Reviews tagging 'Body shaming'

Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams

82 reviews

leontyna's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional 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

4.0

I really liked this book. I was definitely rooting for Queenie, at the same time horrified at how things were going. It's overall really dark in terms of themes but I feel like they all serve the purpose. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual content, Sexual violence, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Body shaming, Infidelity, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Medical content, and Classism

Minor: Domestic abuse, Suicide attempt, and Abandonment

aayshaa's review against another edition

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Racism, and Sexual content

holliesatchell's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring sad 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

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Child abuse, Cursing, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexism, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, and Abandonment

clara01's review against another edition

challenging emotional funny reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

3.75

I liked this book, it's incredibly raw, relatable and thought provoking. At times it was cringy or hard to get through because the FMC is flawed and real, she makes mistakes and says or does the wrong thing. I found myself either wanting to shake her or hug her. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Miscarriage, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Medical trauma, and Abandonment

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol

Minor: Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, and Medical content

mari1532's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

I listened to this audiobook with Libby through my library.

Brief Summary: Queenie is a woman trying to find herself after a devastating breakup. However, the more she tries to avoid her problems the more problems she seems to have.

Thoughts: If I was rating this book simply on writing it would be 5 out of 5. Carty-Williams writes with such emotionally vivid gripping detail that you can't help but sympathize or empathize with her characters. That being said this book was a lot. The book blurb describes it as Bridget Jones meets Americanah and I did not get the quicky, cheery vibes of Bridget Jones until the last 10 pages of the book. 

I appreciated how this was written to read as if we were reading Queenie's thoughts as if she were writing in a journal because it made her seem vulnerable and relatable. There were quite a few points where I was yelling at Queenie to not do that thing. Carty-Williams wrote her in such a way that you immediately felt that Queenie was your friend and you wanted the best for her. I think the nuance of Queeni and every other character in the book was my favourite part.    

Of course, there were a few people I did not like in this book even though they were well-written. Men whose names start with T, random Guys, and backstabbing friends were the villains of this book. On some level, I do think these subplots highlight the mess of being a woman in your 20s and on another level that some people truly never leave high school. 

I also really liked the journey that Queenie went on with therapy and her family. The arc of that plot line was beautiful to see and highlighted how people can sometimes surprise you.

This was a really good book and I would recommend it as a read. However, this is more a coming-of-age story and what it takes to discover who you are as a person, rather than a rom-com. It is exquisitely written.  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Body shaming, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Infidelity, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racism, Self harm, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Grief, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol

meat_muffin's review against another edition

emotional hopeful medium-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Fatphobia, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Sexism, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Medical content, Abortion, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, and Alcohol

Minor: Self harm

googie_puvdan's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

Not only is Queenie relatable, but she's a necessary character. We need more representations and stories like Queenie's, where it's not a neat and tidy packaged story in 300 pages; she's real. And I wish I'd had access to her stories, and stories like this, when I was younger. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Body shaming, Fatphobia, Miscarriage, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, and Sexual harassment

kquixotic's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness and Sexual content

Moderate: Body shaming, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, Grief, Cultural appropriation, and Abandonment

The main character’s experience of Racialized sexualization and exotification by men, and her complicated relationship to these encounters, is what made this book stand out to me. I’ve not found contemporary literature to grapple with these themes in such a relatable way.

april_98's review against another edition

challenging reflective tense 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

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Toxic relationship, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Body shaming and Sexual violence

Minor: Domestic abuse and Miscarriage

franksreads's review against another edition

challenging emotional funny sad fast-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Miscarriage