A review by angpetk
Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams

4.0

*Giveaway free copy review* I gave this book four stars, though it could be a half star less. The end of the book really made me like this book a lot. I didn’t really begin to enjoy this book until the end. Although it is an easy read in terms of language and prose, it does delve into some heavier topics like racism, sexual assault, abuse and mental health issues. I found this book to be, at times, light hearted. There is humor to be found in what should be rather dark subjects. However, I also found the book to be problematic in that certain aspects seemed to be glazed over such as her appointments with Janet, the therapist. While the reader is to assume that Queenie went to many appointments, I feel like the novel lacked in really digging into her past and how it’s impacted her current mentee. Are we to assume that a few breathing techniques are to magically make her feel better? I will note that I deeply enjoyed how the author covered race, especially in Britain. As an American, I am unaware how tragic events within the African American community impact internationally. It was really eye opening to see that these events have impact thousands of miles away, and rightfully so. I enjoyed reading the author and Queenie’s perspective and found it important that issues such as microaggressions in the workplace, fetishizing of black and curvy female bodies, obvious racism (especially by doctors!!) and sexual assault were highlighted. I would love to read a second novel about Queenie to see where she is at as it ended on a promising note for her!