Saving 6: Epic, emotional and addictive romance from the TikTok phenomenon (The Boys of Tommen)

Saving 6 was painful in a completely different way to the first two books, and somehow that made it just as powerful. After following Shannon and Johnny for so long, stepping into Joey Lynch’s story felt heavy right from the start. He’s always been there in the background - the angry, protective older brother, the one holding everything together - but this book finally shows the cost of that. And it hurts. Joey’s life has never been easy, and this book doesn’t soften any of it. The responsibility he carries for his younger siblings, the constant fear of his father, the lack of protection from a mother who should have stepped up but didn’t - it all presses down on him from such a young age. Joey copes the only way he knows how: drugs, fights, shutting people out, convincing himself he’s already broken beyond repair. Watching him spiral while still trying to provide for his family, still trying to be the one who shows up, was heartbreaking. Aoife was such a bright contrast to Joey’s darkness, and I loved how their relationship developed slowly over time. This isn’t an instant love story. From the beginning, it’s clear there’s something between them, but Joey never lets himself believe he deserves her. He keeps his distance, convinced he’d only drag her down. Aoife’s patience, her warmth, and her refusal to see Joey as a lost cause made their connection feel incredibly real. She doesn’t try to save him, but she sees him - and that scares him more than anything. The difference between Joey and Aoife’s relationship and Johnny and Shannon’s really stood out to me. Where Johnny is steady and openly protective, Joey is chaotic, self-destructive, and constantly at war with himself. Their relationship is messier, rougher around the edges, and full of missed chances and bad timing. Joey stepping in again and again to protect Aoife, even when it costs him, says everything about who he is beneath all the damage. One of the things I loved most about Saving 6 was how much depth it gave Joey. We finally understand why he is the way he is. His anger, his addiction, his fear of love - all of it stemmed from years of neglect, abuse, and responsibility far beyond his age. Seeing his drug addiction worsen over the years was incredibly hard to read, especially knowing it’s tied to everything he’s been carrying for so long. There were moments where it felt almost unbearable, watching him push away the one person who makes him feel safe, simply because he doesn’t believe he’s worth staying for. The writing is just as strong as in the first two books, and it never feels rushed. Emotions build, tension grows, and the slow burn makes their relationship feel earned, not perfect, but honest. Saving 6 is intense, emotional, and unforgettable. It’s a story about addiction, trauma, and self-worth, but also about loyalty, quiet love, and the way connection can exist even in the messiest, most broken places.

I will admit, I was a bit apprehensive about Joey’s book. I just wanted to get straight to Gisbie since he is, hands down, my favourite character in the series. But about 5 chapters in, I was completely hooked with the characters here. Aoife didn’t feel like she was accurately described right in the first two books—it felt more like she wasn’t as involved, but then this book explains her more and you just get to learn a lot more about her and can I say, she’s definitely my favourite FC in the entire series, so far. I LOVE that this series started off explaining their relationship and showing Joey’s struggles and why he couldn’t immediately or want to commit to her when he was a kid—it also shows Joey’s struggles and how he fell entirely into the wrong crowd and that it didn’t help anything going on with him at home or trying to be good for Aoife. But it was completely raw and honest and true and I LOVED everything about that. It didn’t feel like it glossed things over…it didn’t feel like it was just putting it in there to show a relationship struggle for them to come out stronger…none of it felt forced or like an act. It just was simply so good and RAW and everything that it should be to show struggles and addiction and I think that’s why I love Joey’s and Aoife’s book the most. Especially Redeeming 6. Like, I’ve never sat down and read a book without counting down the pages to the end wanting to know what happened. I was just along for the ride and happily went along with it, without needing to know what happens in the end. And this book is so important to explain everything about Joey and his history and why he’s simply the way he is. Defenitely one of the best reads of 2024.

<b>"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."</b> On Joey's first day of secondary school, he meets Aoife Molloy, a girl with a strong personality, self confidence and very nice legs. One day that girl is going to be his. I've put off Saving 6 since reading the first two in this series over a year ago. If you know this series, you know the heartbreak that comes with them and I just needed to prepare myself for that. Unsurprisingly, I'm now annoyed at myself for leaving it so long as yet again I have ended up completely attached to the characters. I will admit it took me a little while to get into this one. It follows several years of Joey and Aoife being in school and their little interactions together which I did enjoy reading but I could have done with some being cut out to be honest, it was just a bit too much back story building. Once we got to more intense things happening, my heart was stomped on. Aoife's care and love for Joey whilst he is falling apart was so beautiful and she is such a great FMC, strong willed, determined and fierce, she is exactly what Joey needs, even when he probably doesn't realise it. I loved watching their relationship and friendship grown and am keen to see what happens next, although I am expecting further heartbreak and tears. Please be aware that this series has huge triggers for domestic violence, r@pe and as$ault so be mindful of this when picking up the series.

Excellent product

This is the first book of Joey and Aoife's story and boy does it pack a punch! Joey and Aoife meet on their first day of secondary school and are immediately drawn to each other. Working for Aoife's dad means that Joey keeps their relationship strictly in the friend zone for years until they can no longer deny the draw they have to each other. Joey has a very difficult home life, living with an abusive father, a defenseless mother and four younger siblings that he is thrust into raising. To cope with the pressure he turns to drugs, a problem that progressively gets worse as he gets older. When reading the first two books, I didn't realise how bad Joey's addiction was and it was really painful to read. Aoife really is the life and soul of the party! She is amazingly bold and extremely protective of those she loves. She gets herself into some difficult situations while trying to defend and protect Joey. It's no surprise that it all gets to her and she starts to struggle with his addictions. But there's no tearing her away from Joey! I feel emotionally raw after reading this book. I'm diving straight into the next one even though I'm definitely not ready for it.

Saving 6 was beyond anything I could've imagined for the first part of Joey Lynch's story. I knew this one was going to be a tough read, I'd prepared myself for such but i have to be honest, it still utterly destroyed me at times. Joey, along with all the Lynch children have suffered very traumatic childhoods. It broke my heart the way his responsibilities weigh on him. Even though he battles his own traumas and fights his own demons his loved ones always come first, I loved him so much for that. It is simply impossible not love Joey Lynch. I really liked the timeline for the story how we went back to where it all starts. We get a much better understanding of the Lynch family dynamic. How the struggles Joey faced shaped him to become the way he is, it really is heartbreaking. My love for Aoife grew with every chapter of the story. I liked the way she always had Joey's back no matter what. I did want to shake her a few times for the choices she made. I absolutely loved their first meeting, it was EVERYTHING!! The Lyrics "Nobody Ever Loved Me Like She Does" by The Beatles are perfect as noone will EVER love Joey Lynch the way Aoife Molloy does. I can't wait for the next part of their story even though I'm sure things will get a lot worse before they hopefully get better.

Well written book. Full of all the emotions.

Book 3 of the Boys of Tommen series. This one features at its heart Joey's story. The hurt, depths of his pain, how worthless he feels but how he keeps going to be there for his brothers & sister. When he meets Aoife at just 12 years old he knows how important she would become and fights for years to keep her at bay. Then they collide and Joey finds happiness for the first time in his short life but nothing lasts forever .... or can it? This book is absolutely heartbreaking and I devoured every page of it. Again deals with strong themes of domestic violence, child abuse, drug abuse and contains some very strong language. If you can handle the content you are rewarded with an incredible story that will live within you. Saving 6 is only part 1 of Joey's story. Book 4 in the series continues that journey. Jumping straight into that one now. Saving 6 is definitely beyond what I had expected in the best way and I'm happy to recommend to anyone who wants to be drawn in to a story rather than reading to escape.

It is a well written book, it made me cry and got angry a lot of times!

Buch ist gut angekommen

Good book

This series i could not put down. It's written with an understanding of the situation so is an emotional read but has romance, laughter and definitely worth the read

Que dire, vraiment jai du RETENIR mes larmes dans les transports. Et en plus cest bien écrit, que demander de plus 🤌🏾🔥😭