Reviews with content warning for Fatphobia - People Person

Yep, Candice Carty-Williams definitely is an auto-buy author for me. I adored Queenie and I loved People Person too.

Cyril Pennington has 5 children with 4 different women, and one day he decides to have them all meet, because if you don't know you're related, you might end up shagging. While they don't stay in touch, Dimple decides to call her big sister for help when she's hit a snag. But it's not the reunion the rest had expected.

I loved getting to know all five Pennington-children and the exploration of family-ties; absent parents, mothers fulfilling the role of both parents, but also the sibling-bond. Despite a lot happening plot-wise, it really is a character-driven book. If you'd ask me why I loved it, it's because I loved Lizzie (yeah idk why either), Carty-Williams' funny and engaging writing, the themes explored and how it made me feel while reading it. I was invested.

Definitely pick this up if you enjoyed the stories/vibes of I'm Sorry You Feel That Way or Anansi Boys.

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_jchinasa's review against another edition

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emotional reflective medium-paced

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

3.75

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planetsaturns's review against another edition

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1.0

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znvisser's review against another edition

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reflective medium-paced

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

2.75

Really mixed feelings about this one… I did mostly love the writing and the sibling dynamics, so those made this read enjoyable. However, I had two bigger problems with it as well: first was the plot, which was really weirdly paced and yet somehow (or actually because of it) quite predictable. Adding the nine night to get the mothers together was not really necessary, it just confused me as to how thirty years later these women still get so emotional over a man who seemed to have not much more going for him than a bit of charm that fizzled out long ago. Second is the perspective: out of the five siblings, the main character was by far the least interesting one and she really got on my nerves after a while. The bad decisions, naïveté and her oversensitivity were so excessive they made me wish I was getting to know this family through ANY other character (it was overdone too, I mean she was already like this as a baby?? Come ON)

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michaelion's review against another edition

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emotional funny medium-paced

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

3.75

TW // British

Very funny. As an only child who grew up with a somewhat absent father, and knowing the secondhand experience my friends had of being one of many children, this hit home. The book is very real in many ways.

Dimple going off on Lizzie, then the next day everyone continuing on like nothing had happened. I imagine that's what it was like after I'd left my friend's houses.

There's something about it I can't explain that I really connected to. Overall, though, the message about family hit my soft spot.

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madelinedalton's review against another edition

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dark emotional funny hopeful reflective medium-paced

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

4.5

Another absolute banger from Candice Carty-Williams!!! I loved Queenie and was super excited to read her next novel, and it did not disappoint. Carty-Williams is a master at creating distinctive, funny, larger-than-life characters and her narrative voice sparkles with personality. I gave it 4.5 stars instead of 5 because sometimes I was confused by Lizzie's motivations/character arc, and the conclusion to the Kyron plot line was not as satisfying as I wanted it to be.

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