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bianca_swart's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
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
5.0
I knew I'd like this because of the MM romance but reading it I realised it was more than that.
Aiden Bell asks really important questions. Why can't you love the person you love and not have a life devoted to god? Why must it be one or the other?
I really found Aiden or should I say brother Patrick relatable, he had depression and thought that the life of a monk would help quiet the voices, I do think it helped but he also ran away.
Aiden is very hard on himself and doesn't forgive himself for anything he has done in the past.
I like that Aiden could get a life with Elijah and still spend time in the church. I think it's sad that the only time a queer in the church is really respected is when they are celibate or not actively gay (dating etc). It is a big issue I have with the catholic church, don't get me started on natural family planning.. I like that other monks and priests saw it and know that the catholic church is rigid. Something has got to give.
When he tells Tyler about 'it' and Tyler says he wouldn't have guessed and he was always happy and Aiden says "no most people don't guess, do they? Sometimes the people who laugh the loudest and reach for life the hardest are the ones closest to the darkness ", I literally cried.
Aiden Bell asks really important questions. Why can't you love the person you love and not have a life devoted to god? Why must it be one or the other?
I really found Aiden or should I say brother Patrick relatable, he had depression and thought that the life of a monk would help quiet the voices, I do think it helped but he also ran away.
Aiden is very hard on himself and doesn't forgive himself for anything he has done in the past.
I like that Aiden could get a life with Elijah and still spend time in the church. I think it's sad that the only time a queer in the church is really respected is when they are celibate or not actively gay (dating etc). It is a big issue I have with the catholic church, don't get me started on natural family planning.. I like that other monks and priests saw it and know that the catholic church is rigid. Something has got to give.
When he tells Tyler about 'it' and Tyler says he wouldn't have guessed and he was always happy and Aiden says "no most people don't guess, do they? Sometimes the people who laugh the loudest and reach for life the hardest are the ones closest to the darkness ", I literally cried.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Mental illness
Minor: Suicide and Sexual harassment
deadkitty4two's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Heavy content with a strong theme of reflection and inner battle of Catholic morals. Narrator’s voice made me want to fall asleep.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Suicide
crimson27's review against another edition
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness and Sexual content
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts and Death of parent
Minor: Suicide
emmabemba's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
sad
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
5.0
“No, most people don’t guess, do they? That sometimes the people who laugh the loudest and reach for life the hardest are the ones closest to darkness”.
This paragraph hit me hard because I’ve been there and I’ve felt what Aiden felt in this book. This book was quite hard to read yet it was so good. In “Saint”, we meet Aiden, Tyler and Sean’s brother, who decides to stop his relationship with Elijah, the man he’s been in love with since he was a teenager, to become a monk.
While reading the book, you’ll know why he decided to stop the relationship with Elijah, his commitment to finding God and spending time with Him, and also how he dealt with depression and suicide talk 🥺 So yeah, guys, that book is quite heavy and the topics in there can be confusing, disturbing and even thought-provoking.
I recommend reading this book with an open mind: I’m a Christian and there was a lot of interesting themes related to religion and I loved that Sierra Simone talked about that and described them clearly. But I know that this kind of book is not for everyone and it’s not entirely related to maturity; it’s much more than that.
This paragraph hit me hard because I’ve been there and I’ve felt what Aiden felt in this book. This book was quite hard to read yet it was so good. In “Saint”, we meet Aiden, Tyler and Sean’s brother, who decides to stop his relationship with Elijah, the man he’s been in love with since he was a teenager, to become a monk.
While reading the book, you’ll know why he decided to stop the relationship with Elijah, his commitment to finding God and spending time with Him, and also how he dealt with depression and suicide talk 🥺 So yeah, guys, that book is quite heavy and the topics in there can be confusing, disturbing and even thought-provoking.
I recommend reading this book with an open mind: I’m a Christian and there was a lot of interesting themes related to religion and I loved that Sierra Simone talked about that and described them clearly. But I know that this kind of book is not for everyone and it’s not entirely related to maturity; it’s much more than that.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Suicide attempt
shamelesslyash's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Sexual content, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Grief
Minor: Death and Suicide
beckyyreadss's review against another edition
dark
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
I wanted to read this book because I enjoyed the first two books in this series even though it made me question my morals the whole way through the whole series. But again, I'm going to tell for enjoying this book.
This book is based on Aiden Bell who we’ve met briefly in the previous two books. He is the other brother out of the Bell Brothers. He wants Elijah Iverson, but he can’t have Elijah because he is Sean’s best friend. He can’t have him because Aiden broke his heart five years ago because he’s now engaged to someone else – someone kind and dependable who deserves his whiskey eyes, his soft mouth, his fierce intellect. He can’t have Elijah because Aiden has chosen God instead. However, the Bell Brothers don’t have a great track record with vows. But Aiden is determined to do this monk thing right-to pledge himself to a cloistered life and spend the rest of his years in chastity and prayer. But now Elijah’s here. He is here and he’s going with Aiden on his European monastery road trip, and between the whispered confessions and the stolen kisses, Aiden’s vows are feeling flimsier by the day. And vows or not, Aiden knows in his heart that it would take more than a good day and a holy monk to resist Elijah. It would take a saint.
I liked that it wasn’t all smut and no story. I know there was a lot of smut in this book because of the context of a monk and his ex re-kindling and pushing the bounds of chastity. There was an actual complex story with actual characters with two very different family dynamics and very real trauma – Elijah battling his sexuality and his feelings with the catholic church and then the feelings of re-bounding with the ex and breaking off the engagement. Aiden’s story of having suicidal thoughts and then feeling guilty because that’s how his sister died, and then losing his mum to cancer before he could tell her, he was bisexual and in love and then seeing his ex and trying to decide between love and faith because he doesn’t trust himself to go back to the old Aiden. I think it’s interesting that we see this whole series from the Aiden's point of view and then having chapters from Elijah’s diary just made things more heartbreaking.
Even though we got snippets from Elijah’s notebook, I would have loved to have more POV from Elijah especially when he left Aiden. I would have loved to be inside his head and why he wanted to leave and how he was feeling about leaving.
I still feel like I need to go to church after reading this series. I think I will read more of Sierra’s work in the future.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Sexual content, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Suicide, Grief, and Alcohol
Minor: Homophobia, Sexual assault, 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
samara_surface's review against another edition
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Death and Suicide
Minor: Child abuse, Infidelity, and Sexual assault
anjoureadsbooks's review against another edition
dark
emotional
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? It's complicated
5.0
This was so much better than the first two books (Priest and Sinner).
Actually it’s the best in the series.
I love everything about this story but here are a few I want to highlight:
-The angst. My heart was aching for the both of them so bad omgggg.
-They way mental health was handled with so much care.
-The healthy mix of sweet and spicy. Compared to Priest, the spice wasn’t excessive and each time it happened, it was actually necessary to the plot.
-The commentary around religion and secular life, the culture of shame and control. I really love how it was discussed.
-The ending was perfect as well. I loved how things were resolved. It was just wonderful. Tugged at my heartstrings.🥹😭♥️
PS: Check your trigger warnings before starting this.
Actually it’s the best in the series.
I love everything about this story but here are a few I want to highlight:
-The angst. My heart was aching for the both of them so bad omgggg.
-They way mental health was handled with so much care.
-The healthy mix of sweet and spicy. Compared to Priest, the spice wasn’t excessive and each time it happened, it was actually necessary to the plot.
-The commentary around religion and secular life, the culture of shame and control. I really love how it was discussed.
-The ending was perfect as well. I loved how things were resolved. It was just wonderful. Tugged at my heartstrings.🥹😭♥️
PS: Check your trigger warnings before starting this.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Suicide and Death of parent
julianacosta_01's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, and Grief
Minor: Death, Pedophilia, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicide, and Death of parent