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Queenie

Candice Carty-Williams

3.88 · Rating details · 81,069 ratings · 8,513 reviews

ONE OF TIME’S 100 BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR
ONE OF NPR’S BEST BOOKS OF 2019

NAMED ONE OF THE MOST ANTICIPATED BOOKS OF 2019 BY WOMAN’S DAY, NEWSDAY, PUBLISHERS WEEKLY, BUSTLE, AND BOOK RIOT!

“[B]rilliant, timely, funny, heartbreaking.” —Jojo Moyes, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Me Before You

For fans of Luster and I Ma ...more

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Paperback, 352 pages

Published November 5th 2019 by Gallery/Scout Press (first published March 19th 2019)

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Rating details

· 81,069 ratings · 8,513 reviews

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Feb 20, 2019 Emily May rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: contemporary, arc, 2019

He put a hand on my thigh and moved it higher, digging his nails into my skin. That'll be a pair of tights gone.

This book is a bit deceiving. Queenie is such a funny and lovable character, with what I think of as a very British sense of humour. The book opens with multiple scenes that made me laugh and the author quickly builds up a warm and hilarious dynamic between Queenie and her girlfriends ("the Corgis"), and between Queenie and her Jamaican grandparents. This is everything I would have expected from a book being compared to Bridget Jones's Diary.

Which is why I feel like I need to issue a warning: this book goes to some really dark places. Bridget Jones is klutzy and embarrassing; Queenie is a far more complex and real character. She is dealing with mental health issues and a post-relationship breakdown. The decisions she makes - like having unprotected sex with lots of different men - are clearly not healthy.

I know some readers will feel frustrated with her behaviour at times, but I also think the author never portrays it as a good thing, and instead honestly portrays a young woman dealing with severe anxiety in the only way she feels she can. I think it's a good example of some very serious issues being wrapped up in a book that is full of humour to balance out the sadness.

Queenie has just broken up with her long-term boyfriend Tom, who is white. Through flashbacks, we soon learn that their relationship was pretty messed up from the start, with Tom refusing to defend her against his family's casual racism. Queenie doesn't see it that way, though. This break-up has hit her hard. She responds to it by hooking up with guys and having various dating/sexual encounters that are a mixture of hilarious and cringy.

Carty-Williams explores dating, anxiety and racism through the eyes of a modern-day Jamaican Brit, and she does it all with a sense of humour and no aversion to cringe factor. Oversharing at inappropriate moments, dating disasters, and witty badass girlfriends are just some of the sources of hilarity in this book. I think the serious issues are actually more impactful because of their juxtaposition with the humour and friendship.

No, this isn't another Bridget Jones's Diary, but then we're not living in the 90s anymore either. Queenie is bolder, more complicated, more diverse and - ultimately - more feminist. And I see nothing to complain about in that.

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Jul 01, 2019 Roxane rated it really liked it · review of another edition

This is the kind of novel whose excellence sneaks up on you. The beginning is kind of rocky and I wasn't sure where the book was going but then it gets great and unputdownable and I held my breath reading as fast as I could to see what would happen to Queenie. This is an amazing novel about what it means to be a black girl whose world is falling apart and needs to find the strength to put it back together. There is so much ground covered here from dealing with anxiety and self-loathing to compli ...more

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Mar 04, 2019 J. Greene rated it it was ok · review of another edition

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Feb 23, 2020 Cindy rated it liked it · review of another edition

I empathized a lot with the protagonist and her struggles along with the portrayal of mental health, including the cultural stigma of seeking therapy, how childhood affects the way we treat relationships, how we internalize racism and learn to love ourselves as a WOC, etc. The audiobook narrator also did a great job at bringing the story to life. I struggle to emotionally connect with this book as much as I should, mainly because the progression of the narrative felt disjointed. The first 2/3 of ...more

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Mar 27, 2019 Nilufer Ozmekik rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

5 shiny, rebellious, beautiful stars!
As soon as I started this book, I thought I was having a light reading. Because the book is advertised as modern version of Bridget Jones. But after a few pages later, I realized this is deeper, more heart wrenching, darker and twisted story of a young woman who is looking for a tree branch to not fall down from a cliff!
Queenie has really a bad year but it’s not about her broken heart after her breakup or time out with her longtime boyfriend Tom. This is su 5 shiny, rebellious, beautiful stars!
As soon as I started this book, I thought I was having a light reading. Because the book is advertised as modern version of Bridget Jones. But after a few pages later, I realized this is deeper, more heart wrenching, darker and twisted story of a young woman who is looking for a tree branch to not fall down from a cliff!
Queenie has really a bad year but it’s not about her broken heart after her breakup or time out with her longtime boyfriend Tom. This is such a beginning of domino falling!
After her breakup, she realizes that she just blocks everything about her past and as seems like she has a job she’s been dreaming for so long and boyfriend who’s ready for longtime commitment do not bring her happiness.
But the breakup is the first wake up call which pushes her make so many wrong decisions about meaningless one night stands.
Then she loses one of her best friends’ trust( it isn’t her fault actually, only wrong things about the situation are choosing wrong besties and wrong f*ckbuddies), she gets rejected by all three men she’s hooked up, she loses her job. Finally she understands that she was already lost from the beginning. She doesn’t feel like she belongs to someone or somewhere.

She never thinks she deserves to be loved or she deserves good things in life. Now when she sees her own rock bottom, it’s time to discover her strengths and weaknesses, learn how to love and forgive herself and achieve to face her past demons!

This book is not only a typical love life story of a Jamaican English woman’s in mid-twenties. It’s about discovery of your own potential, learning what you want from the life, respecting yourself! It’s about friendship! It’s about forgiveness! It’s about family!
Sometimes you hate Queenie, sometimes you feel sorry for her but mostly you understand her ! She’s flawed, she’s broken, she’s confused but she’s strong enough to find her way and embrace her loved ones tightly to not fall from a cliff, again!
I really enjoyed her story and this is a great debut ! I love to read the upcoming book of this writer!

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Jul 22, 2019 Brown Girl Reading rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Queenie is the newest debut sensation coming out of the UK by Candace Carte-Williams. Sadly it was not my cup of tea for a few reasons. Firstly the good things about the book are the writing, especially the natural dialogue, and the fact that Queenie does get that mental health care that she so desperately needs. However as a whole this book is based on too many black women stereotypes. I really feel the author should have toned that down. I'm also not enjoying that this book is being pitched as ...more

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Mar 01, 2019 Book of the Month added it · review of another edition

Why I love it
by Jojo Moyes

I have to confess I have a prior interest in Queenie’s author, Candice Carty-Williams. A few years ago, I created a competition offering up my cottage to an aspiring writer in need of time and space to complete their project. Candice was the first winner, chosen from more than 600 applicants. She had never driven outside London before, and it took her six hours to make a two hour journey (the kind of thing that would happen to her character, Queenie!), but when she arri ...more

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Oct 12, 2020 Danielle rated it liked it · review of another edition

Caution: Rated R for adult content 🔥🔥🔥
This book follows Queenie, a girl struggling with her mental health after a breakup. While I empathized with her anxiety troubles, there were other parts that just had my head shaking. 🤔 She struggles to be alone and she sleeps around, a lot. Her escapades are obviously careless and don’t always turn out so well. 😬 Truthfully, she’s a train wreck. Can we all agree, that unprotected casual sex in 2020 is just plain stupid? 🤦🏼‍♀️

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Apr 07, 2019 Lisa rated it it was ok · review of another edition

A tiresome novel that made me cranky. Everything about Queenie screams middle school angst. Queenie and her crew think and act like 12 year olds trapped in 25 year old bodies. Take away some of the sex, replace their jobs with 7th grade classes and you have the tedious dramas of adolescence. I liked the clever use of texts. That's about it. ...more

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Apr 26, 2019 Rincey rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: poc-author

This book is being pitches as Bridget Jones Diary meets Americanah, but it feels more like Bridget Jones Diary meets Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine with a black lead. I had really conflicted feelings the entire time while reading this book, but I will say that it completely sucked me in and I found it completely compelling, even though I basically spent the entire book wanting to yell at Queenie.

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Oct 14, 2020 Richard rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: current-lit-uk

3.5 stars.
As this debut novel by Candice Carty-Williams opens Queenie is not in a good place. She’s a twenty five year black woman living in London, writing articles that she considers trivial for a London magazine. She’s also on a very much unwanted relationship break from her long term boyfriend Tom.
This emotional void dictates her life and we watch with mounting disbelief as she makes bad decision after bad decision, her life spiralling out of control.
‘I wanted to feel good about myself. I w 3.5 stars.
As this debut novel by Candice Carty-Williams opens Queenie is not in a good place. She’s a twenty five year black woman living in London, writing articles that she considers trivial for a London magazine. She’s also on a very much unwanted relationship break from her long term boyfriend Tom.
This emotional void dictates her life and we watch with mounting disbelief as she makes bad decision after bad decision, her life spiralling out of control.
‘I wanted to feel good about myself. I was so far from that, so far from being who I was, but I couldn’t seem to stop myself from self-destructing.’
The atmosphere of the novel, however, is breezy and humorous, which makes the dark, shocking bits even more wince inducing when they pop up, and they pop up very often.
I did sometimes find these changes in tone strange and there were times amidst the litany of gynaecological detail, weird abusive sexual encounters and bizarre behaviour that I felt I’d strolled into a party I hadn’t been invited to.
The characterisation of Queenie and her female friends was really effective, they lived and breathed, were warm, funny, wise and supportive. The male characters less so. They were mostly cartoonish stereotypes, thinly drawn plot devises (with one or two exceptions).
On top of her emotional disasters Queenie also has to deal with the everyday racism of those around her. Not always overt and aggressive but often subtle, unthinking, insensitive or ignorant. I was surprised at first at the level of incidents that she encounters, but then after some thought, realised that sadly, I wasn’t that surprised at all.
By the end I was cheering for Queenie and despite some reservations about the novel, I became attached to her character and really wanted things to work out.
When I look back at this book I’m not sure that all of the humour worked, but it did develop into a poignant and thought provoking read, taking us a long way to understanding Queenie and her difficult journey. ...more

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Apr 14, 2019 PorshaJo rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: audio, challengereads-2019, favorites-2019, challengereads

Rating 4.75

I loved this book. Such an unexpected gem of a read. I went into this one blind. I knew nothing about it, I read no reviews. I frequently check out my library for new audio books. I saw this bold orange cover of a book called Queenie. It drew me in. I listened to a sample of the audio. A heavy accent by the narrator. It drew me in. I grabbed a copy of the audio and jumped right in.

Queenie is a hot mess. She's a 26 year old Jamaican woman, living in London, and just completely a mess. Rating 4.75

I loved this book. Such an unexpected gem of a read. I went into this one blind. I knew nothing about it, I read no reviews. I frequently check out my library for new audio books. I saw this bold orange cover of a book called Queenie. It drew me in. I listened to a sample of the audio. A heavy accent by the narrator. It drew me in. I grabbed a copy of the audio and jumped right in.

Queenie is a hot mess. She's a 26 year old Jamaican woman, living in London, and just completely a mess. We meet her as she is taking a 'break' from her live-in boyfriend, which HE wants, not her. He asks her to move out and by this point, she's already on a downward spiral. She can't face reality. She's out of control. She puts herself in a few dangerous situations (I think). She's got no money, living in a nasty flat with a few flatmates, she's not there for her job, she lets the WORST men abuse her, she has issues with how people see her as a black woman. She doesn't feel she's worth it, she really has had a hard life. It's an absolute train wreck but you can't help but watch. When she hits the lowest of lows, she must bring herself back up. And so you watch her bring herself out of the pit and show her strength.

To be honest, I almost stopped with this one. Initially, it was a bit sexually graphic for me. Just not what I tend to read. I actually started another book, but then I did read a few reviews. One said 'stick with it' (Thanks Esil!). So I pushed on and I'm so glad I did. The book gets off to a bit of a rocky start. But it immediately just jumps in to a life already out of control. All I can say is stick with it. When someone has issues, and is mentally struggling, it's never a pretty sight. But you must see everything in it's entirety to see where Queenie is at. I'm so glad I stuck with this one. It made me cringe, made me glad I'm married (oh the horrors of dating apps), made me laugh, but made me root for Queenie. Even though, a few times, I wanted to shake her....you knew she would just make the worst decisions.

I also must say, publishers - DON'T COMPARE THIS TO BRIDGET JONES. This is so not like Bridgette Jones, other than a young girl living in London and dating. Queenie is so much more. If you think you are going to find a Bridgette Jones here, skip this one. Romantic comedy this is NOT.

Anyway, I loved this book and just loved the audio narration. The narrator did a fabulous job. A highlight of a read for 2019 for me. I'll remember this one for some time. So why not 5 stars..... I'm stingy with 5 stars. But I had to knock it a bit for being quite sexually graphic (yes, made it hard to listen to the audio when husband is around saying 'what ARE you listening to') and the reading of emails and text back and forth initially drove me bonkers. So far, this is my top read of the year. And I'll just say, give this one a shot and just stick with it. It's such a reward in the end. ...more

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Sep 29, 2020 Lauren rated it really liked it · review of another edition

quite liked this! hovering between a 3 and 4, but feeling generous this morning. our protagonist, queenie, definitely falls into the category of "people you look at and wonder how is she still living?" in the best of ways (iykyk). a good chunk of the book is spent watching her self-destruct and refuse to change, so you have to have patience for that, but this is ultimately a redemption story that covers a lot of ground. to that end, this covered some really powerful themes/topics -- objectificat ...more

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Jun 11, 2020 emma rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: diverse, non-ya, eh, literary-fiction, owned, chick-lit, reviewed, 3-stars

I hate to cringe.

I know this is not a universal feeling, and that is why there are things that are known as “cringe humor” now. But I do not enjoy the feeling of extreme secondhand embarrassment.

And I ESPECIALLY don’t want it in my books. Three hundred pages = too much time spent with my shoulders at my ears.

So when I saw this was billed as similar to Bridget Jones’s Diary, I reacted as if to the news that a beloved friend was moving, if I were feeling particularly dramatic at the time: by dropp ...more

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Mar 28, 2019 Tatiana rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Recommended to Tatiana by: Emily May

Shelves: 2019, contemporary

Whoever is trying to sell this book as a Bridget Jones alike is misleading people.

If you watch as much British TV, as I do, you would get a better idea if you imagine Queenie as a cross between "Fleabag" and "Chewing Gum."

I wouldn't want you to open this book and expect a lighthearted dating comedy with a ditzy heroine who finds love in the end. What you will find is a woman dealing with her past trauma and her recent breakup by engaging in terrible sex with terrible men, which eventually lead ...more

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Mar 20, 2019 Meredith B. (readingwithmere) rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

4.5 Stars!

He paused and lifted his glasses to wipe his wet eyes. "You're full of fight Queenie. Full of Fight." He turned away and ambled back down the garden path, leaving me standing there unable to process anything he'd said.

This is marketed as "Bridget-Jones" but I want to tell you that this is so much more than that and I mean much more and much more important that that.

Queenie is a twenty-something who is living in London. She is Jamaican and it trying to fit in to both Jamaican and British culture. She was with her boyfriend, Tom, for awhile and they are currently going through a "break" period where they both try to take some time apart. Queenie realizes what she has lost but is also seeking worth from outside sources.

Queenie ends up hooking up with multiple people, going through fights with friends, navigating her family and just navigating her life is general. She goes through situations based on her race and ethnicity. She is gets comments thrown at her, that are inappropriate. She is treated a certain way and she has to fight to stand up for what she believes it even when everyone else is knocking her down. Queenie truly goes through a growth journey in this book. In the end, she ends up asking herself "Who do you want to me in today's world?"

I read this book fairly quickly because it sucked me in. I knew within ~30 pages that I was going to love this book and it just kept getting better. I almost felt like I was Queenie's friends and I was going through life with her. I experienced happiness when she did and heartbreak when she did. There were times I wanted to shake Queenie and say what are you doing! And other times I just wanted to give her a hug and tell her it'll all be OK and I'm proud of you.

This book really gave me perspective. There are a lot of situations that Queenie experiences in the book that I will never experience. I think it's important to put myself in someone else's shoes and have a better understanding of the types of things they go through and situations they are put through. At the same time though, there were a few situations I felt that I could relate to Queenie just as a woman in the modern world as well as someone with anxiety/depression.

I highly recommend this book and think everyone should pick it up! The cover alone sold me on this one - it's GORGEOUS! Thank you to Gallery/Scout Press for my ARC of this book. ...more

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Mar 03, 2019 mindful.librarian ☀️ rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: aoc, advanced-reader-copies, adult-reads

[free review copy] I inhaled this in one afternoon. Two things you need to know:
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1) don’t go into it expecting it to meet that “Bridget Jones” description because it is WAY deeper and at times very emotionally dark. That comparison is deceptive and sets readers up for confusion.
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2) you’ll either LOVE Queenie, or get frustrated with Queenie but if you are in the latter group, maybe quick check yourself and make sure it’s not age or privilege making you feel that way?
.
I may write more later or I m ...more

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Jun 09, 2019 Jennifer rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: listened-to-audiobook, stand-alone-novel, cover-love, read-2019, amazing-audio, authors-first-novel-debut, adult-content

This book explores individual and collective trauma in all its eye-opening forms. Queenie is such a well-developed and layered character, and when you follow her through this book be very aware of judgments that may arise. You may be frustrated by her choices but allow yourself to learn, understand, and be kind...yes, even toward a fictional character because she represents another. Awareness and hope are beautiful gifts.

My favorite quote:
“You aren’t as alone as you think.”

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Jan 30, 2019 BookOfCinz rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2019-reads, bookofcinzshelf, caribbean-books, debut, boc-bookclub

I could not wait to get my hands on a copy of Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams mainly because the main character is a Jamaican. I was also drawn to this book because it is being dubbed as “Bridget Jones meets Americanah” and while I see why that is the case, in some (most) instances I don’t- we will get to that soon.

We meet Queenie Jenkins a 25-year-old living in London who is from Jamaica. Queenie’s had a lot going for her, especially for a millennial living in one of the most expensive citie ...more

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Jun 04, 2019 Khristina rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Recommends it for: No one

Shelves: 2019-aty-challenge, 2019-june-reads, 1-star-books, 2019-popsugar-reading-challenge

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I don’t know where to start with this book. It’s the most offensive depiction of a black woman I have ever read. She is depicted as lazy, promiscuous, desperate, and broke. The first chapter was fine and then the rest was just awful.

A lot of the reviews I have seen are talking about Queenie being a hot mess. Isn’t that how most black women are contrived? Either that or angry black women. I wouldn’t say Queenie is a hot mess; I would just stay that she is a woman who hates herself. I don’t mind ...more

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Aug 12, 2020 Brandice rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Meet Queenie a 25 year old Jamaican Brit living in London, who has been asked to move out of the apartment by her white boyfriend, Tom, who insists they need a break. Queenie is a glutton for punishment, seeking easy forms of it nearly everywhere she goes.

She works at a newspaper and wants to write about current issues like racial tension in both the UK and U.S. but gets rejected by her boss, Gina, and told to keep making and correcting layouts for top 10 list pieces. She gets in trouble at wor ...more

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Jul 04, 2019 Thomas rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: own-physical, realistic-fiction, adult-fiction, read-for-dmv-bookclub

Such a relevant book for the millennial era! Queenie, our main character, goes through so many relatable experiences: struggling to find an affordable place to live in a gentrified city, partaking in mediocre to outright awful dates with men, and texting her best friend squad when life goes awry. I loved how Candice Carty-Williams centers the black female experience in Queenie, by showing how Queenie encounters racism in the form of people touching her hair without her consent and her white fema Such a relevant book for the millennial era! Queenie, our main character, goes through so many relatable experiences: struggling to find an affordable place to live in a gentrified city, partaking in mediocre to outright awful dates with men, and texting her best friend squad when life goes awry. I loved how Candice Carty-Williams centers the black female experience in Queenie, by showing how Queenie encounters racism in the form of people touching her hair without her consent and her white female boss tone-policing her, the internalized stigma her family has toward therapy, all of the microaggressions her romantic interests perpetrated, and much more. In an interview Carty-Williams writes about how part of what inspired this book included how she struggled to see herself represented in books, and I commend her for fighting to put forth Queenie into the world given the overwhelmingly white composition of the publishing industry and books published today.

What resonated the most for me in this novel: Queenie’s struggle with mental health. The way Carty-Williams wrote her mental breakdown and the early stages of her therapy felt so realistic, both based on my experience as someone who has worked through my own PTSD and as someone who now provides therapy. Black women are often expected to be strong and resilient, and while Queenie does embody those traits, she also gets anxious and makes impulsive, self-destructive decisions and takes more than an optimal amount of time to say bye to trash male romantic interests, potential or otherwise. Carty-Williams affords Queenie the space to mess up and be human while also showing her gradual yet significant path to recovery.

Definitely recommended for those who enjoy realistic fiction. While I wanted some aspects of the book to go a little deeper – like more commentary or self-awareness on Queenie’s part about her consistent dating of white men even when they are mediocre and/or racist over and over again and her disinterest in dating black men – I commend Carty-Williams for taking on so many nuanced topics without letting Queenie get lost in the shuffle. I’m excited to discuss this one at my local book club! ...more

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Apr 10, 2019 Kelly (and the Book Boar) rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: denied-the-arc, loveable-losers, book-of-the-month-selection, liburrrrrry-book, read-in-2019, crunken-love, dysfunction-junction

Find all of my reviews at: http://52bookminimum.blogspot.com/

Let me make sure y’all have some things straight before we get started. I am not a 20-something. I am not single. I am not British nor am I of Jamaican descent. And yet somehow when it came to this book . . . .

The jumping off point to Queenie’s story might ring a bell to many of you as it derives from a timeless classic . . . .

Except, you know, this show actually has black people in it.

The tagline for Queenie states it is ...more

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Jun 09, 2019 Carol (Bookaria) rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, top-2019, favorites, new-adult, 2019

Compelling, deep, and ultimately heartwarming.

When I started reading this book, I thought it would be about dating and breaking up in the modern world. But as the story developed, it became clear our main character was walking though a confusing and challenging road.

I can't say much about the plot without getting into spoilers but I absolutely enjoyed this novel, it was so much more than what it is mentioned in the description. This novel is all about the journey, growing up, forgiveness, and ...more

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Mar 20, 2019 Camille rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: twice-read

This book came at the right time for me. Can draw so many parallels between myself and Queenie...

Update: I loved this book the second time around. I wish the author delved more into why Queenie felt the way she did about Black men, and her mom's issues. I think a follow-up to this book would be a good idea for the author. ...more

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Feb 26, 2020 Fadwa (Word Wonders) added it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2019-releases, adult, neurodivergency-mental-illness-rep, bipoc, contemporary, 2020-favorites

CW: Anxiety, depression, PTSD, child abuse, self-destructive behavior especially through sex, work place harassment, racism, gaslighting, fatphobia.

I think. The more I'll sit on this book the more I'll love it and it'll end up becoming an all time favorite of mine. I think that, as it is, it'll very probably make my favorite books of 2020 list because of real and genuine it is.

Queenie is a book that does every single thing it attempts to do right. The exploration of break-ups, friendships, both CW: Anxiety, depression, PTSD, child abuse, self-destructive behavior especially through sex, work place harassment, racism, gaslighting, fatphobia.

I think. The more I'll sit on this book the more I'll love it and it'll end up becoming an all time favorite of mine. I think that, as it is, it'll very probably make my favorite books of 2020 list because of real and genuine it is.

Queenie is a book that does every single thing it attempts to do right. The exploration of break-ups, friendships, both good and bad, work place wins and losses, messy family dynamics, racist micro and macro-aggressions, society's views on Black bodies and especially Black women, but my favorite of all and the reason this book has blown me away, is the mental health exploration. I think it's the best and most relatable I have ever read in my life. And I think that the main reason for that is that it features a Black woman going through the motions of life with a deteriorating mental state, while everyone perceives her as invincible and while simultaneously dealing with every other things that comes with being Black. And I just...this really meant a lot to me? Especially because of the fact that it also dove head on with how mental illnesses are treated and approached in Black communities, with how taboo it is and many hoops people need to jump through to seek and get help.

In addition to that I liked how the book showed a step by step of Queenie's struggles with mental health, from when she was still in denial about her mental health state and trying to hide it and deal with it on her on, to her seeking treatment and getting better, going through all the motions of self-destructive behavior, self-isolation, loss of motivation, panic attacks and so on and so forth. And my favorite part? It not only tells you that recovery isn't linear and that it can be ugly and messy but it also shows that it's peppered with setbacks and one setback doesn't mean you're getting worse again. And all of these serious topics are topped with humor that had me cracking up and counter-balanced the sometimes heaviness of it.

Queenie's relationship with her best friend was seriously the best to read about, and I loved how this book showed that trauma is intergenerational and your own can blind you to other people's, but it also shows that relationships can be mended even when they seem irreparable, and that with the right support system, you can go far, and even when some are reluctantly part of it, they eventually come around and their support is unconditional.

Verdict: PICK UP THE GODDAMN BOOK! PLEASE! ...more

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May 16, 2019 Emer (A Little Haze) rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: literary-fiction, light-fiction, contemporary, 5stars, cried-me-a-river, adult-fiction, reviewed, read2019, books-owned-all-formats

So this book basically ripped my heart out and served it to me on a platter. Oh the feels…
Authentic, visceral, honest, painful, hilarious…
Simply genius.

And I think what was so brilliant about this book is that Queenie is possibly one of the most relatable contemporary characters that you could ever hope to read about. She feels real. I think that’s what I love the most. She is far from being a perfect human being because she makes seriously dodgy decisions that are pretty shady and at times is b So this book basically ripped my heart out and served it to me on a platter. Oh the feels…
Authentic, visceral, honest, painful, hilarious…
Simply genius.

And I think what was so brilliant about this book is that Queenie is possibly one of the most relatable contemporary characters that you could ever hope to read about. She feels real. I think that’s what I love the most. She is far from being a perfect human being because she makes seriously dodgy decisions that are pretty shady and at times is borderline narcissistic even… But she is so amazingly likeable in spite of all of this. Not that likability should matter but I just think that writing a flawed character that people can see both the best and worst of themselves in and yet is someone that as a reader you wish you were best friends with is a skill that needs to be praised…. Candice Carty-Williams YOU ROCK SOCKS!!!!!!!!!!!

The storyline follows her as she deals with a break from her boyfriend Tom and struggles at work. And in following both her work and personal life we see how deeply the two are interlinked and how Queenie is affected by past relationships both romantic and business. She has a very unhealthy attitude to sex that stems from self-esteem issues and it’s primarily through her interactions with men that we as readers begin to understand her self-loathing.

I think there’s a lot in this book that anyone who is dating in their 20s, 30s and even beyond can identify with due to how this book confronts our most intimate and hidden of insecurities.

The book is both incredibly hilarious and deeply poignant and is one that I would particularly recommend to book clubs as there is so much in this book that would make for great discussion… be it from the topic of why we need women’s fiction to give a platform on which to raise women’s issues to issues of racism and the societal attitudes towards young black women especially and how they are frequently reduced to a sexualised image.

Highly recommended.

Four and a half stars rounded up. ...more

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Mar 08, 2019 Jessica Jeffers rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: authors-of-color, netgalley, fiction

This book surprised the shit out of me, because the marketing copy led me to believe I was getting something other than what it turned out to be. I even wrote a blurb when I was halfway through this one, thinking that it would be perfect for readers of rom-coms like The Wedding Date.

The marketing copy pitches this as a cross of Bridget Jones and Americanah because it features a quirky, unlucky-in-love black woman who wants to be a journalist covering the Black Lives Matter movement from her Brit This book surprised the shit out of me, because the marketing copy led me to believe I was getting something other than what it turned out to be. I even wrote a blurb when I was halfway through this one, thinking that it would be perfect for readers of rom-coms like The Wedding Date.

The marketing copy pitches this as a cross of Bridget Jones and Americanah because it features a quirky, unlucky-in-love black woman who wants to be a journalist covering the Black Lives Matter movement from her British/Jamaican perspective while hilariously having bad luck with men.

(side note: my husband thought I meant Americana, as in the musical genre, and was massively and hilariously confused when I tried to describe how it wasn't like that at all.)

But, no, that's not really what this book was in the end. What it was was actually so much better than that. It's about Queenie, a black woman in London who, yes, is unlucky in love and wants to advance her journalism career by covering the Black Lives Matter movement. But it's ultimately about Queenie's journey of self-discovery as a woman outside of her identity as an object of men's attention. It's wildly empowering in a thoroughly unexpected way.

When we first meet Queenie, she and her long-time boyfriend Tom are agreeing to try going on a break. He wants it more than she does, so she continues to reach out to him occasionally and is hurt when it's consistently met by radio silence. Despite the fact that she desperately wants to get back together, she responds to this rejection by sleeping with as many inappropriate men as she can find, no matter how terrible this makes her feel. the resulting lack of self-esteem bleeds over into other facets of her life, affecting her performance at work and her friendships (with a group she affectionately calls the Corgis because she is Queenie—a detail I frickin adored).

Yes, this does sound like the set-up of a stereotypical haphazard romantic comedy in the vein of Bridget Jones, but the thing about this book is, without getting too spoilery, that Queenie begins to recognize how problematic her behavior is and she fucking does something about it. When is the last time you read that in a book that gets marketed as "chick lit"?

Queenie is a phenomenal character because her journey feels so real. Her emotional baggage is not only relatable, but it's ultimately fleshed out in a way that feels authentic and not forced. While her personal growth feels a bit rushed at times, given how deep her pain goes, it's done in a way that is brutally honest. There's no sugar-coating here: Queenie has to acknowledge less-than-flattering aspects of herself and figure out how to deal with them.

There are some aspects of Queenie's life that felt a bit glossed over—the roommates that she moves in with are barely acknowledged and the extent of her problematic sexual exploits is covered in a few sentences that sort of minimize their magnitude—but I was able to forgive that one quibble because of how much I appreciated the frankness with which Candice Carty-Williams explored the hard work of battling mental health struggles. She doesn't just use depression or anxiety as a catch-all term to show that Queenie has some minor problems—she lays out exactly how Queenie experiences the real symptoms of these issues, how they're rooted in her family history, and the real techniques she learns to combat them.

And at the same time, the book doesn't feel too touchy-feely or didactic. The tone stays relatively light-hearted; Queenie's relationship with the Corgis is admirable and often hilarious. The book recognizes when Queenie's behavior is problematic even when she doesn't, but it treats her with empathy and understanding. Which is, honestly, something that we could all stand to learn to do a little better.

A great read, highly recommended. Just don't go in expecting it to be "the black Bridget Jones" like the publishers seem to want you to do, ...more

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May 05, 2020 Barry Pierce rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 21st-century, read-in-2020

I want Queenie to be my best friend.

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Nov 24, 2019 Beverly rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: coming-of-age-novel

I received Queenie free in a Goodreads giveaway! Yay! I am really glad I got it too as it is a compelling story with a lovely cover, Queenie's name is embossed in her braids. There is no face on the cover though and I think the illustrator is being very clever. Queenie does not know who she is and lets others decide for her in most areas of her life.

A coming of age story of a 25 year old woman whose life has come unraveled, Queenie's long term boyfriend has kicked her out of their apartment beca ...more

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Find A Lovely Boo...: November Book Club Pick	1	3	Dec 09, 2020 07:16AM
Play Book Tag: [Poll Ballot] Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams	7	14	Oct 02, 2020 09:12AM
Strong Female Lead: Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams	1	8	Oct 02, 2020 06:53AM

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About Candice Carty-Williams

Candice Carty-Williams

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Candice Carty-Williams was born in 1989, the result of an affair between a Jamaican cab driver who barely speaks and a Jamaican-Indian dyslexic receptionist who speaks more than anyone else in the world. She studied Media at Sussex because her sixth form teachers said that she wasn’t clever enough to do English, but she showed them all by first working at the Guardian Guide and then moving into pu ...more