Books Like Boys of Tommen
by Chloe Walsh
Boys of Tommen is driven by a specific mix: an Irish private-school setting, sports culture (rugby), and slow-burning, emotionally intense romances that unspool across a series. Chloe Walsh centers Johnny Kavanagh — a rugby star — falling for Shannon Lynch, a girl marked by bullying and family abuse, then expands the world to follow Joey (Shannon’s brother) and Johnny’s friend Gibsie. The books pair long, scene-rich courtships with frank portrayals of trauma, addiction and loyalty, so the romantic heat grows out of deep emotional repair rather than instant chemistry.
If you loved Boys of Tommen, ask yourself what exactly hooked you: Was it the rugby culture and the brotherhood of the team? The painfully slow-reveal romance that prioritizes safety and trust? The raw handling of abuse and recovery across multiple point-of-view arcs? Or the tight-knit Irish private-school milieu where friendships and loyalties dictate every choice? The picks below are chosen to match those distinct elements — some echo the sports-team culture, some the slow-burn emotional work, and some the darker themes of trauma and healing — with notes so you can pick by the quality you most want to revisit.
Recommended for fans of Boys of Tommen
The Deal
Elle Kennedy
A college athlete romance balancing slow-burn chemistry, trauma recovery, loyal friendships, and emotional vulnerability.
Pick this if you want the same locker-room friendship network and gradual-build chemistry between a guarded athlete and an emotionally scarred heroine.
Say You Swear
Meagan Brandy
An intense new adult romance filled with friendship, heartbreak, devotion, and a deeply emotional payoff.
Pick this if you crave a new-adult story with deep devotion, heartbreak and an emotionally cataclysmic payoff similar to Walsh’s biggest scenes.
The Problem with Forever
Jennifer L. Armentrout
A withdrawn abuse survivor reconnects with a protective childhood friend while learning to speak up and heal.
Pick this if you were moved by a heroine finding her voice again after an abusive childhood, and by the boy who has always protected her.
Icebreaker
Hannah Grace
A BookTok sports romance with a brooding athlete, slow-burn tension and a hard-won happy ending.
Pick this if you loved the rugby‑star archetype and want a modern BookTok sports romance with slow-burn tension and a hard-won HFN/HEA.
A Thousand Boy Kisses
Tillie Cole
A deeply devoted young romance delivers tenderness, anguish, loyalty, and an overwhelming emotional payoff.
Pick this if you want a romance that leans into grief and loyalty to the point of overwhelming emotional release; it’s heavier on pathos than school life.
Archer's Voice
Mia Sheridan
Two traumatized young adults build trust through a tender, patient romance centered on safety and healing.
Pick this if you liked the careful, patient rebuilding of trust in Walsh’s novels; this centers two traumatized characters forming safety through intimacy.
Long Shot
Kennedy Ryan
A harrowing sports romance confronts domestic abuse, survival, and steadfast love with exceptional emotional intensity.
Pick this if you need a sports-set romance that confronts domestic abuse and survival head-on, matching Walsh’s willingness to tackle harrowing subjects.
Punk 57
Penelope Douglas
A volatile school romance explores bullying, hidden vulnerability, identity, and intense attraction between damaged teenagers.
Pick this if you were most affected by Shannon’s bullying and secret vulnerability — this is a more volatile, angsty take on those themes and a looser tonal fit.
The Way I Used to Be
Amber Smith
A raw coming-of-age story follows a traumatized teenager through isolation, harmful coping, and gradual reclamation.
Pick this if you want a stripped-back, painfully honest coming-of-age account of trauma and recovery; it matches Walsh on emotional honesty though not the sports/school setting.
At a glance
Recommendations were selected for how they mirror Walsh’s core elements: sports-team settings, slow-burn emotional development, candid portrayals of abuse and addiction, and tight secondary‑friendship networks that shape the romance arcs.
| Book | First published | Pages | Closest match on | Match |
|---|---|---|---|---|
The Deal Elle Kennedy | 2015 | 390 | Athlete slow burn | 94% |
Say You Swear Meagan Brandy | 2019 | 605 | Intense emotional payoff | 92% |
The Problem with Forever Jennifer L. Armentrout | 2016 | 304 | Childhood trauma, protective love | 91% |
Icebreaker Hannah Grace | 2022 | 448 | Brooding athlete romance | 90% |
A Thousand Boy Kisses Tillie Cole | 2016 | 352 | All-consuming devotion | 89% |
Archer's Voice Mia Sheridan | 2014 | 384 | Tender trauma recovery | 88% |
Long Shot Kennedy Ryan | 2018 | 460 | Domestic-abuse confrontation | 87% |
Punk 57 Penelope Douglas | 2016 | 363 | Bullying & hidden pain | 84% |
The Way I Used to Be Amber Smith | 2016 | 384 | Raw coming-of-age healing | 82% |
About Boys of Tommen
Chloe Walsh’s series is set at Tommen College, a private school in County Cork, and follows interconnected romances across multiple books: Binding 13, Keeping 13, Saving 6, Redeeming 6, and Taming 7. The first novel centers on rugby star Johnny Kavanagh and Shannon Lynch, a bullied girl from an abusive home; subsequent books follow her brother Joey and Johnny’s friend Gibsie. The series is new adult/young adult and foregrounds long slow-burn relationships and trauma recovery.
Frequently asked questions
Which book on this list most closely matches Boys of Tommen’s sports + slow burn combo?+
The Deal by Elle Kennedy is the closest fit: it centers on a collegiate-athlete romance with slow-burn chemistry, strong friendship groups and emotional vulnerability that drives the relationship.
I liked the trauma and recovery threads — which picks handle that honestly?+
Several do: The Problem with Forever (Jennifer L. Armentrout), Archer’s Voice (Mia Sheridan) and Long Shot (Kennedy Ryan) foreground abuse, silence and slow healing as central to the romance.
Which recommendation is a volatile-school-bullying match?+
Punk 57 (Penelope Douglas) is the direct match for bullying and masked vulnerability among teens; note that its tone is more volatile and confrontational than Walsh’s protective-team dynamics.
Are any of these purely sports romances?+
Icebreaker (Hannah Grace) and Long Shot (Kennedy Ryan) are driven by sports backdrops: they recreate the athlete/locker-room world and the pressures that shape those characters’ romances.
Which pick is the loosest tonal match?+
A Thousand Boy Kisses (Tillie Cole) shares the emotional intensity and devotion but not the Tommen-style school/sports setting; consider it if you want overwhelming pathos more than setting parity.
More books by Chloe Walsh
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