Reviews

The Secret Lives of Church Ladies by Deesha Philyaw

sheridanhollo's review

dark emotional reflective tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

justkaty's review against another edition

emotional reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

kerri_f2003's review against another edition

emotional reflective medium-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

4.25

pbrown05's review

emotional funny reflective 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? N/A

4.0

Great compilation of stories that had me intrigued. All of them drew me in and were relatable. Listened via audiobooks but will be buying the book to add to my library. 

lauracvdberg's review against another edition

3.0

“Heaven is me folding towels?”

briacelest's review

4.0

This book hit especially hard for me as the daughter of a preacher. I really loved all the stories and felt myself relating to so many thoughts and characters! My favorite was probably the peach cobbler story; it was so bittersweet and always tinged with the sadness of a child wanting love from their parent. Highly recommend!

inesmmj's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

rahmat22818's review

5.0

Super short read, less than 200 pages

I really enjoyed this book. I didn’t know it was going to be short stories but was pleasantly surprised. Would recommend

simonereadsbooks's review

emotional reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

waluigii's review

4.0

I really liked this one!!
aside from being drawn to the title lol, this collection was highly rated by Roxane gay so I had to pick it up. it was a quick read and the narratives were believable.

I also appreciate the collection for its subject matter—commentary on double standards in church esp for black women, gay representation, & bringing the characters to life.

“most of the time we live in the space between my need to dissect and her need to keep things whole with declarative sentences”