⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

Was I slightly intimidated by the page number?! Yes! but I want another 600+ pages of Shannon like the River and Johnny.

Wow was this story so good! Shannon and Johnny need to be protected at all cost! My heart hurt so much through this story for our sweet Shannon all that she went through and still push through life the best was she knows how. I loved her brother and how hard he fought to protect her. Her friendships that she had and also the ones she made theo fit her journey. && Johnny protecting this sweet girl at all costs. Knowing how fragile she is and slowly showing her she is safe 😭😭😭. & his bestie Gibsie 🥹🥹 we all need that kind of friendship. I wanted another 600+ pages of this!

Thank you NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review. I cannot wait to finish the rest to the books in this series!

How is it fair this book ended like that?! I am making grabby hands for the next one. This book was beautifully heartbreaking. I adored Johnny and how he was for Shannon. And Shannon like the river. She must be protected at all costs. My heart weeped for her. At times this book did feel a smidgen long but it was beautiful. I loved every minute of it.

I need to talk about this book! ALL the FEELS! From plot to character building this book just hits and doesn’t let go. I cannot wait to read the series. Book one was PHENOMENAL, ten stars!!!!

Normally, I read romance/fantasy and anything spicy, so at first I wasn't sure of this book. However, this book pulled at all my hearstrings. Chloe Walsh does an excellete job with character development through the dual POV of the book. She also does an AMAZING job tackling heavy emotional topics in a way that you relate to the reader and want to be there to help them yourself. Not just another YA romance book. Amazing 12/10

5⭐️

I will protect these characters at all costs!

𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭:
• Sports romance (rugby)
• Coming of age
• Irish slang
• Trauma/healing
• Found family

⚠️ ʙᴏᴏᴋs ᴄᴏɴᴛᴀɪɴ ʜᴇᴀᴠʏ ᴛʀɪɢɢᴇʀs ғᴏʀ sᴏᴍᴇ. ⚠️

Shannon Lynch has had a rough life to only be 15. She’s been bullied for years and transfers to Tommen College hoping for fresh start. It’s there that she meets Johnny Kavanagh, the star rugby player. Johnny has only had one goal all of his life - to make it to the pros. What he didn’t expect was the connection he would feel to Shannon. They are both harboring secrets though. One that can destroy his career and one that can destroy her life.
_

The story captures you right from the start. I loved every minute of it. I saw another review state that it reads like a movie and I couldn’t agree more.

Stop the ending 😩😩😩 my heart is pounding and I feel like it’s not going to calm down u til I dive into book 2 (which I will be doing immediately)

Thank you NetGalley for the arc! This book has been out for a while, but I got an arc for the trad published, Bloom Books release.

Honestly if I didn’t get this on my kindle idk if I would have ever read it because of how thick the book is, but dang I’m so happy I did finally pick it up. I can see this becoming my new obsession EASILY.

I had a few minor issues with the writing which bumped it down one star for me, but the story 🙌 the plot 🙌 THE CHARACTERS 🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌 I can’t 😩❤️

I am suddenly Rugby’s #1 biggest fan and I have never seen a single game!

I went into Binding 13 relatively blind. I knew it was a high school romance with a “jock/normal girl” relationship but it was so much more than that. Shannon and Johnny had a great slow burn relationship. I was kicking my feet, my jaw was on the floor, pacing around my room, YOU NAME IT. I was a HOOKED. It was such a slow burn that it left me wanting MORE. Thankfully, there is another book on the way!! I thought this was great when it came to pacing and if you are looking for a SLOW BURN, this is the book for you.

The only problem for me was that it was hard to “get into it”. There was a LOT of background necessary to cover for both characters so it took some time for it to pick up. I did feel somewhat bored but when it takes off, IT TAKES OFF. Don’t be too afraid of the length! It feels a lot quicker than it is once you reach about 30% in. The comic relief and banter also balance out the heavier details of the book so it seems quick. That being said, please check TWs!!!

Thank you to NetGalley and Bloom Books for the ARC! I can’t wait for the next book!!

If you want a slow burn like Mariana Zapata and a heartwarming and heart wrenching story at the same time, this is for you! I’m so happy this got trad published and the cover is gorgeous. Totally recommend this series, if you’re thinking about reading it, do it!!!

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC!

This book made me feel everything. From happiness, laughing, sweetness, to kicking, screaming, crying. This book literally has everything. First off, Shannon’s dad can literally ROT, he is so disgusting. I admire Shannon and her siblings so much, even if they are only fictional, and my heart goes out to anyone who has dealt with or is dealing with a similar situation. I really liked Johnny’s character too, and I want to see how he grows from here because he definitley is a 17 year old boy. I finished this in tears at 3am and immediately picked up the second book. Despite its loooong length, I read this in one day?! The first few chapters were hard to get into because I was getting used to the authors writing style. They use a lot of words, and at first it wasn’t my favorite sometimes with the dialogue or internal thoughts, but it grew on me and this was a beautiful story. I appreciate the pronunciation and glossary! It was so helpful.

My one complaint is I don’t like how childlike Shannon is described as. She’s repeatedly described as small, underdeveloped, tiny, fragile, also sometimes she acts childlike especially with how much she falls down, and also comparing her to other girls and even guys her age she’s just described as so childlike. It is a little weird to me especially reading a romance, and I feel like this is a trend in how authors describe FMCs and it’s not it for me.

This book made me feel all the emotions. I cried, and screamed while reading this book. This book deals with real life situations that kids and teens are going through right at this moment!!!! This book is EVERYTHING TO ME!!!!! THIS BECAME MY ALLL TIME FAVORTIE BOOK OF THE YEAR!!!!! Shannon and Johnny are A Game, they are everything!! AND JOHNNY IS THE BEST BOOK BOYFRIEND EVERRRR!!!! I was hesitant to read this book for awhile because of the font and the book size (since I got them physically) and I ATE IT UP LIKE A COOKIE!!!!! The dad can rot in hell for what he do to his kids. NOBODY I MEAN NOBODY DON’T DESERVE TO BE ABUSED!!!


100000000000000/5 stars

This book was so good! I was instantly hooked and I read it as fast as I could.

The characters felt so real and they stayed with me while I wasn’t reading about them.

I immediately started book 2!

Currently reading this and wow, I am hooked. For me, this definitely lives up to the hype. I saw it all over booktok and thought I’d give it a try. I know the physical book is huge, but when you read it on the kindle, it definitely goes by quicker.

Literally perfect. Johnny and Shannon are one of the best things to ever happen to me. Their love is so real and strong and I love them so much.

This book made me ache. I truly cared for Shannon and wanted to jump in the pages and fight her battles for her. She’s been through horrors nobody should ever experience and is still such a kind and gentle spirit. 😭 I understood Johnny’s need to protect her.

I loved the slow burn that this was. It felt authentic to their characters, especially given how young they are. The author did a great job of showing what it’s like to experience that all-consuming, terrifying feeling of falling in love for the first time. And their friendship was the sweetest part of all.

‘’Shannon like the river. Will you please be my friend?’’ 🥹🫶🏼

Also, the side characters were great. Gibsie was the books much needed comedic relief and a good friend to Johnny. Claire was the friend I was so happy Shannon had in her corner. Joey 😭. I already know his books will wreck me too.


Thank you to Netgalley and bloom books for the ARC!

Ok I really enjoyed this story for the most part. I did feel the characters and plot and story were really good. I did feel like some parts and the monologue was a bit too much, too drawn out.
Tropes include
💚ya romance
❤️sports
💚slow burn
❤️dual pov
💚 domestic violence/ bullying

I did enjoy the story and the side characters are awesome and there are times my heart hurt for both Johnny and Shannon and their different circumstances. I felt like I wanted to get to points a bit faster, scenes were a bit drawn out but I still really enjoyed it. Please read TW if ur easily triggered as book contains domestic abuse and bullying. Does end on cliff and can’t wait to continue series.

Johnny Kavanagh is a force to be reckoned with on the rugby pitch and is a on his was to stardom. Shannon is the new girl at Tommen College after being bullied and tortured at her previous school. On her first day, she has a unfortunate run in with Johnny and these two can’t seem to avoid each other after that. They have a very complicated friendship with some deep feelings involved but there are many threats that complicate their relationship.

There is so much sweet and innocent love in this book. Shannon lives are heartbreaking home life that she keeps hidden from everyone and it makes me just want to protect her. Johnny is so sweet and protective of her from day one and is exactly what Shannon needs in her life. Gibsie is an amazing and hilarious side character. He is such a loyal yet crazy best friend and I loved him. The ending of this book is absolutely heartbreaking and makes you want to jump into the next book just to see if everything turns out ok. If you love a sweet and innocent type of love, this is a must read.

"Because I need her --" I shook my head and expelled another frustrated breath. "Because I want to keep her in my life."

The absolute slooooooow burn that this was, has me begging for more of these characters.
I didn't even make it halfway through the book before I decided this was going to be in my top reads for the year. I am immediately diving into book two.

I loved everything from the characters and their development, to the storyline, and the setting. I was swooning from the very beginning for Shannon and Johnny.

Shannon is a young girl with a troubled home life trying to find some peace in the world and Johnny is a star rugby player, on his way to play for the majors, not looking for any distractions. They meet on her first day at Tommen College its immediately apparent the connection these two have with each other.

"She was worth it all."

Tropes:
- Unequal Social Status
- First Love
- Friends to Lovers
- Dark Secret

*Thank you to Netgalley and Sourcebooks for a copy of this book.*

Shannon, physically small and frail. Bullied incessantly and even moved to a new school. Only to be knocked in the head by a rugby ball by our MMC Johnny.

Well, being told to stay away from each other they seem to simply gravitate instead in this angsty romance leading to some explosive, delicious moments as Johnny feels this need to protect Shannon. Even if the danger is outside of school.

Overall it was refreshing to find a sports related romance novel that focused on things such as relationships. This was not only a long read, but also a slow burn romance. But they had me swooning as soon as the connection was live.


Thank you to Netgalley and Bloom Books for the eArc!

Honestly this book is really easy to sum up. Shannon like the river is very small, frail, weak, skinny, every adjective that goes with the previously mentioned, and has fried egg breasts. That's basically her entire personality. She has so. many. conversations in her head. Guess what they're about? Mostly about how small she is. Everyone around her is constantly telling her the same thing. She needs help to do basically everything because she's tiny. And if you think I'm exaggerating I'm not. It's at least once a page if not more.

Johnny, or rugby god as I will now be referring to him, talks about his dick for about 80% of the book. Older women throw themselves at him 🙄 but yet he obsesses over 15 year old Shannon like the river. There's truly nothing spectacular about rugby god. He's basically just there in the book to serve the role as knight in shining armor and he even fails at that.

Honestly nothing really happens. It's like 600 pages of Shannon like the river talking about being small and rugby god pining for her. She's constantly being both sexualized and infantilized which is really gross. It really only got a second star for Joey and Gibsie. They carried it.

I feel lied to by every single person who gave this a good review.

This book was everything I was wanting and more! It has all of my favorite tropes. The shy girl and the popular athlete, who turns out to be a good guy. This book focuses on the characters, friendships, relationships and family dynamics. This book has all of it- slow burn included!

The author really focused on character development and relationship building. It made for a great read! I thought this book may be a little YA, but it didn't feel that way at all. I highly recommend picking this one up!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!