Wow! I was so engrossed in this story. While this is considered YA, as someone in their 30s I loved this book. I adored the relationship between the FMC & MMC and immediately had to grab the second book to continue the story.

4.5⭐️

I loved this angsty, tension-filled YA romance!! The Irish setting, the rugby, the private school vibes.. it was all so fun and felt very nostalgic of 2000s romcoms. But it also touches on heavy topics, including bullying and physical abuse/assault.

I adored Shannon, she is such a strong character and my heart hurt for everything she was facing. And JOHNNY! What a guy 🥹 I just loved how protective he was over Shannon, and their friendship is so sweet.

Keep in mind this is YA — Shannon can sometimes come off a little naive/innocent even for a 15-16 year old but I just had to remind myself she’s a teenager 😂 overall I’m excited to continue with the rest of the series!

This was such a great love story and I am so excited to continue this series. It truly did live up to the hype for me.

Wow! Thank you Netgalley for this ARC. I enjoyed this story so much and i cannot wait to continue the series!

This was just really poorly written. 145k words for a romance novel is wild, and knowing that this book has very little plot with that many words is insane. A significant amount of this book was the internal dialogue of our main characters just rehashing the same things over and over and over.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this ebook in exchange for an honest review!

Rating 5/5 Stars

What a beautiful story. I get the hype over this series and it’s well deserved. This was my first book by this by Chloe Walsh and definitely was blown away. I am so invested and love these characters so much! Can’t wait to finish the rest of the series

I absolutely loved this book. I immediately knew I had to buy a physical copy and I bought the second in the series as well. I fell In love with this relationship. I love how Shannon was portrayed and her relationship with Johnny. I will be devouring this entire series I just know it. The writing style was also great. I found my slept falling for the characters and even laughing out loud

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this ebook in exchange for an honest review!

Rating 4.5/5 Stars

Wowwwwww oh wow. This was my first book by this author and definitely was blown away. I am so invested and love so much

AHHHH I really wanted to like this book, but it fell flat for me.

I realize Binding 13 is a young adult book, but I really felt like the age being brought up so many times between Johnny and Shannon was just too much. They were both minors when they met so I really don't think the AGE would have been the issue... more like everything else going on in their lives. I also just felt like a lot of nothing really happened for a lot of this book. I think it could have been 200 pages shorter than it was. And the ending.... I don't think Shannon's mom can be trusted so giving her that choice was pointless.

The positives
- there were some VERY funny scenes
- the emotional moment between Johnny and his dad at the end of the book saved it for me
- I'm excite for Joey and Aoife's book
- Also Gibsy

I'll be reading Keeping 13--- just not right away.

Binding 13 left me with so many emotions, I was not ready for everything these characters dealt with. I kept stalling to read it because of how long it is and I regret waiting so long. So much emotion, angst, and sadness. I was so mad about the cliffhanger!!!!! Thank god the second book, Keeping 13, is available. Chloe Walsh is a new author to me and so far she has not disappointed. I have to know what happens next for these characters. Definitely recommend this book if you can handle the trigger warnings that come with it.

Ce livre traînait dans ma PAL depuis un petit moment et vu qu’il est ressorti chez Bloom, j’ai décidé de me lancer dans ce pavé et je ne regrette pas!

Nous allons suivre Shannon qui va être transférée à Tommen car elle était harcelée dans son précédent lycée… Elle va y retrouver ses amies d’enfance Claire et Lizzie mais aussi faire la rencontre du capitaine de l’équipe de rugby, Johnny et tout va changer…

Ce livre est une claque, dès les premières pages j’ai eu la gorge serrée et les larmes aux yeux pour Shannon, l’histoire prend aux tripes. Ce n’est pas un coup de cœur car il y a eu quelques longueurs au milieu du livre mais hormis cela tout était parfait! J’ai adoré voir évoluer la relation entre Shannon et Johnny, comment ils se soutiennent mutuellement mais aussi le fait qu’on parle d’un sport qu’on voit rarement dans la romance : le rugby! J’ai beaucoup aimé les interactions avec leurs amis et la famille de Johnny! Les personnages sont terriblement attachants et touchants, on ne peut avoir envie que de les serrer contre nous! Vu la fin de ce premier tome, je ne vais pas tarder à sortir le second tome de ma pal!

En bref, un très bon premier tome malgré quelques longueurs mais je lirais avec plaisir la suite! Cette série doit sortir en français chez Univers Poche!

i am OBSESSED. consider me a FAN! Chloe Walsh is the Karin Slaughter of romance novels. they are long, but they are so detailed, intimate, and you feel like you are actually friends with these characters. i never wanted it to end!

this book was so emotional and i felt so bad for Joey and Shannon and the younger kids. Johnny is the ultimate book bf. Loyal, kind, and did i mention he's a dark, tall, handsome rugby star?!!!

but guess who really stole the show?! the johnny/Gibsie bromance. I have never LOL'd so much -- their friendship is HILARIOUS and Gibsie is a nut!

this friend group/romance/found family is the best and i can't wait to continue the series. I will definitely be recommending to all romance lovers!

also a quick note, i was worried these would be too YA for me but they did not feel YA at all! witty humor, mature, flawed characters, AMAZING!

5/5 stars!

I saw this book being talked about a lot and thought I would give it a chance. It’s not my normal reading material but I am so glad I gave it a chance!

THIS BOOK WAS SO GOOD! Seriously Johnny and Shannon need to be protected at all costs. It is a long book but its absolutely necessarily as the build up of their friendship and eventually relationship is so good. It reminded me of a Marina Zapata book except the characters are in a high school and it is set in Ireland. I also loved the cast of side characters in this, Gibsie was so funny and I cannot wait for his book to come!

Going into this book, I had extremely high expectations because I’ve only heard incredible things and that this series was life changing for so many people who had read it. And now that I’ve read it, I can say I 100% understand the hype and the love for this series based off of this first book. Oh. My. God.

I was completely hooked from the very beginning and was so completely invested in these characters’ lives. Considering how massive this book is, I seriously flew through it and devoured it. As I was reading it, I was already insanely excited for the next book because I could just see all of the potential for the series just based off of the little I had read.

Overall, I’m someone who loves going into books blind other than what I know from the blurb so I’ll just say this: these characters are written so incredibly well. The tension, the chemistry, the plot… all of it was just so beautiful and perfect and I adored every second of my reading experience and absolutely can’t wait until the next one!!!

*Thank you Bloom Books and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.*

Going into this book, I had extremely high expectations because I’ve only heard incredible things and that this series was life changing for so many people who had read it. And now that I’ve read it, I can say I 100% understand the hype and the love for this series based off of this first book. Oh. My. God.

I was completely hooked from the very beginning and was so completely invested in these characters’ lives. Considering how massive this book is, I seriously flew through it and devoured it. As I was reading it, I was already insanely excited for the next book because I could just see all of the potential for the series just based off of the little I had read.

Overall, I’m someone who loves going into books blind other than what I know from the blurb so I’ll just say this: these characters are written so incredibly well. The tension, the chemistry, the plot… all of it was just so beautiful and perfect and I adored every second of my reading experience and absolutely can’t wait until the next one!!!

*Thank you Bloom Books and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.*

Sadly I was so busy with exams and completely missed the fast approaching archive date for this book. I will probably end up buying this as it sounds good and has been making the rounds on booktube

This was a long book. Longer than I thought it would be going in. I liked the characters enough but Shannon being so tiny and Johnny being so large was thoroughly described in this. Maybe if it was a little shorter I would have liked it more. All in all I didn't hate it, I just wish it was shorter by 200ish pages.

NetGalley Review — my rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

“Binding 13” by @authorchloewalsh was an unexpected and absolutely welcome surprise. This story follows Shannon, a timid Irish girl. She’s been bullied by her classmates and beaten by her father her entire life. But she’s starting a new school — enter Johnny, rugby royalty and absolute dream. He has nothing on his mind but going pro straight outta school and no one is gonna get in his way.

WOW. Just absolutely amazing. I blind requested this book. I thought the premise was decent and I’m a sucker for trigger warnings. The sheer size (almost 700 pages) scared me once I saw it and omg, I was mad as hell when I noticed it said YA.

Boy, was I wrong. This is easily going to be one of my favorite books of 2023. I think I felt every feeling possible with this book & the end left me on a cliffhanger. Basically over here BEGGING @read_bloom to approve me for “Keeping 13” asap so I can pick it up immediately!!

“Binding 13” was published November 28 so runnnnn to get this book. Give it a shot. You won’t regret the ride.

#netgalley #sourcebloombooks #chloewalsh #binding13 #johnnyshannon

Chloe Walsh's "Binding 13" is a rollercoaster of emotions, blending the rough and tumble world of rugby with the tender intricacies of first love. Shannon's character is equally well-crafted, carrying the weight of a painful history with strength and resilience. The author tackles serious issues such as bullying and trauma with sensitivity, providing depth to Shannon's narrative and drawing readers into her journey of self-discovery. The chemistry between Johnny and Shannon is undeniable, and Walsh skillfully develops their relationship amidst the challenges they face. This novel goes beyond the typical sports romance by delving into the lives of its characters, exploring the highs and lows of fame, friendship, and the secrets that threaten to unravel everything. The Irish setting adds a charming layer to the narrative, making the story feel both intimate and universal.