Reviews tagging 'Child abuse'

Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams

88 reviews

angievansprang's review

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful reflective sad 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

4.25

I really enjoyed this read. Queenie is a young, Black, 20-something trying to find her way in London while coming to terms with some realities about her life. There are LOTS of terrible men, beautiful female friendships, complicated family dynamics, and most importantly, the rocky journey towards self love & self acceptance. Though Queenie is by no means perfect, I found her to still be a lovable character. You want everything to work out for her in the end. Check trigger warnings before picking this one up because there are definitely scenes that are hard to stomach, especially when you as the reader can recognize Queenie’s self-destructive behavior before she does. I thought the mental health representation of anxiety & panic disorders was completely on par in this book and I appreciated that rawness from the author. It was one of the many ways in which Queenie comes alive off the page.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual violence, Racism, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Toxic friendship and Mental illness

Minor: Child abuse, Suicide, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Racial slurs, and Physical abuse

justcallmeemily's review against another edition

funny sad 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

2.5

If it wasn't for book club, i would've DNFed a long time ago. Definitely not my kind of book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Racism, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Cursing, Child abuse, Alcohol, Miscarriage, Panic attacks/disorders, and Mental illness

Minor: Racial slurs, Pregnancy, Drug use, and Suicidal thoughts

thissagreads's review against another edition

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!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, and Rape

Moderate: Child abuse, Racism, and Sexual content

m_a_j's review

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful 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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Sexual content, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Mental illness and Child abuse

Minor: Miscarriage

potaylachips's review against another edition

emotional funny reflective fast-paced

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

4.75

I could relate a lot to Queenie. Even though she’s not based in the US, I still could understand the troubles she faced. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Miscarriage, and Panic attacks/disorders

Moderate: Abandonment, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, and Infidelity

Minor: Child abuse, Physical abuse, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship

bookcookshoprepeat's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Emotional abuse, Child abuse, Miscarriage, and Pregnancy

kimberlyallen011's review against another edition

challenging emotional sad 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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual assault, Domestic abuse, Racism, Fatphobia, Sexual harassment, and Sexism

Moderate: Child abuse, Alcoholism, Body shaming, and Miscarriage

Minor: Suicide attempt and Eating disorder

ank3's review against another edition

challenging emotional funny inspiring 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

4.5

I picked this book up with no idea what would come. The misogynoir way (white) men handle Queenie and her body is devastating. The book shows how it feels to be lusted after by misogynistic, racist men who crave the exotic black female body. The accumulation of all these interactions keep building up on Queenie's already traumatised life experiences and low self esteem until eventually she gets knocked down by it all.

The first half of the book is heart wrenching. The ending warmed my heart. Queenie shows great strength in this world where she is mistreated repeatedly. She picks herself up by accepting therapy which is not accepted in her culture. She slowly recovers with the help from her realistically imperfect friends and family.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Sexual violence, Racial slurs, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Child abuse, Infidelity, Self harm, Grief, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Body shaming, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Abandonment, Sexism, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Toxic friendship, Racism, Sexual harassment, Stalking, and Violence

ebun_reads's review against another edition

emotional reflective medium-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Miscarriage, Mental illness, Medical trauma, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, and Rape

Moderate: Racism and Physical abuse

peckreadsbooks'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? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child abuse, Racism, and Miscarriage