Church Girl. Naima Simone. 2024. Afterglow Books. 264 pages. [Source: ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.]
Admittedly, the cover of Church Girl drew me in, and the story held my interest. Aaliyah is a runaway bride who left her small Alabama hometown to get out from under the thumb of her bishop father. She convinces her cousin to take her back to Chicago, where she’s planning to reinvent herself without the overbearing pressure she’s always subject to. Von, however, is basically Aaliyah’s polar opposite. He’s a well-known tattoo artist with a booming business, but is in the midst of a contentious divorce battle with the mother of his young daughter. Their paths cross when Aaliyah interviews to be nanny to Von’s daughter, and they’re at odds almost from the start.
Unsurprisingly, Aaliyah grew up very sheltered and has toed the line of expectation her entire life. She’s never been independent and Von immediately picks on her naivete and inexperience. She doesn’t exactly inspire confidence as a nanny, but when Von is forced to give her a chance, they’re both struggling with the antagonistic interactions. They very much fit into the grumpy/sunshine trope, and give off dom/sub vibes, too. Their sexual tension is near immediate, despite the issues they have in working together.
Much of Church Girl is really a story about Aaliyah finding herself without outside influence. Her choice to go from a small town to big city life forces her to figure things out quick, and she dives in feet first. Despite this growth, though, it’s harder to believe that she’d jilt a fiance and run away from home, yet be unable to actually stand up against her family. For his part, Von is jaded by the demise of his marriage, frustrated by ongoing coparenting issues, and the trauma he holds on to that is readily seen in how he interacts with Aaliyah. He’s largely a one-dimensional character throughout the book, even when he allows himself to be minimally vulnerable. Much of his growth feels internal and not something other characters benefit from consistently.
For a book of sustantial length, I didn’t feel that Aaliyah and Von had the character development expected in a book of this length. I also didn’t appreciate is how the book handled the sensitive topic of near-abuse Aaliyah experienced as a child. It felt very glossed over, given the seriousness of what occurred and its impact on her over time. The resolution of the book unfortunately felt rushed and unrealistic in how it played out. It felt very neatly wrapped up for a sitaution that was anything but.
Despite wanting more depth for the main characters and more careful handling of sensitive topics, I enjoyed Church Girl overall. It’s high drama, high tension, and an easy read to get absorbed in. This was my first book by Naima Simone, and I’ll likely check out more in her catalog on the strength of this.
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