Reviews with content warning for Suicidal thoughts - Saint

As always it’s was as great as I thought it would be. I was a bit nervous at first with the fact it was her first lgbtq+ book of the series and wasn’t sure how it was gonna flow. It was beautifully written, deep and reflective. It spoke about mental health issue, suicidal tendencies and sexuality. I love everything about it, the spice and emotion, perfect ❤️

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katierosecrane's review against another edition

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emotional informative 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

4.25

I loved the subject matter of religion in a spicy romance book! The series is really good I liked the first two books best though. This book while I enjoyed it was too similar to the first book's plot. I do like that it was queer. Some portions of the book it found it repetitive like, <I am stuck between the two things I love the most and can't have one without the other.>

One of my favorite parts of the book is when <he is talking about his depressive episode. I felt very connected to the character in this chapter because of how Simone wrote about it. She explained it through subtle things that go through your mind and how it affects the people around you.> Lastly, the ending is perfect. not dragged out for ten more chapters after the climax, but keep concise and still connected to the material.

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careliza's review against another edition

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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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poisonivy's review against another edition

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hopeful 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

3.75

no one can top zenny and sean but aiden and elijah are a close second (also the smut in this !)

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ginnypie's review against another edition

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emotional sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

4.5/5 i look to the hills is a term that will immediately make me cry now.

so beautiful so painful so introspective. i got too much in common with a monk rn and idk how to feel.

this is a lot but a great read

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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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preservationaux's review against another edition

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funny hopeful inspiring 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

5.0

I am once again here to tell you that Sierra Simone and the Priest series is perhaps the most beautiful piece of Catholic marketing I've ever read (and I grew up in an Italian Catholic family). Saint entranced me. It wrapped my heart up in silent contemplation and hot sex and asked me what in my world is meaningful. It is an erotic story that burns so brightly it shades into esotericiscm.

It is simply beautiful.

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