2023
WISE Score
Amazon
A gut-wrenching, high-stakes dive into addiction and trauma that’s definitely not for your middle schooler’s backpack.
4.5
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Saving 6 is an emotional wrecking ball. If you're an adult looking for a book that will make you feel everything at once, Chloe Walsh delivers. It's a TikTok phenomenon for a reason—it's addictive and raw.
However, parents, keep this one on the high shelf. This isn't 'YA' in the sense of Percy Jackson; it's 'YA' in the sense of Euphoria. It’s a powerful read, but only for those mature enough to handle its heavy baggage.
This is for the 17+ crowd. It’s a 'New Adult' novel, meaning it’s written for people navigating early adulthood, and the themes of drug abuse and trauma are way too intense for younger readers.
This isn't a feel-good bedtime story. It deals with heavy trauma, addiction, and the gritty reality of a broken home life. While there is deep loyalty, the tone is intentionally heavy and uncomfortable.
It’s contemporary realistic fiction, so it’s not building new worlds, but Chloe Walsh is a master at internal monologue and character history that makes these people feel three-dimensional.
This is firmly New Adult/Adult content. It contains depictions of drug addiction, poverty, and likely explicit sexual content (typical of the series). It is not safe for children or younger teens to stumble upon.
For an older audience, it’s incredibly enriching regarding empathy for those struggling with substance abuse and the cycle of poverty. It doesn't romanticize the struggle; it shows the scars.
If you’ve seen the Boys of Tommen covers floating around social media, you might think you’re looking at a standard teen sports romance. You aren't. Chloe Walsh isn't writing about winning the big game; she’s writing about surviving the aftermath of a broken home. Saving 6 is the point where the series pivots from the relatively standard drama of the first two books into something much darker and more adult.
This book is a massive hit on TikTok for a reason: it’s designed to make you sob. While the series is technically centered around a group of friends at a school in Ireland, this installment is a prequel/parallel story that focuses on Joey and Aoife.
If your teen is asking for this because they liked the first two books, they need to know that the vibe changes here. It moves away from the "high school hallway" energy and spends a significant amount of time in the past, showing the gritty, unpolished reality of Joey’s childhood. It’s a bleak look at generational trauma. Before you let a teenager dive into this particular rabbit hole, it’s worth checking out our parent’s guide to the Boys of Tommen series to understand why this shift in tone matters so much.
Walsh doesn't do the "Hollywood" version of drug use where a character gets high and looks cool or edgy. She shows the filth, the lying, and the way addiction turns a person into a ghost while they’re still breathing.
The friction for many readers isn't just the content—it's the length. This is a massive book. Some fans on Goodreads have noted that it feels repetitive or like "filler" in sections. It’s over 600 pages of high-octane misery and slow-burn romance. If a reader isn't already deeply invested in Joey as a character from the previous books, they might find the pacing to be a slog.
The best comparison here isn't Friday Night Lights; it’s Euphoria. It’s for the reader who wants to feel the weight of the world. If your teen is into "trauma-core" stories or authors like Colleen Hoover, Saving 6 will be their new obsession.
However, if they’re just looking for a fun story about athletes, this is the wrong shelf. You might want to steer them toward something like the Next Messi soccer series if they actually want sports, or Saving Mr. Terupt if they’re younger and looking for school-based drama that doesn't involve heavy narcotics.
Saving 6 is a commitment. It’s a book that demands a lot of emotional labor from the reader, and for a 17-year-old who can handle the "New Adult" label, it’s a powerhouse. For anyone younger, it’s likely just too much, too soon.
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