Binding & Keeping 13 (Boys of Tommen Series Books 1 & 2) by Chloe Walsh Review

"Boom, boom, f*cking boom" ***SPOILERS AT THE BOTTOM***

After finishing up the first two books Keeping 13 and Binding 13 from the Boys of Tommen series, I debated on how I wanted to write this review. Whether I should write each book’s review individually or combined. After moving onto Saving 6 and Redeeming 6 (books 3 & 4 in the series), it made sense to combine this review. The main reason being that the beginning of Keeping 13 picks up literally where Binding 13 ends, so it reads like one long story that just had to be cut into two books because of the length. Binding and Keeping 13 focuses on the FMC Shannon Lynch and MMC Johnny Kavanagh and their story.

So let’s kick this off with why I picked this book up and some overall thoughts of the content in the book before I get into rating the story and characters. I had added this book to my TBR more recently than other books but had heard about it a while back. Then it just seemed to show up EVERYWHERE on my bookish influencer videos recommending it, so I moved it up on the list since I wanted to see what the fuss was about. I made it a point to avoid content with spoilers and I went into this almost blind. The only thing I watched was a video about how apparently there has been some debate on whether or not labeling this as a YA book is appropriate based off the content in the book.

Here’s the thing - I definitely understand why there is a debate. It’s very easy to label this YA since the main characters are teenagers, but also understand the concerns with the heavier content that is involved in the story. In the author’s note in Binding 13 (Book 1) she says that due to the content she recommends that readers be 16+. And honestly.. I think that is actually the right age for this book, and should fall under the YA category. I believe that once you hit the second half of high school where most of us hit puberty by then and started to have the average teenage experiences, I don’t think anything in this book is wildly inappropriate. There is some heavier content but something that shouldn’t be totally unheard of by teenagers at that point. I believe reading about experiences like the ones described in the book, is a good thing at that age because you can learn about and understand heavier adult topics and content in a safe environment in the form of a book. Personally I think 16 year olds are within the YA age range. I would put anyone under 15 through 12 more in a “Teen” category in a book store and not a “Young Adult”. And yes, I do think there is a difference.

Here’s the thing, I’m SURE there was at least ONE time when you were a teenager and under 17 and you wanted to go to an R-rated movie at a younger age, and you convinced someone over the age of 17 to buy your tickets and take you. You probably even remember your first PG-13 and R-rated movie. My first PG-13 movie was Men In Black (I really wanted to see it) and Double Jeopardy (my mom wanted to rent it from Blockbuster and the guy at the counter said it was fine for me to watch lol). And guess what, I watched both of those movies at an age far younger than recommended and it was fine. I wasn’t traumatized, didn’t go around doing whatever dangerous things the characters did or start swearing all the time because I knew it was just a movie. Even now, parents are more likely to be lax about content shown on TV and film but why is it so different with books? We’ve hit a point in our timeline where books are being banned left and right in the name of “protecting children” and I don’t see the same outrage over TV and film (nor do I want it) and I don’t believe in banning books.

My point is that I think the content in this book is appropriately YA. Even the sexual content in this book literally brought me back to high school and what it was like experiencing everything for the first time. I give credit to Walsh because I think she actually does a good job being realistic about teenage sexual experiences while not being overly graphic like real adult romance or smutty books can be. If I was a teenager reading this I would be able to relate to it and not have it feel like the equivalent of watching a porno and setting up unrealistic expectations (with the exception of every MMC size… it’s always “too big”…).

Now that my Ted Talk is over, let’s move on to the actual story. I have to say I really loved this book! I’m a sucker for a dual POV so I was already loving the structure of the book. I read it via audiobook and eBook. I also highly recommend listening to it because I loved the Irish accent and it helps you understand how things written out are said since there are a lot of Irish names, slang and just how they say certain things. The characters in this story also have a lot of depth for being teenagers. Don’t get me wrong, there are plenty of moments that are just pure amazing teenage banter that will make you just laugh and are a ton of fun! But this book is a roller coaster of emotions that as much as you laugh you also cry, and just feel pure rage at times in this book. These books focus more on the characters and their relationships with each other instead of a “plot”, you experience their growth throughout the book. So you really get to know them and get so emotionally attached even for it being a YA book with teenage characters.

I was also going back and forth on how I wanted to rate this and I am going to give one rating for both books because like I said earlier this is really just one long book divided into two so I’m rating it as one.

Rating: 4.5 ⭐️ (but for a YA book I would rate this 5 ⭐️)

Spice: 2.5 🌶️

Now stop here if you don’t want any spoilers!

Till next time, just keep reading.

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Okay, so let’s get into it! I really loved how Walsh not only gave the FMC and MMC their romance plot, but both Johnny and Shannon had really good personal arcs. I really loved how much we saw Johnny focus on rugby career and him struggling with his injury. That was a really well developed personal arc for Johnny and one I could appreciate since I played sports growing up and am still very physically active, I could relate to getting injured and not wanting it to hold you back or stop you from opportunities. I think if you were a teenage athlete reading this book, there are a lot of lessons in Johnny’s injury journey alone!

Shannon’s arc obviously had the heaviest themes of domestic violence and abuse at the hands of her father and neglect from her mother (another victim herself). I was impressed at how this book didn’t shy away from showing and describing the realities of that kind of situation. Some people might have thought it was not YA appropriate but I think it was because it had as much of a “happy” ending as it could have. Let’s be real if this was a real “adult” book, one of the other kids or characters we loved and attached to would have died along with the parents either in another traumatic scene or during the fire, instead the book ends hopeful.

I loved the story of Shannon like the river and Johnny Kavanaugh romantic arc. Walsh did a great job describing first crushes and loves at that age. Reading along with Shannon as she fell for Johnny reminded me of what that felt like at that age. I also really loved how gentle he was with her and how much he cared and looked out for her. Not to say he was perfect (I’ll overlook his anger issues) but the way he treated Shannon is a good blue print for how teenage boys should treat teenage girls. He didn’t pressure her to do anything she didn’t want to and made her feel safe. Their relationship was a slow burn because he didn’t want to move fast because he knew she wasn’t ready even when she didn't. Even how they progressed was very reminiscent of high school, with playing “baseball” around the bases. I think what really helps tie this to YA is that they crush and like each other which grows into love before they really get physical, which is what you would want any teenager to read and experience. In a lot of adult books and content, the feelings can come after sex (just look at the enemies to lovers trope…) or they initiate a physical relationship based on looks or abilities or something else other than love because its at the end of an adult book that one if not both of the characters finally admit their feelings for each other. Here, we have Johnny and Shannon already in love before they have sex, again which is what any teenager and parent would want. This book being YA helps show what a sexual relationship should be between two teens that age, promoting safety, consent, respect and trust.

Lastly, I CAN’T WAIT for Gibsie’s and Claire’s story! I think we can all agree Gibsie is the Ridoc of this series and my favorite. His comedic bits in the story are just absolute perfection and I love how they set him up for his own arc and show some depth to his character we haven’t seen much of yet, like with his issues with water and his family drowning. I also can’t wait to read his relationship POV with Claire. I’m excited to see what they have in store for them! Especially with the title Taming 7, we already know Gibsie is the wild one with his piercings, care free, fun, no filter personality. He is the kind of ride or die friend you want to have and excited to see how that translates into a romantic relationship. It’s cute how he already expressed his fears about getting into a relationship too young and early with Claire despite knowing she is end game.

I’m still reading Redeeming 6 at the time I am writing this so I haven’t gotten to it yet, but I think I will like Gibsie and Claire’s story more than Saving & Redeeming 6. My review for Books 3 & 4 will also be combined into one like this one so stay tuned!