Chapters and Cravings

Saving 6 and I go way back, though not always on the best of terms.

I first picked it up in November 2024, full of hope, but even after giving it another shot a few months later, Joey and I just weren’t clicking. I ended up quietly setting it aside at 44%, telling myself maybe it just wasn’t our time.

But then the Wheel of Books (my trusty decision-maker when I can’t choose) nudged me back to Boys of Tommen, so I decided to start fresh, this time with the audiobook for company.

And honestly, what a difference that made.

Suddenly, I could actually follow the story, feel all the emotion simmering beneath Joey’s anger, and see the scared boy underneath it all, just wanting to be loved and safe.

Aoife Molloy felt like a true heroine, the narration made everything feel so vivid, and by the end, my heart was in pieces (in the best, most bookish way).

Four stars from me, and I think I’ll need a little time to patch my heart back together before I’m brave enough to pick up Redeeming 6.

I have to admit, I might owe Joey Lynch a little apology. Not a grand, sweeping one—he still has a knack for getting under my skin, and I suspect he knows it—but I’ll give him his due.

When I first picked up Saving 6, all I could see was Joey’s anger. It felt like being caught in a storm that just wouldn’t let up—loud, relentless, and honestly, a little exhausting. I understood where he was coming from, but I couldn’t quite find my way into his world.

But then I tried the audiobook, and suddenly, everything shifted. Jacqueline Milne and Matthew Forsythe breathed life into Joey and Aoife in a way I hadn’t seen coming. Instead of just reading Joey’s sharp words on the page, I could actually hear all the fear, desperation, shame, and tiredness tucked quietly underneath.

Joey isn’t the kind of character you can just settle in with straight away. Honestly, I don’t think you’re supposed to.

He’s a boy who’s had to carry far too much, growing up in a house that never really felt safe or steady. I can understand why he acts out, even if it doesn’t always make it okay. Listening to the audiobook helped me notice the space between the real Joey and the tough shell he’s built just to get through.

And then there’s Aoife. She’s beautiful, stubborn, and fiercely loyal—the kind of person who sees something worth loving in Joey long before he ever does. She’s patient, but never silent about it; devoted, but never at the cost of her own spark. She’s strong enough to stand her ground, even when he tries to shut the world out.

This isn’t the kind of romance you can just breeze through on a lazy afternoon. It’s raw and messy, sometimes frustrating, and it can leave you feeling wrung out in the best (and worst) ways. But this time, I really felt it—right down to my bones.

Joey Lynch has spent most of his life surviving. Behind the anger, reckless behaviour and carefully constructed reputation is a teenage boy carrying the weight of his entire family. While the adults around him repeatedly fail, Joey is left trying to protect his younger siblings from a home filled with addiction, violence, fear and instability. He doesn’t have the luxury of simply being a teenager. Every decision is shaped by survival. Every mistake carries consequences. Every moment of peace feels temporary.

Aoife Molloy has known Joey for years, and she refuses to accept the version of him he presents to everyone else. She sees the anger. She witnesses the self-destruction. She knows he can be difficult, unpredictable and absolutely infuriating. But she also sees the boy underneath it all.

As their friendship develops into something deeper, Aoife becomes one of Joey’s few moments of escape from the darkness consuming his life. Their connection is passionate, complicated, and filled with the kind of devotion Joey desperately wants but doesn’t believe he deserves. Joey wants her. He also believes staying away is the only way to protect her. Aoife, however, has never been particularly interested in allowing Joey Lynch to decide what she can handle.

Their story unfolds alongside Joey’s worsening home life and the dangerous coping mechanisms he uses to keep functioning. Love offers him somewhere safe to land—but love alone cannot undo years of trauma or save someone who doesn’t believe they’re worth saving.

🔄 From DNF to Four Stars

I don’t think I’ve ever done such a complete 180 with a book before.

My original review said:

Saving 6 didn’t work for me, unfortunately. It’s a DNF at 44%, and even after picking it back up a couple of months later, I still couldn’t find anything to connect with.

And at the time, that was completely true.

I first picked up the book in November 2024, full of hope and a cup of tea (as is tradition). But after a few chapters, I set it aside, tried to come back a couple of months later, and finally waved the white flag in January 2025. I just couldn’t find my way in. The story felt heavy, and Joey’s anger seemed to fill every page. I kept waiting for that glimpse of vulnerability everyone else talked about, but it stayed just out of reach, no matter how much I knew about his home life.

But then the Wheel of Books (my trusty decision-maker) landed on Boys of Tommen, and I figured if I was ever going to give Saving 6 another shot, I needed a whole new approach. So I started from page one—no skipping ahead, no trying to power through old frustrations. This time, I cozied up with the audiobook and let myself have a completely fresh start.

And honestly? It was so much better. The narration brought the story to life in a way the written words just hadn’t for me before. Joey was still a handful, but suddenly his anger made sense—I could actually feel what he was going through, not just read about it. This time, I found myself caring. This time, I made it all the way to the end, and my poor heart was left in tatters (in the best possible way)..

🎧 The Audiobook Was the Missing Piece

Some stories just settle in better when you listen, and for me, Saving 6 was one of those. There’s so much tangled-up pain and history in these pages that I found myself feeling a bit lost when I tried to read it on my own. But with the audiobook, the characters stepped forward, each with their own voice and heartbeat, and suddenly their emotions felt easier to hold onto. It was like someone turned the lights up just enough for me to see what was really happening.

I could actually hear the difference between Joey’s anger that wanted to lash out at the world and those moments when his voice cracked with fear or shame or that heavy, helpless feeling you can’t quite shake. It made all the difference.

It doesn’t make everything he does okay, but it does help you understand where he’s coming from.

The audiobook brought out the quieter moments between Joey and Aoife in a way that just felt right. Their banter sounded like real people talking, their arguments hit a little harder, and the soft, careful tenderness between them finally shone through. Suddenly, I wasn’t slogging through pages—I was listening because I genuinely needed to know how their story would end.

🖤 Joey Lynch Is Just a Lad Who Wanted to Feel Safe

Alright, Joey. I’ll admit, I was pretty tough on you the first time around. To be fair, you didn’t exactly roll out the welcome mat for anyone trying to love you.

Joey is all sharp edges and stormy moods, the kind of person who seems determined to break anything good before it has a chance to slip away. His temper is still hard to watch, and I’ll be honest, there were plenty of times I wanted to step into the story, hand him a cup of tea, and gently ask him to please stop making things harder for himself.

But this time, I started to really see him. Not just the intimidating older brother from Binding 13 and Keeping 13, not just the angry lad always spoiling for a fight.

Joey is, at heart, still a child who’s been handed the job of protector because the grown-ups around him simply won’t step up. He’s trying to keep his siblings safe while living in the same storm, carrying around a weight of responsibility, fear, and guilt that never should have been his to hold.

He’s never really learned what safe, steady love looks like, because for him, love has always shown up with a side of pain or disappointment or the quiet ache of being left behind. Safety feels suspicious. Happiness feels like something that’s bound to slip through his fingers.

So when Aoife offers him something real, he wants it with everything he has. He just can’t quite believe he won’t mess it up.

Joey’s anger is his shield. It keeps everyone at arm’s length, lets him pretend he’s in control, and gives him a scrap of power when everything at home feels impossible. Underneath it all, he’s just a boy who wants to feel safe and loved, even if he doesn’t know how to ask for it.

Knowing all this doesn’t magically erase the red flags or make every choice he makes easier to swallow, but it did turn him from someone I struggled to root for into someone whose pain honestly broke my heart a little.

👑 Aoife Molloy, True Heroine

Aoife really is the heart of this story. She’s the kind of person who makes you laugh when you least expect it, stands her ground even when it would be easier to walk away, and refuses to let Joey’s prickly edges scare her off. Somehow, she always seems to know when he’s hurting, even if he’s hiding it behind a wall of sarcasm or one of his more questionable choices.

What I loved most, though, is that Aoife never slips into that silent, saintly role you sometimes see—the one where a girl is just there to save the boy who’s lost his way.

She’s got a spark to her. She pushes back, calls Joey out when he needs it, and isn’t afraid to show when she’s angry or hurt. Her love runs deep, but she’s not some bottomless well—she feels things, and sometimes, she reaches her limit too.

Aoife’s strength isn’t about gritting her teeth through endless pain. It’s in the way she keeps seeing the good in Joey, even when he’s forgotten it himself. She gives him these little pockets of peace, where he doesn’t have to be the tough one. With her, he gets to just be a boy who’s been carrying too much for too long.

She brings him laughter, a bit of normal, and all the small comforts he’s missed out on—a little window into the life he might have had if things had been gentler.

Were there moments when I wanted to gently shake her and say, Aoife, please look after your own heart too? Absolutely.

But her loyalty never felt flimsy or naive. She sees more of Joey’s shadows than he knows, and she loves the person underneath it all—without pretending those shadows don’t exist.

Aoife Molloy, you have my whole heart.

💞 Their Love Is Beautiful—but Love Isn’t a Cure

There’s something quietly aching about Joey and Aoife. Their love is the kind you can spot from across the room, tucked into the way they tease each other or fall into easy conversation. They’ve built up this patchwork of memories and inside jokes, and somehow, even when Joey tries his best to push it all away, that connection keeps finding its way back.

For Joey, Aoife is a little pocket of calm in a world that asks too much of him. She’s the place he goes when everything else feels heavy, offering a kind of safety he’s not sure he deserves or can trust to stick around.

With Aoife, Joey lets the mask slip a little. She gets to see the softer side he usually keeps tucked away, the one that cares deeply and wants to keep his people safe, even if he doesn’t always know how to show it.

But this isn’t the kind of story where love sweeps in and fixes everything. Aoife can love Joey, stand with him, and remind him he’s worth loving. But she can’t wave away all the hurt he’s been carrying. Some things are just too heavy for one person to lift alone.

Maybe that’s what makes their bond feel so real and so raw. You can see how much they matter to each other, and it’s both beautiful and a little heartbreaking to realise that sometimes, love just isn’t quite enough to hold everything together.

Aoife brings a bit of light into Joey’s shadows, but she was never meant to be his whole sky.

🏠 The Lynch Family Story Hits Differently Through Joey’s Eyes

I thought I understood just how awful things were in the Lynch household after reading Binding 13 and Keeping 13, but seeing it all unfold through Joey’s eyes felt like stepping into a storm I’d only ever watched from a distance.

Joey isn’t just a bystander in that house. For years, he’s been the shield between his younger siblings and the worst of it, quietly taking on more than anyone his age should ever have to.

He soaks up the violence, handles every crisis as it comes, tries to keep the cupboards from running empty, and keeps an eye on every tiny change in mood—carrying secrets that no teenager should ever have to hold.

If you only saw Joey from the outside, you might think he’s just angry or reckless. But when you’re inside his head, it’s heartbreakingly clear—his whole body is stuck in survival mode. There’s no safe adult to step in, no one he can lean on, and nowhere he gets to just be a kid who’s scared or tired or unsure. It’s a weight that never lets up.

His love for his siblings, especially Shannon, is the kind that burns bright and fierce. But it’s tangled up with so much guilt, too. He’s convinced their safety is all on him, even though it never should have been his job to carry alone.

Even knowing where the Lynch family’s story was headed didn’t soften the blow of these scenes. If anything, it made every moment land a little heavier.

💊 Joey’s Coping Mechanisms Are Difficult to Witness

This isn’t the kind of story that lets you look away or pretend things are tidy. Watching Joey feels a bit like watching someone try to keep their head above water, only to find the waves getting higher every time they reach for air. The ways he tries to cope—just to get through the day, to quiet the ache, to feel like he’s steering his own ship—slowly turn into something darker, something that starts to pull him under.

I’ll be honest, there were times I found myself frustrated with him—maybe even a little angry, if I’m being brave enough to admit it.

Sometimes I just wanted him to let someone in, to take the hand that was reaching out. And yes, there were moments when his choices left bruises on the people who cared about him most. Knowing why he did it didn’t make it hurt any less. Maybe that’s what makes Joey feel so heartbreakingly real.

People who are hurting aren’t always easy to love, are they? Sometimes kindness bounces right off, or gets met with a slammed door. They can make choices that leave you wincing, turn away from help, or even push away the people who are trying their hardest to stay close. Joey isn’t painted as some flawless hero just because he’s been through pain. He can be sharp, he can be dishonest, and sometimes he’s downright scary in the ways he acts out.

But the story never lets you forget what shaped him, either. It’s all there, quietly humming underneath every choice he makes.

I can’t say I agreed with every step he took. But this time, I could see how he ended up there, and somehow, that changed everything about the way the story landed for me.

🕰️ The Length Still Required Patience

Even though my experience with Saving 6 got so much better, I have to admit it still felt like a long journey. This isn’t one of those breezy romances with a sprinkle of family drama. Chloe Walsh really takes her time letting us settle into Joey and Aoife’s world, showing us all the little patterns in Joey’s home and letting their relationship grow up alongside them. All that detail gives the story a lovely emotional richness, but it does ask you to slow down and settle in for the long haul.

There were definitely parts that moved at a slower pace, and honestly, I can see why I put it down the first time. Joey’s anger and the way things keep spiraling can be a lot to sit with, especially when you know deep down there’s no quick fix waiting around the corner.

Listening to the audiobook made the whole thing feel so much more doable. Instead of getting bogged down in the heavier bits, I could just keep listening and let the narrator guide me through. Suddenly, the length didn’t feel like a hurdle—it felt more like slowly getting to know these characters, one chapter at a time.

I’m not quite ready to hand out five stars, but this story definitely earned a solid four from me.

💔 That Ending…Ohhh, My Heart

⭐ Why It Earned Four Stars

Listening to Saving 6 on audiobook didn’t magically turn it into a perfect read for me. Joey still wore me out at times, and the story stretched on in places, looping through emotions that sometimes felt a little too familiar. There were moments when those old frustrations bubbled up again, and I found myself sighing at Joey’s choices, just like before.

It’s not a short journey, either.

But honestly, the difference between my first and second attempts felt huge.

This time around, I actually found myself connecting with the characters in a way I hadn’t before. Joey’s anger made more sense to me—I could see where it was coming from, not just the mess it left behind. I started to appreciate the layers in his relationship with Aoife, all those years quietly shaping their story. And I really felt the weight Joey carries for his siblings, the kind of pressure that would crush anyone, especially a teenager just trying to get by without the support he should have had.

But what really got me was the ending—it absolutely broke my heart. Suddenly, this book I once couldn’t even finish left me needing a little recovery time before I could even think about picking up the next one. That, to me, is more than enough for four stars.

That deserves four stars.

🖤 Joey Lynch — A Boy Hidden Beneath the Anger

Joey isn’t the kind of hero who makes things simple. His pain doesn’t show up in a way that invites you to wrap him in a blanket and offer gentle words. Instead, it bursts out as anger, wild decisions, sharp comments, and choices that leave bruises on himself and everyone close by. I’ll be honest, the first time I tried to understand him, I found myself stumbling.

But coming back to Joey now, I can see where all that comes from. He’s spent so long living in a world that never felt safe, always bracing for the next letdown or goodbye. He’s learned to keep his guard up, never quite believing he’s allowed anything gentle. So when Aoife reaches out with love, he clings to it with one hand and tries to push it away with the other, almost as if he’s trying to break his own heart before anyone else can.

There were moments when Joey made me want to throw my hands up in the air.

He worried me, too. He broke my heart more than once. But somewhere along the way, I found myself understanding him—really seeing him, in all his messy, complicated glory.

👑 Aoife Molloy — A Heart of Gold and a Spine of Steel

Aoife loves fearlessly. She sees Joey clearly—not an imaginary perfect version of him, but the angry, frightened, and deeply damaged person standing in front of her. She recognises his goodness without ignoring his mistakes. She fights for him while still being capable of fighting with him. She brings humour and warmth into a story that could otherwise become overwhelmingly dark, and her personality prevents the romance from feeling like an endless cycle of Joey’s pain.

Aoife isn’t simply Joey’s love interest.

She is one of the strongest emotional forces in the story.

True heroine status.

🌶️ The Spice

If I were giving this one a spice rating, I’d probably land somewhere around three chillies. There are a handful of moments where things get a little steamy between Joey and Aoife, and you can absolutely feel the spark between them. Still, the story isn’t really about the heat—it’s more about everything that simmers underneath.

Those intimate scenes are woven into a much bigger tapestry of feelings. What really stands out is the way their relationship is built on shared history, deep devotion, and the kind of vulnerability that comes from needing a safe place to land—especially for Joey.

Yes, there’s passion, but it’s the emotional weight behind every glance and touch that lingers long after you’ve turned the page.

Narrators: Jacqueline Milne and Matthew Forsythe

Listening to the audiobook felt like discovering a whole new side to this story. Jacqueline Milne and Matthew Forsythe didn’t just read the lines—they breathed real feeling into every moment. Suddenly, the dialogue had layers I’d missed the first time around, and I found myself swept up in emotions I hadn’t quite managed to reach on my own.

Matthew Forsythe’s take on Joey was something special. You could hear the pain and anger, sure, but also that raw, aching vulnerability underneath it all. Suddenly, Joey wasn’t just prickly—he was a teenager who’d spent too long bracing for the worst, someone who’d never really known what it felt like to be safe. That’s when I finally felt like I understood him.

And then there’s Jacqueline Milne, who somehow managed to wrap all of Aoife’s warmth, humour, stubbornness, and strength into every word. She made Aoife loving but never soft in the wrong ways, emotional but always with that spark that makes her such a perfect match for Joey. Listening to them together, it felt like their whole messy, beautiful history was unfolding right in front of me.

The banter made me smile, the arguments stung in all the right ways, and those softer moments? They felt like little treasures I wanted to tuck away for later.

And that ending—well, let’s just say I’m still recovering.

If you found yourself drifting away from Saving 6 in print, I really do recommend giving the audiobook a go. It took me from a DNF at 44 percent (yes, I was that person) to a solid four stars. That’s the magic of a good performance for you.

You may love Saving 6 if you enjoy:

• Emotionally heavy contemporary romance
• Childhood friends to lovers
• He falls first
• Fiercely loyal heroines
• Troubled and self-destructive heroes
• Complicated family dynamics
• Protective older siblings
• Early-2000s Irish settings
• Long, character-driven stories
• Dual points of view
• Banter alongside heartbreak
• Raw portrayals of trauma
• Addiction storylines
• Romance that doesn’t magically cure everything
• Characters who make mistakes
• Audiobooks with emotionally powerful performances
• Stories capable of breaking your heart before the next instalment

This may not be the right book for you if:

• Domestic or child abuse is particularly difficult for you to read
• Addiction and substance misuse are hard limits
• You struggle with angry or volatile protagonists
• You prefer emotionally healthy relationships from the beginning
• You dislike lengthy, slow-building stories
• Repeated cycles of self-destruction frustrate you
• You need trauma to remain in the background
• You prefer light romance
• You need a complete emotional resolution within one book
• You’re not currently in the right headspace for a distressing story

My verdict: Check the content warnings and consider the audiobook—especially if, like me, you struggled with the book on your first attempt.