The Secret Lives of Church Ladies has been getting a lot of love on BG lately, and from the first time I saw it on @never_withouta_book’s feed last year, I knew I needed it. As usual, the UK is lagging behind the US with publishing, so I had to wait a while to find an affordable copy, but it was so worth the wait! It was after Philyaw was on @thestackspod in January that I checked again and there it was 🙌

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There is genuinely not a dud short story in this collection. I literally shouted ‘NO’ when I turned the last page - I thought the pages at the end were another story and I wasn’t ready for them to be over. All of these stories feel so intimate, we truly are blessed with a sneak peek into the secret lives of these women, and Philyaw manages to make every single character feel real within a few pages. Within this slim volume you’ll find stories that feel raw and unapologetic, addressing themes like sexuality, faith, colourism, illness and family.

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If you made me play favourites, I’d choose Peach Cobbler, How to Make Love to a Physicist, Snowfall and Jael. But every one of these nine stories shines.

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If you love short stories, read this collection. If you’re not a fan of short stories, read this collection anyway and you’ll see why you should be!