Thank you Bloom Books and Netgalley for the ARC.

I love this book so much. I didn't expect to but I did. Shannon is just in need of a lot of therapy and Johnny is... Well johnny. I love this book though overall.

This one is hard for me to review! I understand why people love it - the angst is top tier for sure, but oof - the bullying and subject matter (check the trigger warnings before reading) were a lot. It’s definitely not for the faint of heart (which is apparently me) and got to be too long and repetitive for my liking. That said, I did love the slow burn and development between Shannon and Johnny! This is not your typical high school romance by any means and I love the connection that builds between them in this book. While it wasn’t my absolute favorite, did I devour it within a couple of days? Yes. Did I need to read book two as soon as finishing this? Also, yes.

3.75⭐️ I went into this book with high anticipation and already loving the series--so much so that I bought all four books without even having read the first one yet, and I am happy to say that it did not disappoint! Although Johnny, Shannon, and the other characters kept this book very entertaining and gave me a sense of nostalgia throughout, I rated Binding 13 a 3.75 because there were some points in the book that were very repetitive and the book was a lot longer than it needed to be. However, I do appreciate that the author went into detail throughout the book about what our main characters have been through, and what they are currently going through while maintaining that spark of innocence and new love. Please check triggers if you are thinking of reading this book.

Thank you so much to Chloe Walsh and Bloom Books for this digital arc in exchange for my honest review. Binding 13 is set to republish on November 28, 2023!

4.5 stars

I was skeptical when I found out this book has a high school setting, but the writing is so beautifully done. It didn't feel overly young. A poignant and heartfelt story. How can one book be both heartbreaking and heartwarming in the same breath? Chloe Walsh did that. I also would like to note that I loved how we got two playlists, one for Johnny and one for Shannon. I also loved how a glossary and name pronunciation was provided since there are a lot of Irish names and slang used. I still think about Johnny and Shannon and their sweet, pure love all the time. Binding 13 is worth every page. I cannot wait to continue the series.

I am so excited to see this series being traditionally published!!! Binding 13 is one of my favourite books, and Johnny and Shannon’s story broke my heart and put it back together again. I not only loved the main characters, Johnny and Shannon, but also their relationships with family and friends which add to how heartfelt this story feels. While this story definitely has some parts that are hard to read, it is well balanced with the lighthearted moments that the characters have. This book is one of my favourite romance books of all time and I can’t wait to finish the series and get all of the character’s stories!