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

This book was fantastic and is probably my favorite YA that I have read all year! There were so many fantastic things about this book. I loved the discussion on sexual health for teens and the traumatic effect shame can have on them. Monique was very relatable and so many readers will see themselves in her story.

I really liked how this book discussed some of the harsh expectations that can be associated with religion without denoucning it. Even though I am not religious myself I appreciated the way this book was able to walk the line in between both.

I loved the characters and how they grew throughout the story. I loved the evolution of Monqiue’s mom that we got throughout the book! I loved how Monique and Sasha’s friendship developed and how Reggie and Monique's relationship changed. The way he treated her with such respect and patience was amazing. It is such a good reminder to find someone who will love you for who you are and not someone who will pressure you into things you are uncomfortable with and who only wants your body.

I loved how sex postivie this book was. This is such a great YA book and I will be highly recommending it to everyone.

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kell_xavi's review against another edition

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medium-paced

5.0

Intelligent, original young adult contemporary novel that was heartfelt and real. I was interested in reading more young adult fiction by black woman authors, and the difficulties of growth and identity-searching when faced with pressures of a romantic relationship, religion, and secrecy appealed to me. Though Monique's situation is refreshingly individual, reading about her experience as a teenager brought up in a Black baptist church with religious parents reminded me of flawed ideas I had about sex and relationships at her age. I enjoyed seeing Mo come into her sexuality on her own terms, with better understanding of her body and its relationship to her thoughts and feelings, that allowed her to undo some of the shame and confusion that I think Christianity instills in a lot of us (honestly, loved seeing the undoing of a lot of virginity signalling in a modern setting, ones that I think other fictions like Jane the Virgin uncritically recycles.

There's an openness to this book that felt as though Goffney is parenting the reader. I think this novel is really for anyone who has current or past religious trauma that is sexual in nature, as it's so patient while also been so fun and bright. One thing I wasn't certain of was how great the shifts in personality are with a few characters; I felt at the beginning that Goffney was laying it on thick, and though the transition was smoother than I expected, I almost wanted a bit more tension at the end to show that morals and values are difficult to change, and it's a harder process than we hope. That said, she stuck the landing, finding balance between the friendship, romance, family, and personal aspects with a sweetness and wisdom that I really loved.

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lettuce_read's review against another edition

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5.0

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toffishay's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful informative 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? It's complicated

4.0

Books like this remind me why I continue to return to YA stories as an adult. It was funny and emotional and telling a story that is so often not told. I really connected with the main character and her struggles to find support in her family. It was also a really great exploration of the dangers and irresponsibility of not giving young people accurate sex education and information about their bodies. I never would have found a story like this when I was in the demo for YA, but I love that they exist now and I can't imagine all the good that this will do for people reading it. The style of writing is also fun and the characters feel like real teenagers. I also love stories with growth and you get a really interesting and intense third act conflict.

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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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anna_23's review against another edition

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challenging emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted 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? No

5.0

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natashaleighton_'s review against another edition

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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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