Boys of Tommen: What We Know About the Series Adaptation
Chloe Walsh's Boys of Tommen books are getting a TV adaptation.
Chloe Walsh's Boys of Tommen book series is coming to the big screen. The author announced the start of work on the adaptation on her Instagram page.
Walsh described the reaction from readers around the world as overwhelming, saying that knowing everyone behind the project shares her passion for telling this story authentically means a great deal to her, she said.
What We Know About the Adaptation
A post about the book series' adaptation appeared on Chloe Walsh's official page, jointly with Prime Video UK & IE, on February 11.
"Cork calling. Boys of Tommen is coming to Prime Video," the author wrote in the post.
The adaptation will be handled by producers behind projects like The Summer I Turned Pretty, One Day, and Twilight. The series will be adapted by Poppy Cogan, who serves as lead writer and executive producer alongside the author. Cogan also worked on the project A Good Girl's Guide to Murder.
The Books' Plot
The first season will adapt the novellas Keeping 13 and Saving 13, set in the south of Ireland in 2005.
The protagonist, Johnny Kavanagh, is a rugby star and the life of the party. He's used to living in the spotlight and enjoying all the perks of popularity. But behind the shine of victory hides a painful trauma capable of derailing his brilliant career. Kavanagh has no time for weakness or mistakes — and especially not for love.
Shannon Lynch, meanwhile, has spent her whole life in the shadows. Quiet and shy, she's used to enduring mockery and staying out of the spotlight. But starting at Tommen College becomes her chance for a fresh start.
On her very first day, Shannon crosses paths with Johnny — and their meeting is far from a fairy tale, since it ends with a trip to the hospital. A complicated friendship develops between them, one that gradually turns into chemistry and the feeling of falling in love.
But falling in love turns out to be the easy part, since real hardship awaits the characters ahead.
After an injury forces Johnny off the field, his life changes beyond recognition. Kavanagh can't picture himself without the number 13 jersey on his back, so now he feels lost. The only thing keeping him grounded is thinking about the mysterious girl who's quietly become the center of his world.
After a painful trip to Dublin that changes them both, Shannon finds a new purpose — protecting her younger brothers from their tyrannical father, whatever it takes. She, in turn, withdraws into herself again and returns to her familiar mode of survival.
What Readers Think
After the adaptation was announced, readers' opinions split. Some expressed concern about adapting the story's difficult and sensitive themes.
One Reddit user, fizfiz4, described Boys of Tommen as a very heavy series, stressing that the themes it raises aren't a joke and shouldn't be treated lightly, and that portraying things like that on television isn't something to take on casually, they wrote on the platform.
At the same time, some fans supported the decision to adapt the books into a series, hoping the adaptation would bring the story to a wider audience.
One user, inc0gnitaa, wrote that they were curious to see what would come of the show, and that they had plenty of thoughts about how it might develop that only the release itself could answer.