This is absolutely everything! I've been waiting for this book ever since I closed the back cover of Goffney's debut novel last year. Even though Goffney only has these two books published, I love everything that they do.

I think that this book is something that needs to be out there to educate young girls as most school's sex education is not great, and I bet that there are young girls out there wondering the exact same thing as Monique was during this book.

The topic is something that is typically forgotten about in general, so the fact that Goffney has written it will mean the absolute world to young people out there.

(Will update with blog and social posts when live)

Thank you for the chance to netgalley and the author.

I really liked this book. I like when the author can captures a certain topic and writes it really good. because we got a really good job here👏🏻👏🏻

mo’s attitude gave me many trust issues and i don’t really liked her character until the second half of the book. but i was absolutely delighted after that. i liked how she handled vaginismus. how her characters development turned out pretty great. how she stand up for herself and for her body. i couldn’t tell by the end that she was only seventeen.

i find reggie’s character a little childish in the beginning but i absolutely adored the way he tried to ‘help’ mo’s condition. he was such a sweetheart and of course funny. and everyone said he is a bad boy and his reputation screams trouble and turns out he’s totally innocent:)))) i loved it.

maybe a lot of people find this topic a little disturbing but i think it’s something that people should know and read. teens especially, those whose are uncertain about their bodies and they desperately want to please someone and don’t realise the only opinion that matters first of all, what’s good for you and what’s good for your body. you never need to do something just because somebody else tells you that. everything happens in the right time not when someone’s telling you you need to step on the next level, because they think so.

you know what this book is a must read.

I really enjoyed Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry so I was very excited to get an eARC of this book!

The topics covered in this book are so important and I loved how sex positive it was and that it focused on Monique learning to do things for herself and not for men. Seeing her growth and realise her worth and that she is not something that men are entitled to or deserve was my favourite part of the book. I really liked Reggie and Sasha as well, and seeing te friendships and relationships develop was great!

I do think, however, that the book felt a bit younger than the characters actually were and I would have prefered if Monique felt more like a 17 year old. There also seemed to be one or two too many subplots as the ending did seem to drag a bit trying to wrap them all up.

Overall, though, this is such an important book and something that teens should definitely be reading as it's overall message is one that needs to be heard!

I loved Goffney's debut. so I was thrilled to when I was given the opportunity to read an arc of Confessions of an Alleged Good Girl! As a teenager this book taught me things I had no idea about and I will definitely be recommending this to my friends because I believe that it is an important book for teens to read.

I loved how this book talked about religion honestly and didn't turn religion into a bad thing like many books I have read. Moniques character was very real and easy to emphasise with; she is having some relationship stuggles that most readers have been able to relate to at some point in their lives. I loved Moniques character development and how she evolves throughout the book, I would definitely recommend this book to people who enjoyed Goffney's debut and can't wait to read more of her work in the future.

Special thanks to NetGalley and HarperTeen for this arc, which I received in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

I have never been more excited about the plot of a contemporary novel. Don’t get me wrong, I’m still a firm believer that contemporary isn’t the genera for me, but this really got me excited.

I love that this book was both sex positive but still firmly in the YA genre. Because it is an important middle ground!! As a teen, I can confirm! And for that entire part of this book, it was done WELL. It was realistic and made sense and I felt for her!
And her parents? Ohmigosh I was ready to throw down for Monique, and the fact she didn’t rebel every day of her life is a Myracle. (Get the pun?)

There were a couple things that this book really called short on though. Mostly, I just didn’t mesh with the writing style. First person is always hard for me and I also struggle with a romance with a delinquent,no matter the justifications. Too many fantasy novels where someone has killed thousands, but they remember all the names so it is ‘okay’ have made me very unforgiving of this trope. That is made up for a lil with the awesomeness of Sasha though…

Thank you netgalley for this book!

I think this is the first time I've heard if a YA book covering a topic like this and what a good job the author does.

Okay, this is a hard book to review without spoiling everything, but first thing's first - I LOVED it.

It's been a while since I read a YA contemporary - actually, probably since last July when I read the debut by this author, Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry. I enjoyed that book but it was nothing mind blowing, so I didn't have huge expectations for this one. I'm steadily growing out of the genre and only requested this arc because I'd read the author before. I thought I would read it quickly, enjoy the mild entertainment, and promptly forget about the details if you asked me about it in a months time. But I literally couldn't be more wrong.

Confessions of an Alleged Good Girl is a powerful, inclusive story about a girl learning to respect and love not just herself but also those around her. There is so much growth in this book, and not just from the main character, Mo. Her heavily religious family have this "good girl" path they want her on, and she thinks she wants it, too, until she starts to break the rules and realises it's not actually going to ruin her life. That perhaps she can be both of these people - a good pastor's daughter and a normal, explorative teenage girl. Contemporary YA characters can often feel superficial, especially when you're older than the character, but Mo was written pretty perfectly.

The diversity is wonderful, including different races, sexualities, even having a nod to gender pronouns. And, of course... the main focus of the book, her vaginismus. I'd heard of this condition before but not by name, and I think it's so important that a topic like this is the MAIN FOCUS of a YA book! Not only do you get a great story, but you get educated, too. Even better that it was based off the experiences of the author!

There's one scene near the end of the book that didn't quite sit right with me, where (without spoiling too much) a bunch of adults shunned a teenager out of a room. I get that it was the villain of the story, and it was meant as his comeuppance, his closure - but the adults should have known better.

Overall this was a wonderful read that I would recommend to teenagers (maybe 16+?) and adults. When this comes out in May I plan on buying a physical copy too, as I think it's a great addition to every bookcase and I'd love to lend it out throughout my life.

*Thank you to NetGalley and Bonnier Books for an arc in exchange for an honest review.*

More Teens need this book! I'm 34 and never heard of vaginasmus so I've definitely learnt something new today!

I loved how real this book was! The messy dynamics of a family with faith interluded. Like seriously there must be so many teens going through similar dilemmas to Mo! The author covered some difficult and in some religions shamed upon topics, these were dealt with respect and with such tact.

I think the best bit for me is how Mo stood up to her parents, who have such a high standard of morals. We're all scared of what our parents may think of us and it's difficult to stand up to them when you love them unconditionally and don't want to hurt them. Turns out for Mo it actually helped her situation.

It was such a good read I finished it within a day. Just couldn't put it down! This is my first book by Joya Goffney and it's safe to say I'll definitely be reading more!

4/5

Monique is a good girl. She's a good student, a preacher’s daughter, and dating the golden boy of her little town. But when he breaks up with her because she's not sure if she's ready to lose her virginity, she's not sure if she wants to be the good girl anymore.

Desperate to win him back, she discovers she has a medical condition, vaginismus, that will make taking that next step much harder. Determined to fix her body, and her life - she has to question who she's really doing this for - for a boy, or for herself?
A striking YA novel about growing up and growing into yourself, this will strike a chord with everyone remembering those confusing teen years. Of course, the humour was a little juvenile and cringe, and the characters did immature things - but it's about teenagers. You remember being a teenager, right?

This was my first Goffney book and I totally loved it; I can’t wait to read more of her.
I enjoyed the topics treated on this book and how they were portraited. I think they’re important topics that are not treated enough in books for teenagers, how religious upbringings can change the way girls and boys see relationships, friendships and other everyday topics and how that can change someone’s life.
I really like the characters, especially aunt Dee Dee and her funny ways. I loved Reggie and his understanding towards Monique and her fear of having sex.
Overall it was an easy and quick read that will have you hook from the beginning.


Thank you to netgalley, the publisher and the author for allowing me to have access to an eARC for this book in return for an honest review.

Monique is a good girl. She's a good student, a preachers daughter, and dating the golden boy of her little town. But when he breaks up with her because she's not sure if she's ready to lose her virginity, she's not sure if she wants to be the good girl anymore.

Desperate to win him back, she discovers she has a medical condition, vaginismus, that will make taking that next step much harder. Determined to fix her body, and her life - she has to question who she's really doing this for - for a boy, or for herself?
A striking YA novel about growing up and growing into yourself, this will strike a chord with everyone remembering those confusing teen years. Of course the humour was a little juvenile and cringe, and the characters did immature things - but it's about teenagers. You remember being a teenager, right?

This is a refreshing and bitingly relevant story about learning about your own body, navigating friendships and family and learning who we are.

This is such an important book for the young girls in your life - and I can definitely see Goffney going on my auto-buy list in the future.

Confessions of an Alleged Good Girl is one of those books I wish existed when I was a young teen. I’m so glad that young girls have books like this that explore sexual health in a completely nonjudgmental way while also navigating religion and the damaging effects of purity culture. This was a brilliant, fun read that warmed my heart and taught me way more than I could have anticipated!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this eARC of "Confessions of an Alleged Good Girl" by Joya Goffney.

I loved Joya's debut novel so I had high expectations for this. And it didn't disappoint! I loved this book to pieces and it felt so personal and beautifully raw. Thank you Joya for this book. It was a beauty.

3.5 ⭐️
okay i have a lot of thoughts about this book

things i enjoyed:
- the sex positivity and the exploration of vaginismus
- reggie was so cute and funny
- i looove how joya creates such heartwarming and unexpected friendships
- the romance made me disgustingly giggley

things that didn’t work for me:
- despite the topics that were explored (sex, christianity etc), this book still managed to feel a little juvenile? monique’s narration created a sort of juxtaposition between what was going on and the feel of the book. i would’ve definitely enjoyed it more if monique felt and sounded more like a 17 year old and not a pre-teen
- monique isn’t one of my fav female characters, i probably would’ve connected with this book more if she was more likeable

this book definitely felt less like a romance, and more like young women’s fiction (not in a bad way, just not what i expected)

also, thank you to netgalley for the arc!

In true Goffney style this book is easy to read, with likeable characters, and a plot with educational moments countered with humour that many will be able to relate to.

I love the way the author portrays teenage romantic relationships, whether old or new, and highlights how they can be hurtful or healing. Similarly, the discussion around women's health was interesting to see, especially in a book targeted towards a younger audience. The chemistry between Monique and Reggie is a highlight but they're both very easy to love and root for as individuals. Their development creates a nice balance of romance and self-discovery which I think serves as entertainment and comfort.

I had very little interest in the religious side of the plot, but overall this was a great read.

I've been struggling to write my review for Confessions of an Alleged Good Girl and it's not because I didn't like the book, but in fact the extreme opposite: I loved it. It's my first 5 star read of 2022. How am I meant to write about a book that I loved dearly without exposing all the spoilers? This is a book that I want people to read and discover the joy and magic of it themselves.

So, what I will say is that Goffney is a fantastic writer. After their debut, Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry, I was already sold on them and added them to my mental checklist of 'auto buy authors' and this book really hammered that point home. I'm very eager to read anything else Goffney has coming - if she wants to e-mail me an early draft of anything, my inbox is ready and waiting with eagerness LOL.

Like with Goffney's debut, I enjoyed very much the character arc / growth of the main character as they explore their identity, everything that makes them feel uncomfortable, like an outsider, like they don't fit in, like they're too much or too little, and learn to be comfortable with themselves - and to learn how to be comfortable with the 'uncomfortable'.

I enjoyed seeing Mo grow and go on a journey of dismantling her feelings of self worth and identity that was negatively impacted by factors such as religion, dealing with parental pressure expectations and learning about her medical condition. Mo doesn't feel like she can go to a medical professional about her condition which adds another layer to the story about sexual health education and how this can have a negative impact. As a consequence, we see Mo struggle to overcome with the stigma and shame she feels, how this impacts her self worth and how she views her relationships with those around her.

Another bonus part of this book for me was the friendships. I loved seeing her become friends with Sasha and Reggie, who challenged Mo in many ways. They supported her through her struggles but also by becoming friends with them, Mo had to learn to deconstruct her preconceived notions of people and the way she was stereotyping them (something she did to herself). Honestly the most precious part of the book.

Overall, I did really enjoy this book. Goffney has talent and skill as a writer, she writes sensitively and boldly, exploring all areas of a subject with grace, humour, and emotion. Thus, Confessions of an Alleged Good Girl was a heartfelt, emotional and humourous journey about learning to love yourself for who you are and not who you want to be. Goffney captures humanity - Mo and co still have a long way to go at the end of the book, but the novel set about a character arc where you can imagine them past the books end, as if they were real, and tangible, people. And that is her talent as a writer.

Thank you to Netgalley and Hot Key Books for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

I did not enjoy this book, like at all. I couldn't even finish it, but forced myself to get to the end and it was just . . . blah. I don't think I've ever read a book I didn't even enjoy a shred of.

Goffney has done it again!

I must admit, the first chapter had me feeling a bit uneasy with the way Mo was presented but reading more, I was hooked and finished it in one day!

The story is so important for girls that are reaching this stage in their life when it comes to sex, relationships and knowing their own bodies. I appreciate Goffney so much for writing this story that will go on to impact girls around the world who may not know what's happening to them if they're going through the same thing.

REGGIE! My heart loves him. I liked him from the very first scene and he is such a well written character. Every girl and woman deserves a Reggie! Such a sweetheart.

And Goffney, championing female friendships with Sasha and Mo. Yes. Please.

This was such a feel good story tackling a not-well known medical condition and I eagerly await for what Goffney will write next!

Thank you to netgalley, the publisher and the author for allowing me to have access to an eARC for this book in return for an honest review.

This was a funny story that talks about life and all its problems and interactions I loved how relatable the scenarios are and how she explains why she dealt with them that way. Overall this was great and I will read more from her going forward.

I am really glad I got to read an arc of this book, as it was incredibly well written, educational and enjoyable. This book is definitely one that I recommend all young adults to read. Mostly, I loved how easy going the book was. I really appreciated the casualness of the female characters discussing their bodies and taking ownership of a subject that is usually considered shameful, and for using the anatomical terms as opposed to a random object or noise which a lot of authors do.

There was an unexpected friendship group, that I warmed to immediately as their chemistry was really obvious and they bounced off of each other and made situations instantly more comfortable. Sasha and Reggie both had personalities that Monique wasn't expecting as she had pre judged them, because she was told to by her boyfriend and mother, who for a large part of the book, have a lot of influence over her. They were both a lot of fun, and brought Monique out of her shell, but also empathised with her struggles which Monique had never really experienced before. For me, the scenes where they were together and just having fun were my favourite and most memorable parts of the book.

The only problem with having an arc for this book, is that I have to wait even longer for a new book by the author. In the meantime, I am going to pre-order this book immediately and convince the library to also pre-order this book.

After quite a slow start to the year in terms of reading, this book was a breathe of fresh air. I speed through it in under a day and was absolutely obsessed. I didn't think it would be possible for me to like this one as much as Joya Goffney's debut (which I LOVED) but I think I actually have a new favourite. It was full of heart, hope and love and I hope everyone picks it up this year!