Binding 13 is hyped up all over BookTok, so I wanted to try it. As a romance lover, I did not enjoy this book and struggled to get through it. This book is very tedious and needs a lot of editing. There are a lot of useless scenes that do not further the plot and repetitive language is used frequently. I would not recommend this book at all, and, unfortunately, it does not live up to the hype.

High school romance full of angst, bullying, healing, rugby, and a protective MMC. Binding 13 is a slow burn, heart wrenching read. Johnny wants to fix everything for Shannon only his drive to take care of her battles with his competitiveness in rugby. He always wanted to be the best and he struggles with balancing his relationship with her and rugby. This book includes bullying and abuse so you may want to check triggering warnings before diving in.

Dual POV
Sports romance
Friends to Lovers
Found family
Slow Burn
Trauma/healing

2.5 Stars

This book was entirely too long. I don't think a thing plot wise happened in the first 50% of the book. I wanted to DNF it so bad up to about 75%, then it became bearable. It wasn't until the last 10-15% of this book that I felt like something happened that made me want to keep reading. I didn't like the setting, the plot, and I felt creepy reading about 15-17 year olds in this way. I thought Tommen College would be new adult, American college.- not equivalent to American high school.

I did like the ending and the cliffhanger, and I liked the approach to the characters trauma. I have trouble liking the MMC because he is a child. I did like Johnny's dedication to Shannon, but 600 pages of slow burn hurts. Like come on. I was not captivated by this story or the characters to want to read so much unnecessary back and forth bologna.

I will not be finishing this series. I think it is meant for a younger audience, and a person who likes a different style of book than I do. It reminded me of Anna Todd's After series, so if you liked that then you may like this.

★ ★ ★ ★ | 🌶

18+ check TWs

Note: I try my hardest to not include spoilers in my reviews. However, spoilers and how you define a spoiler is subjective. Proceed with caution.

*A special thank you to Netgalley and Bloom Books for early access to this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.*

.
.
.
.
.

Ah, the infamous Boys of Tommen series, we finally meet. And I’m enchanted to meet you. Though, I expected older characters.

This book put me through the wringer over and over again, and I can see why so many people are in love with it.

Chloe Walsh does a good job of invoking an emotional reaction to Shannon’s character. You really feel for her experience at home and her past school experiences. So much so, it’s hard not to get frustrated with her and want her to get help. Though, you understand why she doesn’t.

And Johnny… BOY, why are you hurting yourself? Why are you so hot and cold with Shannon? Get it together, please. I love the character and his protectiveness, but I was getting whiplash sometimes.

Now, we all know I’m not a slowburn girlie. But the tension and the crumbs we were getting here had me screaming my way through the book.

The biggest reason why this book wasn’t a 5 star read was the length. It was really long. However, some parts felt longer than others. One of the biggest reason I don’t love slowburns is because some authors translate that trope into making the book unbearably long. In this case, I just think some of it could have been cut. Like the amount of times Shannon’s size is mentioned.

In sum, I really enjoyed this book and I’m really excited to read the rest of the series.

I have a lot of mixed feelings on this one. Binding 13 is one that you will see recommended often in romance book spaces- but I took that with a grain of salt as there’s another book series I saw recommended EVERYWHERE that I couldn’t make it past one chapter. Hesitantly, I decided to give this one a try. I was pleasantly surprised to find that I never once considered giving up on this book. That being said- is this an amazing piece of literature that I will think of every day? No. But it absolutely kept me interested. Sort of in the way you’ll watch a reality tv show. It’s a little cheesy, a little predictable, lots of drama- but man is it entertaining. I would say my only complaint really is that I did feel like it was unnecessarily long but, again, even with that I never felt like I couldn’t make it through. This book does end on a cliff hanger so know that this is a minimum 2 book commitment! Music lovers will also be happy to find the multiple playlists in the back of the book for the characters and their relationships with each other. Overall, I had a good time reading this and would recommend it to anyone looking for an easy romance read.

Shannon has known nothing but bullying and abuse her entire life and when it goes too far, she gets transferred to the private school her only two friends attend. Tommen College is like nothing she's ever known. Except for an incident her very first day, she's had the most peace at school she's ever known.
Johnny is the school's star rugby player, headed for the national team one day and dedicating everything to the sport he loves. But when he meets Shannon, there's something about her that makes him need to protect her and he's completely distracted by her to the point of risking his academy placement. But even under his protection, she continues to show up with mysterious bruises and even though he keeps pushing her away from me than friendship, he's determined to protect her. But what happens in a few months when he's supposed to move on in the academy?
I'm conflicted in my review of this book because there were so many repetitive scenes and the story doesn't really go anywhere for the first half of the book. There were certain parts I really liked and others I skimmed over. But overall I liked the characters and the struggle each are going through. I liked the cast of side characters, my favorite being Gibsy as he brought so much humor to the story. It kept me interested enough to want to find out what happens in the next book, but it could have been a lot shorter.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I wanted to read this book because I thought it might be a good option for some of my students who want something Colleen Hoover-esque. I appreciated the trigger warning, but ultimately, this book won't be a good fit for my school. It was extremely hard for me to finish.

This was the first book I have read by Chloe Walsh and it won't be my last. This is a 600 page book but let me tell you it didn't feel like that. Chloe had my from start to finish. This book will definitely show all of your emotions. I felt like she had great character development and relationship development. I would Highly recommend this book!


Thank you NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Bloom Books, Bloom Books for allowing me to read this ARC for my honest opinion.

📖: Binding 13
🖋️: Chloe Walsh
⭐️: 5 of 5
💬: “Funny how my sister always seems to get mauled and knocked around when you’re near her, Kavanagh.”

⚠️: Please check the warnings as this book may not be suitable for all readers. As always, protect your mental health.💛

Tropes, Topics & Themes:
✨Dual POV
✨Sports romance
✨Hilarious banter
✨Coming of age
✨Found family
✨Trauma/healing

“Boom, Boom, fucking boom.”
That’s exactly what this book was!🔥🔥🔥 My first book by Chloe and I loved it so much! The banter had me laughing so hard, that my heart broke into a million pieces during some parts, and the love was beautiful.

This book is a must-read!! So let’s get into it.

After years of bullying and then horrible thing happened. Shannon’s mom finally pulls her out of her school and transfers her to the private school of Tommen.

Shannon doesn’t have the typical first day like most people. She ends up running across the field while the team is practicing and she accidentally gets hit by a ball.

“I won’t let you fall.”
It’s easily love at first sight for Johnny. He stays with her until her mother shows up and is warned to stay away from her but Johnny has other plans.

From Johnny’s protection at school and Shannon’s old friends. She starts to slowly fit in and have a normal school year but as always. Things never come easy for her.

“Make a choice, Mam. Him or us?”

With an obsessive ex of Johnny’s, the danger of her father, and love knocking on the window. Can Shannon finally be happy? Can Johnny save her?

Grab this book to find out!

The way this book ended was crazy! I need to read the second one ASAP!🔥🔥


“Because you’re checking into Hotel Gibson for the week.”

The side characters were my absolute favorite too. Especially Gibs!

Thank you, Chloe Walsh, Sourcebooks Bloom Books, and Netgalley for this EARC! As always, my review is my opinion and thoughts. This review will be shared on my Instagram @Alexandriavwilliams_ shortly.

“If feelings were objects, then I was teetering on the edge of a great precipice, and if girls were weapons, then Shannon Lynch was the greatest weapon of mass destruction my heart had ever been exposed to. Because I was fucked. I didn’t bother denying it anymore. There was no point. I had never felt this much for another person in my entire life.”

Same Johnny. I feel the exact same way about this book and those characters. Same.

The raw emotion woven into the lines between those pages has me by the neck.
I read the entire series back to back twice this year alone, i know for a fact I’ll be rereading it every year after.

It’s not always easy for me to be so captured by characters, yet i was squealing with every word coming out from the main characters AND the side ones.
CLAIRE AND GIBS I’M WAITING FOR YOU!!!

This book is easy to get sucked into. The plot is decent for following 2 characters in high school. There are definitely some triggers, so be sure to check the warnings. The author did a great job describing Shannon’s home life and all the hardships of living in that type of situation. I thought that Johnny’s perspective was written well in a sense that the reader could see why he might have had a hard time dealing with the repercussions of his injury.

Overall, the book kind of gave me After vibes in the best way. Both characters perspectives really embodied their personalities and I felt like I knew them. I really felt their pain as the story progressed because Chloe didn’t leave out any details in the character internal monologues. I can see why this book is getting more popular online! Would recommend.

Binding 13 by Chloe Walsh a new to me author I will for sure read more books by. Binding 13 was an enjoyable story first in the Boys of Tommen series. Looking forward to reading book two.

This was highly recommended and after reading I have to agree. I loved the characters and the writing style. The book is long but well written. 4.5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I have been meaning to read this book for what feels like forever. I know fans more than just love this book but live and breathe it. I have always been intimidated by the length, I still am not fully sold that this book needed to be this long. What I am sold on is that I love Shannon and Johnny, and want the world for them both.

Check out my more detailed thoughts below…
Characters: I love Shannon Lynch and Johnny Kavanagh, and I totally get why you all do too. When we met Shannon, I was attached within the first few pages as I could not help but feel for this girl carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders. After facing severe bullying at her public school, Shannon the only daughter in a family of multiple sons is able to go to a private school instead. This poor girl spends so much of this story helpless, yet I began to see the light in her as not just Johnny but her siblings and friends fill in the bright spots of her days. How does one not fall for Johnny Kavanagh, the high school rugby star is so endearing, charming, and caring. The cast of side characters really shines too, I know that there are books out about some, and others have books coming and I am invested to see what happens to everyone.
Setting: The story is set in 2005 Ireland, in the small town of Ballylaggin. I did not know what to expect with the setting, and I loved it! I have learned some Irish slang, I am very thankful for the glossary that is included in this book. What the slang and the time period of almost twenty years ago do is it really transport you and further immerse you in the story.
Pacing: This book is heavy, you need to look up content warnings and be cautious about the real-world themes it tackles. I knew about the topics this book would delve into, but I did not know how graphic some of the scenes would be. This book is not just heavy emotionally, it is heavy physically as it is just over 600 pages. I understand fans eat up every scene and love all this time with Shannon and Johnny. I did love most of their interactions, but some of the other chapters fell a bit flat when the two of them were not interacting. I really do think this book could have been a bit shorter, it really deters someone from starting this series when you see these huge books ahead of you.
Romance: Johnny loves hard and falls fast and I adored reading every time he stepped up so quickly to defend her, while still being her greatest comforter. Shannon really struggles with her feelings, first, the idea that Johnny or anyone could love her this deeply is a foreign concept for her. Then once her own feelings develop she must navigate lying every day to the person she loves. What drove me through this book was getting to the revelations, I wanted Johnny and Shannon to communicate with each other in the most open way possible. While reading I had to remind myself of their age, which gives them a bit of a pass for struggling to communicate with one another for hundreds of pages. What is so special about this story though is the epicness of this love story. It has this deep overwhelming feeling that had me thinking about them constantly days after finishing this (along with propelling me to jump into Keeping 13 basically as I finished this one).

The novel helped show awareness of bullying.
I wanted to know what would happened with the romance between Shannon and Johnny but unfortunately I couldn’t get into the storyline and felt the novel was a bit long.

I really wanted to like this book. It had a really interesting concept regarding Shannon's home life. However, it just fell flat for me. The book was waaaayyyy too long, with a lot of the same thing happening over and over. The characters weren't great. Shannon honestly annoyed the living hell out of me. And we get it, she's so super small OMG so small she started her period at 16 and we get a whole chapter about that yay. And Johnny (and literally all the male characters) was literally just sports, violence, and protect little Shannon at all costs but for no reason.

As I said, it had potential and I really wanted to like it, it just wasn't for me.

Binding 13 is the first book of the Boys of Tommen series. I have seen this book on TT and IG and don’t know why I put it off for so long. I’m so glad I finally decided to dive into this series. This beast of a book was 600+ pages but it honestly didn’t feel like it. I never felt like it dragged or lost interest at all. It only took me one full day to read it and I couldn’t put it down. I love Shannon and Johnny and their slow burn romance is perfect! My heart broke so many times for Shannon and everything she had been through and was still going through. She is so strong for going through it all and still hanging in there. She is the sweetest and purest FMC I’ve ever read. I love characters like hers and love to see their character growth. And Johnny is the sweetest and is so protective of Shannon. He is infatuated with her from the beginning and I love him for being Shannon’s safety. Seriously one of my favorite MMCs. I mean, he made a playlist for her!!! (IYKYK)

The side characters are almost a good as the main characters. Everyone needs a Gibs and Claire in their lives! I also want an older brother like Joey! Loved him!

I can’t wait to jump into the next book because this ending had me full on sobbing! I need for Shannon to have her safe place and her happily ever after! She deserves it! I haughty recommend this book! It is just beautiful all around!

I will start off by saying that I was fully invested in seeing where the relationship went and I loved both Shannon and Johnny. I loved their interactions and the scenes where they had those “deeper” conversations where you saw the real Johnny come out. I really wanted more of that. With that being said, there were some things I didn’t quite like but I don’t think those things made it a bad read it was just things I didn’t like. I was not a huge fan of the length of the book, I felt like there was a lot of the same back and forth for the majority of the book and I felt like that could have been shortened. Also, the ending wasn’t really an ending. I think this was done on purpose to get the reader to read the second book which I will be doing just that lol overall, I really enjoyed reading this book and being engrossed in Johnny and Shannon’s story!

4.5 stars

I really enjoyed this one. The physical hardships that Johnny and Shannon went through was so awful. I just wanted to protect both of them especially Shannon.

I loved how protective Johnny was of Shannon. I loved how he was very open and comfortable with her as well. I adored Shannon's strength and resilience. She dealt with every hand she was given. She could of given up but didn't and that takes a lot of courage.

This slow burn romance had me at the edge of my seat and that cliffhanger was the worst. I'm looking forward to reading the next book though!

Oh. My. God. This book was INCREDIBLE.

Let me start off by saying that not only was I hooked, I am now in a book hangover and need to read the rest of the series NOW. I found myself needing to know what was going to happen next, and the slow burn was so painful, but in a good way! The characters were so well written that I now need to know their stories, as well.

This was heartbreaking, hilarious, insightful, loving, and absolutely remarkable for a sports romance. I cannot imagine being in Shannon's shoes, so thank god for Johnny.

This book truly made me feel all of the feelings, and for that, it gets an automatic 5 stars.

Chloe Walsh, you are a truly stunning author and I can't wait to devour the rest of your books.