Reviews with content warning for Racism - Sex, Lies and Sensibility

Reviews tagging 'Racism'

Sex, Lies and Sensibility by Nikki Payne

10 reviews

ukponge's review

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

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

4.5

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sydapel's review

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emotional funny hopeful 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

Straight. Up. BANGER. Nikki Payne absolutely nails Austen retellings, down to the minute references. I found Bear as the hero to be so unbelievably hot, in particular the longing he and Nora have for each other was some of the best depicted I have ever read. I would say it's lower on the spice scale, but the angst guys!!! Sorching.

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lizzie_b99's review

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emotional funny lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

I liked this more than Payne's first novel! There were some words and phrases that were a little cringey to me, but that might be more of a personal taste thing than anything else. I know this is fanfiction for Sense and Sensibility, so this novel is replicating some of Austen's plot, but

Bear deciding to marry Lu instead of Nora for the money really bugged me. I don't quite understand why he couldn't just marry her instead? Either way, it's not a super romantic proposal - being asked to marry someone so they can access their trust. I feel like Brandon and Yanne's budding relationship could have been developed a bit more as well. They seemed to go from 0 to 100 pretty fast (though that is within Yanne's character)

This novel is really cute, and I like how it incorporated the character's from Payne's debut, but I'm not sure if Liza and Janae's characters felt consistent to me. Maybe it is because they interact with characters outside of their family and that context changes their behaviour more than I thought it would, but they felt overly critical - especially Janae. I liked seeing them again, but Janae honestly felt more like an Emma or Lady Catherine to me.

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thereadinghammock's review against another edition

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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? Yes

4.5

OK, so full disclosure, I've never read most of the classics or seen the movie versions of them. They've never really interested me, the closest I've come is reading the junior/abridged version of Jane Eyre in middle school and The Scarlet Letter in high school (though it was way better as a rock & roll musical, which is why I knew most of what was going on). But I digress!

Being able to go into a retelling of a classic like Sense & Sensibility without knowing ANYTHING felt a little sacrilegious, but also felt great because I wasn't anticipating the story beats, just enjoying how it unfolded (with some yelling at my steering wheel as I listened on my commutes).

Nora and Yanne's sisterly bond was familiar and relatable. My heart ached for Bear as his story and plight with Lou unfolded over the course of the novel, especially as everything seemed to unravel around him the harder he tried. A lot of it was a mess of his own making, and I saw everyone trying to make the best of a lot of bad situations, but it just goes to show that people pleasing doesn't really get you anywhere and just leaves a lot of people disappointed.

I appreciated the care, research, and effort that Nikki put in to not glamorize, white wash, or fetishize Rez life. It felt humanized, and like a real snapshot of what life can often look like for the Indigenous people of the US who are trying to preserve what little the government had left them of their ancestral lands and cultural practices.

I never trusted John from the moment he showed up, and I was SO GLAD to be proven right, even if it was a kick in the teeth for Nora and Yanne in the moment. Getting to rub Felicia's face in all of it at the end was SO SATISFYING!!

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schweibertsm's review

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challenging dark emotional informative reflective tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

I struggled at first to see a lot of the similarities to Sense and sensibility, but the story grew on me. It was definitely an interesting and eye opening perspective and I like how the author touched on the topics. Bear is such a a tragic character, but like with the original all things work themselves out.

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babeinlibrary's review

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective tense fast-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

4.75

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wanderlust_romance's review

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emotional inspiring reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

1.75

✨The vibe: Sophomore slump.

It really pains me to say that Sex Lies and Sensibility did not live up to its own marketing. Where was the romance? Where was the banter? Where was the humor? I couldn't find it.

Here's what you can expect from a plot perspective in SL&S:

1. Nora Dash is feeling the long-term reputation and financial effects of her college sex tape.

2. Nora and Yanne make their way to Maine to the dilapidated inn at Barton Cove with plans to YouTube University and HGTV their way through renovations.

3. The Dash sisters form a partnership with Ennis "Bear" Freeman to help them make connections with the community - and foster respect for the Abenaki land they are on.

4. Bear is hiding a huge part of himself from Nora, while also being financially and emotionally manipulated.

5. Secrets are revealed, cutting off any hopes of romance between Nora and Bear. (They pine anyway.)

6. The Dash Sisters manage to pull a hail mary and find financing to stave off Barton Cove's foreclosure.

7. Bear, free from the shackles of his secrets, goes back to Nora and they get their HEA.

TL;DR: renovate the inn amidst financial insecurity and find affection along the way. (You'll find list summaries like this throughout SL&S.)

The further into the book you go, the more the characters explicitly state (through their inner thoughts or in dialogue with others) that they feel a comforting sense of safety with the object of their affections. But those declarations feel disingenuine and shallow because the preceding interactions between the MCs don't support it. The conversations between Nora and Bear that would show them being emotionally open and vulnerable with one another, because they finally feel safe to do so, don't happen. To that effect, miscommunication is everywhere in this story. No one is talking about the meaningful things. And more importantly, the dialogue on page between the MCs was unnatural, lacking flow, and sometimes cringe worthy. Pride and Protest was my benchmark for comparison when it came to Payne's brand of humor and banter in a modern Austen reimagining. But everything missed the mark in this case.

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reading_historical_romance's review

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emotional funny lighthearted relaxing 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

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savvyrosereads's review

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emotional funny lighthearted reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Rating: 4.5/5 stars

A retelling of SENSE AND SENSIBILITY about Nora Dash and her sister Yanne, who learn they were their father’s second family and move to Maine to renovate the inn that is their inheritance.

This was so much fun and I was captivated from beginning to end. Nikki Payne writes with so much humor and I found myself laughing out loud so many times, while simultaneously so impressed by the way she handled difficult topics like race, colonization/the treatment of Native Americans, and sexual exploitation. I loved Nora and Bear and loved watching their journey unfold. All the small moments between them (“Nora Dash, I would love for you to braid my hair one day.”) grabbed my heart and refused to let it go.

As with Payne’s debut PRIDE AND PROTEST, this book is also an excellent retelling, hitting all the best notes of the source material and adding smart and entertaining twists for the modern era and the style of the new story.

Basically, I’m a huge Nikki Payne fangirl now, and I can’t wait to see what she does next. I can’t recommend her books highly enough!

CW: Classism; colonization; sexism/misogyny; sexual harassment; mentions of infidelity

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literaryintersections's review

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emotional funny 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 absolutely LOVED this book goodness gracious. Nora is so complex: uptight, rich girl who loses all her money, older sister who feels like she has to take care of her sister. She is too proud - and that pride leads her to trying to fix up a bed and breakfast in Maine without any experience. Also her experience of have a sex tape leaked by an ex-boyfriend made me so mad because it is stuff that happens to this day. And it was something she carried with her -being the butt of jokes. I wanted her to just be able to be soft and vulnerable, supported to live a life where she can be free and happy. I also love her sister - she is HILARIOUS and I want her to get a book.

Bear was such an interesting character and I think he mirrors Nora - being weighed down by things that feel out of his control but aren't really. I was ready for him to get his life together, say no to some things, push back, take a stand.

Bear and Nora together? HAWT. I was just WAITING for them to get it on and their chemistry was STELLAR. I do think some of the twists felt obvious, but that didn't take away from the story for me.

My favorite part was how obvious it was that Nikki did so much research for this book. Like her research in Abenaki culture and experience, the ways that indigenous and Native people have been pushed from their land, even in Maine. It felt realistic and true and extremely frustrating. But also felt thoughtful and honest. I hope that Native reviewers feel that Bear and his families experiences are well represented.

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