A review by thebookishmama
Saving 6 by Chloe Walsh

dark emotional sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Diverse cast of characters? No

4.5

My heart is in pieces on the floor. Oofta this one hurt for so many reasons. I was a bit hesitate going in purely because I loved Johnny and Shannon and was nervous to shift to different characters but I am so so so glad Walsh gave us this book about Joey and Aoife. It is full of so much pain, emotion, turmoil, and heartbreak in a way that you don’t expect from a romance book. That being said, I would say romance is the undertone to this story. It’s still there, and it’s powerful and beautiful but it’s not the focus. The things both of these characters go through is something no child should ever have to deal with. It’s heavy and it’s emotional and it’s not pretty, and neither is their reactions. But all of that is what made this feel so real and raw as we follow their journey over multiple years. Joey, my sweet broken boy, wow am I glad to have been able to be inside his head. The things he thinks and feels and the things he goes through, all of it just so hard hitting. I don’t want to make it seem like this is just some dark book, there is a lot of light and hope and love too, I just think the harder stuff is what really impacted me here. And the way Aoife loves him is so powerful, she truly is a rock. And reading the acknowledgments made it hit even harder. I’m so thankful Walsh gave us these two, even though it wasn’t always the plan. It was much needed and I can’t wait to read the second part to their story. 

I do want to emphasize yet again that this is ABSOLUTELY NOT A YA BOOK!!!!! I do not understand how it’s being classified this way, I do not care how old the characters are. This is not a book that should be read by anyone under the age of at least 18. I will include triggers below. 

Triggers:
Child abuse, domestic abuse, sexual assault, mention of suicide, drug abuse, blood
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