Hi everyone! In celebration of one of my most anticipated releases of the year, Taming 7 by Chloe Walsh, I wanted to make a fun post about the book that started my obsession with the Boys of Tommen series: the first book, Binding 13. So, I made a mini playlist of 5 songs that I think perfectly capture the vibes of this book, and wanted to chat about why I chose these songs!
Book Description:
Johnny Kavanagh, an up-and-coming rugby star, struggles to cope with maintaining the high standards that are expected of him. He has put so much into building his career, but it could all come crashing down due to a potentially career-ending injury that he is hiding.
Shannon Lynch is a girl looking for a fresh start. After starting at a new school, she just wants to keep her head down and try to avoid the bullies that have always followed her.
After meeting in a very unconventional (and hilarious) way, we follow these two on their emotional rollercoaster of a journey as they try to help each other battle their demons, whilst fighting their budding feelings for each other.
*check trigger warnings*
This is a book that I have now re-read a ridiculous amount of times, and one I honestly cannot recommend enough. It follows our two main characters, Johnny and Shannon, who are going through the not-so-typical struggles of life as a teenager. After becoming unlikely friends, and possibly more, they learn about each other’s demons and try and help each other through the dark.
As I mentioned in my Instagram review of this book, the characters were all fantastic. They all feel so real to me, and were honestly what made this series skyrocket to being one of my all-time favourites.
So, because I love these characters so freaking much, I decided to pick 5 songs that I relate to them – their experiences, their personalities, and the emotions they express throughout the book. Hopefully, this will give you a taste of the overall *vibe* of the book as well!
1. Anxiety by Frank Carter & the Rattlesnakes
“You overthink everything man. You talk about my head being messed up, but yours must be a fucking horrible place to be – what with all that over-analyzing you do.”
Binding 13, Chloe Walsh p.87
So, I think this quote sums up perfectly why I chose this song for Johnny. He worries about everything. Granted, he absolutely has reason to. He is stressed about staying on top of his rugby career and how his injury is going to effect that, whilst also being worried about Shannon and what is potentially going on in her life.
But people assume his life is so great just because he is amazing at rugby. Newsflash: that isn’t how life works.
That’s why this song, about how someone can still be anxious even when outsiders believe they have everything they could ever want, feels really fitting for his character.
2. Idontwannabeyouanymore by Billie Eilish
“I’m unlikeable. It’s a fact. Plain and simple.”
Binding 13, Chloe Walsh p.532
This song fits Shannon so well, in my opinion. She is someone who has kinda lost faith in the world and in people, but most of all in herself. She believes that she is inherently unlikeable because she has been bullied her whole life, and thinks that there is just something wrong with her. And so she would absolutely change herself to blend in, or want to change her circumstances in general . Sometimes, she seems to just want to disappear altogether because she just can’t deal with the world.
This song, with the hopeless feeling of just not loving yourself as you are, really fits with Shannon’s perspective of herself in parts of this book. And so I had to choose it for this list!
3. I’m With You by Avril Lavigne
“You think I’d let anything bad happen to you , Shannon like the river?”
Binding 13, Chloe Walsh p.381
Honestly, I forgot this song existed for a while. But, I listened to it after finishing the book and was just like … yes. This is Johnny and Shannon. Because, to me, they saved each other. And this song for me is about someone who is lost and just needs someone or something to bring them back from the brink.
Johnny and Shannon were two complete strangers who, for some reason, just connected. They knew they both were equally lost in different ways and helped bring each other out of the dark places. It was like they found something in each other that they didn’t even know they were searching for. And this song for me just encapsulates everything about the hard parts of their relationship, so on the list it goes!
4. More Than a Band by The Cast of Disney Channel’s Lemonademouth
“Fine, lad, I’ll help you,” Gibsie replied with a sigh. “Even though it’ll never work, you’re doomed to fail, and I’ll more than likely end up giving the best man speech at your wedding […]”
Binding 13, Chloe Walsh p.360
Okay so. I feel ridiculous choosing this song but *hear me out*, okay?
I know there are no bands in this book. At all. But this song just encapsulates friendship in general for me? The strong, supportive type of friendships that will last a lifetime. That is this song in a nutshell. And that is what I love the most about this book.
The friendships are just *chef’s kiss*. All of the characters, especially the MCs’ best friends Claire and Gibsie, are funny, chaotic, and their banter is great. But you also know that they are the special kind of friends: those who will be there until the end, no matter your faults and flaws.
And so, as they are such an integral part of the story for me, I had to dedicate a song to the amazing side characters in this book!
5. I Luv U by The Ordinary Boys
“I think I need you for keeps,” he slurred. “I think I need you for keeps, too” I confessed.
Binding 13, Chloe Walsh p.584
There are loads of love songs out there, right? I could have chosen any of them. But this one. This one just screams Johnny and Shannon. And that’s because they are so chaotic in telling each other their feelings.
There are no flowery words to get their point across. There is no massive declaration of love. They just have *feelings* and they have no idea how to express that to each other, or what to do about it. So, that idea of just saying ” I love you, you know that don’t you?” is completely and utterly them!
Annddd, that’s it for this post! It was a long one, so thank you if you made it to this point. Hopefully, I gave you a little taste of why I love these characters and the vibes you will expect from this book. And maybe I even helped to convince you to pick it up yourself! Now, I’m off to go and read Taming 7… I cannot wait!!!
Have you read this book? What did you think? Would you like to see more posts like this one?
Let me know in the comments!
Living Through Fiction 
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