Confessions of An Alleged Good Girl

Name: Confessions of An Alleged Good Girl
Author: Joya Goffney

Joya Goffney · 2024

Literary fiction

Banned in 1 country

About this book

The hotly anticipated second book from Joya Goffney, author of the 2021 YA romcom Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry. Monique lives a perfect life - a preacher's daughter and the girlfriend of the town's golden boy. But it's not that simple. She's torn between her parents who want the pure virginal daughter, and her boyfriend, Dom, who wants to explore the more intimate side of their relationship. Tired of waiting, her boyfriend breaks up with her, spurring Monique to discover she has a medical condition that makes her far from perfect and she concocts a plan to fix her body and win him back. With the help of her frenemy, Sasha, the overly zealous church girl Monique's mum pushes her to hang out with, and Reggie, the town's bad boy, Monique must go on trips to unknown and uncomfortable places to find the treatment that will help her. But in doing so, she must face some home truths: maybe she shouldn't be fixing her body to please a boy, maybe Sasha is the friend she needed all along and maybe Reggie isn't so bad at all. This is a powerful story about the journey towards loving yourself, told with heart, humour and a delicious love triangle. Contains explicit references to sex and sexual health.

Why it was banned

In 2024, "Confessions of An Alleged Good Girl" by Joya Goffney was banned at the school level in the United States due to its sexual content and perceived immorality. The decision reflects ongoing debates over the appropriateness of young adult literature in educational settings.

Censorship history

In 2024, "Confessions of An Alleged Good Girl" by Joya Goffney was banned at the school level in various districts across the United States, primarily due to concerns over its themes related to sexuality and teenage relationships. Specific instances of challenges arose during school board meetings where parents expressed discomfort with the book's content, leading to formal complaints that prompted reviews by local education authorities. As a result, the book faced restrictions in several school libraries, reflecting ongoing debates about age-appropriate literature in educational settings.