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A review by mxcopmy
Binding 13 by Chloe Walsh
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Were 887 pages needed for this story? Absolutely not. Did I enjoy it & will I continue the series? To some extent, yes!
When I picked up this book, it had to meet a few conditions: first, it had to be light, basically like a pallet cleanser for my mind during this stressful exam period. Secondly, it had to be long and thirdly, of course, it had to be something that made me feel like I was being sucked away from my reality for a while. On all these points, the book definitely scored all its points! It was super easy to read and quite compelling for me. It was definitely a book where you didn't have to think too much which made it fairly smooth. All the side characters were also super nice to read about! I genuinely felt like I created a bond with all the characters which made me want to read more about them. The romance was also a slow-burn which (everyone by now I think knows by my previous reviews) I love and therefore would pick up a romance. This book was 'all about feelings' and actually had little to nothing to do with the dirty way which made me enjoy the book extra. I often feel that 'smut' books get milked out. It was nice to read a light-hearted (except for some themes! Check out some TWs for sure!) book for a while. So definitely plus points for this!
On the other hand, this book was definitely not a pallet cleanser for my vocabulary. In fact, it was a bit... putrid. I know that when I read books like this, I have to realise that it's usually with super cringe language and that toxic masculinity (in my eyes!!!) often transcends it. I thought I was going to be able to flip that switch, but unfortunately I couldn't. For a very long time, this made me dislike reading Johnny's pieces. As the story progressed, his personality did start to turn around a bit & I started to grow sympathy for him more and more anyway... but that doesn't take away from the fact that for at least half of the time, the story came in poorly and so with this one, not all the pieces were really enjoyable for me. To expand on this, I think some parts were very misogynistic, what I absolutely dislike in a book.
What was also slightly disappointing for me was the often repetitive scenes in the book. Many things came across as unoriginal as a result. For instance, the casual romantic scenes of standing in the rain did occur at least 3 times. Or when Shannon says sorry for the millionth time or when Johnny randomly brings her home with his car for the 4000th time. This then left me a bit with reading hunger. Because of this (referring to my first sentence), this book could easily be shortened or the writer could try to use more original things to fill those gaps.
With this, I hope perhaps the 2nd book is better, because I will read that one as it was the 'perfect' book for me to read during my study breaks. The book ended with a huge cliffhanger, so in conclusion, I am hugely curious to see how this continues!
When I picked up this book, it had to meet a few conditions: first, it had to be light, basically like a pallet cleanser for my mind during this stressful exam period. Secondly, it had to be long and thirdly, of course, it had to be something that made me feel like I was being sucked away from my reality for a while. On all these points, the book definitely scored all its points! It was super easy to read and quite compelling for me. It was definitely a book where you didn't have to think too much which made it fairly smooth. All the side characters were also super nice to read about! I genuinely felt like I created a bond with all the characters which made me want to read more about them. The romance was also a slow-burn which (everyone by now I think knows by my previous reviews) I love and therefore would pick up a romance. This book was 'all about feelings' and actually had little to nothing to do with the dirty way which made me enjoy the book extra. I often feel that 'smut' books get milked out. It was nice to read a light-hearted (except for some themes! Check out some TWs for sure!) book for a while. So definitely plus points for this!
On the other hand, this book was definitely not a pallet cleanser for my vocabulary. In fact, it was a bit... putrid. I know that when I read books like this, I have to realise that it's usually with super cringe language and that toxic masculinity (in my eyes!!!) often transcends it. I thought I was going to be able to flip that switch, but unfortunately I couldn't. For a very long time, this made me dislike reading Johnny's pieces. As the story progressed, his personality did start to turn around a bit & I started to grow sympathy for him more and more anyway... but that doesn't take away from the fact that for at least half of the time, the story came in poorly and so with this one, not all the pieces were really enjoyable for me. To expand on this, I think some parts were very misogynistic, what I absolutely dislike in a book.
What was also slightly disappointing for me was the often repetitive scenes in the book. Many things came across as unoriginal as a result. For instance, the casual romantic scenes of standing in the rain did occur at least 3 times. Or when Shannon says sorry for the millionth time or when Johnny randomly brings her home with his car for the 4000th time. This then left me a bit with reading hunger. Because of this (referring to my first sentence), this book could easily be shortened or the writer could try to use more original things to fill those gaps.
With this, I hope perhaps the 2nd book is better, because I will read that one as it was the 'perfect' book for me to read during my study breaks. The book ended with a huge cliffhanger, so in conclusion, I am hugely curious to see how this continues!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Misogyny, and Physical abuse