Keeping 13: Epic, emotional and addictive romance from the TikTok phenomenon (The Boys of Tommen)

THIS BOOK IS EVERYTHING. Where do I begin..I’ve read comments about it being a basic teenage school story: it’s far from that. The book cover such depths of pain, trauma, self discovery, trust, heartbreak, family, love, humour and everything else in between.Binding & Keeping are the only books I have audibly laughed at whilst reading and also had tears streaming down my face. All of the characters have purpose and are brilliantly written.The humour in this book is brilliant! Dry, sarcastic, realistic. I’ve never laughed so much.Another thing I loved about the book is that nothing is dragged out. The chapters aren’t ridiculously long either which also gets bonus points.Wished there was another book about Johnny & Shannon’s future and how that pans out. These two will hold a special place in my heart

Keeping 13 absolutely broke me. I don’t think I’ve ever read a book that made me feel this much, this deeply, for this long. It’s devastating, painful, and overwhelming in the best and worst ways, and somehow still impossible to put down. Just like Binding 13, the writing is incredible - every chapter pulls you in, and even when things hurt, you don’t want to look away.What stood out most to me in this book was Shannon’s growth. Watching her slowly come out of her shell, piece by piece, was honestly one of the most satisfying journeys I’ve ever read. She’s still gentle, still kind, still cautious - but she’s stronger now. She starts to speak up. She starts to defend herself. She starts to believe, even just a little, that she deserves better. Seeing her finally stand her ground after everything she’s endured was powerful and emotional and long overdue. Shannon Lynch is a fighter in every sense of the word.Johnny, as always, was everything. But what I loved most was seeing his growth too. He’s still protective, still devoted, still completely in love with Shannon - but he’s also softer, more open, more relaxed around her. Their relationship feels deeper in this book, more grounded. It isn’t just about attraction anymore; it’s about trust, safety, and being there for each other when things fall apart. The way Johnny shows up for Shannon again and again never feels performative - it feels natural, like it’s simply who he is.One thing I really appreciated was how this book expanded beyond just Shannon and Johnny without losing focus on them. We get more insight into the people around them, and it adds so much emotional weight to the story. Joey’s struggles with addiction are explored more deeply, and it’s heartbreaking in a very real way. Shannon’s younger brothers - Tadhg, Ollie, and Sean - feel more involved and emotionally exposed as the story goes on. And Gibsie, in particular, feels more layered this time, with hints of the pain he carries beneath his humour. These glimpses into everyone else’s lives make the world feel fuller and the consequences feel heavier.The house fire is one of the most chilling, heartbreaking things I’ve ever read. The tension is overwhelming, especially because everything feels wrong from the moment Shannon’s father shows up. His quietness, the unsettling calm, the way he speaks to the kids - it’s deeply uncomfortable and instantly sets off alarm bells. Shannon immediately realising something is wrong, Johnny rushing to help, the silent communication, the urgency - every detail is devastating. Johnny getting the younger boys out, finding Sean soaked in whisky, the house drenched in whisky - it’s incredibly hard to read, even before you fully understand what’s coming.The moment with Shannon’s mother is especially devastating. The fact that she encourages Johnny to take the children, after despising him for so long, speaks volumes. And Johnny promising to come back for her - only to later learn what actually happened - is just brutal. The fire itself, the aftermath, the shock of losing both parents in such a sudden, tragic way… it’s written in a way that feels raw and haunting. Johnny’s guilt, Shannon’s grief, the sheer devastation of it all - it’s impossible to forget.What makes it even more emotional is what comes after. Johnny’s parents taking all of the kids in, stepping up without hesitation, fostering every single one of them - that kindness, that sense of safety finally being offered after so much suffering, hit me hard. It felt earned. It felt necessary. It felt like the first real breath of relief these kids had ever been allowed to take.Keeping 13 is not an easy read emotionally, but it’s an incredibly rewarding one. It’s about survival, love, family - both the one you’re born into and the one you find - and learning how to keep going after everything falls apart. This book hurt me, healed me, and left me completely in awe. I loved it with my whole heart, and I’m so grateful I read it.

Loved this book but I felt like it was longer than necessary. It was nice to see the conclusion of Jonny & Shannon’s story and the side characters are enjoyable.

Kindle EBook Read637 PagesBoys of Tommen Book 2High School Sport's RomanceFriends To LoversSize DifferenceRugby Player MMCVirgin FMCFriendly BanterDual POVAbusive FamilyAdult Content & TriggersThis book picks up exactly were the previous one ends and the drama continues. Once again, serious topics are addressed in a realistic and raw way that is heart breaking and tragic. Johnny devotion to Shannon is unbreakable even in the face of her awful parents (Don't even try and get me to sympathise with Marie, I just can't), he goes above and beyond to help her and her brother's at every turn.This really is a good read, just like the first one but it is also emotionally taxing with triggers and Adult content that is not for the faint hearted. I will continue the series but need to take a breath before jumping into the next book.

📖Book Review📖Keeping 13This is the second book in the boys of Tommen series and Shannon and Johnnys continuation of their story.I liked Binding 13 but I have to say I liked this one so much more, I think the first book was a bit slow and this one just had so much more to it, more drama, emotions, feelings, action etc and I loved every second of it.I was hooked from the start, especially after the way binding 13 ended. I needed to know more about what was happening and I’m so glad TikTok pushed me to read the next one straight away. I found it hard to put down.The story it self and the writing just flowed, it was so easy and it made you feel like you were actually in the book and knew the characters.Again Chloe did her research and you can see that in the book, she writes about more “taboo” topics in a way that is mindful and respectful of others whilst also bringing more awareness to those topics and that’s something I really like about her writing and books.This book was a sloooooooooooooow burn like the slowest of slow burns, but it was so worth it in the end.I went through a whole host of emotions reading this and that’s how you can tell it was a great book. I laughed, I cried and I got mad. Especially Gibsie 😂My heart broke for Shannon and her brothers with what they went through (no spoilers) as I’ve been through a similar experience and wouldn’t wish it on anyone.I loved Shannon and Johnny’s relationship and how Johnny was always there for her and loved her no matter what.I loved seeing Shannon evolve into a confident person. At the start of the book she was anxious and didn’t have any confidence but by the end she really grew into herself and her personality blossomed. As someone with low confidence and self esteem I lived seeing her work on herself to get to that place.I’m very excited to continue the rest of the series and genuinely can’t wait to read the others. Next in the series for me will be Saving and Redeeming 6 which is Joey and Aoifes story which I can’t wait to read.Tropes🏉Sports romance💵Rich boy x poor girl❤️‍🔥Soul mates🫂Protective mmc🧑‍🧑‍🧒‍🧒Found family🔥Slow burn👩🏻‍❤️‍👨🏻Friends to lovers🔁Dual POV🐶Golden retriever mmc💗Forbidden love🏫High school🇮🇪Set in IrelandContent warnings✖️Bullying✖️Alcoholism✖️Child abuse✖️Neglect✖️Injuries✖️Medical content✖️Emotional abuse✖️Domestic abuse✖️Verbal abuse✖️Depression✖️Anixety✖️Harassment✖️House fire✖️Death4.5/5⭐️1🌶️

Thought this book was great, draws you in and it has bits that make you laugh and some sad but a bit saucy to. I have just ordered the next one.

This was just incredible. Chloe Walsh had me crying tears of joy, happiness and heart break. I can’t express how deeply emotive her writing is and how powerful it is to make me feel every single emotion.Please ensure you check the Trigger Warnings before you read 🩷Johnny Kavanagh needs to be wrapped up under my Christmas Tree this year or I’m having words with Santa. I’m not kidding this boy was something else. He went through so much and yet still showed excellent character development. I am utterly in love with every relationship this boy has, I love reading characters with personality and Chloe Walsh has clearly poured her heart and soul into every single one. I especially loved reading his interactions with the Team.Gibsie needs to also be under my tree this year. That boy had me HOWLING with laughter so hard that I definitely looked crazy while reading this in public. Every time he opened his mouth there was a 90% chance it would end in laughter. This is just testament to Walsh’s incredible writing. I am REALLY excited to see more of him and learn more about his story in the next books (the teasers on Chloe’s Instagram are killing me).Shannon, like the river. Will hold a special place in my heart. I could not imagine going through everything that she has and coming out the other side stronger than ever. I get emotional thinking about her and how far her character came in only 2 books. She is such a beautiful soul and matched with Johnny perfectly. I am so pleased that this book worked out the way it did for her and that she found her happiness.Joey was a heartbreaking character to watch and I’m glad that he ended up where he did. I hope he gets his own story with Aoife as they both deserve the world.Claire, Lizzie, Hughie, Feely, Katie, Sean, Ollie and of course Tadhg are also all amazing characters who added to the story excellently but If I start writing paragraphs about every character we’ll be here forever. I’m really hoping that they all get their own stories and happily ever afters as every single one of the deserve it.It’s fair to say I am immensely looking forward to the rest of this series and am loving the way that Chloe Walsh writes.

Really enjoying this series, it keeps you hooked throughout. Cant wait to keep going with the rest of the series.

Go for it….its worth every word…..loved the first two book someone please provide me rest of the series…..please i need it right now

Poetico, profondo... meraviglioso

the condition of the book: 4 ⭐️the book itself: already DNF’ed Binding 13

This is the best book in the whole BoT series. I really love Shannon and jonnys love story. Chloe Walshs writing was fenomenal which made this book even more enjoyable!

I loved the book so much