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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
sara_mb's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
tense
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
4.5
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 ❤️
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Death, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Death of parent
Moderate: Cancer, Death, Infidelity, Mental illness, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Death of parent, Abandonment, 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