Reviews with content warning for Sexual assault - Saint

Reviews tagging 'Sexual assault'

Saint by Sierra Simone

12 reviews

careliza's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful inspiring medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I think this is my favorite book of the year. This book made me cry. The conflict felt the most realistic out of any book I’ve read this year. It was an amazing representation of mental health, and I really felt for both of the MCs. It dealt with hard topics such as being queer in a religious community. I loved both of these characters with all of my heart. Everything they did for each other was out of love, and that’s what made it so special. They loved each other so much that they were each willing to give up their own happiness for the other. And Jamie is a champ. On top of all of this, the book was HILARIOUS. The scenes between Sean and Aidan were ridiculously funny. I fell in love with the other monks, and I just absolutely loved the entire vibe. I love Father Jordan, and I love the magical vibe he has. I want to read this book over and over again. It was so good.

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galleytrot's review against another edition

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Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

READ: Sep 2023

FORMAT: Audio

BRIEF SUMMARY:

In this contemporary romance, Brother Patrick left behind a life of sex, drugs, money, and love in order to live a monastic existence of devotion and austerity, after one devastating night left him feeling out of control and in search of answers. Despite years of connection to God, he’s still having trouble shaking off his all-consuming love for and connection to Elijah. A stricter order might be just what he needs give himself completely over to God, so when his Abbot decides to send him off to tour three Trappist Abbeys he might be willing to serve at, he is excited by the opportunity – right up until Elijah shows up to check in on him with some distressing news, looking for answers of his own, and messing with the years of progress he hasn’t exactly made.

THOUGHTS - OVERALL: 4.5 / 5⭐

I won’t be able to give this book a thorough review as per usual, because I threw this one on as background noise while I accomplished some work around the house. I was not taking technical notes, highlighting content, or consuming the work with undivided attention. As such, there was likely much that I missed, and it wouldn’t be fair to offer a truly critical analysis of the work.

I can, however, say that I found this book to be emotionally compelling, wonderfully reverent, and filled with vibrant imagery. Religious stories aren’t especially my cup of tea, though they’re always made immediately more interesting when characters explore their own faith within a doctrine that is typically exclusionary to their like. It’s faith itself that I am attracted to; even as a non-religious apatheist, I find faith in itself to be a wonderfully useful tool for people to access when they need a little bit of hope, beauty, and purpose in their life.

This story is a very compelling example of faith making a significant impact on someone’s life for the better. As is likely clear from the book’s synopsis, Adrian is going to face a life-altering choice between devotion to God and devotion to Elijah, and the question of whether there is any scenario where he could possibly have both. I honestly felt myself rooting for him to stick with his vows and live the life that has been so healing and restorative for him, even though the obvious “dude, you can absolutely have both” was always the correct mindset.

This book has representation for gays and bisexuals. One of the main characters/love interests is black.

The following elaborates on my content warnings. These may be interpreted as spoilers, but I do not go into deep detail. This list may not be fully comprehensive or complete, as I was not taking notes at the time.

This book contains: mentions of bi/homophobia, religious bigotry; alcohol use; infidelity; mentions of racism; mention of drugs and past drug use; mentions of past sexual abuse of a minor by a religious figure leading to a suicide; and, past suicidal thoughts and struggles with depression.

Content Warnings

kaitlynkenny's review against another edition

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slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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chloelj27's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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tincrumbs's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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jonezzzing's review against another edition

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5.0

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siad's review against another edition

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emotional reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Content Warnings

hazelgirl21's review against another edition

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emotional reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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readingwithrylanne's review against another edition

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dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

It's no secret that I love the Bell brothers. Aiden is my second favorite of the three, but I just didn't end up loving this overall book quite as much as I did Priest and Sinner. This book was just a little bit too long and got a tad boring at times. I also struggled to truly fall in love with Elijah because I felt like he spoke before he thought often, hurting Aiden in the process. I didn't cry with this book like I did the others, but I loved Aiden's character and watching him grow through his struggles. Getting to explore some different monasteries in other countries was also a really cool element (even though if I remember correctly, Sierra did say that the monasteries themselves were fictional), and the spice, naturally, was top tier, as per usual with Sierra Simone. I still loved Saint, just not as much as the others in the series!

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miaisabelle7's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

Content Warnings

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