Reviews with content warning for Emotional abuse - Queenie

Reviews tagging Emotional abuse

Queenie, by Candice Carty-Williams

98 reviews

megmahoney1's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I really enjoyed this in audiobook format.

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kimseokjinschild's review against another edition

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emotional informative lighthearted sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

💫The book is an easy read, it talks about anxiety, mental health, trauma, abuse, heartbreak and family relationships.

💫I loved the little witty lines, it added a personality to the book

💫You could feel characters emotions and the pain. I resonated with Queenie in terms of mental health.

📈 Queenie did annoy me sometimes😅

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aurie1000's review against another edition

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emotional funny sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

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kelly_e's review against another edition

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challenging emotional reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

Title: Queenie
Author: Candice Carty-Williams
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Rating: 2.5
Pub Date: March 19, 2019

T H R E E • W O R D S

Compelling • Vulgar • Important

📖 S Y N O P S I S

Queenie Jenkins is a twenty-five-year-old Jamaican British woman living in London, caught between two cultures and not feeling entirely comfortable in either. She has worked hard to obtain a job at a national newspaper, but finds herself comparing herself to her white, middle-class peers. After a break-up with her long-term boyfriend, she seeks comfort in all the wrong places and making a string of bad decisions. As her life unravels, she questions her place and meaning in the world.

💭 T H O U G H T S

Queenie, Candice Carty-Williams debut, tackles a host of themes, including but not limited to female friendship, modern romantic relationships, racism, sexual harassment, mental health, childhood trauma, abuse, and interracial relationships, with candidness and honesty. Yet, because it tackles so much, at times it felt like the author's purpose was unclear and/or lost completely.

What stood out for me was definitely the writing. The natural dialogue, use of mixed media (texts, emails, etc.) and the narration of the audiobook really brought the story to life. Something else I appreciated was the mental heath aspect, which was handled with care.

However, the dark humour and Queenie's antics were not for me. I understand this is part of the artistry used by the author, yet I found it incredibly frustrating to the point of annoyance. Although in some ways Queenie's growth is evident, I am not sure she learned anything or has changed.

At the end of the day, Queenie is a powerful and important debut but was an exhausting reading experience. Sometimes there are books that are just not meant for me, and this was one of them. That's not to say this isn't a wonderful book, it simply means it wasn't the book for me. I definitely think Candice Carty-Williams is an up-and-coming author to watch.

📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• anyone seeking #OwnVoices accounts
• readers who enjoyed Red At the Bone

🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S

"The road to recovery is not linear. It’s not straight. It’s a bumpy path, with lots of twists and turns. But you’re on the right track."

"Being brave isn't the same as being okay."

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paulawind's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This book was an emotional rollercoaster. Mostly in the horrific way. Queenie’s life was falling apart in front of her very eyes and we were accompanying her on the downward spiral. Shit, this was so rough. Thank god that she had some support network because the mere thought of going through all this slime alone is terrifying. Of course it was a bumpy ride, with her family initially not believing in mental health issues, the entire backdrop of Queenie not thinking that she’s lovable because of toxic mix of internalised fatphobia, casual racism she was enduring every day, fetishisation from all romantic partners, and ptsd from her childhood. She is so strong for putting herself back together, massive achievement. Quarterlife crisis hits all of us but she was hit with a tank load of it and emerged victorious even if at some point I was afraid she would pull through

Thank you for not having her end up with a man and having family and friends be the most important relationships in her life

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marissasa's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

This story is a realistic and sharp look at a Black-British 20-something woman's life and struggles. I read most of the book physically and listened to a few chapters on audiobook, which was very entertainingly British and Jamaican with all the narrators' accents. Queenie herself is a deeply hurt and traumatized character, who for the first part of the book continuously makes bad choices and spirals deeper and deeper into her messy situation. Throughout it all you get to see her struggle with her suffering but also slowly start to realize her own role in her pain, but the writing very intentionally showed this growth in a humorous and relatable way through Queenie, her friends, and her family's unique voices. I loved that each character felt like a real person and had their own motivations and personalities, even the smaller side ones. The character development in this book was really well done, and showed the wide range of both positive and negative relationships that young women today may find in their lives. I found myself both cringing at her choices and rooting for things to go right for her, which made her feel so realistic and so human and relatable. I loved seeing our flawed character begin to accept that she has issues and actively try to get better for her own health and happiness through therapy and setting boundaries. So much of the dialogue and humor in this book felt like things I would talk about with my own friends in real life, and I genuinely felt like the use of email and text messages in this format added to the book in meaningful ways. I'm so glad Queenie got a realistic but positive ending that felt satisfying but not too cliché.

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