Brimming with joy as I write this because it’s been a hot minute since I reviewed a book and I hoped endlessly that I’ll get out of my book block soon enough. If I’m being honest, I did finish a paranormal novel series of six books. But it wasn’t exactly review-worthy. However, before I fell into another book relapse, I searched for a book that would capture my attention and thankfully, I found the gem I’m about to share.
Confessions of An Alleged Good Girl
This is Joya Goffney’s second book after publishing the best-selling Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry. It was published in May 2022. It’s a Young-Adult Contemporary literature that centers on the life of Monique.
Summary of the Book
Monique, a seventeen-year-old teenager, is born into a strict and religious household. Her Dad, who is a pastor, and her Mom, who according to Monique is an uptight religious fanatic that doesn’t understand her, teaches her two major things. Work together with God in all truth and morality and most of all, Never lose your virginity till you get married.
Monique is dating Dom. A relationship approved by her parents, especially her Dad who sees Dom as the perfect son who can never do wrong. Unknown to Monique’s unwitting parents, Dom and Monique have been trying for the two years of their relationship to have sex. Twenty-nine times to be exact. And all of those attempts met with failure. After the twenty-ninth time, which is on their second-year anniversary, Dom breaks up with Monique on the basis that there’s something wrong with her and he’s tired of trying.
Monique, heartbroken, dejected, and scared that she may be abnormal seeks to know her condition so as to win Dom back. In the course of this, she makes friends with the two most unlikely people she’d have ever thought possible, the perceived straight-laced and pretentious Sasha, and the unruly Reggie. While they help her seek a cure for her affirmed disorder of Vaginismus, Monique realizes that her idea of friendship, love, and most of all, self-worth has been twisted all along. Can she be set free from her parents' rules and most of all, herself?
My Review and Rating
I resonated with almost everything in this book, and I love that Joya visited a topic that many authors don’t like to venture into: the hardships of growing up in a highly religious family and how many things aren’t talked about because your mind is not supposed to venture into things like that. And that possibly talking about these things would make you want to try it. Truth is, not talking about it has led many kids to doing things they wouldn’t have if they’d just been educated right.
Another thing is on the controversial topic of virginity before marriage as a gift to your husband. I was glad that it was resolved by the protagonist towards the end that a lady’s virginity or lack thereof in no way defines her or her worth and is most definitely not a prize to be won or an entitlement to whoever she’s partners with. It’s the struggle that a lot of people are dealing with. The misconceptions on the subject of sex and its dynamic.
I also love the way love and friendship were visited. Not judging a book by the cover and how you can make friends with the most unlikely people. I understood this because I’ve become friends with people in the past and wondered to myself how I ever saw them as uncool or not the kind of people I’d hang out with. And on the subject of love and what it means. It’s about who you are when you’re with this person and how this person makes you feel. Do you feel loved? Do you feel like your most authentic self? Do you feel less of yourself? Are you always on the edge and second-guessing yourself? Are you genuinely happy? And all of that.
Most of all I learned who we should be as parents. That even if we try to shield our children from making the mistakes we made, it’s better to let them know about it. Communicate and let them make their own mistakes if it will help them grow. Guide them with love and be a safe space where they can talk about the things that trouble them. I also learned a few other things about the female body. That we just have complex systems and aren’t abnormal. Plus Vaginismus is a real thing.
Confessions of An Alleged Good Girl is the kind of book that ends in a realistic way that makes you feel sated. Impacted. Complete. I didn’t want to talk in a way that’ll reveal spoilers but I enjoyed the book immediately and it has that kind of humor that will leave you smiling at each page. Love. Family. Life. Friendship. Self. All visited in beautiful ways. It’s deserving of 4.5/5 stars from me. Totally recommended to all my amazing book-lovers.
Jhymi🖤
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