My Week with Him

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Whether it’s a physical journey, a relationship or a personal goal, the way the author constantly moves toward and then away from better positions keeps you hooked. Goffney has such a grasp on the teenage psyche that’s so fun to read while having really clear character development and lessons that I’m envious of the target audience for being able to these books young. When her best friend, Malachai, discovers her plan, he begs her to spend the remainder of spring break with him, so he can show her all the reasons she should stay in Texas. The story works towards Nikki leaving for California to audition for a girl group, and her talent for music is very present in the book, but it's never the main focus. The story is interesting and i know young people will relate to parts of the story and the interactions between characters.

I would have loved to see how everything went up to her signing her contract and if she would have stayed in CA or went back to Texas. while i am more familiar with east texas, i could still picture some of the setting since i’ve visited west texas, so i enjoyed this aspect.

When her best friend, Malachai, discovers her plan to flee Texas, he begs her to spend the remainder of spring break with him. I love how soft Mal was- he made a stupid choice at the start but he was allowed to grow and come back from that and I didn't feel the defensive need to hold that against him (I tend to be unforgiving when it comes to love interests making mistakes oops). Will Nikki find a reason to stay in Texas, or will this spring break be the last time she sees them? The one thing I struggled with a little was the pacing - I thought I knew where it was going when they started the road trip but that quickly got complicated. After a painful betrayal by her sister and a heated argument with their mother, Nikki is kicked out and finds herself homeless.

Overall, the book is a solid read that explores the impact of neglectful parenting on a person's life.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. Nikki’s mom was super strict and the fact that she changed the locks on her and cut her phone service off is wild! I like how we got to explore all aspects of Nikki’s emotions, from the hate she has for her mother (rightfully so), the love, the anger. Joya Goffney somehow always manages to mix just the right amount of drama, difficult family relationships and young love and I just eat it up every time. I that found certain subjects a little bit difficult to read, only because it is extremely well written leading it to tug well into my heart.

In high school, she challenged herself with to-do lists full of risk-taking items like 'hug a random boy' and 'eat a cricket,' which inspired her debut novel, Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry. but it's so so smart because in doing that, the reader is living a little of what Nikki is- if its exhausting reading about her life, imagine how it is for her to live it.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a free eARC in exchange for an honest review! Overall, an exquisitely emotional and important read that contemporary YA lovers and Joya Goffney fans simply don’t want to miss—it’s definitely her best novel yet! Which is such a kudos to the author's skill - that she's able to let her characters make mistakes without making them horrible people- absolutely love to see it.