Redeeming 6

By Chloe Walsh

A book that will inspire your dreams and your nightmares.

The Ugly Truth:

There are some books in life that you debate discussing with your family, friends, the internet of strangers, and sometimes even yourself. Most of the time, when this happens to me, it is because my emotions are, quite frankly, too big to express.

Redeeming Six is not an exception to this feeling necessarily, but this time around, I felt that if I kept everything in and just continued to drown myself in fanmade TikToks, I might not ever fully embrace and accept what I just read.

This book is HARD. If you have read the other books in the series, you know that nothing about the Lynch family story is easy, but my gosh, it would take a very stone-cold person to not feel some sense of heartbreak for Joey Lynch. Our main man has been through it all, from verbal and physical abuse to fighting inner demons and having the weight of the world on his shoulders looking after his four younger siblings; you cannot help but recognize where his constant need for escape comes from.

On that note, I will warn all readers that this book, similar to Saving Six, deals heavily with addiction and drug abuse. For the first time ever in my life, I found myself needing to put the book down at certain points and remind myself of the good in this world after being so wrapped up in the pain of our protagonists. Joey spends every day fighting to be something better when he does not even believe is a possibility. Aofie is in love with someone who cannot love himself and she is letting his monsters play in her own life. The two go through battles unlike anything seen before in Walsh’s other novels. You see Joey fall further into his crippling soul and respondent attitude, and you read of Aoife’s pain stemming entirely from being introduced further into his world, and to his horrific father’s clutches. Like Mammy Kav you want to bundle this broken couple up and give them something to finally smile about in life.

The road is a long one when reading this, and your emotions will play closely to those of our leading costars, with anger, frustration, confusion, and, finally, resolve and happiness all sifting through your soul.

If you thought Saving Six was hard, please be warned that this latest novel is not for the faint of heart. You will deal with topics such as abuse, addiction, rape and suicide. That being said, I believe Walsh is one of the best authors I have ever read who has tackled these topics with a frankness that each of them deserves. She does not shy away from revealing the reality of what comes with each battle, and with it, she has broadened my understanding of issues that I may not have ever considered. There is no beauty in these pages, but it paints a picture of a life that a survivor fought and continues to fight to live. I commend her for addressing the narrative in such an eloquent way and thank her for giving me ~three~ (if you know, you know) characters to root for and love always.

Here is to hoping we see a bright future in the books to come.

PS: I want to settle all my debates with someone saying “nice legs”

PSS: adding this because, honestly, I cannot leave a review that I do not fully believe in - fuck Darren. If I was in Joey's position and he so much as tried to tell me what to do, he would have had another thing coming because seriously?? SERIOUSLY??

PSSS: And finally... I will be the first to say that the *ahem* surprise seemed like a bad break for Joey. I understand how Walsh tried to address this, as "it" once again gave him the purpose to live, as Joey lives to protect and serve... but.... can he not catch a break? That being said, I enjoy seeing the happiness that comes from it, so I guess to each their own.