Scan barcode
A review by whatjamieread
Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams
challenging
reflective
tense
fast-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
3.75
I was quickly surprised by this story and the direction the plot took. I originally believed this to be light reading and expected a relatively simple coming of age story that wouldn’t challenge me to think too much about anything. But after roughly 100 pages, I realized that there was so much more to Queenie and that Carty-Williams actually crafted a really touching story about a woman’s need for solid female friends, the struggle to navigate the dating world as a black woman when so many non-black men fetishize black women, the importance of a mother’s love and the effects of not having it, the political implications of “well-meaning” white liberals, and the mostly invisible battle with anxiety.
Queenie is a relatable character. She’s immature, lacks self-esteem, isn’t sure of what’s coming next for her, and is generally childish AF. She’s everything that I was at 25. I felt like I understood her internal monologue because I could level with all of her flaws because, at one time or another, they were my flaws too.
That being said, there were several decisions that Queenie made that totally took me out of the story. Even though she was struggling, I believed Queenie to be incredibly brave and strong but there were certain scenes that just didn’t align with the character I thought I knew which confused me and made me wonder what the author’s intentions were which isn’t a good way to feel. I can’t discuss further without spoiling but it was frustrating enough to seriously impact my liking of the book as a whole.
All things considered, I found this story to be really charming and relatable. Carty-Williams’ writing style was very easily digestible which made this a fun, albeit complex, story to take in. I would label this a 3.75-star read. While I did love so much about the story, the portions I didn’t like left a bad taste in my mouth and after sitting on the story for a couple of days, I’m still not able to ignore them when I consider the story as a whole. That being said, this book is definitely worth a read and I’m looking forward to what’s to come from Candice Carty-Williams.
Full review with spoilers on my blog: https://tinyurl.com/173z82q1
Queenie is a relatable character. She’s immature, lacks self-esteem, isn’t sure of what’s coming next for her, and is generally childish AF. She’s everything that I was at 25. I felt like I understood her internal monologue because I could level with all of her flaws because, at one time or another, they were my flaws too.
That being said, there were several decisions that Queenie made that totally took me out of the story. Even though she was struggling, I believed Queenie to be incredibly brave and strong but there were certain scenes that just didn’t align with the character I thought I knew which confused me and made me wonder what the author’s intentions were which isn’t a good way to feel. I can’t discuss further without spoiling but it was frustrating enough to seriously impact my liking of the book as a whole.
All things considered, I found this story to be really charming and relatable. Carty-Williams’ writing style was very easily digestible which made this a fun, albeit complex, story to take in. I would label this a 3.75-star read. While I did love so much about the story, the portions I didn’t like left a bad taste in my mouth and after sitting on the story for a couple of days, I’m still not able to ignore them when I consider the story as a whole. That being said, this book is definitely worth a read and I’m looking forward to what’s to come from Candice Carty-Williams.
Full review with spoilers on my blog: https://tinyurl.com/173z82q1
Content Warnings
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Miscarriage, and Sexual content