"That boy looks at you like you put the sun in the sky.”

For all the girls who grew up in a toxic environment with a toxic parent.

Shaniqua "Nikki" Williams, has grown up living in fear of her mother. Having never been told that she is loved, never held, and never told goodnight, she believes her mother hates her. Nikki believes shes found a way out of her toxic home, when she is contacted by an A&R looking for a lead vocalist for a hot new girl group. However, after being ratted out by her younger sister, Nikki misses her opportunity to audition, and ends up being homeless too. Nikki is determined to make it to the next round of auditions in a weeks time,  but the possibility of love is also on the horizon. Will Nikki fulfil her musical dreams?

I heard through the grapevine that Joya was quite nervous for how "My Week With Him" would be received. I totally understand why, it's a lot grittier than her previous work - a lot more swearing etc, but I found that it made it more believable. Having lived through a difficult mother/daughter relationship throughout my teens, I found "My Week With Him" so relatable & realistic. Nikki was forever in a state of limbo with her mother, never knowing where she stood with her.

The romance factor did not disappoint, Nikki's love interest, Malachi, was giving all the feels. He was just 🥰. In the beginning I definitely was not sure on him, but as time progressed he showed himself as a stand up guy, one who could be relied upon at any time.

Goffney excels in creating a protagonist that we gravitate towards. Nikki comes from a one parent family, who receives government support, "food stamps" etc, she never has the latest clothes/shoes, even though she lacks these "assets", she is a girl who is adored by her friends.

"My Week With Him" tackles issues such as poverty, toxic parent relationships, social care etc, but I am 1000% sure that fans of Goffney's previous work will be enamoured by "My Week With Him". I even shed a few tears towards the end.

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Thank you to @netgalley & @bonnierbooks_uk for my early copy.

Release date 11th July 2023

I absolutely loved this book. I am a fan of the authors previous works and was not disappointed with My Week With Him. In fact, I think it's become my new favourite. I loved how the romance between Nikki and Mal wasn't just the sole focus in the story as we had a focus on friends, trauma and family, as well as pursuing your dreams. I wish Joya Goffney was writing books when I was younger as she creates stories that are relevant and I believe they will help so many people with situations in their own lives. The only thing I did want from this book was an Epilogue to see exactly what happened in Nikki's future, we get a slight idea from the message she receives after her audition but I just wanted to know a little more, despite this I still rate it a five star read! Thank you for giving me the opportunity to read this! My review can also be found on Instagram: @thebraidedbibliophile