Reviews tagging 'Pregnancy'

Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams

19 reviews

aurie1000's review against another edition

emotional funny 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? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence

Moderate: Racism, Sexual harassment, Panic attacks/disorders, Child abuse, Fatphobia, Infidelity, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Pregnancy, Bullying, Miscarriage, Body shaming, and Mental illness

kelly_e's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective medium-paced

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

2.5

Title: Queenie
Author: Candice Carty-Williams
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Rating: 2.5
Pub Date: March 19, 2019

T H R E E • W O R D S

Compelling • Vulgar • Important

📖 S Y N O P S I S

Queenie Jenkins is a twenty-five-year-old Jamaican British woman living in London, caught between two cultures and not feeling entirely comfortable in either. She has worked hard to obtain a job at a national newspaper, but finds herself comparing herself to her white, middle-class peers. After a break-up with her long-term boyfriend, she seeks comfort in all the wrong places and making a string of bad decisions. As her life unravels, she questions her place and meaning in the world.

💭 T H O U G H T S

Queenie, Candice Carty-Williams debut, tackles a host of themes, including but not limited to female friendship, modern romantic relationships, racism, sexual harassment, mental health, childhood trauma, abuse, and interracial relationships, with candidness and honesty. Yet, because it tackles so much, at times it felt like the author's purpose was unclear and/or lost completely.

What stood out for me was definitely the writing. The natural dialogue, use of mixed media (texts, emails, etc.) and the narration of the audiobook really brought the story to life. Something else I appreciated was the mental heath aspect, which was handled with care.

However, the dark humour and Queenie's antics were not for me. I understand this is part of the artistry used by the author, yet I found it incredibly frustrating to the point of annoyance. Although in some ways Queenie's growth is evident, I am not sure she learned anything or has changed.

At the end of the day, Queenie is a powerful and important debut but was an exhausting reading experience. Sometimes there are books that are just not meant for me, and this was one of them. That's not to say this isn't a wonderful book, it simply means it wasn't the book for me. I definitely think Candice Carty-Williams is an up-and-coming author to watch.

📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• anyone seeking #OwnVoices accounts
• readers who enjoyed Red At the Bone

🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S

"The road to recovery is not linear. It’s not straight. It’s a bumpy path, with lots of twists and turns. But you’re on the right track."

"Being brave isn't the same as being okay." 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, and Sexual content

Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Pregnancy, Body shaming, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, and Miscarriage

Minor: Child abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Domestic abuse, and Sexism

ajourneythroughpages's review against another edition

challenging dark 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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Mental illness, Sexual violence, Racism, and Miscarriage

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Sexual harassment, Child abuse, and Stalking

Minor: Pregnancy, Police brutality, Suicide, Drug use, and Abandonment

gcrespo97's review against another edition

challenging emotional 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

4.75

This book gave me so much anxiety but it was so good I couldn’t put it down. I had so much love for the main character and wanted things to work out for her so badly. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Racism, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Sexual harassment, Sexual content, Pregnancy, Police brutality, Panic attacks/disorders, Miscarriage, Mental illness, Medical trauma, Gaslighting, Domestic abuse, and Emotional abuse

alisonannk's review against another edition

emotional informative 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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Racism, Toxic friendship, Infidelity, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Racial slurs, Sexism, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, and Panic attacks/disorders

Moderate: Rape, Infidelity, Eating disorder, Miscarriage, Sexual violence, Pregnancy, Physical abuse, Fatphobia, Body shaming, and Abandonment

Minor: Medical trauma, Violence, and Cultural appropriation

itsharrietrj's review against another edition

challenging informative medium-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? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Alcohol, Body shaming, Child abuse, Cultural appropriation, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Infidelity, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Stalking, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship

enoemo's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful reflective fast-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

I loved reading this! Queenie's journey showed realistic crisis and growth in my opinion, and although it felt at times as if the author really wanted her to suffer badly, it turned into such a well-rounded, cohesive reading experience with so many lovable, yet humanely flawed characters. I suggest; however, if your intention is to read this book solely for its reviews regarding humour, beware that the book contains a lot of heavy topics for a majority of it - if that's not your jam I don't think you'll enjoy it. As for me, I finished reading it faster than many other books and learned so much from it. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Sexual violence, and Mental illness

Moderate: Racism and Pregnancy

mfrabbiele's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective sad medium-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Body shaming, Cursing, and Mental illness

Minor: Sexual content, Toxic friendship, Pregnancy, and Racial slurs

mamagina's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful fast-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

Queenie is witty, honest, confused, pinballing through life at a breaking point. She is a character of multitudes and Candice Carty-Williams writes the diverse voices in her life with a deft hand. 

What we learn is to inhabit the mind and body of trauma, and more specifically, the trauma of a black woman in London, from the inside.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Emotional abuse, Grief, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Toxic relationship, Sexual violence, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Sexism, Racism, and Rape

Moderate: Alcoholism, Body shaming, Bullying, Domestic abuse, and Fatphobia

Minor: Pregnancy, Miscarriage, Hate crime, and Gun violence