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A review by brimelick
Sinner by Sierra Simone
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
sad
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? Yes
5.0
For the record, my heart and soul will always belong to Tyler Bell. HOWEVER, Sean is a very close second. I have also audiobook these, and let me tell you, it was much better than just reading it, y'all please just audiobook them. Now for the review,
Sinner follows the elder Bell brother, Sean, and the younger sister of his best friend, Zenny, or Zenobia. Sean is a notorious womanizer; if you read the first book, you can pick it up very quickly. He is attending a gala when he runs into a gorgeous woman, who we find out later is Zenny. She is experiencing her last few weeks in freedom as she is about to make her vows to become a novice or baby nun. She quickly brings up the idea of Sean sleeping with her to teach her one thing she's never learned: to seek doubt before her vows. Well, we all know how that's gonna end; while Zenny admits she's always had a crush on Sean, we essentially see him falling so hard for her it was like he jumped off a ship with weights attached to his leg. Sean is dealing with situations at work that make him end up choosing between work and family at the worst of times, as his mother is dying of cancer, and he is the one who steps up.
What I loved was the chemistry between Sean and Zenny. You can tell they have a past, and you can tell that Sean does hold feelings for her before agreeing to the arrangement. Let me say it creates some intense, spicy scenes, and let me just say that Sean is filthy in all the best ways. I also loved the character development we see in Sean as he realizes he was selfish in his feelings and wants Zenny to be happy, as well as his raw emotions regarding his mother's illness. He is the strong one while his father grieves; he takes initiative, and it destroys him. After watching my grandmother pass similarly, the comparisons to what I was listening to were overwhelmingly emotional, and the narrative was spot on. I also find that Sierra talks about grappling with religious trauma in such a raw way as well; Sean cries multiple times when trying to make sense of his relationship to God after his sister's death at the influence of an experience with the clergy, his mother's passing, and losing the love of his life to God. I also loved that I truly felt like there might not be the happy ending we wanted; she kept you at the edge of your seat until the very last chapter.
What I didn't like: I wanted more chapters from Zenny's Point of View; I think it would have been exciting to hear her inner dialogue about some of these discussions and how she begins to fall for Sean. It made me feel as if we had a bit of an unreliable narrator. But maybe that was the point.
Sinner follows the elder Bell brother, Sean, and the younger sister of his best friend, Zenny, or Zenobia. Sean is a notorious womanizer; if you read the first book, you can pick it up very quickly. He is attending a gala when he runs into a gorgeous woman, who we find out later is Zenny. She is experiencing her last few weeks in freedom as she is about to make her vows to become a novice or baby nun. She quickly brings up the idea of Sean sleeping with her to teach her one thing she's never learned: to seek doubt before her vows. Well, we all know how that's gonna end; while Zenny admits she's always had a crush on Sean, we essentially see him falling so hard for her it was like he jumped off a ship with weights attached to his leg. Sean is dealing with situations at work that make him end up choosing between work and family at the worst of times, as his mother is dying of cancer, and he is the one who steps up.
What I loved was the chemistry between Sean and Zenny. You can tell they have a past, and you can tell that Sean does hold feelings for her before agreeing to the arrangement. Let me say it creates some intense, spicy scenes, and let me just say that Sean is filthy in all the best ways. I also loved the character development we see in Sean as he realizes he was selfish in his feelings and wants Zenny to be happy, as well as his raw emotions regarding his mother's illness. He is the strong one while his father grieves; he takes initiative, and it destroys him. After watching my grandmother pass similarly, the comparisons to what I was listening to were overwhelmingly emotional, and the narrative was spot on. I also find that Sierra talks about grappling with religious trauma in such a raw way as well; Sean cries multiple times when trying to make sense of his relationship to God after his sister's death at the influence of an experience with the clergy, his mother's passing, and losing the love of his life to God. I also loved that I truly felt like there might not be the happy ending we wanted; she kept you at the edge of your seat until the very last chapter.
What I didn't like: I wanted more chapters from Zenny's Point of View; I think it would have been exciting to hear her inner dialogue about some of these discussions and how she begins to fall for Sean. It made me feel as if we had a bit of an unreliable narrator. But maybe that was the point.