Queenie is one of those books which has been hyped for months, so when it became available on NetGalley I couldn’t resist. I loved the cover, I loved the premise – and people I trusted were saying it was amazing. Where could I go wrong?

It’s not often a sure thing comes along in fiction, but I loved it. I blitzed through it in weekend. But it’s not an easy book. Yes, it has funny moments, and some of the characters are utterly delightful, but I actually found some of it quite painful and very sad. I would like to take a moment to note the trigger warnings I think should be noted for this book – dubious consent, sexual violence, self-destructive mental health issues, racism, and mentions of child abuse and body-shaming.

Anyone who has ever suffered from mental health issues will recognise very quickly what Queenie is going through, even as she denies it and buries it. Following the break-up with her long term boyfriend, we see her making progressively worse choices, caring less and less about herself, and letting men abuse her because she feels like she deserves it. This is before we even get into the racist microagressions which she faces continually – even through flashbacks to during her relationship, when she was happy – and as a reader it made me angry and sad and exhausted. A thousand tiny and not-so-tiny cuts each day, even when she should have been safe.

There were times reading this book that I felt very emotional. Perhaps that was what pushed my speed through it, I needed to know there would be a positive resolution. The first-person narration brought me so much closer to Queenie’s thought process that I’ve felt in other books with first-person narrators, and it seemed so vivid.

Also addressed was the stigma that comes with mental health disorders and seeking treatment. Specifically, the book looks at this stigma in the Caribbean-British community, and the sense of shame for the whole family that mental illness means. Queenie’s family are an interesting study – they clearly love her dearly and are set in their ways, but Queenie seems to feel detached from them, alienated. It seems that as much as anything else in the book, she struggles to marry her British identity to her Caribbean family, and that is another aspect of her life which she faces bullying about. She feels like she has to be strong and independent all the time, which means she struggles to rely on the people around her, which compounds her situation as it progresses. Isolation seems to be a key feature of Queenie’s life, and she seems to be torn between embracing it and fighting against it.

She’s not always a likeable character – often combative or defensive, irrational and irresponsible, but Queenie is always an empathetic character. As the book continues and some of her negative traits become more pronounced, it becomes clear they are also in some ways a symptom of her mental illness and the traumas. She is a strong-minded, passionate woman, with clear principles and a sense of right and wrong, but it becomes unfocused and jagged as she finds herself struggling to handle her illness. She misdirects a lot of it, instead of getting angry at the people who are really treating her poorly she seems to get angry at herself.

It’s very hard to review a book about a black woman’s struggles as a white woman with all its associated privileges. I don’t want to feel as thought I am making blanket statements and assumptions because I am unaware of the social and cultural nuances which come with Queenie’s experience. The book gives me insight into her personal thoughts, emotions, and experiences, but how they reflect those of another Caribbean-British person I couldn’t say.

What I can say is that this book has such a strong, clear voice. Queenie’s struggles are familiar to me from the perspective of her mental illness – they may be familiar to other readers from her social or cultural experiences. One thing I do know is that Queenie’s voice is out there and it will be heard, and I think it might help make some parts of the world a little gentler, whether it is readers being kinder to themselves, or to those around them.

Briefly:

At its heart, this is a raw and very intimate story about mental illness and the way it can send spidering cracks into all areas of your life, even when it doesn’t seem relevant to them.
It certainly made me even more aware of the micro-aggressions and minimisation that black people face in society. This seems particularly relevant given recent political tensions, and I hope this book brings this sort of thing more to the fore, will help people police their language and think before they speak.
This is a political book because sadly black people and mental health are political issues. There is a wonderful line in it when Queenie is faced with someone playing “devil’s advocate”, where she says it must be nice that he can divorce himself from an issue that is her life.
Rating: 5/5 – There have only been two books which have ever made me cry, but Queenie came damn close a couple of times. It’s an honest and open book, and it’s something very special.

3.5 stars. This book was actually funny and heartbreaking at the same time. Queenie was so insecure at the beginning. I loved reading how she broke her shell and became the woman she wanted. In the end everything went well. But something was missing for me. She had a miscarriage and no one talked about that. I think that was really important and i wanted to read other characters reactions. Overall it was a really good read for me. I enjoyed a lot. Laughed and cried couple of times. I will definitely check Candice Carty-Willimas next book.

This book follows our heroine, Queenie. She is a perfectly imperfect mix of confidence and crippling self doubt. In some ways she is strong, confronting elements of racism and sexism head on, but in others she displays impressive levels of self destruction.

Her career is stalling while she looks for ‘the big idea’ as a journalist, and the courage to pitch what she really feels. Her relationship is stalling for many reasons, but refuses to admit that ‘we are on a break’ can mean forever. Her friendships are stalling as she isn’t taking the time to properly listen to them.

Through all of this, including a detour into some self destructive aggressive sexual encounters, we feel for and experience with Queenie. You understand her internal voice and need for the things she so wrongly pursues, and root for her despite the recklessness of her choices in work, love and sex. She is not a role model or heroine. She does not provide a solid example for young black women, she is not always aspirational. But she does feel real.

Bridget Jones with a sense of realism? Americanah with a dose of British humour? Queenie is above all that, she’s just so, well, Queenie.

Excellent. Evocative writing with a lightness of touch that betrays the intricacy of the social issues the writing is dealing with.The structure of the story is an effortless, intuitive series of thematic flashbacks to past events, all relevant and all well drawn. A must read.

A young black woman nearly crashes and burns after what appears to be miscarriage . She reviews her friendships, seeks therapy, avoids creepy co-worker.. breaking up with boyfriend but agrees supported by good office friends .. she works at local newspaper.. panic attacks multiply but she ovovercomes. characters written are plausible if slightly stereotyped. It reads like young woman's rocky life, nothing actually unexpected .. not really my kind of thing although I see its appeal!

Queenie is a 25-year-old of Jamaican descent, who lives in London and works for a magazine paper, all the while trying to navigate the trials and tribulations of life, handling it all as best as she can.

Queenie is a good story worth reading for many reasons. It illustrates how mental health can influence a person’s quality of life. It is a powerful insight into how racism is so casually dismissed and perpetuated, and also how it can affect a person’s life. It explores generational differences within a family, and their bonds, with particular emphasis on cultural ideals. And, it also contains strong female friendships that I can only wish every woman has.

I had mixed feelings about Queenie, but I liked her. She wasn't perfect and at times rather annoying due to her denial. But I also empathised with her on a level like she was my friend and I wanted to have her back. Beyond Queenie, there are an array of good characters, such as her family and girlfriends. They all contributed to making this story as engaging as it was, and the story truly captured a family dynamic that was easy to like. I also really, really loved the character Kyazike as she was upbeat and funny.

This made for heavy reading, cause I’ve got to say, it was pretty grim at times. It was darker than I'd describe it as humorous, romantic and so on. I found myself reading chapter upon chapter of Queenie's self-destruction, and it was very sad. Honestly, the book’s blurb doesn’t give a clear idea of just how sinister the affairs this story encompasses. My overall feelings throughout this read was pure distress for the character, as I personally didn’t feel there was enough comedy or good feeling in amongst it all, to provide some relief from the overwhelming sense of how uncomfortable it was reading Queenie’s spiralling life.

Ultimately, this story concerns mental health, which I wish was made clearer before I started reading it. Once I got my head around that, it was easier to understand why Queenie said or did certain things, and I mentally rallied behind her willing her to get better. The structure of the book explores Queenie’s present-day life, but it also visits her past to establish just how Queenie has ended up where she has.

Overall, I read the book over 2 days and I’m rating it 4 stars, as for me it really needed a bit more humour or good feeling to balance out the bleakness. This could definitely be a book people find difficult to get through due to the nature of how dire Queenie’s life becomes during the story. However, I cannot champion enough that this story has a handful of formidable female characters, engaging moral in a variety of topical areas and a clear message that mental health is something that should always be taken seriously, and treated with the upmost respect. Definitely worth a read, as long as readers are aware that this could be a little distressing for some :)
Thank you kindly to Netgalley and the publishers for providing me with an e-copy of the book, in exchange for this honest review.

*Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I gave this book a good try. I got a third of the way through and just couldn't carry on. The protagonist, Queenie, was making some terrible decisions but at the same time judging everyone else by higher standards. I am by no means criticising her because of the casual relationships she was having, more that they all came across as abusive or at least aggressive and the fact that it wasn't being dealt with made it uncomfortable to read. Also, I am all for diversity; I think it's important for people of all races and genders to find themselves reflected in literature. However, I have never been made so aware of a character's race before. I feel like it was brought up by every single side character multiple times and Queenie started arguments with everyone about it. This includes with Tom, the boyfriend who she's on a break from, and his incredibly racist family. I'm not sure if I'm explaining in the best way but overall, this book just made me feel uncomfortable and like I was being bashed around the head.

Meet Queenie – young, black, irrepressibly funny and as fiercely regal as her name when she wants to be. But after a breakup she becomes lost, throwing herself into endless bad situations and finding herself in a pretty dark place. This is the millennial take on a romance - we've gone beyond the idea that finding the right man fixes everything and this new generation of stories tells us how, in order to have the life we want we have to sort ourselves out. It's not easy for Queenie, but she has her (mostly) loyal band of friends by her side and you won't stop rooting for her.

Speaking as a white woman it's also incredibly eye opening to read what life is like for young, black women today. The stereotypes and treatment she has to put up with are frankly appalling. FFS, don't touch the hair, people!

A further review of this will appear in the Sunday Express S magazine later in March.

I did enjoy this book and do think it shows promise. But I can't shake the feeling that it wasn't as good as it has been hyped to be. Maybe I'm not the target demographic, I'm not sure, but when I finished I didn't feel like I liked or really knew any of the characters and I could sum up the plot into four, fairly simple and derogatory parts.

Candice Carty-Williams clearly can write and I would be interested to read what she writes next as her voice is unique and intelligent. That being said this is very clearly a 'first novel' and I think with a little more practice she could be a superb writer that I'll be fangirling after.

Refreshing, funny and enlightening, this is a book that completely encapsulates 2019. Thoroughly enjoyed it, learnt a lot, as well as being sad to hear that not much ever changes in the world of online dating!

Hmmm.

Queenie.




I am unsure what to make of this book truth be told. I went into it expecting entirely different things to what I got out of it and that, I think, is the problem sometimes with how books are marketed. This one has been marketed as the next Bridget Jones and so that's what I went into it thinking I was going to get.

It is not what I got.

I loved Bridget Jones. I still love Bridget Jones. I still find those books - and films - to be laugh-out-loud funny, heartwarming and relatable and funny.

I don't think I laughed once reading Queenie. Not proper Bridget-laughs anyhow.

That sounds bad, like it was a book trying to be funny but wasn't, or like I didn't like it. That's not the case. I did like it. Really really liked it.

The thing is I don't think Queenie is the next Bridget Jones. I don't think this is that kind of book at all. I wonder even, if it is even supposed to be funny.

It's a dark story this one: a story of loss and heartbreak and crippling depression, of losing everything and not being sure how to keep your head above the water and honestly, nothing that happened to Queenie made me laugh; it all made me sad, or angry, or shocked.

Queenie isn't awkward or embarrassing or clumsy like Bridget is, she's deeper than that, complicated and raw and hurting, really deeply hurting. That's not funny.

Her relationship breakdown, the casual sex that leaves her feeling empty, the casual (and not so casual) racism she encounters at every turn - somebody licks her shoulder and says it tastes like chocolate; she's not taken seriously for being offended at the use of the 'n' word; her own boyfriend doesn't even back her up when his family say the vilest things under the guise of a joke; people grab her hair in public; she's surrounded by comments like 'my last girlfriend was black'; and the way she's fetishised because of the shape of her body and the colour of her skin made my skin crawl - the way her family don't know how to support her, none of that is funny.

What it is though, is relevant and important and really cleverly done. Whilst I love - will always love - Bridget Jones we're a long way down the road from that now and we need more books like Queenie, books that are unapologetic in their truth, that can - and do - say, without ever seeming preachy 'look what the world looks like, really, outside of your own little bubble'.

It's really interesting because a lot of what happens to Queenie happens as a direct result of her own choices, but actually, you kind of have to look at the bigger picture and really examine how her circumstances might have dictated those choices which makes this a clever and interesting look at agency: Queenie has little to no self worth, she's caught in this toxic spiral and she makes awful choice after awful choice and awful things happen to her as a consequence.

But why? Why does she make those choices?

Her one and only long term relationship has fallen apart for starters - Queenie, a Jamaican Brit - thought her boyfriend Tom - who is white- was the best thing to happen to her and when he asks for a break she falls apart. God it's such bullshit isn't it, a break. We learn pretty quickly though that Tom is not all that and Queene, god love her, deserves so much more. His family are racist and whilst Tom claims he's not (you imagine him as 'how can I be racist my girlfriend is black') he never ever does anything to support Queenie, in fact, at his Mum's birthday when Queenie is once again subjected to yet more racism from these people who should be her family and leaves, Tom is enraged. They argue. Later we see him tell her he's still trying to forgive her for 'that thing at my Mum's birthday'. This, this guy is who Queenie has hung her hopes and dreams on.
(Also - sidenote, this is a really important, really important, look at racism and privilege and how badly we all need to check ourselves. Some of the things Queenie encounters in just the regular day are bad, and they are bad because they aren't necessarily meant to be racist and really: we should be past that now, shouldn't we?)
She's become estranged from her Mother, who it later transpires was in an abusive relationship, with a black guy actually, who treated both Queenie and her Mum appallingly. Neglect, that's what it boils down to, amongst other things.
She's got a job in journalism but when she tries to write something of worth - like a piece on Black Lives Matter - she's told to write about the best black dresses in the MeToo movement and then she has the mother of all blow outs with one of her best friends, loses her home and finds herself living back with her strict Jamaican grandparents.
.
As each of these things is slowly revealed you find yourself able to see how she's found herself spiralling - casual sex, always with white men and always leaving her feeling worse than she did before; poor performance at work; distancing herself from the people who love her; severe panic attacks; what looked and felt to me like an eating disorder. One thing on top of another that leaves her at rock bottom with no way out. It's sad.

It's sad until it's hopeful, because Queenie? She recognises her own toxic behaviour and even from her own special hell, she's determined to make a comeback.

This book is not at all what I expected it to be going in, but oh, am I glad I read it. It's such a good book and it is so so so worth your time. I promise. (Also she sets up a Whatapp grup with her besties and calls it 'The Corgis' and I love that so hard.) People will talk about this book, I'm sure of it.

The voice was what struck me first within Queenie. I’ve spent 10 years teaching RE, but being the go to teacher for books. As the ethnicity of my students changed, I was saddened to see that I was struggling to find books and protagonists they could relate to.
Queenie is a beacon that shows times are changing: with a powerful message, commentary on being caught between two cultures and a sassy sense of humour this was a book that devoured and will be a book my students will be fighting over who gets to read it first.

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.

I adored Queenie - a wonderful, realistic character who made me laugh out loud many times as well as bring tears to my eyes, often at the same time.

Queenie is different from your average middle class 'Bridget Jones' as she is a young woman who has to battle not only misogyny but fat shaming, poverty and racism. She is as bright as a button but, despite the love and advice of her friends and family, keeps making the same mistakes in her choice of men until she has a breakdown.

Everyone should read Queenie's story. Candice Carty-Williams has created a fantastic voice in Queenie Jenkins. If you enjoy learning about young women making their way through the struggles of life and love in the 21st century this is for you. Queenie will rate among my best reads for 2019, no question. Many thanks to NetGalley and Orion for the opportunity to read and review it.

Thanks to NetGalley and The Publisher for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars rounded up.

Queenie is a 25 year old British Jamaican Women, living and working in London, whom we meet just after she goes on a break from her long-term white partner. We go on a joinery with her as she navigates dating, housing and working in her new state.

As a women there was a lot I could relate in this book, As a Black women there was even more I could relate to in this book. However, as a 35 year old there was was so much I found maddening (in a good way) in this book and really appreciate not being that young and naive anymore. There's humour and sentiment, although I did find myself cringing wondering just how long it would take for her to recognise her own self destructive behaviours.

The Author did a wonderful job of re-creating London and all of its different peoples and cultures, young and old and did not forget about the all important North South divide.

Funny, thought-provoking and relatable, Really enjoy this one. Will be keeping eye out for what come next from Candice Carty-Williams

A wonderful book, fresh, funny and enlightening. A brilliant main character, so appealing and engaging. This book is so funny and moving at the same time, a wonderful novel.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

I loved this. Queenie is a funny and engaging MC. I felt like the characters inhabited the world as it is today, and I found Queenie in particular really sympathetic, and relateable. I raced through the novel in a day as I couldn't wait to find out how the story ended.

This was so much more than I was expecting.

I had read a few reviews that had compared this to Bridget Jones and this was not a good thing ( IMHO)

After reading a few pages, I thought, wrongly that this would be about a 25 year old black woman trying to get through a break-up.
What I actually got was a gripping and honest read about a young woman who has to deal with work, friendships, childhood trauma, diversity, sexual encounters and family life whilst also dealing with casual (as well as blatant) racism on a daily basis by people who really should know better.

At times whilst reading, I wanted to give Queenie a shake but there were more occasions where I just wanted to gather her up in a massive hug (which she would have hated) and bring her home with me.

The author has addressed some very tough subjects that are often swept under the carpet but I thought the mental health aspect was very well handled.

So enlightening and illuminating in terms of a young black female perspective but also will resonate with women everywhere. But it’s also a really good book in itself - raced through it, loving the plot twists and the resolution. Very funny, very bold and very fresh. I loved it.

I must admit couple things first. Firstly, I was super hyped about “Queenie”, from the day one. I loved “Sophie Khan is not obliged”, a hilarious rom-com about Muslim girl looking for love in London, as it was refreshingly different, and showed me a different perspective on love and dating. I sort of expected something similar here – a funny and honest light read about Black girl trying to navigate love and life. But oh my goodness, it was so much more. There was heartbreak, there was drama, there were funny moments too, but there were part that made you cry as well. There were moments of the book that made me rage and cringe, especially when author was speaking about casual racism and its regular occurrences. There were also parts which made me nod my head, as despite my family being Polish rather then Jamaican I just see myself on those pages (my grandma never asked if you were hungry, if you showed up, she asked you what you wanted to eat instead – also similarly, my family does not talk about mental health, it is not something that is done, ever). So, it is not a simple story about girl navigating life, splitting with her boyfriend and finding love somewhere else. It is a book about reaching our lowest and still getting up, about standing strong about trying to accept who you are and despite numerous setbacks just ploughing through life. It is also book about friendship (The corgis!) and betrayals, and families and people who use you as well people who support you. If I thought it ws appropriate I would say that: this book gave me all the feels. I want more.

"My eyes must spend at least fifty per cent of any given day rolled to the back of my head."

As I flick through my digital copy of Queenie, I realised that I made far more notations than usual. So many lines of highlighter yellow, usually saved if I'm honest for corrections. In this case though, they are almost all affirmations. Queenie is a frustrating character, no doubt about it, and her choices are well...a choice. But it's still impossible to separate her admittedly extreme experiences from experiences that black women face every single day. Black women taught to be silent and know their place so that the moment they speak out even on microaggressions they are seen as angry, difficult, or lesser than. Navigating a world built on covert racism and the erasure of black suffering even by supposed liberal allies. Black women as exotic stereotypes, dehumanised and objectified. The steadfast belief in our community that mental health, wellness and so much else should be dismissed as 'a white thing'.

I see a lot of complaint that Queenie isn't the Bridget Jones that some readers expected, but in no way would those books be the same except in a superficial way. A twenty something WOC journalist living in London will not have the same story as her white counterpart. That is reality, and the picture that the author paints so entertainingly well. I am not British but saw my own twenties in this South London Sex In The City. And I'm positive that black families must have some international network because every time Grandad complained about the water rates I heard my own American grandmother in my head, chiding me about the electric bill every time I kept the fridge door open too long. So many issues hit the mark for me, and while it may have been a lot to digest in a single book I applaud the author for putting it out there in a relatable instead of preachy way.