Gry ☾ (Semi-Hiatus)'s Reviews > Binding 13

4.5 ★'s

This book feels like a warm hug. Which might sound strange as it covers some heavy themes.
For me it comes down to how genuine everything in this book is.
It feels like life; real, a bit heartbreaking at times and the best when surrounded with people you love.

✦“He added fresh bruises to old bruises.”✦

This is a brutally honest depiction of that time between adulthood and childhood, of teenage love and friendships, not sugar-coating issues within families but also showing the strength that can be found there.
Binding 13 is unique in the sense that the friendships and sibling relationships in this are just as good as the romance. At times I even loved Joey & Shannon's relationship more.

Going into this I was a bit worried I wasn't gonna be able to connect to the characters as they are very young, and I usually prefer reading books with characters closer to my own age.
That fear was quickly demolished. The writing is incredibly immersive. It was effortless to fall into this, feeling the struggles of being a teen stuck in difficult situations whilst also handling things such as crushes, grades and finding yourself.

✧“Shannon Lynch was the greatest weapon of mass destruction my heart has ever been exposed to.”✧

It's not fair to write a review on this book and not write about the romance. It's so clear to see that they are made for each other and you cannot help yourself from rooting for them from early on.
It's that innocent type of teenage love that comes with butterflies and overthinking, but it still has such depth. Their mutual shy crushes made me feel all giddy as if I was the one with a crush. If someone dedicated She Will Be Loved to me, I would marry them on the spot. 😭

✧“My heart. My poor, poor heart. I didn’t stand a chance with this boy.”✧

The friendships in this has a dedicated place close to my heart. Gibsie and Johnny, Shannon, Lizzie and Claire. Not to be repetitive, but what I love about it is that it's so sincere and feels so real.
Them being there for each other, knowing each other inside and out, relentless teasing and inside jokes, and just simply being comfortable in each other's company. This combined with the early 00's vibes gave off such an amazing ambiance throughout the book. (Being real for a second though, home-burned mix CD's is such a lost art. Spotify playlists just don't hit the same.🤧)

Although the length of the book intimidated me initially, the pacing was perfect and had no real downtime which is very impressive for a book of over 800 pages. It went by much faster than I anticipated and I am extremely eager to continue this series going forward.
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⌞pre-read:⌝
I didn't think I would read this because I don't really get sports lol, but SK convinced me to give it a try. 🫶
It's a bit intimidating going into this knowing how much people love it. I hope I will enjoy this too🥹