Saving 6 (Boys of Tommen, 3) Paperback – February 20, 2024

I absolutely loved this one! I loved coming back and getting Joey's story. This is the 3rd book in the Boys of Tommen series and we are starting with a new couple but Joey is Shannon's brother and this starts back in time when Joey starts secondary school so it can be read as a stand alone but in some ways I would say better to read Shannon and Johnny's story first. I enjoyed getting to go back and see Joey grow up and what he went through and how it all affected him. We get to see when he meets Aoife on his first day of school and their initial connection and spark and how that gets derailed when his older brother leaves and Joey steps up for his younger siblings. Aoife's father is also Joey's new boss at the mechanic shop, a job that Joey needs desperately in order to care for his younger siblings. We get to see it develop into a friendship and bond though that romantic chemistry is there. Joey's homelife is not good but he steps up even at 12 years old and does the best he can to take care of and protect his younger siblings from their parents, dad especially. We jump through the years and see the trauma and beat downs that Joey goes through and the bright spot that Aoife is in Joey's life even with some of their ups and downs and how Joey tries to cope with what he has going on. He quickly becomes a father figure for his 3 younger brothers with the youngest thinking he is dad. Joey struggles to make it through and while he is smart he doesn't have the time and energy to get everything done at school and keep up with it all, plus all the fights he gets into trying to keep Shannon safe and the bullies away/to back off. I loved getting this history for him but it is heartbreaking in so many ways. I loved when Joey and Aoife finally take that step and cross that romantic line and how determined they are for each other. They want the best for each other and I loved how strong Aoife is. She won't let Joey just slip away and continues to stand by him through everything and won't let him push her away. This story was very well written and engaging. I was attached to these two from the get go, more so from having read the previous two books in the series and this one does end about the time Shannon is starting at Tommen College so still knowing some of what is coming and I can't wait to start the next book and get to that point and beyond as we watch Joey find his way through.

Wow. This book hurts. It was so sad to see everything from Joey’s POV. Like not only did we see Shannon’s turmoil from the bullying and the abuse at home, but we saw all of Joey’s struggles. Like how much it affected him when Darren left, and he was only 12 years old left with much younger siblings. He took a job at 12/13 to help provide for his family, took care of his siblings, basically became a father to Sean, and took beatings to protect his mother and siblings. Now the scene in Keeping 13 where Shannon was defending Joey to Darren, it has 10x more of an impact. And then because he had so many responsibilities from a young age, he took a bad turn and went to drugs 😢, and his addiction and mental health all went down from there. And the one thing that kept him going for the past 5 years was Aoife, and it all started on their first day of first year. Two firecrackers of a personality collided and they were never the same. Even though they were only friends for the first four years, Aoife was everything for Joey. She became his best friend, the one person who cared about him that wasn't his siblings, she made him laugh and smile, and always burrowed into his life whether he liked it or not. I wish they had gotten together sooner, but I am so glad Joey had her as a friend no matter what. And then they finally did get together, they had so many good moments, but quite a few lows. I’m just happy that towards the end of the book, Joey is wanting to do better for himself even though I know it doesn’t last too long. I’m curious to see the timeline of Redeeming 6 and how Joey and Aoife’s story continues.Despite all the bad that happened, I loved seeing so many things. Like that home EC chapter was so freaking cute 🤭🤣. Seeing Tadhg and Ollie bicker. Tadhg sticking up for Joey and Shannon. Ollie mispronouncing words. THE GIBSIE AND JOHNNY CAMEO!!! And of course, Gibsie was offering condms out and then Johnny was reprimanding him for talking to strangers 🤣🤣. That was honestly the best part of the book. Aoife standing up for Shannon. Tadhg and Ollie’s reaction to their Christmas gifts. Shannon making a cake for Joey, and all of his siblings saying they loved him.Favorite quotes/scenes:She gave me a look that said, What are you waiting for? Well, sht. What was I waiting for?“Steady up, baby brother. She’s cute, but don’t throw your hat in the rink just yet. I promise there will be fifty more girl in your year that look just as lovely.”Doubtful.“I don’t want fifty more girls. I just want that girl.”"You saw me back there.”"I did.""You kept walking.""I did.""Don't do that again."Fk me. "I won't."She looked me over once more before nodding in approval. "You're beautiful!"Well, sht. "Likewise.""Hmm. So, do you have a name, boy-who-can-think-for-himself?""Does it matter? We both know that you'll be calling me "baby' by the end of the day.""Is that so?""You tell me, blondie.""So, should I spend more time with the male form in general? Or with you? Because it's safe to say that I’m impressed with the male form standing in front of me.""Is that your way of telling me that you don't have a boyfriend?""No, it's my way of telling you that I will have a boyfriend once you ask me?""Yes, fine! Whatever. Christ. You're my favorite friend, with my favorite legs.""Well now, see, that wasn't so hard, was it? And just so you know, Joe...You're my favorite friend, with my favorite everything.""Stay out of trouble out there, okay?""I'll try my best.""Make sure you do. Because I've put an awful lot of effort into saving you, six."The Goo Goo Dolls blasted through the speakers."Iris? Good song choice, Molloy, but I have to admit that im not feeling the festive vibe from it.""No, ashol, not as a Christmas song. As our song. Shh. Just humor me and listen, okay?"Reluctantly conceding to her demands, I nodded once and kept my eyes locked on hers as the lyrics of the song fked with my head."Well? It's perfect, right?""Yeah, Molloy. It is."The only person that you should be settling for is the person who unsettles you the most. The person who drives you to the brink of sucide because he or she makes you feel so fking much that you can't catch your breath or remotely function without them. And what's more is you won't want to. You won't want to breathe, or feel, or fking function without them. That's how you'll know that it's a real relationship, Molloy. Only when you're feeling the most discomfort you've ever felt in your entire life should you even consider settling. Because that's when you'll know you're in love.”“I couldn't think about anything other than her. Molloy consumed me to the point that I didn't feel like everything was completely fked in the world anymore.”"Like what you see?""What? I always check the product before I make any purchases.""And?""Oh, I've been sold on you for a long time now, Joey Lynch.""You need to run.""I don't run.""Run. Run, Molloy.""I'm staying right here. With you.""Molloy.""I know who you are The quintessential lost boy. Don't worry. Peter Pan, I'll be your Wendy.""Gibs! Would you leave them alone, ya weirdo. They don't need your running bleeding commentary?”"Hey, Cap. I was only providing some safety precautions.""Jaysus. Excuse my flanker. He's like a bleeding Labrador. Completely harmless, with zero awareness of social cues and etiquette.""I was only being friendly. It's nice to be nice, Johnny.""Yeah, I know you were, Gibs, but those people are strangers, and what did we say about you talking to strangers?""Don't do it?""Exactly.” 🤣🤣“Being with her made me want to keep a clear head because I wanted to remember her. I wanted to be in the moment with her and not just float through it. Because she was Molloy. My friend. Maybe even my best friend.”"Stop pushing.""You love it when I push you. But you love it even more when I pull you.""What have I gotten myself into?""The best relationship of your life."She wasn't wrong there.“The truth was that nothing about being with Joey was easy, and yet being with him felt so incredibly right. Like I was exactly where I was supposed to be, with exactly who I was supposed to be with.”“I made a mental vow that I wouldn't allow him to lose himself to the world he teetered on the edge of. No matter what, I would be right beside him, ready to pull him back to safety. Even if it meant that I lost myself in the process.”"Ollie plugged the toilet. And I need to take a—“"I like to make sure I'm clean. It's high-gleam-ick."It's 'hygienic, not 'high-gleam-ick! And you'll be far from high-gleam-ick when I take a sht on your—""Jesus Christ, I'll sort it. Anything to shut the pair of you up""I've never taken anyone's vrginity before.""And you'll never take anyone else's. That's your lot, Lynch. Your first, last, and only vrgin. You just signed your dck away in a blood oath, buddy'"You're so strange. I love it.""You mean you love me.”"Yeah, Molloy. That's exactly what I mean.""Hey, Joe?""Yeah?"“I’m glad that I waited. It meant more with you.""It never meant anything before you.""Aw. You're a sweet slt.""Thanks.""I love you. I love you more than I have ever loved another person in my life, and that's not an exaggeration. That's the god-honest truth."

Audiobook review⭐4.5/5Oh Joey… sweet Joey… Life has never been easy for him... Towards the end of Keeping 13, we discovered that he had a “big problem”, and in this book we witnessed how from a very young age he started losing himself to drugs. And let me tell you that was extremely painful. Joey needed help and he had no one, absolutely no one by his side.Aoife Molloy is a badass. I love her confidence, her sassiness and how she expresses her feelings. But what I love the most about her is how she never gives up on Joey. AOIFE MALLOY YOU’RE A QUEEN!Also, the banter between these two was top tier, which is proof of how well they complemented each other.“Nice shirt”“Nice legs”Their relationship was explosive. The first time they kissed I swear there were fireworks around them. These two burned into each other in a delicious way.But their relationship was more than that, it was also a rollercoaster that pulled at my heart strings. We got to see the highs, the lows, and everything in between, and it was not an easy journey. They might have loved each other unconditionally, but is that enough to survive what they are about to face? Oh, because I know the next book will absolutely destroy us.The audiobook was a great experience, Matthew Forsythe & Jacqueline Milne were amazing! Their narration made me feel all the feelings, and I truly love their voices!I can’t wait to keep reading the next books in the series, I swear Chloe Walsh put a spell in this books, and I’m not even mad about it LOL.