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gigii_giigi 's review for:
Binding 13
by Chloe Walsh
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
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:
No
Being in a reading slump is honestly the worst, so I decided to reread something I loved and somehow landed on this one. Maybe because the new book is out? Who knows. But wow, I think I cried even more than I did the first time around.
What makes this book hit so hard (at least for me) is how real it feels. It’s nostalgic. It’s familiar. We were high school kids too, we had our own messy drama, and the author somehow captures that chaos and vulnerability in a way that even non-Irish readers can relate to. It doesn’t matter where you’re from, you feel like you know these characters. Hell, sometimes you feel like you are them.
I adore Shannon and Johnny. They felt grounded, like real people shaped by their messy families and circumstances. The side characters and even the so-called villains felt fleshed out too—though sometimes a bit too dramatic, but honestly? That’s high school. Everything feels like too much when you’re a teenager.
My heart just breaks for Shannon and Johnny. The writing is simple but cuts deep. Sometimes I cringed at Shannon’s choices, but not in a hateful way—in a "this makes total sense for her" kind of way. She’s "flawed" and she’s real. And I love that the book doesn’t beat the same point over and over again. It treats you like a reader who gets it, instead of talking down to you.
Also the humor? Lol. It genuinely reminded me of the way teens joke around, awkward, random, chaotic, and sometimes unexpectedly deep. I knew how Shannon and Johnny's story would end, and still, watching their relationship unfold again hit me right in the chest.
So yeah. This book pulled me out of my slump. First one I finished this month.
What makes this book hit so hard (at least for me) is how real it feels. It’s nostalgic. It’s familiar. We were high school kids too, we had our own messy drama, and the author somehow captures that chaos and vulnerability in a way that even non-Irish readers can relate to. It doesn’t matter where you’re from, you feel like you know these characters. Hell, sometimes you feel like you are them.
I adore Shannon and Johnny. They felt grounded, like real people shaped by their messy families and circumstances. The side characters and even the so-called villains felt fleshed out too—though sometimes a bit too dramatic, but honestly? That’s high school. Everything feels like too much when you’re a teenager.
My heart just breaks for Shannon and Johnny. The writing is simple but cuts deep. Sometimes I cringed at Shannon’s choices, but not in a hateful way—in a "this makes total sense for her" kind of way. She’s "flawed" and she’s real. And I love that the book doesn’t beat the same point over and over again. It treats you like a reader who gets it, instead of talking down to you.
Also the humor? Lol. It genuinely reminded me of the way teens joke around, awkward, random, chaotic, and sometimes unexpectedly deep. I knew how Shannon and Johnny's story would end, and still, watching their relationship unfold again hit me right in the chest.
So yeah. This book pulled me out of my slump. First one I finished this month.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Bullying, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail