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A review by kell_xavi
Confessions of an Alleged Good Girl by Joya Goffney
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.
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.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Misogyny, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, and Medical content