Reviews with content warning for Mental illness - Queenie

Since I knew that the TV show was coming out, I knew I had to give it a go!

Candice Carty-Williams writes an incredibly flawed, human person and Queenie does all the things I think people easily do when they are unwell (mentally, physically etc.) 🥲 The ‘strong black woman’ idea was very strongly placed in the story as well, although we learned to navigate it when Janet came around.

I loved Janet and that moment where her and Queenie discuss what it means to be a black woman in the UK…

I loved Darcy and Kyazike throughout the story.

I’m still frustrated that Cassandra was allowed to come back, even without her Guy, but friendships come and go 🤷🏻‍♀️

I am giving it a 3.5 out of 5 stars as although many issues were covered, some of them did not go into depth and some of the time, I felt the book went a bit flat. In saying all this though, I LOVE Queenie’s ending and was happy to see her enjoying her family and friends’ company 🥰

Enjoy ✨ Thank you!

Content Warnings

brianareads's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

Content Warnings

pamxramirez's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

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

4.0

i found the first half quite difficult to read, but once I understood the author's intentions (and noticed the bookis in the Fleabag genre), everything settled into place.

Content Warnings

megold12's review against another edition

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emotional funny reflective sad medium-paced

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

5.0

This was a solid portrayal of going through crisis while still trying to hold onto your life. I would have liked to see more change at the end, or addressing the trauma in her past. But overall it was well done, and struggling even after “getting better” is an important piece of the process

Content Warnings

pickupthebook's review against another edition

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challenging emotional sad medium-paced

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

4.0

I was not expecting this book to be as heavy as it was - I thought it would be just another fun read about a twenty-something woman finding herself. But the book even starts off heavy, where in the first chapter we find out Queenie is experiencing a miscarriage while going through a break-up with her long-term partner, and she feels like she has no one to talk to. From there, she starts to spiral and eventually hits rock bottom. This book dealt with everything from mental health disorders, abusive relationships, and racism, and I thought the author handled these topics with care (please check content warnings for yourself before reading though, because these topics are all discussed in depth and explicitly!). Despite some of the poor decisions Queenie makes, you can’t help but empathize with her and root for her!

Content Warnings