Keeping 13

The Boys of Tommen series is a set of books by Chloe Walsh. It currently consists of five novels that follow the rugby players of Tommen College. Two of the novels follow Johnny Kavanagh and his relationship with Shannon Lynch: Keeping 13 and its prequel, Binding 13 (2018), so-called because Johnny’s soccer number is 13. Two of the novels follow Shannon’s brother, Joey—Saving 6 (2023) and Redeeming 6 (2023)—and one follows Gerard “Gibsie” Gibson—Taming 7 (2024). There are future novels planned for the series to follow other players, with rumors of a third book about Johnny and Shannon. Originally self-published, the series gained popularity through BookTok, an online discussion of novels on the social media app TikTok.

The novels are typically placed in the new adult genre, a developing genre that touches on topics such as relationships, self-discovery, careers, and mental health as they apply to young people entering adulthood. In her Boys of Tommen series, Walsh touches on many of these issues, using typically adult language, discussing sex, and portraying domestic abuse and violence—even though her central characters are teenagers. In this way, Walsh explores young characters who, although still on the cusp of adulthood, face very adult issues.