A review by bribreez
Taming 7 by Chloe Walsh

dark emotional funny hopeful sad tense medium-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

4.25

*Please check trigger warnings before reading.

4.25⭐️

FINALLY! THE DAY HAS COME WHEN I HAVE FINALLY READ GIBSIE AND CLAIRE’S STORY! WOO! I feel like this story has been one I have been eagerly waiting for, especially with all the small bits and pieces I’ve gotten over the course of the previous books. Claire and Gibsie were always side by side, you’d never not catch them being together since they were the closest of friends, but also shared a deep connection that spanned years since they were little. Gibsie was flirtatious, reckless, fun, loving, and the life of the party, but deep inside he also hide the darkest parts of himself especially after a traumatic event in his younger years. Claire was a sweet young girl who, similar to Gibsie was always smiles, kind, and the best friend a person could ask for. This story illustrated two best friends who were the epitomes of sunshine’s, falling in love over the course of their lives together as they went through highs and lows, but ultimately becoming much more than the friends they originally were.

As much as both Gibsie and Claire were rays of sunshine, this story also had some sadness to it. Like any of the books within this series, there are heavy topics discussed so, please check trigger warnings before reading. Without giving away too much, this story discussed Gibsie’s backstory namely with the trauma of losing both his Dad and little sister in a drowning accident. Many years ago, while out on a boat, Gibsie’s dad, his little sister, and himself fell overboard and into the water. As you could imagine, it was a traumatic experience that even years later still haunted Gibsie and left him with a lingering sadness he could never move pass. The story delved into the aspects of Gibsie’s past and tried to show how he tried to keep the inner demons at bay by smiling and using his humor as a coping mechanisms. After all, if he was busy having fun and making others laugh, then it was the perfect distraction to the thoughts that swirled through his mind. Poor Gibsie dealt with a lot internally, but thankfully with Claire always at his side, he always had her to help him in whatever way possible. 

One of the many things I’ve enjoyed about this series is, seeing the characters grow, evolve, and become part of a bigger family. The last two books focused primarily on, Joey and Aoife’s story, but now with this book it not only gave us the story of Gibsie and Claire, but finally seeing every single character together. From the Lynch siblings joining Tommen, to Aoife later coming along, the friend group grew bigger and stronger. Over the course of these books, it has shown, Johnn, Shannon, Joey, Aoife, Gibsie, Claire, the rest of the Lynch siblings, Hugh, Patrick, and the even the parents become more prominent figures. Gibsie and Claire’s story was one I had waited what seemed like a long time, but seeing the rest of the characters come together in this book was heartwarming and so satisfying even when things got intense. 

Going into this book I thought I knew what I was getting into, but then it took a completely unexpected turn when I got more towards the end. Like all of previous Boys of Tommen books, each book showed and discussed heavy topics that were sad, traumatic, and tragic. When it came to Gibsie’s story, never in my time of reading this book did I expect to learn what he was experienced as such a young age. Yes, I was made aware early on that Gibsie suffered a tragedy of losing both his father and little sister in a tragic drowning, but when it came towards the almost end of this book with Gibsie revealing a long held dark secret of his past, I legitimately froze up and was in complete shock. Looking back at the story, it all kind of makes sense as to why Gibsie had a certain distance to him when it came to hooking up with random girls, and why he was afraid of feeling nothing when it came to the only girl he ever loved, Claire. Gibsie used his humor to cover up his true feelings, but the mask he used to hide his feelings highlighted just how much he was dealing with under the surface, poor Gibsie, my heart broke for him when he said what he said…

I went into this book with I’ll admit high hopes for Gibsie and Claire’s story, but there was something about this book that felt like it was missing something. I will say, when it came to the revelation of Gibsie’s past in regards to what he endured, I think it should have been included in the trigger warnings as some of the things discussed and shown in this book were very heartbreaking and just something one should be given a heads up just in case. Aside from that, I did enjoy seeing the entire friend group interacting, and seeing the different personalities among the friend group. Although, with the events leading up to the ending, it seemed like there was much to still be answered in terms of the story, and especially with the friend group at odds. Gibsie and Claire’s story has been one that has been building up since the first book so, to finally get to read their story was intriguing, but I do think there was potential for me to explore their friendship going into the romance, if that makes sense. As a whole, I liked this book, I thought it did a great job of illustrating the aspects of Gibsie and Claire’s friendship, seeing the friend group together, the drama that unfolded over the course of the book. I’m curious to see if Claire and Gibsie’s story will be a continuation in the next one or what will happen next since there were a few unanswered questions I had with the way this book ended. 
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