Member Reviews
I really enjoyed Joya Goffneys first two books, but unfortunately this one did not have the same effect. I think from the description I expected something very different and just generally overall it was a typical YA and nothing special about it. I just didn't find myself caring for the characters or their story.
When reading the first look, I thought it is quite topical as I’m now a mother. I can see the tug of war of a child and a young adult within this person. The dynamic between the characters are quite well written. I can relate to the situation as a daughter, as a friend and as a mother.
It does evoke emotions, ah to be young and dream again, with the whole world as your oyster; to be the person that tries not to perpetuate the cycle of intergenerational trauma.
The fleeting plots made it quite difficult to follow at times. When it is time to wrap it up, I feel it lacked something, however I wonder if that’s because I’m an older reader perhaps not quite their target audience.
Either way, it is a good book and relatable, target audience is young adult, or teenagers soon to embark into their next stage of life - college, etc. Thank you for letting me win this book!
Thank you for my eARC of this book. I love YA books like this and enjoyed the writing style, plot and characters.
A well written, drama-fuelled friends to lovers/first love romance - it has a more in depth plot than many in the same genre, which is really nice to see, and the characters were interesting. It touches on some really interesting themes and is definitely a great example of this type of fiction.
I loved Joya Goffney's other books so much, and I was thrilled to get the chance to read and review this for Netgalley. Sadly, this story didn't do it for me in the same way as Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry and Confessions of an Alleged Good Girl. I do love her writing style, so it wasn't a "bad" book per say, but the plot wasn't for me.
If you like book that tackle very real issues with sensitivity but also reek havoc on your emotions then you must push My Week with Him up to the top of your to read list. As it combines all that with a wonderfully original plot.
there were very much two elements to this book, that together created a powerful YA story.
firstly, the romance was adorable, i loved its development! it very much felt realistic to the age of the characters.
secondly, the message of generational trauma was done incredibly well. nikki felt like she was forced to escape her family home, and had a very troubled relationship with her mother. i really liked how there wasn’t a sudden reconcile, but the pair recognised their mistakes and were committed to working on their relationship.
there were also wonderfully written friendships and sibling relationships.
“I’m not asking for forever. Just tonight.”
𝗖𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿
I love how all Joya Goffneys books have the same type of cover. they look so good together, i love the colour and the artwork. now that ive read the book, the cover really does represent it well!
𝗧𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲𝘀
friends to lovers
growing up
music
family
romance
𝗧𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀
i love this author, ive read all her books but i will say this was not my favourite. dont get me wrong, i still loved it, but i feel it had a lot of gaps and room for improvement. I loved the concept but not so much the delivery, although I am a sucker for Mal.
𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀
i absolutely loved Mal. it was Nikki that i wasnt sure about. i liked her but i didnt get her. i couldnt understand why she made the decisions she did, some of them were pretty stupid. i also felt like the friends could have had a bigger part in the story?
𝗪𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴
classic Joya Goffney style. which i do love! its funny, its interesting for me to read as a non black woman, because i always learn something or another about their culture!
𝗔𝗻𝘆𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗜 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲𝗱?
The pacing was off and it jumped around quite a bit. it confused me quite a bit.
𝗙𝗮𝘃𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗤𝘂𝗼𝘁𝗲
"Nikki . . . Just do what you have to do and get out"
Loved the cover of the book cover which was full of figures and colours, which was totally mesmerizing, which is what attracted me initially.
The two main characters story was well written and easy to read, it starts with Nikki wanting to go to an audition, but before she goes she has some challenges to overcome as her home life is total chaos , her best friend Mal has always been there for her throughout the tough times. Mal's attempts to convince her not to leave is derailed by the disappearance of her sister Vai, Loved the connections between the characters.
It was a fun and interesting read, but will say it would be popular with a younger audience. The story between Nikki and her mother was also a great and powerful read.
I really enjoyed this. It was an easy read and the story line kept me up turning pages into the morning. Would definitely recommend to all I know.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.
I think this book deals with some important and serious topics, and definitely belongs on the YA shelf in a school or library. But it left me a bit cold, perhaps because of the cliched nature of Nikki and Mal's 'will-they-won't-they' dynamic, and the fact that it felt quite repetitive at times. However, the fact that it deals with emotionally abusive family relationships is good, as I thought the resolution was well done.
Unfortunately I decided not to finish this one because the start was so slow and I was bored. I didn't find that I was interested in how the story would play out.
Nikki is a talented young singer with a chance to succeed in California. Her relationship with her mother is terrible and she has nothing left to keep her in Texas when her good friend and longtime lover, Malachai, has a new girlfriend.
However, a bad goodbye as she prepares to leave means that Mal convinces her to give her a week to change her mind and let her stay with friends and family.
It's a pretty entertaining, well-paced book that kept me entertained for a few days while enjoying some sunshine. I love how healthy Goffney's male love preferences are. Although I thought at one point that the plot would leave Nikki with a choice between love and career, I was happy to see that as we continued reading the book, Malachai was more supportive of her. It's nice to see cute guys who know how to treat the women in their life.
I also really liked the
4.5 stars
Joya Goffney never misses!!
This took me on a rollercoaster of emotions; from squealing at the adorable-ness of the friends-to-lovers romance (Nikki + Mal forever), to the pain of reading about the family relationships, particularly Nikki's relationship with her mother. This book takes you through some incredibly complex and difficult family dynamics, particularly neglectful parenting, which is painful to read but I imagine something that will help a lot of people who can read this and feel seen. While there is forgiveness and understanding to be had within this book, I loved how it accepted that these people were not going to magically change overnight - it felt so real.
I do wish that the ending had been a bit more fleshed out - I was expecting there to be a few more pages at the end where we would get to see what the book has been leading up to the whole time, and what decision Nikki ended up making as that was basically the whole plot of the book, and it feels unresolved. However, I still loved this book and I love this author, I will read anything Joya Goffney writes at this point - she's brilliant!
While I didn't enjoy this as much as Confessions of an Alleged Good Girl, it definitely had the cute romance plot with series issues behind it that I found good about the first book. The masterful way that Goffney weaves the seriousness of the abuse scenes in between the sweet romance just has me in awe.
I love how wholesome Goffney's male love interests are. Although I thought for a while that the plot would be Nikki choosing between love and her career, I was glad to see that as we got further into the book, Malachai got more supportive of her. It's really nice to see these cute boys who know how to treat the women in their lives.
I really liked the ending of this book too. It was really uplifting. Can't wait for the next Joya Goffney book!
A really great, fun and intriguing read. I loved the characters and the story. Will look out for more from this author.
Joya Goffney is fast becoming one of my FAVOURITE authors - and My Week With Him has really solidified this opinion. She writes teen romance fantastically - you can literally feel the heat of their chemistry sizzling off the pages!! I truly adore the depth of the relationships she explores, and the complexity of the parental connections...I would recommend this to absolutely anyone!
Nikki is a talented young singer who has a chance of making it big in California. Her relationship with her Mother is awful and she has nothing to keep her in Texas now that her good friend, and long term crush - Malachai, has a new girlfriend.
However a bad goodbye, just as she is all set to leave, means Mal convinces her to give him a week to change her mind and get her to stay with her friends and her family.
This was a fairly enjoyable medium paced read that kept me entertained for a couple of days while enjoying some sunshine.
I'm not the target audience for a book like this and unfortunately I found some things predictable while others I found a little unbelievable. Overall it was a good read but I was disappointed that the Mother's behaviour was explained away poorly and that Nikki's sister had a more believable relationship with Mal than Nikki did.
I imagine this book may be exciting for much younger readers but despite how much I love YA books this just didn't do it for me. despite it not being my usual type of read. It was a nice change of pace
I won't share my complete review until the book is published. My oh god Joya Goffney has done it again yall.
At this point if Joya wrote a book about paint drying on a wall I would read idc.
I love her writing that much!
My Week with Him is the perfect mix of drama, complex family relationships and young
Nikki's always had a difficult relationship with her mum.
So when she finds herself homeless at the start of spring break, she decides to rage-quit Texas and give California a shot, to pursue her dream music career.
Until her best friend and long-time crush, Malachai, discovers her plan, and convinces her to spend spring break with him, so he can show her all the reasons she should stay in Texas. But when Nikki's little sister goes missing their plans are interrupted, and Nikki is forced to face her feelings about both her mum and Mal. Can Nikki find the love she's always been missing? And will it be enough to convince her to stay in Texas?
love all in one. Goffney really makes you feel the highs and lows of her characters' so effortlessly. If you've loved
Goffney's previous works then this book is a must.
This book was adorable. It was so cute and light and just great.
It’s about Nikki who aspires to be a big time singer and is invited for an audition to be part of a girl group in cali by this big time guy. But her best friend Mal doesn’t give the reaction she wants to her big news and they fall out. Then he starts dating this girl. They don’t talk for a while then she comes to tell him she is going. But he convinces her to stay a week. A week for him to convince her to come back after her audition.
It has a lot of family drama too. And tbh I usually hate it but I didn’t mind. And the being the big sister and having to deal with difficult parents. Relatable.
I loved their little road trip and I’m so sad it got cut short. All their interactions were so cute. And I wish there was more of them and less family drama. Which makes me wanna give the book a 3.5. But since it was easy to read and so sweet and good it can have a 4.
Mal was so cute. Such a good friend. In love with his bestie lol. All he wanted was to be good by her and that was ADORBALE. He would literally do anything for her. Love it.
And Nikki. She has had a shit time. Her mother is not the best and she can’t be herself with her coz she would kick her out. So she has to hide it all. Her singing. Her clothes. Anything. But she has Mal and his family who make her feel great. Who show her how families are supposed to work. Whenever something happens she knows she can go to them.
I loved her wanted to go ahead with her dream no matter what. She believed in herself. And so did her friends and Mal.
Oh and their little truth or dare game. Loved it. There was basically no bs in this book. They are mostly so honest towards each other and that’s refreshing.
Overall great read. I ain’t feeling the best and this book helped me think of something else.