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4.43 AVERAGE
4.43 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I love how Aofie fights for him even as much as he resists. That slow burn tension to finally win him over and start healing him with her love was the best part of this first book. It was nice to get another insight into the lynch house from joeys pov
emotional
funny
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I knew what I was getting myself into but this book still completely broke me. Even knowing that Joey and Aoife’s story continues, I was left feeling completely numb by the end.
⟡ Rating ⟡
♾️/5 ⭐️
1.5/5 🌶️
⟡ Review ⟡
Joey Lynch and Aoife Malloy first meet on their very first day of secondary school and they click instantly. But things aren’t simple when Joey’s older brother Darren leaves and Aoife turns out to be the daughter of Joey’s boss. A job the 12-year old desperately needs to put food on the table.
Yeah.
Joey tries to put some distance between them but they still two form a strong friendship with lots of push and pull before they eventually get together.
Joey is a boy with the biggest heart. He cares so deeply and desperately wants to protect everyone he loves. But the tragedy is that, at the end of the day, he’s just a kid and he crumbles under a weight no child should have to carry. Everyone leans on him, his siblings and even his mother who doesn’t have a single kind word to say about him. And honestly, I hate her for that after I came around a bit on her by the end of the last book.
Joey is forced to raise his younger brothers, to become the provider and he always took the worst of his father’s beatings. Despite everything, he remains fiercely loyal - to his mother in his need to protect her, but more so to his siblings. He refuses to leave them in that house even when he turns eighteen and technically could have walked away. Every future plan he makes is built around finding a way to take them with him.
It’s devastating to see the “real Joey” in this book compared to how he appeared in Binding 13 and Keeping 13. My heart already broke for him in those stories but through Shannon’s perspective, he always seemed like he still had things mostly under control, at least until he reached his breaking point. But here the entire ugly truth is revealed and it shows just how fragile he was all along.
The severity of his addiction is heartbreaking. This wasn’t something he could just kick, even though he tried so hard for Aoife for a while until he couldn’t do it any longer. Shannon’s perspective in the earlier books made it seem like his issues with addiction were something he fought and overcame when he got with Aoife but that’s not true at all. Seeing the reality here is horrible and so painfully heartbreaking.
You wish their love would be enough for Joey to break free from it but as devastating as it is, the book shows the realistic truth. No matter how much he and Aoife both want it, he cannot simply snap out of it. That struggle makes his journey even more gut-wrenching to read.
The fact is, Joey would not have survived without Aoife. She is his lifeline. Aoife is an absolute angel, the exact person he needs in his corner. She sees him for who he truly is, past the pain, past the weight of responsibility, past the hardened armour he is forced to wear. She recognizes every part of him, including the brokenness, and loves him anyway.
This one is definitely even heavier than the first two books. Maybe this is also due to the fact that there isn’t any funny banter from any friends her. There are small glimpses of good things though. One of the real nice moments was seeing Tony, Aoife’s father, be fully supportive of Joey even when the truth about Joey and Aoife’s relationship is finally revealed.
dark
emotional
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Teddy and Marie Lynch are the most horrible people ever. Yes, Marie was a victim however the shit she spouted to Joey was horrible. I don’t understand how he continued to love her even after her death.
Also Darren Lynch is a piece of shit.
Also Darren Lynch is a piece of shit.