From the Bookshelf of Shhhh We're Reading! …

Binding 13 (Boys of Tommen, #1)

Chloe Walsh

Start date: March 1, 2025

Finish date: March 31, 2025

Discussion: BOTM (Book Of The Month)

Why we're reading this: March 2025 BOTM
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BOTM (Book Of The Month)

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What Members Thought

Mar 27, 2024 Yeehawwlovesbooks rated it did not like it · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I know I am going to get some comments on this but this is the WORST book I have read this year. There were parts of the book that was horrible and made me sick to my stomach. We all have lives that aren't perfect and that's where Shannon's life comes into place. Shannon's dad is very abusive, and the way he treats Shannon is not okay at all. Now her mother is stupid as well because she is choosing to stay with her abusive husband rather than be concerned for her children's needs. If that was my I know I am going to get some comments on this but this is the WORST book I have read this year. There were parts of the book that was horrible and made me sick to my stomach. We all have lives that aren't perfect and that's where Shannon's life comes into place. Shannon's dad is very abusive, and the way he treats Shannon is not okay at all. Now her mother is stupid as well because she is choosing to stay with her abusive husband rather than be concerned for her children's needs. If that was my own father, I don't give a shit- I would have gotten authorities involved a lot sooner because he needs to learn his lesson. Now do I feel sorry for Shannon's mother having a miscarriage- yes, but she also chose to stay with her husband and could have asked him to help her out instead of constantly stressing about how Shannon is going to get her education finished.

Shannon Lynch is the sweetest girl you will ever meet and the things she goes through in this book is stomach sickening. Like I said, her childhood is very fucked up and she gets blamed for everything in her house, she can't hang out with friends, or have a life outside of her house because of her parents. Shannon and Joey have a very close bond with each other and Joey is also in a relationship with his loving girlfriend Aoife. Joey has been saving Shannon the best he can, and has saved her from getting bruises all over her body multiple times throughout the book. Joey comes to his wits end with their dad and gets in a fight telling his father that he needs to knock his shit off because it's not fair that Shannon has to live like this.

Joey and Johnny had bonded in the book, and Shannon knew from the very beginning that she should have stayed away from him. Shannon doesn't need to be getting herself involved with Johnny who (in my opinion) thinks he is boss and can tell everyone what to do. Johnny at the beginning of the book had told everyone that Shannon was off limits because she was young but yet the whole book- as he started to realize he was catching feelings for her, was being so possessive when he wasn't in a relationship with her. I honestly felt like this book was strung out and some parts were repeating over and over again. It wasn't until Gibson, and everyone started to realize how Johnny was suffering from not being able to stay away from Shannon. Yes Johnny realized he had feelings but he started to turn into a hypocrite (in my opinion) because he didn't want other people talking to her and thought that violence was always the key. Gibson had snuck Shannon's file from the secretary's office so Johnny could get answers to why Shannon is acting the way she does.

For all you ladies who think Johnny is so heroic- blows my mind that people think this, and I would never be with an possessive, stuck up, spoiled, rich asshole who thinks he runs the show. Johnny is in college drives a Audi and in all honesty thinks everyone will bow down and kiss his ass when things don't go his way. His anger issues is stupid and there are more adult ways to handle situations without violence in the key. I don't feel sorry for him when his coaches pulled him out of training on the field because he wasn't playing up to his potential and holding his line. He went to all his doctors appointments after he had surgery on his groin area, but he chose to lie to the doctors and not rest proper like he should have done, he decided to show up to trainings when he was told not to. Doctors told him specific instructions and he chose not to follow them so he can suffer for his actions.... why should everyone feel sorry for him when he did this to himself?

I DO NOT like Johnny at all. Claire did show some friendship towards Shannon but my question to her family is if she knew the childhood that Shannon goes through, why did they not do a damn thing to help her? Claire also has a brother Hughie who also plays Rugby and that is the only reason why Claire knows so much about Johnny. Lizzie was not the best friend to keep around Shannon because she was missing school, fighting with her boyfriend all the time, and had a big mouth. I felt like this book was putting myself into a slump most of the time and the fact that it took me 3 buddy reads to finish this... I am not going to recommend this to anyone and how this book is getting 5 stars pisses me off more than anything. READ AT YOUR OWN RISK.

Book was a complete waste of my time, characters were fucking stupid, and for almost 600 pages of garbage yeah fuck that. I can read better than this. ...more

18 likes · Like · see review

May 22, 2024 Alex (thewanderbella) rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: to-die-for, books-i-own, 2024-reads, best-loved, tear-jecker

This book helped me experience the 5 stages of grief, and I'll never recover 💔 ...more

16 likes · Like · see review

Apr 02, 2023 BOOKLOVER_81 rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Talk about slooooooooooow burn. You won't get much out of part 1 in the series other than character development. I wish authors would stop dragging things out. 😒 I'm still planning on reading part 2 because I'm invested now.

Part 2 is just as annoying. Shannon is socially awkward and insecure to the max, and even though she has a lot going on in her life- like an abusive father...

Johnny is focused on rugby only before meeting her. And while he does have feelings, he doesn't nothing about it beca ...more

6 likes · Like · see review

Apr 24, 2023 Alexandra rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: angsty, small-town, violence, emotional, family, favorites, trauma, beautiful-girl-lead, tragedy, new-adult

Adorable and Emotional

To get the “bleh” out of the way — there was certain inner dialogue and conversations had by characters that got repeated way too often, which is saying something as this is a book with over 600 pages. That being said, … holy cow!!!

Johnny and Shannon have my heart. Their story is so excruciatingly adorable and soft and sad. How can you not root for them? Not just in ending up together, but in achieving what they deeply desire as separate characters.

I came across this boo ...more

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Jan 14, 2024 Bzero rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Oohh!
So cute, high school romance at its best. I liked the length, it really gave me time to relate to the characters.
Johnny is so understandable.
Shannon's past is so heartbreaking. ...more

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