kendyl ʚ♡⃛ɞ (review slump)'s Reviews > Binding 13

∞ x ∞ ★’s

⁀➷ ❝binding thirteen,❞ gibsie snickered. ❝little shannon blew that shit clean out of the water.❞

my girl really did that🥹

°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･

𝓼𝓹𝓸𝓲𝓵𝓮𝓻 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝓮 𝓻𝓮𝓿𝓲𝓮𝔀

❝bring the lights back, da. light up the world. you need to see this girl.❞
my heart leaped in my chest.
❝me?❞ i squeaked.
❝always you.❞

i have officially found a new favorite series. i’m going to start my review off by quoting myself from an update i posted a couple months ago.

╰┈➤ there’s just something so beautiful about books that can pull every single emotion out of you. the butterflies i get, finding myself smiling from ear to ear, noticing i’m silently crying when a tear drops and hits the page, even the rage i feel that lets me know how deeply connected i am with a story and/or character. nothing will ever make me feel more alive than reading.

this is just the FIRST book of the series and it has already pulled all of those emotions out of me and more. the butterflies turned into blushing. my ear to ear smile turned into laughter that had me clutching my stomach and gasping for air. my silent cries turned into violent sobs. the rage turned into literal anxiety induced fear. i’ve been chasing all of the feelings i felt when i read the addicted/calloway sisters series. i almost caught up to those feelings when i read the magnolia parks series. now, just after reading book one of boys of tommen, i finally caught and latched onto all of those feelings. it’s been the most beautiful and emotional experience that i can’t wait to share with you all throughout my review🥹

°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･

❥ 𝓉𝓇𝑜𝓅𝑒𝓈/𝒶𝑒𝓈𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓉𝒾𝒸:
➺ friends to lovers
➺ slow burn, tension, angst
➺ sports (rugby)
➺ found family
➺ who did this to you
➺ high school
➺ trauma (search trigger warnings!)

❥ 𝓅𝓁𝑜𝓉 𝓈𝓊𝓂𝓂𝒶𝓇𝓎:
shannon lynch and johnny kavanagh live two very different lives. at only 17 years old, johnny is well on his way to becoming a professional rugby player. he has dedicated his entire life to this sport…rugby being his only focus. no partying, no drinking, no drugs, and especially no girls. shannon lynch is a 15 year old girl in desperate need of a fresh start. when she leaves her bullies behind at her old school and transfers to tommen, her only focus is to keep a low profile. she has secrets that she wants to keep hidden. she trusts no one and tries her best not to be seen. johnny kavanagh sees her though…only her, the mysterious girl with the lonely, sad eyes. he has to stay focused on rugby, but he can’t get the look in her eyes out of his mind. he can’t get her out of his mind. what happens when she suddenly becomes his main focus? will he find out the truth? can she trust him?

❥ 𝓂𝓎 𝓉𝒽𝑜𝓊𝑔𝒽𝓉𝓈:
first and foremost, to my lovely younger readers out there…this series is listed as YA, but please trust me when i tell you that it shouldn’t be. these books have some very dark topics that they focus on so please don’t go into this thinking it’s just about some cute, fluffy romances. with that being said, this book ruined me. you can find my shattered heart scattered throughout every single page, along with all of the dried up tear stains. as heartbreaking as this story is…it’s also healing something inside of me that i didn’t even know needed healing🥹idk how to explain it. a series i went into knowing nothing about and i just immediately felt an overwhelming amount of comfort… like i’ve returned to a home i had in another life. i’m beyond excited, well, very scared, but excited nonetheless to continue this series. scared because the ending of this book was criminal, i’m still shaken up by it🥺

❥ 𝓌𝓇𝒾𝓉𝒾𝓃𝑔/𝓅𝒶𝒸𝒾𝓃𝑔:
i enjoyed the writing a lot!! since the story takes place in ireland, a lot of irish slang is used. there’s a glossary in the beginning of the book with the meanings of all the words in case you’re not familiar with them and i loved that!!! it made the writing really easy to read and it was a bonus because i’m irish🥹the writing was absolutely amazing. it blows my mind that a 600+ page book pulled me out of a reading slump that i was stuck in for a month. that’s just how you know the writing was good. as soon as i started this book, i couldn’t put it down. i was completely invested in every single page. a few of you asked me about the size difference of the books and if there was anything cut out. for example, the indie versions were really thick, the uk versions are thick, but the new bloom books editions are way thinner. basically, bloom books made the pages thinner. i’m not too sure how that works, but nothing of the original book was cut out! just thinner pages with a tiny font. please don’t let the length of the book put you off, it’s a long book for a reason. there’s so much story telling and honestly…i’m just sad it wasn’t longer.

°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･

she closed her eyes and bit down even harder on her lip, so hard that i reached over and pulled it free from her teeth.
”don’t,” i coaxed.
her eyes popped open. “huh?”
”you’ll hurt yourself,” i told her, retracting my hand even though it was the last thing i wanted to do.
╰┈➤about to jump out of a plane with no parachute. they kill me. he kills me😩

when you continue reading, please notice the parallels between the quotes i put underneath johnny and shannon🥹🦋i’m so sick in love.

❥ 𝒿𝑜𝒽𝓃𝓃𝓎 𝓀𝒶𝓋𝒶𝓃𝒶𝑔𝒽

⁀➷ i glanced over at her and bit back a groan. she was so fucking beautiful it was painful, with those big blue eyes staring back at me all innocent and full of uncertainty.

⁀➷ i was starving for her and everything she was. every part of her. inside and out. i wanted to fight all her battles. i wanted to give her all her smiles and make her laugh and snatch her away from the rest of the world and keep her all to myself. i just wanted her. for keeps. that’s how consumed i was in this girl. that’s how much i loved her. fuck.

the hottest thing a man can be is johnny kavanagh. he’s so babygirl. so bf. johnny truly puts the gentle in gentleman. he’s the prettiest shade of green🥹i usually prefer morally grey men, but i’m so soft😩there will never be another fictional man like johnny kavanagh. cut open my heart and you’ll find him there. i love everything about his character. every time he does or says anything, i’m immediately smiling. guys i’m so down bad idek how to explain my feelings about him. i’m flustered. thank god this book was dual pov because being inside of johnny’s beautiful mind?! best experience of my life. i was 5% into the book and instantly found comfort and safety inside of his mind. like please drown me in his thoughts and i promise i’ll die a happy girl. the way this man carries himself is sooooo attractive. he’s insanely confident in everything he does. ugh i’m so in love idk what else to say. all of you need to meet him so we can all scream about him together🫡

❥ 𝓈𝒽𝒶𝓃𝓃𝑜𝓃 𝓁𝓎𝓃𝒸𝒽

⁀➷ god, he was just so beautiful, it was painful. everything about johnny kavanagh was pure perfection.

⁀➷ the sheer depth of my feelings for him was unhealthy. the adoration, the lust, the downright infatuation i had for him…it was insanity. i had never felt this much. i had never felt so consumed.

shannon like the river🥹🥹my sweet, precious girl. i would walk through hell and back for her. she’s the type of girl i’d be best friends with. if i could meet one fictional character, it would be her. her strength and resilience is like no other. it’s admirable…inspiring. to go through the things she went through and still keep pushing the way she does, aaaaa i’m getting emotional thinking about it. i would always see people saying that it was annoying how much the book mentioned shannon being super tiny which is completely understandable. but for me, it just made me even more sad. my poor baby🥺if anyone deserves the world, it’s definitely her and i can’t wait to see johnny give her that🥹

❥ 𝓇𝑜𝓂𝒶𝓃𝒸𝑒:

╭──────༺♡༻──────╮
now playing:
look after you by the fray
1:34 ───|────── 4:27
↻ ◁ 𝕀𝕀 ▷ ↺
volume: ■■■■■□□□
╰──────༺♡༻──────╯

❝𝒉𝒊, 𝒋𝒐𝒉𝒏𝒏𝒚.❞
❝𝒉𝒊, 𝒔𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒏𝒐𝒏.❞
╰┈➤ i tabbed every time they said this🦋

shannonjohnny shannonjohnny shannonjohnny!!!! cut me and i’ll bleed them. to be loved is to be seen, to be known. they are and always will be the definition of that😭i promise you guys…i will never read a more precious love story than theirs. i feel their connection and love for one another so deeply it hurts. johnny’s acts of service!? god help me. the tension and the angst…i was fighting for my fucking life. if you’re not into slow burn romance, i really wouldn’t recommend this book, but i’m begging you to give it a try anyways😩because let me tell you…when they finally kiss, butterflies exploded in my stomach. had my stomach doing the thing😭🦋call me dramatic, but it was hotter than any smut i’ve ever read. i know i’ve focused on the romance a lot, especially with my updates while i was reading this book…but i promise you it’s so much more than a romance. so much more. the books are long for good reason so please, if the length is all that’s stopping you from picking it up…don’t even think about it bestie, i promise it’s worth it!🥹

❥ 𝓈𝒾𝒹𝑒 𝒸𝒽𝒶𝓇𝒶𝒸𝓉𝑒𝓇𝓈:
MWAH MWAH MWAH💋💋i better get books for all of them idc how long this series ends up being, it better happen😩

➸ joey lynch:
i fell in love with him after reading the first chapter of this book so imagine me reading his books. i’m not ready😭and i fear i’ll never be ready. his pov will ruin me in every way possible.

➸ aoife molloy:
joey’s precious girlfriend omg. she’s such a sweetheart and i can’t wait to learn more about her. aaaaa i’m gonna love her so much ik it🥺

➸ gerard gibson:
gibsie🥹when i tell you guys this man had me laughing until my stomach hurt. i was laughing so hard i couldn’t breathe at times. he really carried my happiness on his back so it didn’t get left behind😩easily one of my top favorite characters. i can’t wait to get to his book🤭

➸ claire biggs:
claire-bear😭i LOVEEE her. absolutely adore. her being all giddy about johnny and shannon…she’s literally ME. also her being such a good friend to shannon🥹such a sweetheart.

➸ hughie biggs:
claire’s brother who i wanna know more about🤭🤭i can’t remember his gf’s name, but aaaaa they better get a book! i’m already invested in characters i know almost nothing about😭

➸ patrick feely:
all i know is that he’s on the rugby team with johnny, hughie, and gibsie. i think he’s also hughie’s best friend, but all four of them are friends so feely’s book is a MUST. i want all the crumbs of every character in every single book. i need everyone’s pov so bad😩

➸ lizzie young:
another one of shannon’s besties hehe and she’s a grumpy girl so she better get her own book and it better be reverse grumpy sunshine. but i don’t like the guy she’s dating? idek if they’re dating but i don’t like him and i forgot his name LMAO.

❥ 𝒻𝑜𝓊𝓃𝒹 𝒻𝒶𝓂𝒾𝓁𝓎:
this trope in this series is going to be so good, it’s already so good. found family is one of my absolute favorites🤭i’ll eat it up every single time. i just want all these characters together all the time. johnny and gibsie’s friendship is the best thing ever. gibsie always calling shannon, “little shannon”, has me like🥹the friendship blossoming between joey, johnny, and gibsie. i can’t wait omg. joey calls gibsie, “gussie”, and gibsie calls joey, “lynchy”, I LOVE IT SM. claire, shannon, and lizzie hung out and watched one tree hill together. my favorite fucking show 😩i’m addicted to these characters and just want more. the books are so long, but i fear it still won’t be enough for me and that’s a terrifying thought. i can already feel the hangover🫠

°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･

❥ 𝓂𝑜𝓂𝑒𝓃𝓉𝓈 𝑒𝓂𝒷𝑒𝒹𝒹𝑒𝒹 𝒾𝓃𝓉𝑜 𝓂𝓎 𝓂𝒾𝓃𝒹:

”i need to talk to you,” i announced when i reached him.
”leave.”
nodding, i turned to leave, feeling thoroughly deflated, only to have a warm hand wrap around my wrist and pull me back to his side.
”not you,” johnny whispered in my ear, settling me in front of him. “them.” his blue-eyed gaze darted to the two older boys watching us with curious expressions, and in a tone that left no room for discussion, he said, “go.”
╰┈➤A MAN!!!!!! a man. that was hot.

”you’re beautiful,” he stated, causing my cheeks to flush a deep shade of pink.
a boy had never called me beautiful before. not like this. not with such forwardness. not with such sincerity.
he tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear, and whispered, “inside and out.”
those extra words ruined me.
”i am?”
he nodded slowly. “everywhere.”
oh god. my heart.
╰┈➤i can’t. i’d fold so fast.

“give me your legs.”
“my wh-what?” i spluttered, breathing erratic.
“your legs. seems only fair since i’m taking up all the legroom.”
“you want me to put my legs on you?”
“i want you to be comfortable.”
“uh, okay?” blowing out a shaky breath, i gingerly shifted my legs onto his lap. “is that good for you?”
”yeah, shan.” offering me a smile, “you’re good for me.”
”huh?”
”it,” he corrected gruffly, and then roughly cleared his throat. “it’s good for me.”
╰┈➤had me screaming into my pillow😭

”hey, it’s little shannon,” gibsie chirped. “did johnny manage to coax you inside, or was it the smell of my fucking amazing cooking that drew you in?”
”you cooked one egg, gibs, under my supervision,” joey piped up. “you’re no darina allen.”
”thank fuck for that, lynchy. i like my man parts.”
╰┈➤I WAS CACKLING😂😂😂

”i’m going to hug you,” johnny whispered in my ear. “tell me if that’s not okay.”
╰┈➤protect this man at all costs.

reaching up with one hand, johnny cupped my chin and used his free hand to gently sweep my hair off my neck.
then his fingers were tracing the bruises on my neck, his featherlight touch making my entire body tremble.
”someone touched you,” johnny whispered in my ear, placing his fingers on the marks. “i want to know who.”
the air escaped my lungs in an audible gasp. unable to stop myself, i sagged against his chest, eyes glued to our reflection in the mirror as he stared right back at me, blue eyes scorching holes in my soul.
”tell me who put their hands on you,” he coaxed as he stood behind me, my face in his hand and his fingers on my throat. “and i’ll make it better.”
╰┈➤the way this scene was so fucking heartbreaking, but so intimate at the same time and it has me wanting to walk straight into traffic!

i thought about that for a moment.
”do you mind?” i asked then.
he smirked. “no, baby, i don’t mind.”
my heart stopped in my chest.
╰┈➤I FUCKING SCREAMED. closed my book so quick and screamed. i wish y’all saw my reaction.

”who’s making you sad?” he asked me, voice sleepy. “tell me, baby.”
”johnny—“
”who’s hurting you, baby? i’ll fix it.”
╰┈➤HIM CALLING HER BABY IS MY UNDOING.

❥ 𝒻𝒶𝓋𝑜𝓇𝒾𝓉𝑒 𝓆𝓊𝑜𝓉𝑒𝓈:
➛ she looked right through all the bullshit. seeing me. seeing only me. and that made me want to move some shit around and place her slap-bang in the middle of my world.
➛ she had her arms wrapped protectively around herself, with her long brown hair drenched from the rain and sticking in wet clumps to her face. in my whole life, i’d never seen anything so beautiful.
➛ the minute my eyes landed on her, i knew i was in trouble.
➛ shannon lynch utterly disarmed me.
➛ ❝i reckon i can make those pretty cheeks of your turn pink.❞ *instantly blushes* guys, it’s true🤭

°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･

❥ 𝓅𝓁𝒶𝓎𝓁𝒾𝓈𝓉:
- iris by the goo goo dolls
- someone to you by banners
- can i be him by james arthur
- i like me better by lauv
- ever the same by rob thomas
╰┈➤ just let me hold you while you’re fallin’ apart. just let me hold you and we’ll both fall down. fall on me, tell me everything you want me to be. forever with you, forever in me, ever the same.

°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･

❥ 𝒷𝑜𝓃𝓊𝓈 𝒸𝑜𝓃𝓉𝑒𝓃𝓉:
some of johnny’s thoughts that had me cheesing, squealing, blushing, fighting for my fucking life, etc.

you could love this girl your whole life, the crazy thought persisted inside my brain over and over, if you just let yourself.

straight to your house because i wanna fuck your sister, i thought to myself. i smirked at the fabulous notion, and then hunted the crazy thought away with a shake of my head.
probably love her, too, i mused to myself, a fucking lot.

”you would do that for me?”
i would pretty much do anything for you.

”um, yeah, sure—of course,” shannon mumbled, falling over her words in that adorable way she did when she was flustered.
don’t worry, baby, i thought to myself. i’m flustered too.

i’m forever undone. it should be illegal to be this attractive😩🦋

°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･

❥ 𝒻𝒾𝓃𝒶𝓁 𝓂𝑒𝓈𝓈𝒶𝑔𝑒:
this review is extremely long and i almost want to apologize, but i’m not going to. i love this book sm! i want to be able to look back on this review, reminisce, and relive my experience reading it for the first time🥺

❝boom, boom, fucking boom. i’m done for.❞