Reviews tagging 'Sexual content'

The Secret Lives of Church Ladies by Deesha Philyaw

96 reviews

glitterdeww's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

Excellent collection by Deesha Philyaw that drenches each story in raw emotion. These women are fully "in the world." 

(I'm also really in my feelings about craving a peach cobbler. 😅)

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Toxic relationship, and Religious bigotry

Moderate: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, and Homophobia

yadira315's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective

5.0

I went into this book completely blind and had no expectations but WOW what a great short story collection. the author is concise and to the point yet manages to get you invested in each of the characters. BTW  the book is steamyy and I was not expecting that, the spice is so good. I love how it explored the complications of the beliefs that are taught in the church but conflict with who you are as a person and the goals that you want for yourself. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Infidelity and Sexual content

Minor: Death

kiwialexa's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective relaxing sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Infidelity, Sexual content, Dementia, Religious bigotry, and Death of parent

atamano's review against another edition

emotional medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Infidelity, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, and Abandonment

linguaphile412's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Infidelity, and Sexual content

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship

Minor: Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Sexism, and Abortion

kimveach's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.5

This book is about sexual relationships, not just the kind most Christian churches would like you to have. The writing was excellent, and you got to know these characters despite the short stories.

The narration was good, but it could have benefitted from having more than one narrator. While I enjoyed listening to her, it felt like it was just one character telling all the stories, which is not the case.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Infidelity, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Dementia, Religious bigotry, Pregnancy, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Classism

12bookslisa_read's review against another edition

challenging medium-paced

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

2.0

This book took me totally by surprise.  I was not prepared.  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, and Violence

cozylifewithabby's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character

3.25

I really don't know how to rate this. Just like any Short Story collection some stories were stronger than others. Also some of the stories were very short with others long, so I wasn't able to get to know those characters as well. I really liked the intergenerational aspect of many of the stories, but wish more of the issues of the church were explored besides sexual lives. I appreciated the Jael story for that reason. But the writing is undoubtedly good and I will check out future weeks from Philyaw

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing and Sexual content

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual assault, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Abortion and Murder

readingwithtrey's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny inspiring reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

I’m going to start this review by saying this book will not be for everyone and that’s okay. If you’re not an open-minded reader, you may find yourself offended by some of the things in this book. 

Now to my review, in my humble opinion, this book is a work 👏🏽 of 👏🏽art👏🏽. While I didn’t have any personal shared experiences with each woman, I could appreciate the nods to the culture that I could completely relate to. They include: being in church every Sunday with our moms & grannies and often times aunts, uncles, and cousins. (I was related to almost everyone in the small, country church I attended growing up.) Our grannies always telling us that they’re praying for us (and knowing for certain they actually were) and usually having a feast ready for us whenever we visited. Spending summers outside all day almost every day with our cousins without a care in the world. Getting a new beautiful frilly dress from my grandma each Easter. This book made me nostalgic for that time and made that ache that I still have to see both of my grandmas one more time feel as new as the days that they left us.

There is so much to this book than what’s on the surface level. & I highly recommend it for readers with open hearts and minds. Know that there are a lot of touchy/sensitive subjects. It was funny, incredibly sad, and totally different from anything I’ve read. 

My only complaint is that I need updates on all of these women, especially Jael. Her chapter had me weak.

Favorite quotes:

“We miss their bare brown arms reaching to hang clothes on the line with wooden pins. We miss their Sun tea brewed all day in big jars on the picnic table in the backyard.”

“We miss how they made our Easter dresses and pound cakes and a way out of no way.”

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content

Moderate: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Dementia, Grief, Death of parent, and Gaslighting

Minor: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Fatphobia, Gun violence, Infertility, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Abortion, Pregnancy, Lesbophobia, and Toxic friendship

haylzno's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia

Moderate: Racism and Sexual content