This book was fantastic and is probably my favorite YA that I have read all year! There were so many fantastic things about this book. I loved the discussion on sexual health for teens and the traumatic effect shame can have on them. Monique was very relatable and so many readers will see themselves in her story.

I really liked how this book discussed some of the harsh expectations that can be associated with religion without denoucning it. Even though I am not religious myself I appreciated the way this book was able to walk the line in between both.

I loved the characters and how they grew throughout the story. I loved the evolution of Monqiue’s mom that we got throughout the book! I loved how Monique and Sasha’s friendship developed and how Reggie and Monique's relationship changed. The way he treated her with such respect and patience was amazing. It is such a good reminder to find someone who will love you for who you are and not someone who will pressure you into things you are uncomfortable with and who only wants your body.

I loved how sex postivie this book was. This is such a great YA book and I will be highly recommending it to everyone.

This was a surpising book. I went into it not knowing much (just enjoyed the author's previous work) and I had no idea what topics would be addressed in a YA book. I think this is very relevant for older teens and promotes a positive message that many teens would relate to in regards to sexual issues, if they are ready, religion etc etc. The friend group was amazing and I loved the little twist over the first impression we have of one character. Excellent book and well thought out.

Hands down one of the best YA contemporary novels I've read this year! Monique is a preacher's daughter who has been taught that sex is "dirty" and "wrong." But the truth is that she's been trying unsuccessfully to have sex with her boyfriend for months; when he breaks up with her, she finally begins to research her sexual health condition. With the help of some unlikely allies (the obnoxious know-it-all Church Girl and the new bad boy in town), Monique sets out on a quest to take charge of her own body and sexual health.

I loved that this book delved into sexual health for teens, and talked about the traumatic effects that shame can have on teens. Monique was such a relatable character, and I think so many teen readers are going to see themselves in her story. This book didn't shy away from the nitty gritty, and I especially appreciated the way this book tackles shame, stigma, and misogyny. Truly such an important sex-positive read that I couldn't put down!

Check this out if you enjoy books by Camryn Garrett, Brandy Colbert, or Kristina Forest.

This story is about a teen girl who goes from trying to make everyone around her happy and please everyone to figuring out what she wants for herself and her life. It truly reflects the dilemma a teenage girl can face and the criticism of people around her and conflicting images and ideals of what a “perfect” woman should be. Well written and relatable.

thank you so much harperteen for this arc


5 stars 💗

I can’t express enough how much I absolutely adored the story. The story felt so close to me, so close to my heart I absolutely devoured it. And the relationship between Monique and her parents is one that’s pretty similar to mine so I related to her in that sense. As well as her medical diagnosis, I struggle with that as well and it was just really really nice to be seen especially in a black YA romance book. I feel it like this book is equally romance as well as it is coming of age. The story of Monique coming into herself, and realizing some situation that she was in was a little more toxic than she had initially noticed it was something that was very enjoyable for me to read. I absolutely love Reggie, he’s actually one of my favorite book boyfriends that I have read in a while. He was just so pure so full of life so excepting and go with the flow and I absolutely adored that! All in all I really really loved the story, and I would recommend it to anyone with a pulse!

I was eager to read Goffney's latest after loving her YA debut, last year's Summer Reading Guide pick Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry. Goffney's plot is perfectly constructed to engineer plenty of story-driving conflict: Monique is a Black preacher's daughter in a small Texas town, who desperately wants to have sex with her boyfriend (something her parents can NEVER find out about) but is physically unable to do so because of a medical condition she comes to learn is called vaginismus. After she gets her diagnosis, Monique resolves to "fix" her body so she can win back the boyfriend who dumped her because of her condition. She gets help from two unlikely sources: the seeming goody-goody girl who is a lot cooler than Monique ever guessed, and the bad boy her father is trying to rehabilitate. Along the way she learns surprising things about herself, her world, and the secrets her family's been keeping. In the author's note at the front of the book, Goffney explains that she wrote this book to bring awareness to vaginismus, and to inspire readers to reclaim their sexual identity without shame or fear. This sex-positive teen story is incredibly different from the stories I was raised with, so much so it made my head spin! This book will be exactly right for some readers (including me); I can see how it would be an excellent conversation starter should I pass it on to my own older teens. (I'm still debating.)

Seventeen year old Monique is a good girl. She goes to church, follows what her parents tell her, and doesn't get into trouble. As the daughter of a priest she is expected to wait until marriage to have sex, so when she discovers she physically can't have sex she feels alone. That is, until she strikes up a friendship with another churchgoer that has some secrets and the boy her parents despise.

I was a little nervous picking this book up. I am extremely unreligious so I didn't think I would enjoy this at all. It COMPLETELY surpassed all expectations, I loved this book so much! There were so many good lessons being taught here, and even the religious aspects of the book didn't feel weird at all to me. Even though I wasn't the target audience of this book, I felt connected to all the characters and found myself rooting for them the entire time.

One thing I liked a lot about this book is that it didn't denounce religion in any way, but rather some of the harsh expectations that come along with it. I bet there are many girls in Monique's exact position that will be comforted by her story. It is such an important story as well.

The characters' growth throughout the story is what ultimately sold it for me. You could see every single character (except Dom, f*ck Dom) grow in their own way, and it was absolutely lovely to see.

THE WAY REGGIE TREATS MONIQUE!! I love them together so much. From the moment they started being friends, to the very end. They are perfect for one another. Find someone who will love you for who you are and not someone who only wants your body. That's the best lesson in this entire book.

I would absolutely recommend this book to so many people. I feel like this is just a beautiful book through and through, and people need to see this story play out for themselves.

4.5 stars.

I really enjoyed this sex positive book. The struggles she had with her body are not discussed about--I had never heard of the condition until I was in my mid-20s. For many, this is too late. Purity culture is rampant in many faith communities and many readers will identify with Monique. The toxic relationship that Monique and her sister had with their parents, as well as the unhealthy relationship that Monique's father had with Dom is infuriating, but also sadly a reality for many teens.

"Confessions of an Alleged Good Girl" sheds light on a topic many people deign from mentioning. It's a refreshing exploration of romantic identity and self-love.

This YA book was a home run. I wish I had this book growing up because I would have learned sex isn’t something to be shameful of. This author does an excellent job writing a story that almost every female can relate to.

This book did not do it for me. I read halfway through and got bored with it. It was too long and wordy. The situation although real was so unrealistic. The book had too many characters and it was the same situation over and over. The main character just got on my nerves. I found myself reading this book and then stopping going to another book and then coming back to this book. This book did not do it for me.

This is a really great book, and it's going to be such an awesome resource for the kids who read it. I love that the author references specific content that exists out in the real world (Zane's books, Issa Ray's TV projects, etc) that a kid in Monique's situation can find and use. There's so much information in this book, but it isn't preachy or boring; it's a compelling story with interesting characters.

I will say that I'm getting to a saturation point with kids/YA content that ends with adults saying precisely the right thing or having a 180-degree shift toward empathetic or "modern" caregiving styles. It's great wish fulfillment, and I think it's important to model that kind of conversation for audiences, but I wonder what it says to kids who will never receive that kind of care.

Arc provided by netgalley
I fell in love with joya fresh and delightful writing style reading excuse me while i ugly cry that i also received as an e-arc!
Her new novel didn't disappoint! Even though it's still a young adult novel, i found it more mature with more intimate issues, such as discover their bodies, religion, sex and vaginismus. im really happy that joya wrote about it, I think this topic should be more discussed, especially for young girl questioning themselves!

Compulsively readable and very entertaining as well as having an important message about the importance of decreasing shame and being able to discuss health matters. And there's a cute love story, so what more could you want?

Monique’s journey leads to new and true friendships while she navigates family drama and broken relationships. Her boyfriend is pushing her down a path, her parents seem to have forgotten what life can be like at seventeen and the connection to her sister feels broken.
Each step means making choices and figuring out who Monique wants to be. Enjoying Monique’s journey is easy because we can see some parts of ourselves as she navigates her story.

This book was so cute and one of my fave YA Books now. I liked that it touched on the stigma around sex—especially from a church teen/Preacher’s Kid perspective—and informed the reader about Vaginismus. I also enjoyed the adventures Monique had with her newfound friends as well as the self love and acceptance she found.

I didn’t want this one to end! Thank you for this digital ARC!

4.5/5 ⭐️

This might be my favorite YA novel of all time. Seriously, where were sex-positive books like this when I was a teenager?

Although I can’t relate to being a preacher’s daughter or her condition, I think every young person (and specifically women) can relate to Monique’s struggles with her sex life and the shame she feels, as well as the desire to please her (*cough cough* asshole) boyfriend.

I absolutely loved this book - I think it tackles the questions that a lot of young people that grow up in religious households face. And it did a really good job of showing how your perception of your parents can change so easily when push comes to shove!

Sasha was an amazing side character (can we get a book about her going to Stanford pls?!), and Reggie was the CUTEST!

I highly recommend this book - so glad I stumbled upon it on NetGalley!

This book was messy in the most delightful way. The characters are so real and imperfect and such a great representation of teenagers that it’s crazy. I love sweet YA romances as much as the next gal, but this was a real treasure. I wanted to be in this group of friends so bad it’s not funny. Monique is who I want to be when I grow up (said as a 26 year old). Reggie’s was such a sweetheart and an angel. I was always a good girl growing up and this is something I would’ve loved to read when I was younger even more than I enjoyed it now.

I'm really struggling to rate this between 3 or 4 stars. I think that this novel definitely accomplished the message that it sought out to tell, but I do feel like things came together too well in the end. To have everything work out perfectly for Monique feels unrealistic to me. I also just personally struggle with some of the narratives, and while I understand their purpose, I don't necessarily agree.

Perhaps I'm getting too old for YA?

As always, thanks to HarperTeen and NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book felt extremely niche. I'm hoping that it will serve as a story that can give the kids who need this story a mirror of themselves, but it also will give even more readers a peek inside the lives of these characters.