Heartbreak, hope, and found family in Chloe Walsh’s emotional saga
By Delaney Capitolo
Are you looking for a book that will pull at your heartstrings? Looking for a new comfort read? For one that can make you laugh hysterically AND sob uncontrollably? Look no further than the Boys of Tommen series by Chloe Walsh.
The series is currently five books long, but here’s the twist. They are a series of interconnected standalones with every two books following a different set of characters, their love story, and their own heart-wrenching story.
The first two books are Binding 13 and Keeping 13. They follow Shannon Lynch, a girl with bullies surrounding every corner of her life, and Johnny Kavanaugh, the golden rugby star with his life already planned out. When Shannon shows up to her new school with demons in her eyes, Johnny can’t help but feel a need to protect her. While Johnny knows he’s leaving in just a few short months and can’t afford to get attached to someone, Shannon is fighting everyday just to survive the horrors of her father and her past. Binding and Keeping 13 are an emotional story of a girl learning to open her heart and put it in the hands of the boy she loves.
The third and fourth books are Saving 6 and Redeeming 6. They follow Shannon’s older brother Joey Lynch, and his girlfriend Aoife Molloy. Joey has spent his whole life playing mother to his four younger siblings while struggling with his own addictions. The idea that one day he may turn into his father follows Joey around, haunting him everyday of his life. These books follow Joey and Aoife throughout all their teenage years. Joey struggles to keep his family together, constantly having to be the provider, only finding comfort in the one person who has ever made him feel loved.
This series has the best and most emotional “found family” trope in any book. While it may be sad in some parts, it provides such a realistic take on growing up in an abusive household, and such a beautiful lesson on learning to open yourself up to the people who care for you.