Reviews with content warning for Religious bigotry - Confessions of an Alleged Good Girl

Why I really like Confessions Of An Alleged Good Girl by Joya Goffney

Goffney focuses on the very specific experience of being a middle class Black teenage girl in the United States, which a large number of people find relatable. Monique's Blackness is not the singular most important quality of hers, however, every thing that she lives through within the book is impacted by her race which is what happens in real life. We're all people who have different personalities but because of the way Blackness is treated in the face of white supremacy, every facet of our identity is affected by that. Intersectionality is such a big part of this book and the intracommunal discussions that need to happen around gender to improve the understanding of the struggles that marginalised genders encounter and the potential solutions. The intersection of gender and race are pivotal reasons as to why her father reacts in an appalling manner when

Dom lies to him and to why Myracle left

. For some readers, Goffney introduces the idea of intersectionality and for others, allows them to feel represented where the concept of misogynoir feels like a social media buzzword instead of sociological terminology to describe some people's struggles in a white supremacist patriarchy.
Whilst writing about this, Goffney also manages to explore class dynamics within the Black community and respectability politics. Monique's parents, especially her mum are a depiction of middle class Black people (or Black people above the age of 50ish) who think that the best way to advance economic classes is to adhere to the social standards that have been cultivated by white supremacy. Not being loud in public, dressing 'appropriately' and respecting your elders are all key parts of respectability politics, which can only function through the systemic and intracommunal policing of the self and of others,this phenomenon is most noticeable whenever Monique's mum and Reggie interact; albeit having a number of funny interactions,

Monique's mum never fails to reiterate to him that she thinks that he's nothing more than a common hooligan whose antics will land him in jail eventually

. For people who pride themselves on 'upstanding' ethics, she says this to Reggie's face multiple times and doesn't really attempt to help him apart from acting as a disciplinary figure. Monique also adheres to (what I imagine) are her mother's strict set of respectability politics rules as she has a deep-rooted fear of behaving in an 'untoward' manner in public and people judging her harshly based on previous actions (such as fearing that Reggie would think badly of her for kissing Dom outside of church). However, a slight difference between respectability 'expectations' for Black boys and Black girls, is that it is tied to a girl/woman's body and her sexuality. Confessions Of An Alleged Good Girl is very relatable because it reminds people who grew up with these experiences of how anxiety-inducing and mentally draining it is to try and be perfect all the time whilst viewing yourself from a third person perspective to anticipate how other people will react to what you do or say.
The inability to say what you're thinking (among other things) is not conducive to forming a comprehensive idea of what an unhealthy relationship looks like. For many readers (but especially teenagers) it is imperative to learn what an unhealthy relationship can look like especially in comparison to a healthy relationship. Dom and Monique's relationship was unhealthy, not only because

he was pressuring her to have sex but because her own dreams, friends and time were secondary to any of Dom's wishes

. In a romantic relationship, a woman's life shouldn't become secondary to anything, much less the desires of a man. Reggie and Monique's

relationship

is much healthier because it functions as a partnership where each individual is equally important and valued by the other. Monique only comes to these realisations through self-reflections and deep thought. It is ironic that the people who Monique thinks she's better than, teach her so much about sex, vaginas and letting go of respectability politics. The best part of this found family dynamic is that Reggie

had no importance in the search for dilators to help cure vaginismus

. I also really liked those moments of vulnerability, where one of the characters would share something about themselves (secret or otherwise) and it made their bond much more real.
Religion is a crucial component of this book since Monique is a pastor's daughter. However, it is the main way that respectability politics polices women. The conflation of female family members with personal property is the reason so many men get angry at the prospect of a future, imaginary daughter doing something that they consider 'fast' and inappropriate (regardless of if it actually was because they demean and maintain a strong distaste for women who do act like that). This is why Monique's dad gets so angry at her. Religion as the tool for respectability politics makes Monique feel guilty for desiring and experiencing any type of pleasure. One of the core beliefs of Christianity, especially in Catholicism is the idea that suffering is Christ-like and brings you closer to God and it is likely that this is prevalent across all denominations.

I love this book so much and I will continue to re-read it as it brings me so much joy.

Content Warnings

imstephtacular's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful informative medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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lettuce_read's review against another edition

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5.0

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amberinpieces's review against another edition

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challenging emotional funny hopeful informative tense slow-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? It's complicated

3.5

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betweentheshelves's review against another edition

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emotional funny informative medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

This is only Goffney's second book, but I think she's already cemented her place as a pro at writing teen romance. From beginning to end, I was impressed with the way she handles difficult topics with a great set of characters you're going to love from the beginning. Well, maybe with the exception of one. If you've read it, you probably know exactly who I'm talking about.

At its core, this is a book about accepting yourself and advocating for yourself. Monique especially realizes her worth and I love the relationships she makes throughout the story, both romantic and otherwise. And the characters! They were so well rounded and each had their own motives and purpose.

My only complaint is that it felt a little on the long side. Mostly because I think maybe the climax came a little too early? But everything else was perfect, and I will definitely keep reading Goffney when she publishes new books.

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halfbloodprincess_hogwarts's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective 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

5.0

Goffney once again wrote a 5⭐ novel. It was full of laughter, romance, unexpected friendships, internal freedom, self discovery, heartache, and utter perfection. I was here for it, completely captivated by this page turner. Thank you, thank you Netgalley and Hot Key Books for an advanced ebook of one of my anticipated books for 2022 🥰🥰🥰

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dionnesims's review against another edition

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funny hopeful informative lighthearted 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

4.5

I finished this book very quickly because I loved the characters and story so much! I grew up in a very restrictive, Christian setting as well, so I really related to Monique's experiences with guilt, shame, and low self-esteem. I could have used a book like this as a teen!!

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natashaleighton_'s review

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emotional funny inspiring lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

Confessions of An Alleged Good Girl is an utterly incredible, coming of age YA that brilliantly explores body and sex positivity, the toxic views on sex and sex education and through Monique and her experiences, raise awareness of of vaginismus. This is a beautifully crafted and compelling story that I know will be invaluable to many readers who might—like Monique—might not have access to sexual health services or information.

Monique, a Preacher’s daughter and girlfriend to the town’s golden boy seems to have the perfect life. But, with her parents thoughts on sex before marriage ever present and her boyfriends pressure to get intimate, Monique is torn.

Tired of waiting her boyfriend breaks up with her, spurring Monique into discovering her inability to have sex is caused by a medical condition. To win him back Monique plans to resolve the “issue” with help from the only people she can turn to—frenemy (and fellow church girl) Sasha and the town’s resident bad boy Reggie.

But I’m doing so, she must face some home truths: maybe she shouldn’t be fixing her body to please a boy, maybe Sasha was the friend she’s need all along and maybe Reggie isn’t so bad after all.

I found it utterly riveting and thoroughly entertaining and though Joya Goffney’s own experiences with vaginismus allow her to expertly and sensitively delve into such sensitive subject matter with gusto, she still manages to keep the plot lighthearted whilst bringing awareness to a condition that isn’t widely known about.

Monique’s depth and dimension as a character was superb and her conflicting emotions (fear, guilt, shame, anxiety) surrounding her body and sex will definitely resonate with readers currently facing similar experiences or situations, and hopefully encourage them to seek help or a safe space to talk about it.

I honestly loved both Sasha and Reggie-who were two of Monique’s biggest supporters throughout and I’m soo glad she had them both, cheering her up and being there to confide in when she needed it the most. One of the characters I didn’t particularly like in the beginning does get a redemption arc that I enjoyed (don’t worry it’s not who you think) and I really appreciated that they owned up to their mistakes in the end and sought to actively help.

The love triangle aspect was interesting but I have to say, the contrast between Monique’s ex-boyfriend Dom and Reggie was a really interesting one and proves that people’s perceptions of others aren’t always accurate. This is also the case for Sasha as well, who despite Monique’s initial judgement is actually pretty amazing.

Overall, this is a heartfelt, inspiring and thoroughly insatiable story of self love, body positivity and reclaiming your sexual identity that YA romance lovers simply must read!

Also, thanks to Hot Key books and Netgalley for the e-arc.

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