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

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Sex, Lies and Sensibility by Nikki Payne

5 reviews

alisonreadsdmv's review against another edition

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emotional 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

4.25

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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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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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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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