Reviews with content warning for Sexual violence - Queenie

A great study of life in your early 20s, following the struggles of the everlovable Queenie. I found some of the sex content difficult to read but I think it's necessary for the novels conclusions. The book is an EXCELLENT endorsement for therapy (and sexual health clinics, god bless the NHS)

Content Warnings

brigitta_anna's review against another edition

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dark emotional funny hopeful reflective fast-paced

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

4.0

Content Warnings

thissagreads's review against another edition

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challenging funny hopeful reflective medium-paced

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

4.5

A must read! This book had me shaking my head, laughing, getting defensive over Queenie, and emphasizing. This book was a refreshing read with a fresh perspective on a black British woman finding her way and figuring her sh*t out. Readers follow Queenie’s journey as she tries to get over her breakup, date/sleep around, keep up her relationships with friends and Jamaican family, working through all the various traumas she’s experienced AND tackles her mental health.

Just a warning: this is a heavier read and there are some trigger warnings SA:

Queenie is sexually assaulted, harassed and raped by a guy at work who pretended to show interest in her, and by this hook up that she liked a little bit until they had sex.
!!!!!!!!!!! GRAPHIC WARNING BELOW !!!!!!!!!
The colleague at work implied they were going to have sexy, sneaky sex at work in the bathroom but Queenie was turned around and he roughly penetrated her roughly, not waiting for consent and not caring to know if she was okay with what was happening. The most graphic!!! Was that during a hook up Queenie was roughly penetrated anally without consent!!!! It was aggressive he did not ask, and unfortunately she was too uncomfortable to stop him or to say something. In fact, she goes back to him a few more times for sex because she’s emotionally hurting and missing her ex boyfriend. Personally I think she was so depressed that she wanted to feel loved and wanted so she kept going back to him even though this asshole was assaulting her. Because when she goes to the doctor to check for STI’s or pregnancy, they ring alarm bells for seeing the tearing and bruises and she’s just casually says it was “rough sex” even though she knows it was rape but is trying to cope. Fortunately the doctors and nurses point her to a therapist and she agrees later on to go thankfully.
!!!!!!!!!!!!! GRAPHIC WARNING OVER!!!!!!!!!!

So Queenie goes to therapy reluctantly at first but willingly by the end, and completes therapy sessions. But I wish the author made that asshole hookup pay for what he did! I wanted karma to get him hard! I wanted him to be in pain and HURT. And I wanted Queenie to have more therapy sessions- especially since she got her job back in the end, she could’ve kept going! There was so much more that readers learned about her, just through those sessions. Sigh oh well…

I wanted to be a friend to Queenie as she clumsily traversed through her journey, with the perfect amount of humor. And I’m glad her friend Kyazike (pronounced Chess-keh) because she ALWAYS had Queenie’s back. And as another black woman she understood Queenie better than her other nonblack friends, so they connected on a deep level. Their relationship was so important to this story. The only reason I didn’t give it 5 stars, is that

I wanted payback and karma for those mother fuck*rs who assaulted and wronged Queenie. And I wished the author delved more into Queenie’s relationship with her mother and her mother’s asshole ex abusive boyfriend. I wish the book was longer so Queenie could in fact have a few harder conversations with her mother and grandparents about her childhood, even if she basically decided to forgive her and take her mother for who she is now that they’re older and her mom is so weak and broken from her ex boyfriend. But I wish there was more accountability taken. I know that culturally Queenie’s grandparents just loved their daughter regardless, but Queenie’s mother and the ex gave Queenie a lot of childhood trauma and not enough people are taking accountability in my humble opinion haha.

Regardless, I still HIGHLY recommend this read, and I hope there will be a part two because there’s so much more of Queenie’s story!

Content Warnings

latashman's review against another edition

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emotional sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

The conclusion to this book was a nice wrap up and conclusion to the growth that Queenie underwent. I hated a lot of this book, the choices Queenie made, the abuse she endured, but I felt compelled to see how it ended. I think the writing was good, it elicited a strong emotional response from me.

Content Warnings