This book and series face an intense issue that is common in the Catholic Church. Tackles it head on in fact, and for that the author should be praised. Not always the easiest read, this is still an important one and would recommend to those interested in the inner dynamics of the Catholic Church and its priests.
Sycamore Boy is such an emotional, heartbreaking, and ultimately hopeful coming-of-age story. H. Les Brown takes Tony through first love, devastating loss, survival, chosen family, and the complicated process of figuring out who you are when the life you knew is ripped away from you. I really connected with the queer coming-of-age aspect of this story. Tony’s relationship with Jake felt tender and electric, but the danger surrounding them made their love even more heartbreaking. I also appreciated how the story expands beyond that first love and becomes something much bigger—a story about survival, identity, trauma, resilience, and finding your…
Large faiths are an amalgam of light and dark. There is the wholesome good that draws people in as believers and the bad that takes advantage of them at times. We Are Not Saints: The Priest is a book of light and dark that exposes the whole range of human emotion. It is touching and sentimental, carnal, and at times, disturbing.
Randy, the acolyte, is bright, earnest, honest, talented, and very naive. With a deep sense of vocation to the priesthood, he learns that being gay is just one of many challenges to be met. Bullies, teen suicide, betrayal, family dysfunction, and having to fend for himself bring out his sterling qualities and his shadows as well. But nothing tests him quite so sharply as learning the truth about Michael, his first deep love. This coming-of-age story is Brown at his finest.
There is something deeply magnetic about We Are Not Saints: The Monk. From the first encounter with Jeff Hensen’s journey, I felt the weight and wonder of a story shaped by struggle, faith, and the fierce search for meaning. The emotional clarity of his inner battle, the stark honesty of his wounds, and the quiet strength of his perseverance create a narrative that feels both raw and luminous. The way the book blends spiritual reflection, moral tension, and human vulnerability gives the story a living pulse that stays with the reader long after the final line.
The story of Tony Keating (Kit Foxx) is heartbreaking at times and uplifting at other times, but always gripping — a story that, once you get started, you struggle to put down. Each chapter builds on the last, and yes, you want to read it all, but at the same time you don’t want it to finish. Maybe it hasn’t yet — there is surely a sequel in the pipeline. If not, there should be. Enjoyed every minute, and highly recommend. Reviewed on NetGalley, September 24, 2026.