I honestly wasn't expecting to love this one as much as I did, but I ended up really loving it. Banger of a first line, banger of a concept, brilliantly done. I'll be following the next few years of the author's career with much excitement.

I was expecting more than the book delivered. The blurb had a tone and the book another. I didn’t feel they merged.

It is a kind of exposè on the chock hold religion has on society, particularly the Irish culture. It describes in details what goes into the canonisation process and the flip side to it.
It also describes the church’s stance towards homosexuality and queerness.

Narrated from a sole point of view, I kept waiting for something to happen/shift, a climatic event but the book maintained the same tone throughout.

There were instances throughout the book where the author jumps into another topic and I find myself re-reading several times to find out what I have missed.

Nevertheless, I appreciated the human side to this-a sister grieving her brother and wanting his memory sacred and not institutionalised/commercialised.

I recommend this if you love reading about Ireland, its culture and the relationship with Catholicism.

This book threw me for a loop .... I initially thought that this was a religious story, however I was so wrong. This novel covered so many things from family. grief. sexuality and acceptance which had me wanting to turn the page to see if everyone was ok. I felt the grief that all of the characters were dealing with; this is a testament to the author as they have been able to convey that grief is experienced in many different ways. I also liked the conversations about acceptance and that sometimes it can take a person some time to accept that their child is different and that as long as they are healthy and happy. I was so glad that by the end of the book, Jay and her mother had started having conversations about their differences and that we can see the relationship healing. I would love a follow-up exploring this stage in their relationship and watching them grow together.

Right from the start, Ordinary Saints grips you by the collar and doesn’t let go. Niamh Ní Mhaoileoin’s debut is rare: tender, sharp, rooted yet wide-reaching, a novel that hums with grief and grace. An outstanding book that deserves all the praise it’s been gathering and more.

Set between London and Ireland, the story follows Jacinta (known as Jay), a lesbian woman estranged from her devout Catholic family, grappling with the news that her late brother Ferdia, who was known as the “little saint” since childhood, then headed off to the seminary but sadly died in an accident, might be canonised.

Ní Mhaoileoin, inspired by the case of Carlo Acutis, the Italian teenager being heralded as the first “millennial saint.” has taken that spark of reality and breathed something quietly explosive into it.

This isn’t just a book about religion or sainthood. It’s about who gets to tell our stories. It’s about the weight of memory, especially when someone dies young and the people left behind mould them into something perfect, something almost unrecognisable. Jay’s struggle to reconcile her love for her brother with the mythologising of him by her family and the Church is devastating and beautifully drawn. It asks, with painful clarity, what happens when institutions co-opt grief? And who do we become in the process?

Jay is one of the most compelling narrators I’ve come across in a long time. Fierce and flawed, she wears her vulnerability like armour. Her relationship with her girlfriend, her complex love-hate bond with her family, and the slow unfurling of her inner world are rendered with a quiet intimacy that makes you feel like you’re living in her skin. This is about what it means to be human and how, sometimes, that’s miracle enough.

At around 400 pages, this luminous, layered, and profoundly affecting read is impossible to put down. Ní Mhaoileoin is one to watch!

Thank you to the publisher for the opportunity to read via NetGalley; as always, this is an honest review.

I'm not sure I know where to start with this review. Not only is it a beautiful story, but it's also a fascinating insight into life in a devout Irish Catholic household, a cathartic story of grief, and a narrative about LGBTQ life in modern day Britain and Ireland. And I loved every single bit of it.

I'm neither Irish, nor Catholic, although I have friends from Irish Catholic families, and some of the humour in this wonderful book matches things they have told me, such as the Irish having big heads. Whilst being mainly about an intensely painful subject, there were some laugh out loud moments too. I'll admit that I didn't realise that people still could be canonised and made saints in the modern day, and I found that aspect, and the rules, rituals and ceremony around that fascinating. I feel that as much as I just enjoyed the story aspect of Ordinary Saints, I also learned something new at the same time.

The central theme to the story is the loss of Jay's brother, and I think the author has done an amazing job of capturing the confusing emotions that a loss can bring. With the added layer of finding out Ferdia might become a saint, in a religion that she also (understandably) feels separated from.

I'm was absolutely blown away when I realised that this is a debut novel, and really hope Niamh has more stories to share.

A real, moving joy told straight from the heart. As an atheist English reader, this was an extraordinary glimpse into Irish Catholic history and culture, and the tensions it weaves within modern-day family dynamics, coming-of-age and journeys of sexuality. Complex characters, a gripping premise, unexpected twists - this is a real triumph. I read it in one sitting. Just brilliant!

This is such a emotionally gritty novel. It asks really difficult questions about families, our relationships and what we owe each other.

Jay lives in London, her family are still home in Ireland, her brother Ferdia, in the final stages becoming a Priest at the age of 24 dies in an accident whole playing football.

Jay's life is seen through the lens of Ferdia's death and his impact on her parents, as well as the role of the catholic church in her upbringing.

I think what this novel does well is exploring Jay's mind, their muddled feelings and how this affects her day to life. It's a lot and its not black and white, there's a lot to unpick as the reader. It questions our beliefs, not purely religious, but our belief on family, on our role when a loved one dies, our place in the world. The author does all that with well written prose, observing Jay and drawing put the problems that swirl around her from her new community and from her homeland.

I think this will appeal to lots of readers who enjoy mulling over the meaning of our life and relationships in a surprisingly non spiritual way, despite the plot of the novel. I especially liked the consideration given to how easy or hard it is to share vadtly different beliefs from those we are close to and how we can navigate that.

Wow hello I loved this even more than I expected to!

Jay has moved from Ireland to London to get away from a devoutly Catholic household. She’s navigating a new relationship and kinda putting the past out of her mind. That is, until, her parents decide to pursue sainthood for her dead brother Ferdia.

This is 400 pages long and doesn’t feel it. It reads fast, as they say! Jay loves and misses her brother, has always assumed they would stay close even though he was training to be a priest and she is queer and has all but shunned the church. However the sainthood process has made her question this. She also has a complicated relationship with her parents who have never said Ferdia was their favourite because they never needed to.

I just adored this. I loved Jay, I loved reading about her relationships with her brother and her parents. And look, I will always be sat for a good whack at the Catholic Church 🙂

*read via NetGalley

Ok so going to start off by saying the premise of this really called out to me when I first read it. As someone who grew up in Ireland, with very religious family members, I could wait to read about the catholic guilt our main character would feel, and what can heighten that guilt more than having a brother whose going to be made a saint and you’re gay?

I loved the complicated family relationships explored in this book, never being able to compare to your sibling, feeling like you aren’t accepted, and being conflicted between supporting family and being true to your values. The found family aspect of this was also brilliant and Jay discovering how much support she has if she just let people in more.

With all that said, I felt like Jay was keeping me at arms length, as well as those in her life, and I really wanted to connect with her more.

A deeply moving exploration of faith, family, and grief, set against the backdrop of modern Irish Catholicism. With a sharp yet empathetic voice, it unpacks the complexities of identity and belief through a compelling, character-driven story that lingers long after the final page.

Steeped in Irish Catholic history, this highlights religion, sexuality, trust, family, and what it all means to those growing up in it.
I found learning about the canonisation process fascinating, while not religious myself, I've always enjoyed learning about other religions, and this was something I'd never really encountered before.
I did find Jay, the main character, quite difficult to empathise with throughout much of the story. She undoubtedly had faced some difficulties in her life, but she acted like a spoiled brat at times, too, where I just wanted to shake her and say, have you no consideration to how your actions impact others?!
It is quite a quick book to read through, I was hooked quite quickly into the story.
I like that it ended without resolution to the story of Ferdia's Sainthood. I felt like that was indicative of how much growing and accepting Jay still had to do.
It's a really enjoyable read, and I'd definitely read more by this author.

I really enjoyed this book, and thought it was a really unusual and gripping premise. I found all the characters very well drawn, and very well balanced. I didn’t feel particularly on anyone’s side and found even the characters with views different from my own (Jay’s parents) to be sympathetic and complicated.

I would have liked to know a bit more about Ferdia’s personality, and I did find the pacing a bit off, as it was a bit slow in the middle and then felt a bit rushed towards the end.

Overall I will definitely be recommending this to customers, and would keep an eye out for the author’s future works.

Ordinary Saints was like nothing I’ve ever read before. It’s hard to find a book that just blows you away about something I really didn’t expect to be fully invested in. Jay’s brother, Ferdia passed away in a tragic accident and is now tipped to be a modern day Saint. I don’t know what I was expecting but this exploration of faith, relationships between family and a coming of age theme was just a perfect combination. It’s just the most outrageous but entirely plausible premise for a book that I loved it all.

" 'Surely Tuam has enough bones already.' I say it very quietly but still my father flinches and I'm glad, satisfied to have landed a blow. Have they just forgotten it all, I wonder, in the excitement? Otherwise, how do they live with the idea that the saints can't be left underground because they're too precious, but the tiny babies of unmarried mothers can be left anywhere? "

Christ, this book was powerful and intense in the best possible way. It beautifully captured the challenges that modern Ireland is experiencing with the Catholic Church and traditional generations through the experience of one family. I couldn't get enough of it and completely devoured the entire book within a day. Filled with astute observations and powerful writing such as the quote I mentioned above, I can't recommend this book more - it is easily the best one that I have read this year based on impact alone and I cannot wait to read more from this author!

I love Irish fiction so this one was right up my street! Ordinary Saints brings a lot to the table exploring religion, sexuality and grief.

Jay is a gay woman who fled her troublesome relationship with her family and the Catholic Church to move to London. Her brother (the more favourited child) was reaching his goal of becoming a priest when he dies, this isn’t a spoiler. Jay learns that her family are starting the process of canonisation for her brother and with this Jay must face her family, the church and her troubled childhood.

I would definitely say this book is more character rather than plot driven. I really enjoyed parts of the book (specifically when looking at Catholicism and the history of the church) and there was an undeniable witty humour that ran through the book. There’s something special about books set in Ireland, they always feel so atmospheric to me. Jay was an interesting character, and Niamh’s writing was tender when discussing her childhood and struggles with feeling second best to her brother. I don’t know why but I struggled to fully bond with her and I felt like the book could have pushed situations further and explored deeper.

That being said this was a great debut novel and I will always recommend Irish fiction!

A great read. Being raised catholic myself I found that this book really resonated with me. Highly recommended.

‘Ordinary Saints’ by Niamh Ní Mhaoileoin is a deeply beautiful and cathartic read that touches on the complexities of grief, faith, and family dynamics with subtle warmth and humour.
The novel follows Jay, an Irish, ex-Catholic lesbian living in London, as she navigates the return of her parents' efforts to have her deceased brother, Ferdia, canonised as a saint. This unexpected development forces Jay to confront her past — her grief over her brother’s death, her fractured relationship with her devout Catholic family, and her struggle with the faith she left behind.

The novel's strength lies in its exploration of grief, not just in its raw, immediate form, but in the long-term, lingering impact it has on a person’s life. Jay’s journey toward understanding her family’s trauma and the quiet devastation of her childhood is rendered with incredible empathy. The author brilliantly balances the portrayal of Jay’s pain with a nuanced depiction of her parents. They are far from perfect, yet they are portrayed as sympathetic characters — people who, like Jay, are deeply affected by their own unresolved struggles. This complex portrayal of her parents offers a refreshing perspective on how difficult childhoods can shape, but not entirely define, familial relationships.

What makes ‘Ordinary Saints’ especially compelling is its exploration of growing up within a Catholic family, a theme that will resonate deeply with many readers, particularly those who have lived through the contradictions of faith, guilt, and community expectations. Jay’s return to Catholic rituals — like instinctively responding to “the Lord is with you” — is a poignant and relatable moment for anyone who has distanced themselves from a religious upbringing but still feels its lingering presence in their life.

The reflections on religion and the paradoxes within the Catholic Church are thought-provoking without ever being preachy or self-righteous. The novel raises important questions about faith, the contradictions within religious institutions, and how people can reconcile differing beliefs while still maintaining connections with loved ones.

Overall, ‘Ordinary Saints’ is a beautifully written debut that captures the messy, complicated, and often painful reality of family, faith, and loss. It’s thoughtful, enjoyable, and moving, It is a story about flawed characters and the difficult but necessary process of healing, making it a novel that will linger with you long after the last page.

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy.

Reading a book which is exploring the intricacies of profound grief for the loss of a loved one whilst experiencing a bereavement is, as it turns out, a bit much. This book explores the lasting effects of grief on individuals and on a family in a really beautiful and meaningful way. This, combined with the exploration of Catholicism in Ireland, the canonisation of new saints and the strained relationships of a queer family member makes for a book which allows the reader to reflect on their own shifting relationship with grief, religion and family. It is almost wholly character based but the time jumps from one moment in their lives to another just didn't feel naturally done to me.

An extraordinary and original book that isn't afraid to speak its clear truth. Jay is a lapsed catholic, gay and living away from her Irish family, still with unresolved feelings about her brother's untimely death when he was studying to become a priest in Rome. When Jay's parents become involved in efforts to make her brother a saint, Jay is forced to face her past and create a new way of living for her future.

The book explores a whole range of issues and ideas about family, about love and about how to find your own way to be in the modern world. Very touchingly put together, with real care for the many different characters, their beliefs and viewpoints, it examines an obscure subject but brings it up as a mirror to search for something more. A fabulous first novel, look forward to seeing more from the author.

Jacinta, named after one of the visionaries at Fatima, was brought up in a devout Catholic family in Ireland. She now calls herself Jay and lives in London with her girlfriend Lindsay, away from the oppressive presence of her parents. She is however, still haunted by a tragic event from her past. When she was a teenager, just tasting her first kiss from another girl during a party, her brother Ferdia, a young priest, died in a freak accident in Rome. Always the darling of her parents, he was also very close to Jay, and he remains a central and conflicting figure for her – on the one hand, he is a brother she loved and looked up to; on the other hand, he became a representative of a Church which she has abandoned in protest at its scandals and conservative outlook. Ferdia, therefore, is a subject Jay avoids broaching, even with her closest circle of friends (Lindsay included).

This, however, changes at the very start of the book, when Jay learns that Ferdia is being favourably considered for sainthood, with the Vatican looking into his life and writings for evidence of his “heroic virtues”. This prompts Lindsay to face her painful, long-avoided memories and, perhaps, to chart a course for her future.

This original and engaging debut novel, winner of the inaugural PFD Queer Fiction Prize 2022 and shortlisted for the Women's Prize Trust/Curtis Brown Discoveries Prize 2022, is based on a premise which may appear far-fetched but is well within the realms of possibility (as Jay repeatedly points out, “the last three popes have created more saints between them than all the others combined”, and some of these saints - or saints-to-be - lived recently enough to be well remembered by people who actually knew them or, as in Jay’s case, grew up with them).

Niamh Ní Mhaoileoin has a deft touch, and under the guise of an often humorous narration, she touches upon deep subjects: families, relationships, public v private memory, faith and religion. In Jay she has created a believable, down-to-earth and likeable character. She describes with poignancy a challenging situation where one’s life journey leads you away from a religion which, all things considered forms part of your upbringing. In Jay’s case, the scandals of the Church and attitude to same-sex relationships make her renounce the faith of her childhood and, because they are so intertwined, also lead her to abandon her country and family. Yet, hers is no easy decision, and the book’s conclusion, although hopeful, provides no facile answers.

I must confess that, being a practising Catholic myself, and of a frankly more conservative brand than the “progressive Catholic voices” Niamh Ní Mhaoileoin thanks in her acknowledgements section, I approached this book with much curiosity and some trepidation. Would this novel simply be a scathing send-down of the saint-making process? An anti-religious diatribe? Ordinary Saints is certainly critical of the Church and its priests, but it adopts a balanced, nuanced approach, with some thought-provoking questions about religion and faith which are as important to those who, like Jay, decide to leave the Church as to those who choose to remain. While I am always wary of identifying a novel’s narrators with their author/creator, I feel that the novel exudes a strong sense of authenticity and honesty borne of experience.

Ordinary Saints is all this, but can also be approached as a bittersweet, coming-of-age, coming-out novel. A great debut.

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