Long time, no book review. A lot has been going on and I can't believe I haven't read a single book in 2023. By this time last year, I had completed about 6 books. I'm not happy but I have other demanding engagements and combining school with work is the ghetto. I'm looking forward to any free time so I can do what I love most, reading stories.
Today's book review is on a book I read some months ago, Confessions of an alleged good girl. It follows the story of Monique, the daughter of a preacher. Her upbringing is conservative, she detests the impossible rules of her religion, and certain issues like sex are never discussed at home. She's the perfect example of a good girl because she doesn't curse or go to parties. Despite all this, she has been trying to have sex with her boyfriend of 2 years, Dom who is also a church boy. They try and always fail and after the 29th attempt, he breaks up with her. In an attempt to find a solution to her problem and win her man back, she forms an unlikely friendship with Sasha, the church girl who her mum uses as an example to her who turns out to not be the person everyone thinks she is and teaches her a lot about her body.
This book is so educational, offers the necessary sex education I wish I had when I was younger and I love it so much. It discusses Vaginismus which before reading, I had only heard in passing. It also explores the topic of purity culture, and my favorite thing in books, the found friendship trope. Before Monica met Sasha, she had no idea what she had was a medical condition. She thought her body was broken and was desperate to fix it because of the subtle pressure from her boyfriend whom her family adores. Her friendship with Sasha and Reggie the town bad boy gave her the necessary sex education she needed and found a name for her condition Vaginismus which is the body's automatic reaction to the fear of some or all types of vaginal penetration. Whenever penetration is attempted, your vaginal muscles tighten up on their own. You have no control over it.
Something else I could also relate to in this book is how pastors' kids or church kids live completely different lives than the ones their parents are aware of. In this book, nobody would have guessed that Dom was trying to have sex and was not a virgin. Nobody would have figured that he and the pastor's daughter were making out in church corners. They would have stoned you to death on grounds of blasphemy if you said Sasha listened to Megan Thee Stallion and is into girls. But they were doing all these things.
We can't deny that when our parents or older ones are telling us to abstain from premarital sex especially girls, it isn't largely because of religion. It's because they see our virginity as a gift to a man and I think it is misogyny; women being reduced to nothing but sexual objects and our "worth" tied to whether we have had sex or not. I was so glad that Monique finally unlearned that and learned that she was more than what her body can do. Her growth was so pleasing to read.
I'll give you three reasons why you should read this book. Firstly, it's educational and covers an important topic. Secondly, it has a cute small-town romance. Finally, female friendships. The writing is simple, the pace is perfect and the characters are likable. This was such a great read and I recommend it. This is also a great book to gift to your younger sister or a young teen.
