Reviews with content warning for Misogyny - Binding 13

Reviews tagging 'Misogyny'

Binding 13 by Chloe Walsh

33 reviews

thinwhit3lies's review against another edition

emotional funny lighthearted tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I’m actually quite intimidated to put out this review when there’s such a high rating for this book 🤡.

First off, the writing was simple, very easy to get immersed in the story. However, it was the dialogue and some comments that really put me off. The unnecessary and numerous remarks about how small Shannon was and how big, huge, massive Johnny was put me against the wall. They were so ridiculous that at the end I was fake-sobbing 💀.
On the other hand, there were some comments that I could not but take seriously. Some misogynistic, ableist, and transphobe comments were thrown like nothing, and they literally left me gasping. I get this book is set in the 2000s, but it seems quite unnecessary in a high school romance book to make such serious statements. Honestly, it just feels icky and enrages (at least, that was what accomplished with me).

Continuing with the characters, Shannon was obviously tiny, but apart from that nothing really stood out LOL. Nah, she was cute but sometimes really frustrating, she was indecisive about everything.

I honestly expected more of Johnny. Probably because he was a teenager, but his mood swings and his attitude didn’t really attract me (not to talk about the situation with his thigh injury 😭😭). He was sweet with Shannon, but seeing how it was quite insta-lovey on his part didn’t make it entirely appealing. In the end, he improved and he actually showed a quite different and better side (let’s hope this is the beginning of his character development 🙏🙏). So yeah, I liked his daddy much better and he only appeared in two scenes 🥴🥴. Sorry, Johnny.

Shannon and Johnny had some cute moments that got me squealing, but others were actually really awkward and embarrassing, so I’m not totally on board with them. Let’s see how it goes 👁️👁️.

For me, the real star of the show here was Joey. Seeing how cared about his siblings, and how he struggled so much but also made an effort to make things better really touched my heart. I love him and he must be protected at all costs 🫶🫶.

Despite having no real plot, I had no problems getting through this book, and I actually was invested (hence my rating). The ending was pretty good (the drama finally blew up ✊), but seeing the repetitiveness and length of the story doesn’t make me rush for the next book.

Content Warnings

bellaperegrino's review against another edition

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dark emotional hopeful sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This book tore me into pieces, how much the fmc goes thorugh is honestly unthinkable and how the mcc makes it his mission to helo
her in any way shape or form
im utterly amazed by it and i would totally recommend it if you can deal with hard subjects

Content Warnings

autumnatically's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad tense slow-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

4.5

Content Warnings

andysanzz_'s review against another edition

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emotional sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

2.75

Content Warnings

sassypants25's review against another edition

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emotional sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Content Warnings

velvetreads_'s review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional funny informative reflective sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Content Warnings

karlapardo's review against another edition

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dark emotional funny inspiring sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Ok! This book broke me into a million pieces so many times that I’m not sure how I’m still standing.
Before I start the review, here’s a reminder to CHECK THE TRIGGER WARNINGS. I didn’t necessarily pay attention to them because I know I can read rough topics but please check the trigger warnings.

This book was just heart wrenching. I had high expectations for this book because I know a few people who loved it and it did not disappoint. It is a very rough read though (second book is rougher just letting you know). Also, we have to keep in mind that these characters are teenagers, they are not adults. We can’t expect teenagers to act like adults. Their behaviors are very fit for their age and in some circumstances (not all of them) they are very mature but they are not adults. It’s a book you can’t put down. It is very long but it just doesn’t feel like it is. I devoured it in 2 days so if you haven’t read it because of the length please read it. It is very long for good reason, trust me. This book is made for the reader to love or hate every single character on it. It is not just a love story. You will come to love the side characters in this story because the author took her time and made you love them. That’s why this book is so long. We get to actually know who these people are and not just because of their relationship with Johnny and Shannon, we love them as them. Now, let’s talk characters.

Johnny, this boy is such a good character. He is going through some things because of an injury and he is struggling. He loves rugby and would do anything and everything to play, including hurting himself more than he already is. But when he meets Shannon and starts knowing her that changes a little bit, not a lot, but he does. He is an overthinker through and through. He will worry, A LOT. And I love him for that. He knows his girl. He knows something is wrong because he overthinks it and worries. He knows he has to protect her because he knows something is wrong, he just doesn’t know what. He loves Shannon so much that it’s overwhelming. He has so many incredible relationships with the other characters too, it’s truly beautiful to read. His relationship with Gibsie it’s my favorite, you can feel the love those two have for each other. His relationship with his parents (especially after surgery) it’s also so heartwarming to see. You can feel his character struggle so much with his own feelings that as readers you begin to feel those struggles. He loves Shannon and would do anything and everything is his power to keep her safe.

Shannon. Wow, such a horrible story. This girl has been through hell and back so many times. She thinks she is not strong or worth something good but she is so strong and a survivor in every sense of the world. She struggles a lot, she can’t seem to find her strength to stand up for herself because she has learned that if she does that she will be put through so much pain. She has learned to survive and survive only. We can see this girl’s development but it is very slow, she is very adamant to not develop in a way because she knows that will make it worse. Her love for Johnny it’s so strong to the point of it being the only reason why she is alive. Her love for Johnny is truly her anchor and strength.

The side characters. There is no way that we did not fall in love with these characters. Gibsie, Joey, Claire, Mammy K, Aoife, Lizzie, John Sr, Feely. And there is no way we did not hate Teddy, Bella, Cormac, Ronan.

I loved this book as well as the second one. HAVE THE SECOND ON HAND BECAUSE THERE IS A CLIFFHANGER. I would reread it but definitely not soon. It is very emotionally draining (keep that in mind)

Content Warnings