Joya Goffney Books

"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 not-so-good 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"--Publisher's description

A passionate, hilarious and heartfelt YA romcom debut full of juicy secrets and leap-off-the-page chemistry about how we choose to live our lives and what it means to live your truth. For fans of To All the Boys I've Loved Before and The Sun is Also a Star.

"Acute portrait of agency, hope, and intergenerational trauma by Goffney." —Publishers Weekly"Add this title to collections where romance is in high demand." —School Library JournalA Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection pick!From Joya Goffney of Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry comes a stirring YA coming-of-age, best-friends-to-lovers romance about a girl named Nikki who plans to run away from small-town Texas but ultimately finds that her oldest friend, Mal, just might be the one who’s been there for her all along. Filled with heart and humor, this novel captures complex family drama, friendship, and love. For fans of I Wanna Be Where You Are by Kristina Forest and Counting Down with You by Tashie Bhuiyan.Nikki can’t wait to leave Texas and follow her dreams of a music career . . . After a painful betrayal by her sister and a heated argument with their mother, Nikki is kicked out and finds herself homeless. She decides to go to California to pursue her singing career. When her best friend, Malachai, discovers her plan to flee Texas, he begs her to spend the remainder of spring break with him. He believes that over the course of a week, he can convince her to stay in Texas, or to at least graduate high school. But their plans are interrupted when Nikki’s little sister, Vae, goes missing.Nikki is forced to work alongside her difficult mother as they set off in search of Vae, with Malachai’s support. Will Nikki find a reason to stay in Texas, or will this spring break be the last time she sees them? Through her emotional journey, Nikki ultimately finds the love she’s always been missing and discovers the power of her own voice.

Stell dir vor, du vertauschst dein Notizbuch mit dem deines heimlichen Schwarms und plötzlich wirst du erpresst ... Ihrem Notizbuch vertraut Quinn (schwarz und ziemlich wohlhabend) alles an, von ihren geheimsten Gedanken über ihre unangenehmsten To-dos bis zu den peinlichsten Lügen. Als sie das Notizbuch eines Tages aus Versehen mit dem ihres Klassenkameraden Carter (ebenfalls schwarz, alles andere als wohlhabend und unfassbar attraktiv) vertauscht, kann dieser es beim vereinbarten Rückgabetreffen nicht mehr finden. Und dann bekommt Quinn plötzlich eine anonyme Nachricht: Wenn sie nicht will, dass ihre Geheimnisse öffentlich werden, muss sie ihre ultimative To-do-Liste abarbeiten. Unerwartet erklärt Carter sich bereit, ihr dabei zu helfen – und scheint es tatsächlich ernst zu meinen. Eine Haters-to-Lovers-Geschichte über brisante Geheimnisse und den Mut, zu sich selbst zu stehen Mitreißender Roman einer Own-Voice-Autorin, verankert im noch immer von Rassismus geprägten Alltag schwarzer Jugendlicher