. I cried, laughed, was shocked, had my hopes up, got surprised, cried again, and then cried again! But that ending—OH. EM. GEE!!! 🥹

I am more than obsessed with this series. I feel kind of sad that I’m done reading about Johnny and Shannon’s story, 🤧🥺 but it was definitely worth it. 🩷🧡🩷🧡

So much happened! 😭😭😭 The beginning was so emotional, and the middle was just as impactful. I sobbed through those scenes—oh my God! 😭 I really hope my baby Joey Lynch is alright now. 🥹🫶 My poor babies have gone through a lot! 🥺🫂

And my Johnny, oh my god! 🥹🥹 I’m so proud of him! He deserves all the good things in life. I was so happy to see him finally getting what he wanted and deserved. 🫡 Johnny’s interactions with Sean are so cute—aww! 🥹😆

Tadhg, Ollie, and Sean are the cutest brothers!!! 🤗🤗

There are a lot of secrets hidden between Gibsie and Claire. 👀 I can’t wait to read their book!!!

Now, I’m off to read about Joey Lynch and Aoife Molloy! ✌️ So, that’s it! 💋 (Ahhhhhh, I’m both scared and excited!)
____________________
Pre-Read

i need some serious happy moments and a happy ending!!!! 🤧🫠 pleeeeease…. 🤞🩷🧡

[gabi⋆˙⟡♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

06.10.2024
i'm starting this one right away bc wtf was THAT ending in book one???

14.10.2024
⚠️❗
i might spoil a few things so if you have't read the book and plan to... it's up to you if you keep reading my review.

‧₊˚ ☁️⋅♡𓂃 ࣪ ִֶָ☾..𖥔 ݁ 🪐˖⊱‧₊˚ ☁️⋅♡𓂃 ࣪ ִֶָ☾..𖥔 ݁ 🪐˖⊱‧

book playlist

• somewhere only we know by keane (found family moments w the lynchs and kavanaghs)
• right now by one direction (johnny & shannon)
• someone to stay by vancouver sleep clinic (johnny saying i love you and staying through thick and thin)
• the beach by the neighbourhood (spicyyyy jhonny & shannon)
• broken home by 5sos (joey leaving home)

‧₊˚ ☁️⋅♡𓂃 ࣪ ִֶָ☾..𖥔 ݁ 🪐˖⊱‧₊˚ ☁️⋅♡𓂃 ࣪ ִֶָ☾..𖥔 ݁ 🪐˖⊱‧

I lost the battle, i totally get it now, johnny you're everything that's good in this book you have all i need in a book bf 🛐✨🤌🏽

I really liked this one, but i'm not sure yet if i liked it better than the first one. I'd say that i liked both of them for different reasons.

⋆˚࿔ shannon: 𝜗𝜚˚⋆ she's still an okay fmc to me, i wouldn't say i love her bc at the end i think she didn't have a LOT of growth, she's very fragile, with little self-confidence, always doubting herself.

This was our last chance to get to know her more as a fmc and I felt like everything that happened to her was tied to Johnny and she as an individual didn't exist. We know that the path for Johnny is rugby, but what about Shannon???? Literally in the last few chapters they give a hint that she might be interested in being a veteran, but that's it.

Shannon never shows any interest in anything, she never has something else to move forward and do something in her future, it seemed like a waste of character development to me, and i don't hate her, because I think all of it is a result of how she lived up until that point, but I don't think she's a great memorable character either.

“My binding 13.”

I choked out a pained laugh, thinking about that stupid bet. “You heard about that?”

“Yeah.” Half-sobbing/ half-laughing, Shannon smiled and nodded. “I won.”

“Hands down.” I kissed her puffy lips. “Undisputed.”

“Now, I'm keeping 13,” she told me. “So come home to me when you're done, okay?”

“I will.”

⋆˚࿔ johnny: 𝜗𝜚˚⋆ he's the star of this book, i will say that until the end of times, he's such a supportive bf, always caring and trying to understand her, he's there for her 24/7 and he's always willing to leave everything aside just to make sure she's okay, he just wants her to be happy, to feel calm and at peace, and that extends to the people she loves as well, like her siblings and even friends.

And besides all of that i felt he DID had some character development, regarding how he saw himself and rugby tied together at the start of the story and how by the end he understands that rugby IS a very important part of his life, but also to know that he's so much more than that and he wants to enjoy other things in his youth before that and it's okay.

I really loved seeing his dynamic with shannon's siblings, specially sean, like, that's his onny, and i swear i was just expecting him to call him daddy lmao.

“I loved her more than I knew what to do with. I could see it all ahead of me: my life, my future, my career, and her. The girl I knew would play the leading role in all of it. I'd thrown it all in with her and I had no doubts. Not a single one. She was my teammate now.”

⋆˚࿔ joey: 𝜗𝜚˚⋆ it was clear that everything was being set up to open up Joey and Aoife's story.

As soon as I found out Joey's history with drugs my world fell apart. I just want Joey to have all the good things in this world, to be able to drop the weight on his shoulders, to be able to feel worthy of a happy ending, without worrying about anything other than his well-being and happiness.

It broke my heart to see how he was slowly falling apart and the last straw was seeing how, despite having gone through the same thing with Darren 5 years before, he also left home and left his siblings.

My only comfort right now is knowing that the next two books are his and that he will have a happy ending and I will be able to see him smile and have the family he deserves, but at the same time it BREAKS me knowing that first I will have to see him suffer (and suffer myself, of course).

「 ✦ 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 ✦ 」

With the first 30% i thought this was going to be 5 stars but then the story got very repetitive. Most of the middle part of the book was Johnny and Shannon having very intimate moments (some cute with deep, important conversations), then getting more and more spicy and finally being cockblocked for whatever reason. I swear it happened at least 5 times and it got tiring at one point.

It was just after the fire that i felt everything moved a lot quicker, and i appreciated that. And about that... i joked about shannon's mom being killed off in this one but i was not expecting for that to ACTUALLY happen, so.. just imagine my face. I was too tuned to speak 💀

The lack of character growth for Shannon and not having a personality besides loving Johnny also affected my rating. And, just like the previous book, some chapters were unnecessarily stretched and the book could have had 200 less pages without affecting the plot.

But still, this book is 4 stars for me because I enjoyed it a lot, I love most of the characters, I care about them and I just want them to be happy.

[liz ౨ৎ · Rating 5 out of 5]

➸ 5 stars

“I love you, Johnny Kavanagh,” “Most in the world.”
“I love you back, Shannon Lynch,” “Most in the world.”
“For keeps?”
“For keeps.”

— I love this book, like… a crazy fucking amount.

I really don’t think I’ll ever be the same person I was before reading these books they really changed me and I’m so glad I read them. This is truly such a heartbreaking and beautiful book; I cannot how many times I cried while reading this I was going through it! These characters will forever have a special place in my heart and I’ll never stop thinking about them I absolutely loved the found family in this book. I took my time reading this one simply because I never wanted to reach the end and once I did reach it, I was honestly so happy and couldn’t stop smiling just because I was able to read this book and the beautiful story of these characters. I’m so excited to continue this series and read about the other characters stories and i will continue it eventually, but for now I just want to stay here with these two for a while longer <3

𓍢ִ໋ ˖ ➸ shannon like the river — oh my gosh I love her so much she’s the strongest, caring, and loving girl ever! she’s been through so much since book one and seeing her journey and growth makes me want to cry; her happiness means the world to me and gives me the biggest smile ever I love her so much and I’m so proud of her she deserves the world.

“𝐈𝐭’𝐬 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝒔𝒆𝒆 𝐦𝐞—𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐈 𝐬𝐞𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮. 𝐂𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭, 𝐈 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐬𝐚𝐰 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐢𝐭𝐜𝐡 𝐚𝐭 𝐬𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐥, 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐈 𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐬 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐧’𝐭 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐞, 𝐒𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐧. 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐝𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐚 𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐫𝐮𝐠𝐛𝐲. 𝐈𝐭 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐚𝐳𝐞𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝒕𝒉𝒓𝒆𝒘 𝐦𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐈’𝐦 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭. 𝐈’𝐦 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐦𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫…𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐥, 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐞—𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐝𝐢𝐝. 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐦𝐞. 𝐓𝐨 𝐬𝐞𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐧𝐨 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐞𝐥𝐬𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐬𝐞𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈 𝐝𝐢𝐝𝐧’𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰𝐥𝐞𝐝𝐠𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐲𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟.”

𓍢ִ໋ ˖ ➸ johnny kavanagh — this book just made me love him even more he’s the most caring and compassionate and sweetest person ever and seeing his dreams coming true at the end made me cry and had me cheering and supporting along with all the other characters; he deserves everything he worked for and more. I’m so happy that we got to see him let loose more at the end and be free and live his life!

“𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐮𝐩 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐚𝐝 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭…𝐠𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚 𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐞.” “𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭’𝐬 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐦𝐞 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥,” “𝐁𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫. 𝐀𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞. 𝐅𝐫𝐞𝐞. 𝐒𝐚𝐟𝐞. 𝐈𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐭. 𝐈 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐈 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐝𝐚𝐲𝐬, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭’𝐬 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮’𝐫𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞—𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐈’𝐦 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝒚𝒐𝒖.”

𓍢ִ໋ ˖ ➸ johnny & shannon — I love them so much they’re so cute together! the amount of love and care they have for each other is so beautiful! they have my heart I’m so happy they found each other <3

“𝐒𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐧, 𝐈 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮.”
“𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐦𝐞?”
“𝐋𝐢𝐤𝐞, 𝐚 𝐜𝐫𝐚𝐳𝐲 𝐟𝐮𝐜𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐦𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭.”
“𝐈 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤,” “𝐋𝐢𝐤𝐞, 𝐚 𝐜𝐫𝐚𝐳𝐲 𝐟𝐮𝐜𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐦𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭.”

I really hope to see more of Johnny and Shannon in the rest of the series! I know their books ended but I just don’t want to let go of them yet! Chole Walsh, a book about them in the future would be really nice please and thank you (i’m begging you)

➸ all the other characters :)

𓍢ִ໋ ˖ ➸ joey lynch — oh my gosh this boy… he’s been through so much and he’s literally holding everything on his shoulders. reading about his made me cry more times that I can count, I felt his pain through the pages and my heart dropped whenever he was in a chapter, my heart just breaks for him… I want to give him the biggest hug ever and never let go. I’m not sure when I’ll be able to pick up his books because im absolutely terrified to read his pov and I don’t think I’m prepared for the pain they’ll bring if im being honest. He deserves the world and happiness.

𓍢ִ໋ ˖ ➸ aofie molloy — gosh I love her and what she did for Shannon made me love her even more! the small interactions she had with Joey made my heart break and I really want to read more about her and their relationship eventually when I pick her their books.

𓍢ִ໋ ˖ ➸ gibsie — I LOVE GIBSIE SO MUCH! he never failed to make me laugh he’s the funniest character ever! I feel like underneath all the jokes and sarcasm theres a extremely complex character and I can’t wait for his book to read more into him and what goes on in his mind.
⤷ gibsie and johnny’s friendship is one I could talk about for hours! they are literally each others other half & partners in crime and are always there for each other!
⤷ the gibsie and claire crumbs we got in this book made me so happy but so impatient for their book THEY ARE SO CUTE and I just need to read their story right now I just know the slow burn is going to be worth and and the angst and yearning I NEED IT!
⤷ i really want to see more of him and shannon, their friendship is so cute and i love how caring he is for her!

𓍢ִ໋ ˖ ➸ the lynch brothers — my heart breaks for them they are so young… seeing them happier at the end and acting like carefree kids made me cry. their relationship with johnny also made me cry because of how caring and loving he is to them!

𓍢ִ໋ ˖ ➸ mr & mrs kavanagh — I LOVE THEM SO MUCH! the amount of support and love they have for johnny makes my heart feel so full and warm I love the relationship they have THEY ARE THE BEST PARENTS EVER! not to mention what they did for the lynch siblings is so caring they deserve the world and i would absolutely eat up a book about them!

[areeba ✿ · Rating 1 out of 5]

1.5 stars ★

this book should be labelled for false marketing because it's not a romance novel, it's a 900+ page instruction manual on the importance of existence of actual plot and character growth in books.

after getting off to such a good start, i was excited to see where this book would go. the first chapter literally had me clutching my heart.

but where did the book go, you may ask? nowhere 🤡☝🏻. literally nowhere. i can pinpoint a total of two or three important things that happen in this book. the rest of it is absolute filler, nonsense content.

i could write a 900-page book highlighting the negatives of this book to contend with this one, but gr has a word limit, so I'll try to keep it short:


˗ˏˋ ꒰ 1. character development - where art thou? ꒱ ˎˊ˗

besides the fact that there was no character development, Johnny and Shannon lost the character that they had in binding 13 as well. isn't that just perfect? 😋 big yay.

➸ Johnny Kavanagh:

Johnny's drive related to rugby? RUINED. i was ecstatic while reading b13 because it felt like we had an mmc who was finally his own person, with dreams and passion beyond banging the fmc. but here? ALL THAT WENT DOWN THE DRAIN.

the only role Johnny has in this book is:
- think about Shannon
- thing about fucking Shannon
- think about how much he loves Shannon
- think about his feelings for Shannon

jesus christ I GET IT, you love her bsf. but can you think about your own dreams for one. single. second? all that drive, the hard work of years, the passion, the things you gave up for rugby - where did all that talk go? all his individuality went poof.

his parts with shannon's brothers were good though ngl.


➸ Shannon Lynch:

we do not see that girl's character grow up one bit. i was begging for crumbs by the end because the only things she did were:
- talk back to her mom
- talk back to her brother
- say two lines or so to Bella (which wasn't even a confrontation, it was just saint talk)

and the worst part? her character had nothing to it left in this book. every Shannon pov is just highlighting how much she wants to bang Johnny and that's it.

i loved Johnny and Shannon together at some points but plssss it was SO annoying when it was the same thing happening over and over again with them 😭🙏🏻.


➸ Gibsie:

i loved Gibsie in b13 but he annoyed me to no end in this book. all he talks about is fucking, fucking and more fucking. IDC if he was trauma or wtv the hell - since when does trauma excuse this stuff?

he wasn't even being hilarious in this book, it was plain annoying everytime he came up and started talking about fucking someone's mom (jesus) or male body parts ugh. if i was ever facing someone like that, i physically would not be able to listen to him blabber on and on about shit like this.


˗ˏˋ ꒰ 2. REPETITION ꒱ ˎˊ˗

everything 👏 is 👏 being 👏 repeated 👏 over 👏 and 👏 over 👏 again 👏. the same pattern of fights, the same pattern of Johnny/Shannon dry humping and being cock-blocked ffs.

even the lines were being repeated - i'm pretty sure i read the same line over and over again because WHEN ALL JOHNNY AND SHANNON CAN THINK ABOUT IS HOW MUCH THEY LOVE EACH OTHER OVER THE COURSE OF 900 PAGES THEN OFCOURSE CERTAIN LINES AND THOUGHTS WOULD BE REPEATED.


˗ˏˋ ꒰ 3. everyone gets trauma points ꒱ ˎˊ˗

everyone is fucking traumatized now, isn't that absolutely wonderful. and this started seeming less like a Johnny/Shannon story and more like a side character story because Johnny/Shannon had nothing left to their story (ofc) so we read about the trauma and conflicts of OTHER SIDE CHARACTERS in this book which annoyed me to no fucking end.

just say that you want to market your other books ffs.


˗ˏˋ ꒰ 4. everything revolves around sex ꒱ ˎˊ˗

everyone wants to have sex OR is talking about sex in this entirety of the book. Johnny wants to bang Shannon, Shannon wants to be banged, we have elaborate sex talks with Johnny's mom over and over again, Shannon's little brothers are talking about Johnny touching her (i gagged), we learn things about gibsie's dick that i could have lived without knowing.

and if that wasn't enough - we also get a wonderful scene of Johnny's parents having sex and then talking to Shannon and Johnny while they were naked. i want to gouge my eyes out with a fork.


˗ˏˋ ꒰ conclusion ꒱ ˎˊ˗

There are many other things that were wrong with this book, but this review is already extremely long. Joey Lynch was the only thing that got me through this montrosity.

i want to continue this series - i still do because the next book is about Joey whom i absolutely want to know more about but god my disappointment right now is making me think twice because i will riot if Joey's book is anything like the trainwreck this one was.


-----------------


guess who started crying just after reading the first chapter? me, that's who.

[Herica Lopez · Rating 5 out of 5]

6⭐️ i don’t even know where to start because keeping 13 absolutely wrecked me. this book was pure pain and suffering but in the best way possible. i was crying, laughing, and crashing out all within the same chapter.

shannon my little shannon completely owns my heart. watching everything she went through had me sobbing, but seeing her growth at the end was everything. when she finally found her voice and strength made me so proud of her . and johnny… don’t even get me started. im crying again because he is absolutely everything and more. the loyalty, the devotion, the way he stands by shannon even through the mess “no matter what.”😭

i am so attached to these characters its not even funny. the lynch children have my whole heart i just wanted to give them all the biggest hug specially Joey.. (i can’t even think about him without crying omg) i am so not ready for his books i know it will destroy me.

it was so silly of me to think when i started this series that it was just another romance because this isn’t just a romance, it’s an emotional experience. it’s messy, real, and so unforgettable. five stars feels too small for the way this book took over my life. i’ll be thinking about shannon and johnny forever. 🥹

[aira {vacay ia} · Rating 1 out of 5]

ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ 1.5/5

yeah, no. This series has a really toxic fandom, geez. Apparently, in my review for Binding 13, I was too "insensitive" because I wasn't sympathetic enough to their situation. I said I felt bad for her, so wtf more did you want me to do? Beat up Shannon's dad? You would think people understand the concept of differing opinions, but then I guess you also have clowns to create balance.

I'm pretty sure I didn't bother engaging and just deleted them. Also, don't worry because you'll always get my unfiltered thoughts regardless!!

‼️ There may be spoilers.‼️

Everything that I said in my review for Binding 13 still stands, however, I have some extra things to add.

I'll start by going down the list for the complaints that I listed in the first one and then add in my thoughts. Then, my newer complaints get the spotlight.

First, the length. In my other review, I said that book was too long. I still stand by that opinion because this "duet" is over 1500 pages. In my honest opinion, both Binding 13 and Keeping 13 could have been one book that's around 600-700 pages maximum.

Now, putting the first book aside, this one on its own exceeded 900 pages. I've read a book before that was 818 pages and I quite literally finished it in 24 hours. This one took closer to a month and I really had to really push through to finish it and I only did because I wanted the stories of these side characters, especially Joey.

Second, the inner monologue. I had said that there was so much unnecessary inner monologue in the first one and I still agree with that in this one too. I think that's what causes the books to be longer than it needs to. Less time in their head would have made me like this so much more.

Johnny's thoughts, especially, were excruciatingly painful to get through because he was supposed to be all about rugby, except now it's all about Shannon which leads to a lot of trauma-bonding and dry humping, both of which I did not sign up to read.

Third, the emphasis on their ages. I've heard them talking about their ages so much, it's not that deep anymore. I thought it was weird in the first one and I think it's still weird in this one.

Along with that, I have to say that the emphasis placed on their heights is so unwarranted for. I get it, Miss. Shannon "like the river" is tiny and Johnny is huge. Saying it every 5 seconds just makes it seem like Johnny is a predator tbh.

Fourth, the dick talk. Teenage boys are horrific and the dick talk was so extra in this one. It was so bad in the first book and it just got so much worse in this one. The amount of times there was a conversation about the dick in detail or even just the normal dick talk made me want to stop reading and dnf.

I also hated the way they all talked about Johnny's mom. Teenage boys are literally pigs and these boys, in particular, were horrendous in some of their thoughts - even Gibsie, because I'm repulsed now.

Fifth, I'm way too old for this. This thought still stands and I fully believe that maybe that's the reason I don't enjoy it. Maybe I could have enjoyed it more, had I been younger. I guess we'll never know now.

Now, the newer complaints.

1) I think that this needs to be edited. I'm not talking about it from a grammatical standpoint, I'm talking about it from an overall position where editing and removing parts of the storyline that don't add to anything to the plot. This would make it so much shorter and I could have actually enjoyed it more.

2) Quite frankly, I'm so done with Shannon and Johnny. They were cute for a second in the first book, but it got both old and annoying in the span of the 600 pages there, so I was reading 900+ pages for kicks and giggles at this point. The thing being I got neither kicks nor giggles out of it, I was reading this either horrified or rolling my eyes.

The dry-humping and trauma-bonding was all they did. Every time one of them have a problem, they run to the other person just to dump their trauma and then they dry-hump until Johnny is like "Shannon, we shouldn't" or some bs like that.

3) I didn't see character growth for either of them in the span of these 1500 pages. It only seems like they are together because it's convenient. Johnny has a hero-complex and he see's Shannon through the lens of "saving" her and Shannon is clinging onto him because he "protects" her. That's literally what I've thought about their entire dynamic throughout these two books.

Every time they went "hi" to each other, I rolled my eyes so hard. And it happens like basically every chapter or every other chapter.

"Hi, Shannon."

"Hi, Johnny."

I could go my entire life without having to read that again because I'm not sure my eyes can take it anymore with how much I rolled them at these two.

I'm also actually going to lose it if I hear Shannon "like the river" again. Was that supposed to be her version of quirky?

4) Gibsie. I know I said that I liked him in the other book, but not so much in this one. He gets a 10/10 for being a friend, but he's at a 3/10 for a love interest right now. I'm low-key repulsed by his behavior around females - except Bella bc she's a bitch.

5) Right now, the only characters that haven't disgusted me yet are Joey (he could never anyways, he's my baby), Claire, Lizzie, and Feely.

I guess you could say that I never learn my lesson, because I'm so reading Joey's duet soon. 🫣

Final Verdict. This has to be a no for me and I'm finally free of Johnny and Shannon. Don't haunt my nightmares, please and thank you!!

The only other thing I can say was that I received self-inflicted pain because I forced myself to finish this. But, I guess I can't say much because I'm still reading the rest of this series.

--------

yeah, no. full rtc. I need a minute to sort out my thoughts.

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pre-read: I think I'm ready for this now. 900+ pages, here we go. 😩