EnShanté

“Queenie,” written by Candice Carty-Williams, is a novel about a Jamaican-British 20-something year-old woman who’s struggling with her boyfriend’s seemingly abrupt decision to breakup with her.

My favorite character was…

Kyazike was definitely my favorite character. She was honest, didn’t take shit from anyone, and was a true friend. Her quippy lines and dating horror stories made me feel like I was one of the girls. Darcy is a close second.

I enjoyed…

The text threads between Queenie and her corgis. The text threads were ALWAYS welcomed because they offered much-needed breaks between Queenie’s whining about Tom (her ex) and managing her life as well as a plastic bag “managing” the wind. 🙄

Maybe if her spiraling experiences (i.e. having unenjoyable sex with multiple racists) were less cringe and more entertaining/enjoyable, the 75 percent spent harping wouldn’t have felt like such a drag.

I didn’t enjoy…

Queenie. She was so fucking annoying. I hate how committed to being around people who didn’t seem to care about — or even like — her she was. I also hate that she didn’t seem to enjoy any of the sex that she was having throughout the book; each encounter was sad and cringe.

I rate this book…

Two stars. The writing was fine but the plot was meh and felt super stretched out. Like, there were several times when I paused and thought, “we’re still discussing this man?” (This man being Tom). Instead of making Tom breaking up with Queenie her entire identity, it would have been cool if Carty-Williams used that devastating moment to launch Queenie on a new path and show us that Journey. Kinda like what she did toward the end of the book… but minus the rushing. It felt like we spent 75 percent of the book watching her spiral and harp over Tom (a racist sympathizer) and then, when she finally started to pick herself up, we were rushed through it. Maybe if her spiraling experiences (i.e. having unenjoyable sex with multiple racists) were less cringe and more entertaining/enjoyable, the 75 percent spent harping wouldn’t have felt like such a drag.

Would you recommend?

No, it just wan’t that interesting or entertaining. The only reason I kept reading it was to find out how it ended. I am looking forward to watching Queenie on Hulu, though. Series Queenie seem’s far more exciting and dynamic than book Queenie.