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.

The characters in this book grabbed me from the very beginning! I loved this story and found myself flying through this, even though it is super long. I am so happy that this is a series because I can definitely see myself continuing to be very invested in all the character’s lives.
I think some of this book definitely wasn’t needed and there was a ton of inner monologue that ended up feeling like a lot at times. Other than that I have no complaints and was feeling all the characters emotions right along with them.
The cliffhanger we are left on as super intense and I am going to need to continue with this series asap!
I received an arc copy from NetGalley (thank you) and am leaving this review on my own.

5 ⭐️ oh my goodness this BOOK!!! The beginning of Johnny and Shannon's story was so perfect. I was hooked on the storyline from the very start. I loved everything about it - the banter amongst the friends, the school setting, Johnny's growth, Shannon's vulnerability, the way they come together and support each other!! This is a very emotional story and parts of it are difficult to read, but I really really loved all of it. The romance development is so beautiful. So excited for the next one!

I can relate to how Shannon feels when it came to being bullied and switched schools to deal with it. I am fond on how Chloe Walsh has not rushed Johnny and Shannon's love story in book 1 but she made there meeting to be a nice clumsy accident which I personally could relate to I would be the one to get hit by a rugby ball in the head with my luck. I am a fan of the side characters that are in this story i love that Chloe Walsh has hinted at other characters love interests and how they have their own stories.

I shouldn't love how Johnny goes batshit on Ronan for "talking" to Shannon but when you give rapist vibes I feel he kind of deserved the breaking of the nose he got. the fact that Gibsie tried to deal with it before Johnny found out would of been the safe option for Ronan. to bad Ronan was a eejit as they would say and talked to her and got his nose broken.

when Johnny and start spending time together and go to Biddies and run into Shannon's classmates from her old school, the tension between Johnny and the bullies from Shannon's old school is amazing. I personally loved when Johnny kicked the boyfriend of the bullies ass for calling Shannon a slut.

when Johnny gives the dont touch my girl vibes i just melt for his character more then i should.

when Shannon tells johnny that her dad beats her omg i cant with it. also the face that shannons mum leaves us on a cliff hanger since she didnt want to chose between her kids and there pos dad.

I first read the self published version of Binding 13 last year, so while it isn’t fresh on my mind, I do remember quite a bit from my first time through. I was really happy to be approved for this ARC because I had been wanting to reread the first 2 books to continue on with the series.

I had a hard time figuring out my rating the first time through, and it proved the same difficult task this time reading the newly published version.

I think you’ll either love this book or you won’t at all. It’s very much a character driven story and a slow burn. I enjoy that about this book. It takes its time. It’s all about Johnny and Shannon finding each other and struggling through various problems at the same time.

I don’t think this book is perfect, but I love the characters and their relationships. I can see myself rereading over and over again.

After hearing so much about this book all over social media I was super excited to read this book!! I was super invested in the characters. I will say please make sure to check TW’s as this book does deal with a lot of heavy material. But I really enjoyed the book, and can’t wait to read the next one!

I wanted to give this book another chance after I had started to read the self-published version, hoping they would clean up the extremely messy and juvenile dialogue. I understand this is a young adult novel and juvenile language is permissible but I was hoping it would only be to a certain extent. I have no idea how people even felt sympathy towards these characters. I felt sorry for their circumstances but found myself truly unable to even root for them.

I requested this after seeing so many people love it online, but I didn't get the hype. It was way too long for a romance in my opinion. It was also very sad and maybe I wasn't in the mood for it. I would look up trigger warnings before recommending to anyone.

This duet is the type of coming-of-age story I have always wanted! The one high school romance that I would recommend to people who don’t even read high school romance!

I loved the characters, the plot, the relationship, the writing, and the entire found family. The reason this story is practically flawless is the way that we see truly healthy relationships contrasted with tragically broken relationships, which is rarely ever shown so well in fiction novels.

Johnny Kavanagh is the broody, cocky golden boy of Ireland, but when we see him meet Shannon, the protective teddy bear will make you swooning and then when he falls in love with Shannon, the sexy bad boy will have you obsessed with him as he is with her. I don’t think there’s one single facet of this boy’s personality that I did not absolutely adore!

Contrasted with the darkness of her home life, Johnny shows Shannon a side of love that is pure, wholesome, raw, and real. Don’t be mistaken- this is not a fluffy romcom teen love story; it is so much more. Crafted with depth, emotions, complexity and beauty, Chloe Walsh has become one of my go-to authors with the Boys of Tommen series!

✨Shannon like the river, with the gorgeous blue eyes, face of an angel, and the troubled past. ✨

Wow oh wow, this book has been on my TBR for a while now and it did NOT disappoint!! I just love Shannon and Johnny so much 😭😭😭 like the connection these two have?!? I can’t. Omg 🥹🥺 I love the friend group in this book which gave me many laughs but also.. this book is giving me pain 😭 and I need more of these two so I’m off to read the next book now. 🖤

✨“When you’re around, I feel safe.”✨

✨ I wanted to fight all her battles. I wanted to give her all her smiles and make her laugh and snatch her away from the rest of the world and keep her all to myself. I just wanted her. For keeps.✨

I am BAWLING YALL

I’m not one for slow burns (usually) but MAN THIS WAS WORTH IT.

Johnny?

Fucking hell, he’s the ultimate boyfriend. Protective, loyal, golden retriever, this boy is head over heels for Shannon.

"She makes my heart go, like, whoa."

"Boom, boom, fucking boom."

What’s that saying? Drunk thoughts, sober mind.

This scene right here tells you everything we ever need to know about Johnny’s feelings for Shannon, never mind the changing room scene and various other scenes already did it. And the fact that the ending happened the way it did? I’m tempted to go get book two just so I’m not dying from that cliffhanger.

Johnny is gonna be fucking devastated.