The Good Girl's Guide to Great Sex: (And You Thought Bad Girls Have All the Fun)

I read this book out loud to my husband. He liked that I was willing to share it with him. I appreciated Mrs. Gregoire's approach and all the information she shared. She is funny when appropriate and serious when she absolutely must be. We have been married for 42 years, and she told me one or two things that have helped us come to an understanding of our life together, a thing or two I absolutely did not know, and one thing that eased pressure off me. I had found the Scriptures to be helpful all these years, and her book is a marvelous addition to my knowledge base. Thank you for information and laughter.

I decided to read the ARC of The Good Girls Guide to Great Sex to see if it would be a good reference for when my husband, an Episcopal Priest, and I to use for part of our premarital counseling. Most of the book, I would say, is very useful. The section describing what sex is in detail for women or men who were virgins when they were marrying was really good. It answered a lot of questions that one might have, in a spiritual way, as well as a physical way. I enjoyed reading about how men feel about sex and how women feel about sex, without the whole guilt trip that we (women) must just do it no matter what, that sex is not important to us at all. There was a definite emphasis on the importance of sex in a marriage- this is the biggest part- sex is to be between a married man and woman- no exceptions. If you have had premarital sex, it is not the end of the world, but if you are not married, you should stop until after you are married, even if it is only a few months away. There was also a definite emphasis on sex being between you two- no porn. The author states that neither of you should be imagining other people while having sex with each other, that will hurt a marriage in the long run. She also states that masturbation and the use of sex toys will hurt a marriage, with, I think, one exception talked about in the book. The author talks about how much porn can hurt a marriage and that there are many men and women who use porn, often without the spouse’s knowledge. There was an entire chapter on it, and it was a frequent topic throughout the entire second half of the book, coming up at random point from where it was first mentioned through the very last chapter. The only part of the book that weirded both my husband and I out a bit, was the section entitled A Pure, Holy, and Hot Marriage. It talked about bringing God into your marriage bed. Now don’t get me wrong, we have a very loving God filled marriage, but the thought of praying before we have sex, like not bedtimes prayers and then you kinda have sex- no, intentional prayers to God before you have sex, or reading scripture before or after sex to bring God into your marriage bed. I asked my husband how he felt about that and he thought it was a bit weird too. Now some of this had to do with healing as a couple from different things, like abuse, or porn addiction, and asking God to help you both regain, or gain a healthy sex life. That part I understand, but for couples that don’t have those problems, it did seem kind of strange. Overall, I would use this book as a reference for couples getting married, to read BEFORE they get married, it will make you think, but will also help you, whether you are a virgin, or not. There are parts in here to help those that might feel guilt over not being virginal on their marriage night, and how to work through that. This book is conservative, it does not promote same sex relations- period! This book does not promote sex before marriage; it actually gives positive research data to emphasize staying a virgin until you are married. It is also a good read for those of us married for some time on how to keep your sexual life spicy and fun, in a clean, non perverted way. It also has what the author calls “A Good Girl Speaks,” where different women interviewed give a bit of advice or life experience and how long they are married. My favorite sections were the “Good Girl Dares,” where the author gives some little dares for women to give themselves to spice up their sex life with their husband. Some were better than others, none are super dirty either. The section on why sex should be saved until you are married is a section I would allow my daughter to read, it might give her more of a shove in the right direction than my husband or I telling her that she shouldn’t, for a variety of reasons. This was a good book with some pretty great advice. I did not get paid to write this review, I do so in order for you to have a better idea about what this book is like, from a readers standpoint and in this case, a Priest’s Wife’s standpoint.

She taked the fear out of yhr bedroom for good girls

Unlike the other reviewers, I am engaged and not yet married. Nonetheless, this book does a great job of bringing to light what God intended for sex to mean to Christians and within their marriages. As someone about to embark on marriage, I would highly recommend this book to other engaged Christian women (regardless of if they are waiting until marriage). I think it's safe to say that many Christian women (such as myself) have varying stigmas about sex and what it is supposed to mean within a relationship or marriage. Prior to this book, I personally was carrying a lot of guilt and uncertainty towards the act and sought out a book like this to help shine a new light on the mental/spiritual/emotional bits of sex that I have struggled to see. This book is wonderful for newly weds and also has some great advice for soon-to-be married virgins anxiously awaiting their wedding night. However I will add that if you are looking for a specific "how to" sort of sex book, I probably wouldn't recommend this one. This really focuses on the connection between partners, how that is what God intended sex to be between a man and a woman (this book is in no way applicable to homosexual couples), and how to heighten the connection in your marriage. It is this message, perspective and reasoning that I think a lot of Christian women will be able to identify with.

I wish someone had given me a book like this before my wedding night. It would have made things a lot easier. I may not have developed all the problems, mindsets and misconceptions that have carried into my second marriage. I have been married 23 years to a wonderful man and I find that I will always have something new to learn.

I wish I had read this book before I got married. As a "good girl" I struggled and still sometimes struggle with allowing myself to be more sexual. It was hard to turn off the "sex is bad, don't have sex" mindset that I had before I got married. Although, my cheeks got a little red at times, this book has really helped me. It also opened up some discussion between my husband and me, which I think he really appreciates. The "church" should be talking about this kind of stuff. Our culture is saturated with it and it shouldn't be taboo at church. I think it is important to God. He designed marriage and family and He meant for it to be fulfilling.

Sheila Wray Gregoire does a superb job talking about why sex is important to Christian marriages. I recommend this book for ALL WOMEN, Christian or not!

This book is a great resource and a must-read for anyone engaged or already married. It is full of practical advice and has been a great help and led to greater understanding and connection in all aspects of my marriage. I would definitely recommend it!

What a subject for all married or single people. It hits on a hard topic not talked about in the Christian circle. I learned so much for myself growing up about sex and want different thoughts and more honesty for my kids/daughter growing up not the shame or taboo subject it was for me. Not only is a great way to strengthen my marriage it answers questions I had in the back of my mind but wouldn't ask just anyone! It has given me ways to talk to my kids about the subject in a positive manner! After 13 of marriage it gives me new ideas to draw us even closer! Add new excitement to our times together! Thanks Shelia for being honest!

Great book for those about to get married--or for those already married and trying to figure it out! I was so nervous on my honeymoon that things did not go well. And that left me with a lot of scars. Reading this just made me realize that a lot of what I believed about sex was wrong. God did create it to be beautiful, and I feel like I have a fresh start!

The secular world has turned sex into something that is raunchy. It has become a taboo topic within many Christian circles. It shouldn’t be that way! This book tastefully covers everything and anything under the sun to answer your questions. Sheila’s writing style is so fun and laid back that I felt like I was having a conversation with an older sister. I’ve been happily married for over 15 years, yet this book still gave plenty of great insights and ideas! I would highly recommend this book for engaged and newly married couples (and even those who are like me). This book would also be perfect for anyone struggling to gain a right understanding of what sex should actually be for a couple. This book was such a breath of fresh air to read. I appreciated many of the insights that Sheila shared regarding men and their thought patterns and women and ours! We are different, but God paired us up together. What does that mean for our marriages and sex lives? Sex is to be a vital part of marriage. She made a very interesting point that if you aren’t having sex often in your marriage that it usually means that there are other issues in your marriage. Your sexual relationship is often a barometer for your relationship as a whole. Sheila also shares about how sex is a spiritual thing. God created sex. Sex is a NEED. Yep, I said it….your husband needs sex. And so do you. It just takes many married women longer to realize they need or want it! For engaged and newly married couples the sections related to “how to’s” are well explained. Not only will you find out all about him and what makes his toes curl, she also explains your body and how it works and what makes it tick. Throughout the book there are “Good Girl Speaks” sections with quotes from married women about sex. She also shares “Good Girl Dares”– little things you can do to make things a bit more exciting in your relationship….the way you undress, text him, and talk can all get your husband wanting to come home early from work! She interviewed over 1000 men and women about various aspects of sex, and from that she came up with many fascinating observations.

It teachies you how to have kidz.