Reviews - Binding 13 | The StoryGraph

15.8k reviews for:

Binding 13

Chloe Walsh

4.37 AVERAGE

emmaeger's review against another edition

5.0

challenging dark emotional funny inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

Content Warnings

saaramariaa's review against another edition

5.0

Hi Johnny, hi Shannon 🫶🏼

killsy04's review against another edition

3.5

emotional tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: N/A

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

just_jenny's review against another edition

5.0

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

mel_reads03's review against another edition

4.25

challenging emotional funny sad slow-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

kategee's review against another edition

4.75

dark emotional inspiring tense medium-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

Content Warnings

cwatt100's review against another edition

3.0

The slowest slow burn I’ve ever read. FFS.

sqlem7's review against another edition

2.5

dark emotional funny sad slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

the only good thing abt this book is johnny kavanagh

literary_simone's review against another edition

5.0

emotional funny sad medium-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

This is the kind of book that moves you and stays with you long after you have finished it. I was hooked from the start and genuinely loved every moment of it.

⟡ Tropes and Rating ⟡

🏉 Rugby Player

🔥 Slow Burn

💓 Boy Obsessed

🛡️ Protective Hero

⚠️ Domestic Abuse & Bullying

5/5 ⭐️

⟡ Review ⟡

Shannon Lynch has had it rough. With an abusive father and a mother who continually chooses that man over her children and relentlessly getting bullied at school, Shannon’s only source of comfort has been her older brother Joey.

When she transfers to Tommen College, hoping for a fresh start, her path collides quite literally with rugby prodigy Johnny Kavanagh, thanks to a stray ball to the head on her first day.

Johnny’s life has always revolved around rugby. Focused, disciplined, and pushing through injuries he shouldn’t be ignoring. But meeting Shannon changes that. Suddenly there’s more to life than the game.

This is a beautifully written story. It drew me in straight away and the characters feel multi-layered and real.

They are not perfect by any means, they don’t always act reasonable and are completely believable as teenagers having to deal with trauma, pressure, and first love. So often, teen characters are written as full blown adults but these kids feel like kids and it makes the heavy themes hit even harder.

My heart goes out to Shannon. I can’t even phantom to understand what she has been going through all her life. The only person who has ever been in her corner is her older brother Joey, but at only 18, he also has so much on his plate. As a mother, I found the scenes with Shannon’s mom especially gut-wrenching. Her ignorance to her daughter’s suffering was almost harder to read than the abuse itself. How do you sit by and do nothing while your child breaks?

And then there’s Johnny. Protective, loyal, and quietly obsessed. Johnny Kavanagh, the man you are. He is protective of Shannon from the get-go and never, and I mean never, leaves her hanging. He falls hard and fast but does his best to keep things platonic, citing his rugby focus and their age gap, which, let’s be real, is barely worth mentioning.

The slow burn hits just perfectly. These two get to know each other, pull away, can’t stay away and the tension keeps growing. It’s truly beautiful and gives weight to the bond they share.

The side characters are amazing. The (trauma) bond Shannon and Joey share is strong and beautiful and I am already dreading his story.

Johnny and Gibsie’s banter is hilarious, but underneath you can see their true, heartfelt friendship. I also love Johnny’s mother and her sneaky attempts to meddle in Johnny’s and Shannon’s relationship. At the same time, it highlights everything Shannon’s home life is lacking without needing to spell it out.

So this takes place in 2005 and since I was about the age of these kids back then (yes I’m that old… ) this certainly took me back down memory lane, like when those kids exchanged burnt CDs.

Yes, this got long but this also touched me more than a book has in a while and I can’t wait to start the next one.

Content Warnings

avab121's review against another edition

4.0

emotional funny sad tense slow-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

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