Reviews tagging 'Rape'

Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams

39 reviews

tetedump's review

challenging emotional hopeful 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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Body shaming, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Miscarriage, Police brutality, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Self harm, and Sexual assault

carinadiaz's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful medium-paced

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

4.0

Queenie is a girl in her mid 20s living in London and working as a writer. During what she thought was a break with her boyfriend, she goes through a series of hook ups that end up doing a lot more harm than good. This book covers race, regret, questioning yourself and your choices, being part of an immigrant family, mental health, and picking yourself up in order to start over. It was complex, annoying at times, messy, funny, and the main character felt like an actual person instead of an idealized version of one. 

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Content Warnings

Minor: Rape and Sexual assault

stephmcoakley's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective fast-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Cursing, Toxic friendship, Body shaming, Cultural appropriation, Racism, Religious bigotry, Rape, Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Sexual assault, Abandonment, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Sexual violence, Alcohol, Grief, Infidelity, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, and Stalking

megold12's review against another edition

emotional funny 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

5.0

This was a solid portrayal of going through crisis while still trying to hold onto your life. I would have liked to see more change at the end, or addressing the trauma in her past. But overall it was well done, and struggling even after “getting better” is an important piece of the process

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Racism, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Child abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, and Mental illness

Minor: Suicide

marissab's review against another edition

dark emotional funny hopeful 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Sexual assault, Alcohol, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Domestic abuse, Racism, Sexual violence, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Physical abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual harassment, and Sexual content

Moderate: Dysphoria, Miscarriage, Rape, Body shaming, Eating disorder, Gaslighting, Infidelity, and Racial slurs

Minor: Cursing, Police brutality, Classism, Cultural appropriation, Gun violence, Pregnancy, Murder, Drug use, Fatphobia, Misogyny, Sexism, Suicide attempt, and Violence

charlie6's review

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Miscarriage, and Rape

ccassidy98's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful sad 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: Toxic relationship, Miscarriage, Domestic abuse, Racism, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Panic attacks/disorders, Eating disorder, Suicide, Sexual violence, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Racial slurs, Mental illness, Pregnancy, Self harm, Sexual assault, and Toxic friendship

ghorsford's review

challenging emotional 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

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Racism and Rape

paulawind's review against another edition

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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Child death, Fatphobia, Grief, Abandonment, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Acephobia/Arophobia, Infidelity, Medical content, Mental illness, Addiction, Racism, Rape, Violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, and Miscarriage

nannahnannah's review against another edition

DNF @ 46%.

Well, here’s me again whining about how I wish books had trigger warnings listed somewhere before the actual content. Other media contain trigger warnings (even video games!); what reasons could publishers possibly have against doing the same?

Representation:
- Queenie and her family are Jamaican Brits
- a secondary protagonist is Jewish, but she’s more of a stereotype than an example of good representation
- another secondary protagonist is Ugandan and British
- there are many other minor characters of marginalized groups

There’s no way I can finish this. I was already on shaky ground after all the really brutal and detailed sex scenes that Queenie, the protagonist, kept insisting were consensual. Then came a scene that was so like what I experienced myself, and I got a severe panic attack.

Quite frankly, Queenie (the book and the character) is a mess. I’m aware that’s probably the point, and that it’s okay to have characters that are unlikable and who make absolutely stupid decisions that aren’t great for their own well being, but this book never gave the reader a break.

Then there’s also the secondary characters who are basically stereotypes: the feminine, condescending gay man, the Jewish friend who lended the protag money in almost every single scene she was in and who was rich (of course), etc.

All of this combined is enough for me to be okay stopping here. I did look ahead to find out that

Spoiler

Queenie is STILL mooning over Tom which … is disappointing. But while looking ahead I also saw that

Queenie will be getting the help she needs, thank god! I’m sure this is something many people relate to … I’m just not sure it had to be told quite like this and with so much awful detail.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse

Moderate: Rape, Racism, and Antisemitism

also: fetishization