Reread, 5 stars again. This book has to be one of the BEST things I have EVER read in my ENTIRE LIFE. If you don't like this book, there's something wrong with you. Because this is THE most beautiful, funny, heartwarming and heart wrenching book. It has first love, bullying (not from the MMC), abuse, funny teenage moments, and so much more.

Shannon has to transfer to a new school when the bullying at her old school became too much. On her first day at her new school, she gets hit in the head with a rugby ball by the school's and country's rugby star, Johnny, by accident. And after that day EVERYTHING changed. Ever since that day, Johnny became her number one protector, and then this turned into him having feelings for Shannon. He did everything he could to stop these feelings, but his love for her was inevitable. Then, Shannon is adjusting to a new school, having a new protector and falling for him, AND having to deal with her horrible life at home.

I love that not only does the author focus on the MCs, but she focuses on the side characters. And she does it spectacularly. Like, there CANNOT be one person who says they don't like Gibsie. Or even Claire, or Lizzie. Or Johnny's mom, Joey, and the little bit we see of Jonny's dad. I loved every aspect of this book. Any moment with Gibsie, Joey protecting Shannon, Aoife caring for Joey and the rest of his family, Claire and Lizzie protecting and being there for Shannon, every moment with Claire and Gibsie, Johnny protecting and caring for Shannon without a second thought, and Shannon primarily caring about Johnny himself rather than rugby. And then, one of my favorite moments of this book was the hospital scene when Johnny was declaring his feelings for Shannon to anyone who would listen.

Favorite quotes/scenes:

-"She was nice to think about. She was fucking beautiful. Her voice. Her hair. Her smell. The way she spoke. Every single part of her."

-"Yeah, well, I don't have a rugby shaped head. Do I?"
"No, Gibs. Your heads not shaped like a rugby ball."
"Really? Because I weighed like twelve pounds when I was born, and my Mam's always bitching to her friends about how I wrecked her with my big head.'
"It's a perfectly normal head, Gibs. Very circular."
"Not too big?"
"You grew into it. Fits you fine now." (Gibsie and Johnny)

-"I hated humans. They were such a disappointment. And to think, god switched dinosaurs for man. He must be raging." (Shannon and I are one and the same with this statement)

-"She was fucking perfect. I was so caught up in her that I could have sat there all night, just being with her."

-"I carefully scrolled through his playlists and almost had a heart attack when my eyes landed on the one named Songs for Shannon. There were love songs. These were all love songs. Saved to a playlist with my name on it."

-"I already felt like I was drowning with her. That how consumed I was in this girl. That how much I loved her."

-"I think I love that girl."
"Well, who's this girl."
“She's a river. I'm keeping her, Da."
"Okay, son. You keep the girl."
"She makes my heart go, like, whoa."
"Is that right?"
"So bad, Da. Boom, boom, fucking boom. All the time."

-"I think I need you for keeps."
"I think I need you for keeps, too."
"You are so pretty. That very first day. Boom.
"Boom?"
"Boom."

-"Who's making you sad? Tell me, baby."
"Nobody, Johnny."
"You lie and it hurts my heart. All those marks. It hurts when I know someone's hurting my Shannon."
"Johnny—"
"Who's hurting you, baby? I'll fix it."