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A review by booksandmeforevermore13
Keeping 13 by Chloe Walsh
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Johnny Kavanagh, the man that you are. I have no words to express how much I love this man and how utterly perfect he is.
I kept putting off reading this book after the way Binding 13 ended because I was so nervous about how things would progress from that point. And this book literally broke me within the first few chapters alone. Everything that went on in those first few chapters was so much more intense than the entire first book. I had to just stop doing anything and sit with my head in my hands.
I felt so many emotions while listening to this, and I had to keep stopping to gather my thoughts while listening to the audiobook. The audiobook made the experience that much more intense, and I strongly recommend it. The narrators were beyond perfect for the book and did a wonderful job of making you feel everything all the characters were feeling. The level of anxiety and helplessness I felt on behalf of the Lynch siblings. The things they went through were just too much for anyone their age to have experienced.
Just like in the first book, I could feel all the emotions of the characters so deeply, not just Shannon but also other characters. My heart broke for Joey, and I was literally in tears whenever I was reading about him and what he was feeling and going through, even while just reading about it from Johnny and Shannon's POV. I don't know how I'll handle reading his book and hearing about his feelings from his own POV.
Johnny Kavanagh is literally the best book boyfriend, and you can't convince me otherwise. He went above and beyond, not just for Shannon but for her entire family. The lengths he goes to in this book for Shannon made me so emotional. I truly adored the bond Johnny formed with all of Shannon's siblings as the story progressed, and it was so heartwarming to see how much he genuinely cared about them and wanted to protect them too.
We see so much growth in Shannon here too. From being the scared girl in binding 13 to realizing that she deserves so much more for herself. She learns to stand up for herself and what she wants. To defend Johnny and her friends. Even after everything she went through, she was always there for the people in her life—her siblings, her friends, and Johnny.
I was so pissed initially at Darren and their mom for the way things were turning out, but oh God, did she take the stand when it was most needed and did what had to be done to protect her kids. It was so terrible the way things went on, but somehow that gave Shannon and her siblings the new start that they so desperately needed. Darren came around eventually too, and that made me warm up to him.
Johnny's parents were literally the best, and the way they handled the whole situation for them all made me so happy.
I honestly don't know how Chloe has managed to write a book where I'm crying one minute but laughing so hard that my stomach hurts the next. There was such an amazing balance to everything.
The side characters added so much to the story, and it wasn't just about Johnny and Shannon but about all the characters in their lives. We get so much more insight into the lives of the side characters—a better understanding of Claire, Gibsie, Lizzy, and Joey—that makes you curious to know more about their lives. I love Gibsie so much and he is even more chaotic in this book.
Johnny and Shannon's relationship grew so gradually and beautifully, and they were both so supportive of each other. They helped each other through everything. Johnny gave Shannon the space to be herself and explore herself, and basically he just couldn't say no to anything she wanted, which was so sweet and also helped Shannon come out of her shell and ask for things for once, knowing that Johnny would stay by her no matter what. Shannon stood by Johnny's side through his recovery, and all the time doubts about his future in rugby crept in. She gave him the assurance to take the step to go follow his dreams, knowing that she'd wait for him to return.
I can never get over this book and these characters. Like I said for the first book, though this book was really long and the audiobook was divided into two parts, I didn't feel that way once, and that tells you how engaging this book was, and it keeps you hooked from the first page right till the very end and leaves you wanting more.
I kept putting off reading this book after the way Binding 13 ended because I was so nervous about how things would progress from that point. And this book literally broke me within the first few chapters alone. Everything that went on in those first few chapters was so much more intense than the entire first book. I had to just stop doing anything and sit with my head in my hands.
I felt so many emotions while listening to this, and I had to keep stopping to gather my thoughts while listening to the audiobook. The audiobook made the experience that much more intense, and I strongly recommend it. The narrators were beyond perfect for the book and did a wonderful job of making you feel everything all the characters were feeling. The level of anxiety and helplessness I felt on behalf of the Lynch siblings. The things they went through were just too much for anyone their age to have experienced.
Just like in the first book, I could feel all the emotions of the characters so deeply, not just Shannon but also other characters. My heart broke for Joey, and I was literally in tears whenever I was reading about him and what he was feeling and going through, even while just reading about it from Johnny and Shannon's POV. I don't know how I'll handle reading his book and hearing about his feelings from his own POV.
Johnny Kavanagh is literally the best book boyfriend, and you can't convince me otherwise. He went above and beyond, not just for Shannon but for her entire family. The lengths he goes to in this book for Shannon made me so emotional. I truly adored the bond Johnny formed with all of Shannon's siblings as the story progressed, and it was so heartwarming to see how much he genuinely cared about them and wanted to protect them too.
We see so much growth in Shannon here too. From being the scared girl in binding 13 to realizing that she deserves so much more for herself. She learns to stand up for herself and what she wants. To defend Johnny and her friends. Even after everything she went through, she was always there for the people in her life—her siblings, her friends, and Johnny.
I was so pissed initially at Darren and their mom for the way things were turning out, but oh God, did she take the stand when it was most needed and did what had to be done to protect her kids. It was so terrible the way things went on, but somehow that gave Shannon and her siblings the new start that they so desperately needed. Darren came around eventually too, and that made me warm up to him.
Johnny's parents were literally the best, and the way they handled the whole situation for them all made me so happy.
I honestly don't know how Chloe has managed to write a book where I'm crying one minute but laughing so hard that my stomach hurts the next. There was such an amazing balance to everything.
The side characters added so much to the story, and it wasn't just about Johnny and Shannon but about all the characters in their lives. We get so much more insight into the lives of the side characters—a better understanding of Claire, Gibsie, Lizzy, and Joey—that makes you curious to know more about their lives. I love Gibsie so much and he is even more chaotic in this book.
Johnny and Shannon's relationship grew so gradually and beautifully, and they were both so supportive of each other. They helped each other through everything. Johnny gave Shannon the space to be herself and explore herself, and basically he just couldn't say no to anything she wanted, which was so sweet and also helped Shannon come out of her shell and ask for things for once, knowing that Johnny would stay by her no matter what. Shannon stood by Johnny's side through his recovery, and all the time doubts about his future in rugby crept in. She gave him the assurance to take the step to go follow his dreams, knowing that she'd wait for him to return.
I can never get over this book and these characters. Like I said for the first book, though this book was really long and the audiobook was divided into two parts, I didn't feel that way once, and that tells you how engaging this book was, and it keeps you hooked from the first page right till the very end and leaves you wanting more.