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erintempleton's review against another edition
emotional
fast-paced
4.75
holy. (and i cannot stress this enough) fuck. why aren't more people talking about this?
we came for the smut, but we stayed for the tender-hearted, purpose-filled perspective on catholic monasticism??? not a sentence i ever thought would read, let alone write. how is it possible that a book with so much gay sex taught me so much about god and silence and alternatives to religious binaries? jfc, sierra simone knew her target audience (queer folks with Religious Trauma and mental health issues) and fired a full-on atomic bomb at them with this one. no survivors, millions dead, the dust has yet to settle.
there is something so healing about aiden's story with elijah, about two men who love each other so devotedly that it brings them closer to god and to healthier versions of themselves. growing up in the church and being told/shown that the faith is completely incompatible with open queerness has driven so many people away from god, so to read a book where sex and prayer are equally satisfying and worshipful, where faith is full-bodied and incarnate and substantial, that was kind of revolutionary to me. it's the kind of necessary heresy that makes everything else feel flimsy by comparison.
this book said, "find what makes you feel alive, and don't ever stop reaching for it," and that's the good sauce right there.
subtracting .25 stars because there were some questionable parts (i'm looking at you, rubber bouncing ball scene, and also at you, abandonment trope x3), but damn if everything else wasn't absolute perfection. it was funny and emotional and sexy and beautiful and completely okay with being controversial. i love it when a book surprises me, and this one definitely did.
we came for the smut, but we stayed for the tender-hearted, purpose-filled perspective on catholic monasticism??? not a sentence i ever thought would read, let alone write. how is it possible that a book with so much gay sex taught me so much about god and silence and alternatives to religious binaries? jfc, sierra simone knew her target audience (queer folks with Religious Trauma and mental health issues) and fired a full-on atomic bomb at them with this one. no survivors, millions dead, the dust has yet to settle.
there is something so healing about aiden's story with elijah, about two men who love each other so devotedly that it brings them closer to god and to healthier versions of themselves. growing up in the church and being told/shown that the faith is completely incompatible with open queerness has driven so many people away from god, so to read a book where sex and prayer are equally satisfying and worshipful, where faith is full-bodied and incarnate and substantial, that was kind of revolutionary to me. it's the kind of necessary heresy that makes everything else feel flimsy by comparison.
this book said, "find what makes you feel alive, and don't ever stop reaching for it," and that's the good sauce right there.
subtracting .25 stars because there were some questionable parts (i'm looking at you, rubber bouncing ball scene, and also at you, abandonment trope x3), but damn if everything else wasn't absolute perfection. it was funny and emotional and sexy and beautiful and completely okay with being controversial. i love it when a book surprises me, and this one definitely did.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Religious bigotry, Suicide attempt, and Abandonment
luna_98's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
sad
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? No
4.0
i love elijah and aiden together but i do think there needs to be #justiceforjamie, iykyk
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Sexual content, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Religious bigotry and Death of parent
books_after_bedtime's review against another edition
emotional
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
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Grief, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Cancer, Death, Infidelity, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, and Alcohol
Minor: Biphobia, Child abuse, Homophobia, Misogyny, Racism, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Death of parent, Outing, and Classism
g_monaghan's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
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? It's complicated
5.0
Smut AND plot??
Monk and ex- boyfriend reunite for a monastry beer brewing tour. Genuinely surprised at how heartwrenching and thought-provoking this was, as someone who grew up religious a lot of the themes resonated personally with me and I was surprised at how well crafted and considered it was, book also touches on themes around body insecurity as well as liberal descriptions of what you find sanctifying... brb crying in the corner - see triggers before reading.
Monk and ex- boyfriend reunite for a monastry beer brewing tour. Genuinely surprised at how heartwrenching and thought-provoking this was, as someone who grew up religious a lot of the themes resonated personally with me and I was surprised at how well crafted and considered it was, book also touches on themes around body insecurity as well as liberal descriptions of what you find sanctifying... brb crying in the corner - see triggers before reading.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, and Grief
Moderate: Death
Minor: Death, Suicide, Religious bigotry, and Death of parent
This does allude to a characters sister ending her life after being sa* by a church authority member, would avoid reading if this is a triggerkelsmckinney's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
tense
medium-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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Mental illness, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Child death, Infidelity, Suicide, Grief, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Cancer, Homophobia, Death of parent, and Outing
emir214's review against another edition
emotional
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
"The Bell brothers, though . . . well, we don't exactly have the greatest track record with vows."
My gosh, they do not. Saint stands in a different world than the rest of the Priest series. It's still the "Bell brothers doing naughty, forbidden things," but Aiden's inner world is so much more complex than his brothers. He's also no longer a penthouse millionaire, so that was a nice change of pace. Simone's descriptions of the monasteries made me want to travel Europe to look at Catholic architecture; they were so beautiful.
TW:The chapter where Aiden describes his depression and suicidal intent hit so freaking close to home. It's so hauntingly accurate and made me want to give that big ole Lumberjack Monk a hug.
My gosh, they do not. Saint stands in a different world than the rest of the Priest series. It's still the "Bell brothers doing naughty, forbidden things," but Aiden's inner world is so much more complex than his brothers. He's also no longer a penthouse millionaire, so that was a nice change of pace. Simone's descriptions of the monasteries made me want to travel Europe to look at Catholic architecture; they were so beautiful.
TW:
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Religious bigotry
Minor: Death of parent
galleytrot's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Infidelity, Grief, and Alcohol
Minor: Biphobia, Drug use, Homophobia, Pedophilia, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Religious bigotry
symabee's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
fast-paced
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Drug use, Suicide, Religious bigotry, and Alcohol
ka_ke's review against another edition
First of all it is not because of the LGBTQIA relationship. I simply can’t stand characters who beat themselves up while refusing to change.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Mental illness, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Grief, Religious bigotry, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Gaslighting, and Abandonment
Minor: Homophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, and Pedophilia