The Boys of Tommen series comprises six novels by Irish author Chloe Walsh, with more novels reportedly in production. They are largely set in the fictional private school Tommen College. At the center of each is a romance with one of the titular boys, complicated by issues like trauma, abuse, substance use, and death.

The first two novels in the series, Keeping 13 and Binding 13, explore the relationship between star rugby player Johnny Kavanagh and Shannon Lynch. Johnny is destined to go pro, dedicating his life to practice and training. Meanwhile, Shannon has faced years of physical and emotional abuse, largely at the hands of her father, Teddy. Though she keeps his abuse a secret to protect her younger siblings, she slowly lets Johnny into her life. After Teddy burns down Shannon’s home, killing himself and his wife, Johnny’s parents adopt Shannon and her siblings, finally giving them an opportunity to grow and heal.

In the first two novels, Hugh and Lizzie serve as emotional support for both Johnny and Shannon. While dealing with the pressures of athletic excellence, Johnny also learns to enjoy his adolescence outside of rugby. Central to that change are friends and teammates like Hugh. Lizzie is one of Shannon’s only friends, standing by her side and protecting her from bullying at school. In Releasing 10, Lizzie attacks a young boy in Shannon’s defense outside the principal’s office.

The next two novels, Saving 6 and Redeeming 6, follow Shannon’s brother, Joey, as he begins a relationship with Aoife Malloy and struggles with substance use disorder largely rooted in his father’s abuse. After Teddy’s death, Joey begins healing, largely thanks to Johnny’s mother, who helps Joey attend a rehabilitation clinic and offers him unconditional love. At the end of Redeeming 6, Joey and Aoife have a child, with hope that they will have the strength and support to build their own family.

In these novels, Joey is protective of Lizzie; the novels allude to her difficult past. In Releasing 10, Walsh provides further insight into the friendship between Joey and Lizzie, emphasizing their mutual bond over the trauma they have faced though Lizzie never fully confides in Joey.

The fifth novel, Taming 7, tells the story of Gerard “Gibsie” Gibson, Johnny’s best friend and rugby teammate. While Gibsie is always portrayed as care-free and happy, Taming 7 examines the trauma he only discusses with his romantic interest, Claire Biggs. Gibsie suffered sexual abuse as a child at the hands of Mark, his stepbrother and the boyfriend of Lizzie’s sister, Caoimhe. Releasing 10 reveals that Lizzie faced years of similar abuse, intertwining Lizzie and Gibsie’s stories.

In Taming 7, Lizzie is an antagonist. She is verbally abusive toward Gibsie, refusing to listen to his story or believe his version of Caoimhe’s death. While everyone believes that Mark raped Caoimhe, Gibsie knows the truth: Caoimhe saw Mark sexually assaulting Gibsie, then died by suicide out of guilt for not having discovered and reported it sooner. However, throughout Taming 7, Gibsie keeps this information a secret, allowing Lizzie to believe that he is partially to blame. In Releasing 10, Walsh expands on Lizzie’s anger and resentment toward Gibsie by giving insight into her trauma. In this way, Lizzie becomes a complex character rather than a one-dimensional antagonist in the Boys of Tommen series.