Saving 6

Saving 6 (2023) is a new adult romance novel by Chloe Walsh. It is the third book in the Boys of Tommen series, which explores the lives of a group of teenagers in the fictional town of Ballylaggin, Ireland. The novel centers around Joey Lynch, whose sister Shannon is the protagonist from Walsh’s two previous novels, Binding 13 (2018) and Keeping 13 (2018). It follows Joey’s six years of secondary school as he meets and falls in love with Aoife Molloy. While he deals with an abusive father, faces substance use disorder, and cares for his younger siblings, he wrestles with his feelings for Aoife and his insecurities over the trouble his life causes for her. Through their relationship, Walsh explores themes of The Importance of Love and Support, The Challenges of Mental Health and Addiction, and The Impact of Family Dynamics on Personal Development.

This guide uses the Bloom Books paperback version of the novel published in 2024.

Content Warning: The source material and this guide feature depictions of physical and emotional abuse, bullying, suicidal ideation, addiction, and substance use.

Plot Summary

Twelve-year-old Joey Lynch starts his first day of secondary school at Ballylaggin Community School (BCS), the public school in Ballylaggin, Ireland. He meets Aoife Molloy, and her beauty entrances him. The two flirt with each other and then walk into school together.

After that day, Joey’s older brother Darren leaves the family to move to Belfast. Joey is bitter and angry about it, as it leaves him at home to deal with their abusive father, Teddy. Joey does his best to protect his younger siblings, Shannon, Tadhg, and Ollie, often getting into physical altercations with Teddy. However, as he becomes overwhelmed with the stress and abuse at home, he starts using marijuana and cocaine, buying the drugs from an older boy named Shane Holland. When he learns that his mother, Marie, is pregnant again, he decides that he will no longer care about her, as she repeatedly puts herself in harm’s way by allowing their father to keep coming back.

Although Joey is immediately attracted to Aoife, he decides that he has to stay away from her once he gets a job with her father, Tony, working in his mechanic shop. He also thinks of how chaotic his life is, deciding that being in her life would only be bad for her. However, Aoife repeatedly tries to form a friendship with him, supporting him at his hurling matches (where he wears the titular number six jersey), inviting him into her home to cook, and allowing him to walk her home on multiple occasions. Through it all, she stays with her boyfriend, Paul Rice, even though he brags about their physical relationship at school and does not respect Aoife.

As the relationship between Joey and Aoife grows, both realize that they cannot ignore their physical attraction to each other. They flirt with each other repeatedly at school but stop just short of any physical relationship. However, when Aoife finally learns the truth about Joey’s abusive father, she goes to Joey’s house and confronts him, telling him that she knows about his life and still wants to be a part of it. The two kiss in the rain outside his house, Aoife finally breaks up with Paul, and Joey begins to let Aoife into his life.

To further solidify their relationship, Aoife makes Joey talk with her father about them. To Joey’s surprise, Tony supports them, insisting that Joey is a good person and will treat his daughter well. He also encourages Joey to continue to work at the shop, promising him a full-time apprenticeship when he graduates. Aoife also makes Joey introduce her to his mother Marie, and Marie’s unsupportive and uncaring nature overwhelms Aoife. However, Aoife has sex with Joey for the first time in his home, adamant that she is going to continue to stay with him and help him through everything he is dealing with.

As Aoife realizes that Joey’s substance use is impacting his life, she repeatedly tries to get him to stop. She comforts him when he comes down from multiple highs, allows him to sleep on her bedroom floor, and even confronts Shane and demands that Joey get out of his car. Joey does his best to remain clean, going several months at a time without contacting Shane, but his situation at home repeatedly overwhelms him. Eventually, he uses heroin, which causes him to pass out at Shane’s home and miss his plans to be with Aoife on Christmas Eve. However, she goes to Shane’s house, demanding to see Joey, and finds him with a needle in his arm. She is devastated but takes Joey back to her house and comforts him as the drug effects wear off.

The next morning, Joey is devastated to realize what he has put Aoife through. Despite his feelings and Aoife’s protests, he breaks up with her, adamant that he causes nothing but problems for her. He spends the next week at home going through withdrawal while Aoife repeatedly calls him and struggles with her heartbreak.

On New Year’s Eve, Joey sits at home with Shannon. He continues to stay off drugs, adamant that he can’t go out or he will risk relapsing. He also thinks of how he could still have a future with Aoife. He hopes that he will one day feel comfortable enough with his life to be with her.

Aoife decides that she needs to talk with Joey one last time. She goes over to his house, knocks on his door, and is surprised to find Joey home on New Year’s Eve. He tells her that he has not been using drugs. She confesses her feelings for him, her love, and her anger that he left her. He admits that he is devastated by their breakup, too, but that he must fix himself. Although Joey can’t promise that he will eventually take her back, he assures her that they will continue to be friends. He has hope that one day, he will be healthy and stable enough to have a relationship with her again.