3.75 stars

My enthusiasm for Queenie grew as I was reading. Queenie is 26 years old, living in London, of Jamaican background and her life is one hot mess. She and her boyfriend Tom are on a halt — or so she thinks. In the aftermath of the breakup, she has extraordinarily bad judgment when it comes to having sex with nasty men. Not to mention that work is going badly, her living arrangement sucks, and her family life is complicated. Thank goodness for strong female friendships and the almost unconditional love of grandparents. At first, Queenie seemed like a light read — a la Sophie Kinsella. But it grew more complicated, and my attachment to and empathy for Queenie grew too. We see Queenie’s life spiral out of control, and then we see her slowly putting herself back together — with help from friends and family. There’s a fair bit of humour, but I must admit that that I was quite teary more than a few times. Queenie reminded me of that friend we all have who’s self-destructive life choices are exasperating, but who is nevertheless endearing — and who might be more complicated than apparent on the surface. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an opportunity to read an advance copy.

Based on the comparisons to Bridget Jones’ Diary I went into this book expecting a fun, light humorous read. But after reading this book I feel that this comparison doesn’t do justice to Queenie. Although both books are set in London and feature a woman with some serious dating mishaps, Queenie has so much more to offer in it’s depth and raw, honest depiction of the issues Queenie is facing in her life.
Darkly humorous and at times absolutely heartbreaking, this own voices debut from Candice Carty-Williams follows Queenie, a 25 year old Jamaican- British woman, as life her life unravels following a break-up with her long-time white boyfriend. We follow Queenie through bad decisions and horrible men, racial inequality in her personal and professional life, and serious life traumas as she struggles to find her feet after her world being turned upside down. Queenie is a lovable character and with quick wit and unwavering loyalty. You can’t help but root for her! So it was incredibly frustrating to helplessly sit back and read as she pressed the -self destruct button on her life over and over until she hit rock bottom. From there Queenie is forced to face her past and learn to fight her back to herself!
This book was dealt with a lot of very intense issues including mental health, childhood trauma, and race. Candice Carty-Williams tackles them head on completely honestly and candidly. I found the vulnerability of the writing, the fantastic character development and perfect touch of satirical humor made this a read that I won’t forget.

Thank you Netgalley, Candice Carty-Williams and Simon and Schuster Canada for the free e-book in exchange for an honest review.

Queenie is a 25 year-old Jamaican British woman living in London and struggling to fit in anywhere. She works at a national newspaper where she constantly compares herself to her middle class white colleagues. After a rough breakup with her long-term boyfriend, Queenie is trying to find love and comfort in the arms of all the wrong men. They take up too much space in her mind and decrease her self-confidence. As Queenie continues to make bad decisions, she wonders why she continues to act this way and struggles to find answers in a world that is trying to answer them for her.

Queenie felt so very real to me and some of her struggles were easy to relate to as a woman, but some of them made me really feel for her in a way I didn’t know I could. I have never had half the experiences that Queenie has to live through, but the author did a great job of making me realize how difficult being in a minority can be. This book really opened my eyes to the things that we really think it is okay to say to or the questions that we think it is okay to ask just because their skin color is different from ours. I really enjoyed the novel and how she seemed like such a real person to me with her flaws. I really felt like I got to know her and understand what it is that she was looking for. I applaud the author for allowing the character to have flaws that are so real to today and to be able to get the help that they need. I really enjoyed the book, even though at some moments you wish you could yell at her for her mistakes!

Out March 19th!

Queenie is a women in her 20s struggling with her identity and troubled past. A break up with her boyfriend sends her on a spirl with random hook ups, bad decions and issues a work. Her Obsession and delusions that her and Tom her ex are on a break and will eventually get back together steer alot of her bad decions..with all that this book brings to light the huge issue of mental health in Carribean households. The stigmas with seeking help and talking to professionals. Queenie clearly has mental health issues and needs help but is meet with critiism from her family for seeking help. In the end they turn around to the idea but as a descendent of a Caribbean mother and father this book really touched me.
I loved the way Candice addressed the underline racism within the dating scene etc.. . I do wish she had meet someone who was a decent guy who wasn't only in it to get laid or wasnt only in it for because of her exotic features. I think that would have been the cherry on top. Cause decent guys do exist who don't only have a alternative motive. All in all I feel like this is a important read. Loved it!

The narrator is 25 year old Queenie Jenkins (1st person POV). She is a Jamaican British woman. The story takes place in London.

Queenie works at a newspaper. This story basically follows her life and struggles.

I had a bit of an issue at the beginning of the book following the style of writing. We would be in the middle of a scene and then the author would go to another scene that related to that first scene (but took place in the past). So the scenes were connected and I guess maybe Queenie was reminded of the past. But I just found it confusing.

This book was easy to read. The cover and what the book was about were intriguing. It was definitely interesting reading about Queenie's culture and what it was like for her to often be the only black woman in various settings.

I really liked the group texts she had with her friends. This was a big highlight for me. I also really enjoyed reading about her job and her family.

Queenie does struggle a lot throughout this book. And the author looks at some very tough subjects. But I really enjoyed how anxiety and therapy were handled. This was a very important part of the book.

I think that the last part of the book was probably the strongest for me. I did enjoy parts of this book. But at times it definitely felt like not that much was happening. And I really didn't enjoy all of the men in the online dating. But this was a unique and important story.

I will admit that I was a little tough on Queenie at first. I questioned her life choices and wasn’t at all surprised she wasn’t deriving life satisfaction. But as we delved a little deeper into her past and her psyche and as she began to seek help to make the transition to adulthood my perspective changed. The choices she made had more to do with her sense of self worth and the inconsistent parenting she received as a young girl. They say you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover which is also how I feel about the book Queenie. It was never dull!

Candice Carty-Williams's exceptional debut resonates with many harsh truths as a fellow immigrant woman of colour from the Caribbean! The character of Queenie will forever live in my heart, especially after nearly a decade as a mental health therapist whose life work often feels like challenging stigma within our communities! I devoured this novel in a matter of hours and would recommend it highly to others!

Thank you to Gallery/Scout Press and Simon & Schuster Canada for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

3.5/5 stars (rounded up to 4)

Queenie is a 25-year-old British Jamaican woman who lives in London and works at a newspaper. The story begins with her and her long-term boyfriend Tom deciding to take a break. As Queenie struggles to accept that the 'break' they're on is actually a full blown break-up, she goes looking for comfort in the arms of a string of men who are only after her for her body, or worse, the novelty of being with a black woman.

As Queenie continues to spiral, her career and friendships start falling apart and with a tough-loving Jamaican family that doesn't believe in mental health issues, Queenie struggles to find, and then accept, the support she needs.

What I liked most about this book was that it was very raw. Carty-Williams doesn't shy away from telling it like it is. She shines a light on all the crap black women face in dating, in the workplace, and everywhere else and also talks about mental health stigma in black families. It's powerful to see this representation on the page. In some ways it's a tough book to read because Queenie's experiences are so real, but as heartbreaking as this book is, it's equal parts hilarious, tender, and sweet.

I'd recommend this book to women in their 20s and 30s and/or people interested in mental health and feminism.