I am a self-proclaimed Pride and Prejudice lover, hoarder, collector - all the things. But I am decidedly less knowledgable or familiar with her other works - but that won't stop me from reading and appreciating retellings. This one was interesting and unique - with Black and indigenous representation.

Again, I am not as familiar with the source material - but I felt like I read two different books. The first half of the book was everything - I loved the tension, the build up and the characters. However, the second half sees our two main characters basically apart the whole time - it felt like it really slowed down the pacing and the central romance.

However, I did enjoy the setting and the secondary plot - it felt like one of the more unique Austen retellings I've read.

Also, very high, open door spice - which I always appreciate!

I had been looking forward to this book for ages and it DID NOT disappoint. Nikki is out here doing the d*mn thing. Her books are incredibly funny, sexy but also smart and socially relevant. Bear will go down as one of my all time favorite MMCs ever. This is one of those books I will reread someday and I’ll wish I could go back and read it for the first time all over again.

I loved PRIDE AND PROTEST. So much so I waited on this one so I would have something to savor. This was disappointing, to say the least.

I will forever love the Nora character from the original, and that remains unchanged here. A lot of you appear to love Bear, but he, and that Lu situation, could use some work. I've never liked Yanne's character, or her love interests, so her story I care less about.

I thought I would enjoy the Native love interest. Filipino Darcy, he was not. Speaking of Filipino Darcy, I didn't even enjoy the cameos from our PRIDE AND PROTEST peeps. Sad.

Nora and Bears love story is so exquisite. The sexy slow burn of their romance is something I never thought I needed in a love story and the wait is so worth it. The way Nikki Payne writes three dimensional characters is always a treat.

I’ve never read a Jane Austen novel, but this makes me want to! I also haven’t read Nikki Payne’s first novel, Pride and Protest, and I’m already on a waitlist for it.

I really enjoyed this one. FMC and MMC had so much depth and chemistry. I loved that they were on the same team and fought for what was right.

This follow up to Pride and Protest outshines it's predecessor. Nora and Bear's story is filled with not only love but also friendship and respect for each other's history and life experience. I loved that we got to see them grow as the pursued a friendship and it evolve into a full relationship.

Sex, Lies and Sensibility by Nikki Payne had well-developed characters and a plot that was engaging. This book was a great read. I highly recommend!

**Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for the e-ARC. All opinions expressed are voluntary and my own.**

Another fun retelling to add to my faves! Sex, Lies and Sensibility is the reimagined story based on the classic novel by Austen, Sense and Sensibility.

Nora and Yanne are hoping to save their crumbling inn nestled in rural Maine.

It was such a good story, and I loved the twists on the classic tale.

*many thanks to Berkley and prh audio, and Netgalley for the gifted copy for review

With the opening pages of Payne discussing their anthropological aspects of researching this story I was IN! I was drawn to Bear and Nora immediately as they navigated how to turn their current situations into better lives for themselves, and the ones that depend on them.

I did have some lingering feelings of annoyances throughout the middle as things were dragging but I'm pleased to say the ending made up for it. I did have to slog through a bit to fully appreciate the entire novel!

Thank you to the publisher, author, and netgalley for allowing me an ARC of this one!

I have never read a Jane Austen novel, but now I think I should lol

I really enjoyed this story! Nora and Bear had so much depth between them and I LOVED their chemistry. I thought the story was well written and I loved the setting here.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC

One of my favorite books of 2024! Sex, Lies and Sensibility is strong, smart, and sexy and has had my heart in a chokehold since I finished it a few days ago. A retelling of Sense and Sensibility, it seems to stay pretty close to the source material (from my recollection of reading Austen many years ago) and is written so beautifully. After their father's death, Black sisters Nora and Yanne are determined to rehab their new falling-apart inn in rural Maine. When they arrive, they are surprised to find Ennis (Bear) Freeman and his cousin, Moxcy, members of the Abenaki tribe in the area, leading a tourist adventure that might not be 100% on the side of the law. Working together to fix up the inn might solve problems for both of them - and they find common ground in their collegiate track careers. Nora and Bear's story was so emotional - they have dealt with so much - but I loved how hard they fight for what is right and (eventually) what they want out of life. Yanne's character added quite a bit of levity with her over-the-top theatrics. I highly recommend this to fans of Austen retellings and those who love smart, sexy romances that will make you cry and laugh all within the same hour. Thank you to Berkley Romance for the advanced reading copy, receipt of which did not impact my review.

I haven’t read Nikki Payne’s first book, Pride and Protest, but I’m patiently waiting for the audiobook to become available from my library; so you call me a fan!

Sex, Lies, and Sensibility is a modern remix of Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen, featuring Bear and Nora, who enter into a reluctant partnership for the property Nora needs to fix up stat. I haven’t personally read Sense and Sensibility, but Austen adaptations are a genre in themselves and I think Nikki Payne does a pretty good job adding her own touch. I actually want to read the original now that I’ve read this, which is not often the effect I get when reading remixes.

About 30% too long and still didn’t resolve all of the many, many subplots. The Sense and Sensibility references and Easter eggs were fun, and also gave me clues to where the story was going. But there was just too much happening for me to get invested in the story. The inn renovation, sabotage, financial abuse, saving the river, changing careers, family dynamics on both sides, etc. It was A Lot.

Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for the ARC to review. All opinions are my own.

As a reader who loves Jane Austen, this retelling still surprised me in the best ways. It pulled me in from the first line, filled me with longing, broke my heart, and stitched it back together again. This is a delightfully faithful retelling with brilliant twists on well-known characters and I was rooting for Nora & Bear and Yanne & Brandon the whole time. I also love the representation of sickle cell anemia and how cyber bullying/revenge porn was addressed.

Thank you, Netgalley, the author, and Berkley Publishing for the gifted e-book! ❤️ #gifted. My review is comprised of my honest thoughts.

Read this book if you like: Dual POV, retellings, slow burn

I really enjoyed Pride and Protest. This book not so much. The main characters were pretty unlikable. The representation was good.

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.

I really enjoyed the representation in this book. It is great to see a 'retelling' that is so diverse. However, there were a lot of inconsistencies in this book and they did not make for an enjoyable read.

Sex, LIes and Sensibility was a novel that made me want to do more research after reading!

Nora and her sister have just discovered their own falling apart inn placed smack dab in the middle of an Indian reservation. They have about a year to remodel and bring in money or they lose it. Set to work, they quikcly learn the inn is also headquarters for Native American tour guide Ennis "Bear" Freeman. Bear is open to helping the sisters as they bring new life into the reservation. But, new life brings challenges to Bear as his past (and society's demands) quickly catch up with him. Will he be able to stick with his heart or give it all up to be with the woman he has just met?

Feelings fly and passion is found in Payne's sophmore novel. I immediately wanted to know and learn more about Indian reservations out there! While I found some of Nora's sheningans eye rolling, I also admired her grit and want to help out others. Sex, Lies and Sensibility is also one of the first novels I can recall that brings up sickle cell anemia- another topic I'd love to learn more about! Fans of contemporary fiction and strong characters will like Payne's latest.

Witty, with incredible banter and an intensely sweet slow burn. The first book I’ve read where I didn’t necessarily like the MMC, but it didn’t effect how I the the book itself.

I wanted to love this book but it was just not what I was feeling at the moment. I would like to point out that I am big mood reader and when I picked this one up I had a really hard time getting through it. I think it was just a slow start for me. Regardless, I did really like the topics discussed throughout the story. I thought they were really important and were well executed. Overall, I believe people will enjoy this book. It was just not for me at the time I picked it up. I will definitely have to do a re-read at a different time.