Reviews tagging 'Gaslighting'

Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams

23 reviews

pamxramirez's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad slow-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? It's complicated

4.0

i found the first half quite difficult to read, but once I understood the author's intentions (and noticed the bookis in the Fleabag genre), everything settled into place. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual harassment, Racism, Racial slurs, Misogyny, and Mental illness

Moderate: Gaslighting, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, and Self harm

Minor: Toxic friendship, Miscarriage, Classism, Fatphobia, Body shaming, and Alcoholism

boxofcats's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful inspiring 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? It's complicated

4.25

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Toxic relationship, Miscarriage, Mental illness, Child abuse, Classism, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Misogyny, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Sexism, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual assault, Pregnancy, and Gaslighting

Minor: Abandonment

Heartbreaking and wonderful at the same time, especially if you've experienced any similar situations. Queenie felt like a best friend at a difficult time.

zoerobo's review against another edition

dark sad 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

3.0

This book was way darker than I was expecting and I think some of the plot points were a bit underdeveloped like Queenie's background. It didn't bowl me over but wasn't awful either. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexual assault, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Physical abuse, and Domestic abuse

quinn12_'s review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad fast-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Hate crime, Grief, Emotional abuse, Eating disorder, Toxic friendship, Suicide, Sexual harassment, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Mental illness, Gaslighting, Violence, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Domestic abuse, Body shaming, Abandonment, Medical trauma, Child abuse, Miscarriage, Stalking, Sexual violence, Racial slurs, Physical abuse, Infidelity, Sexism, Racism, and Fatphobia

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

teh_niarr's review against another edition

dark emotional sad medium-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Fatphobia, Bullying, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Racism, Toxic relationship, Sexual content, Misogyny, Emotional abuse, Sexual harassment, Toxic friendship, Miscarriage, Mental illness, Sexism, Physical abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Domestic abuse, Body shaming, Gaslighting, Infidelity, and Child abuse

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

beckyyreadss's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad slow-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? It's complicated

4.0

I wanted to read this book as I've heard so many good things about it. My wonderful friends bought this book for me for my birthday. This book was not what I was expecting it to be.  

This book is based around 25-year-old Queenie Jenkins who is a Jamaican British woman living in London and she is straddling two cultures and slotting neatly into neither. She works at a national newspaper, where she’s constantly forced to compare herself to her white middle class peers. After a messy break up from her long-term white boyfriend, Queenie seeks comfort in all the wrong places . . . including several hazardous men who do a good job of occupying brain space and a bad job of affirming self-worth. As Queenie careens from one questionable decision to another, she finds herself wondering, “What are you doing? Why are you doing it? Who do you want to be” - all of the questions today’s woman must face in a world trying to answer them for her. 

Wow, this book was difficult and it’s only when I was about 50% through that I realise that this is about her mental health . . . and I think that was the point of it. It was very hard-hitting and brutal and shows you how mental health can affected different people and not even realise it until they’ve hit wrong bottom. Queenie had a lot of bad stuff happen to her from the moment of page 1 up to the last chapter and you can see how she handles it and how things got worse and worse. I would 10000% as always check the trigger warnings with this book as it was brutal and the way that Candice describes Queenie’s mental health can be a bit triggering. I didn’t have anything to hate about this book, I just thought it was really slow-paced and heavy. 
 

I would love another book to see how Queenie is doing later on in life, when she’s back on track but not as a chick flick or anything like that. Just a little novella on how Queenie and the Corgis are doing.  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Child abuse, Gaslighting, Medical content, Miscarriage, Racism, Sexism, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Cultural appropriation, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Misogyny, Physical abuse, and Racial slurs

bootlegfrank's review against another edition

emotional funny reflective 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

The author’s writing style felt contemporary, fresh which made reading the book a enjoyable  and not a linguistic chore. That being said it deals with very intense themes and reflects back how complicated people/our lives are.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Gaslighting, Miscarriage, and Sexual content

Moderate: Body shaming, Alcohol, Sexual assault, Fatphobia, Racism, Sexual violence, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Gaslighting and Racial slurs

gcrespo97's review against another edition

challenging emotional 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

4.75

This book gave me so much anxiety but it was so good I couldn’t put it down. I had so much love for the main character and wanted things to work out for her so badly. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Racism, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Sexual harassment, Sexual content, Pregnancy, Police brutality, Panic attacks/disorders, Miscarriage, Mental illness, Medical trauma, Gaslighting, Domestic abuse, and Emotional abuse