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A review by scoodle42
Sex, Lies and Sensibility by Nikki Payne
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Nora and her sister Yanne find out at their father's funeral that they are in fact the side family and their mother was the mistress. In the midst of that embarrassment, they also find out that the piece of his estate they thought to receive as his children was reduced to a rundown inn on the coast of Maine--which they only have months to get operating and out of foreclosure, or they lose that as well. So off they go, only to run into Ennis and his family, who are using the inn to run their Native American nature tours. Can they work together to help them both?
Okay, so shoutout to Nikki Payne for this Austen retelling--I don't usually do retellings but I was all in for this. I love Nora's grit and her stubbornness. Her embarrassment over her past was warranted, and she let it stop her a bit too much for me, but it was understandable and when it was time to work, she did. Bear was stoic and quiet, shouldering the obligations of his life and land with full commitment. I was so sad for him, and afraid of his eventual collapse. But there is nothing wrong with wanting to retain a sense of honor and I rocked with him for most of the book. I wish he hadn't let it go quite so far, but those are the breaks, I guess. Nora tried too hard to keep herself together--I think I would have liked to see her fall apart more. Yanne was sometimes funny, but mostly unlikeable in my opinion, lol. I'm sorry--her flighty, younger sister act was a little too on the nose and I found myself impatient with her so much, that when she made sense I didn't even care, lol.
But the love? The way I knew the moment it was over for Nora and Bear. The way I knew the moment they fell in love. I loved that I could see that so clearly. They were both so very hopeless in the way they fell, so destined. And life was in the way. I loved that they ran together. I loved the wigwam. So good, and intense. The third act breakup almost broke me--you need to have the fortitude to stick with it because I was a mess, lol. And I hate the way Bear's problem got solved so easily AFTER it ruined his life. Ugh. But there was triumph. Good work.
I received this as an ARC from Netgalley.
Okay, so shoutout to Nikki Payne for this Austen retelling--I don't usually do retellings but I was all in for this. I love Nora's grit and her stubbornness. Her embarrassment over her past was warranted, and she let it stop her a bit too much for me, but it was understandable and when it was time to work, she did. Bear was stoic and quiet, shouldering the obligations of his life and land with full commitment. I was so sad for him, and afraid of his eventual collapse. But there is nothing wrong with wanting to retain a sense of honor and I rocked with him for most of the book. I wish he hadn't let it go quite so far, but those are the breaks, I guess. Nora tried too hard to keep herself together--I think I would have liked to see her fall apart more. Yanne was sometimes funny, but mostly unlikeable in my opinion, lol. I'm sorry--her flighty, younger sister act was a little too on the nose and I found myself impatient with her so much, that when she made sense I didn't even care, lol.
But the love? The way I knew the moment it was over for Nora and Bear. The way I knew the moment they fell in love. I loved that I could see that so clearly. They were both so very hopeless in the way they fell, so destined. And life was in the way. I loved that they ran together. I loved the wigwam. So good, and intense. The third act breakup almost broke me--you need to have the fortitude to stick with it because I was a mess, lol. And I hate the way Bear's problem got solved so easily AFTER it ruined his life. Ugh. But there was triumph. Good work.
I received this as an ARC from Netgalley.
Content Warnings
Minor: Death of parent