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Queenie
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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
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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Start your review of Queenie

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 ...more

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

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

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 ...more
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 ...more

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

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
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

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? 🤦🏼♀️
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? 🤦🏼♀️

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

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.

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 ...more
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 ...more

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. ...more
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. ...more

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

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
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

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
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

4.5 Stars!
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 Br ...more
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 Br ...more

[free review copy] I inhaled this in one afternoon. Two things you need to know:
.
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.
.
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
.
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.
.
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

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

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
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

Jun 04, 2019
Khristina
rated it
did not like it
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
No one
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.

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
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

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
...more

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
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

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
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

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
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

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 ...more
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 ...more

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 ...more
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 ...more

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 ...more
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 ...more

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.

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
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
topics | posts | views | last activity | |
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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 |
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
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