This post contains affiliate links.
Title: Queenie
Author: Candice Carty-Williams
Sub-genre: Women’s Fiction
Content Warnings: unprotected sex; violent sex that is borderline non-conensual; sexual harassment; racism; domestic violence; mental health (honestly, there are probably more)
Okay, so thoughts on this one. Lots of them.
Queenie is dealing with some serious struggles. Her boyfriend of several years asked for a “break”, but definitely means a break up. As the only Black woman at her newspaper job, she faces racism in the workplace. She has a falling out with one of her best friends, has to move in with her strict grandparents, is dealing with residual trauma from abuse at the hands of her mom’s ex-boyfriend, and has serious panic attacks…it’s a lot. Queenie copes with her situation in ways that are not super healthy, but she is eventually able to make way her way to therapy and at the very least, get a better handle on her situation.
None of the issues I had with the book had anything to do with the writing or the story itself. I think Queenie’s situation is relatable, and the questions she’s forced to ask herself resonate with a lot of people, women in particular. The first thing that made it tough for me was how this book is pitched. It’s comped to Bridget Jones’s Diary, which made me expect something touching and funny and mostly light on the trauma. This book is not a rom com. It is not light or funny, it deals with very heavy issues.
I actually almost DNFed this book because the beginning is so triggering. When Queenie and her boyfriend split, one of the ways she copes is by going out and having a bunch of sex. Good. Cool. Do you. However, ALL of the sex she has is unprotected. She visits a clinic multiple times for STI tests, which is all well and good, but the dangerous behavior continues ever after she has multiple trips to the clinic. Maybe romance has spoiled me, but I am not here for unprotected sex with multiple partners, especially considering she doesn’t inform her partners she is also having unprotected sex with other people. There were zero consequences from her unsafe actions and that really bothered me.
The other way romance has spoiled me (I guess) is the expectation of consensual sex. I’m sorry, but I do not want to read about a woman being hit and roughed up during sex without explicit verbal consent and safe practices in place. It is 2020. I do not need more trauma in my life.
Both of these decisions shaped Queenie the character, but I didn’t feel they were sufficiently explored enough to warrant having to read them (and I say having knowing I could have put down the book at any time). It was a lot to be exposed to when I was sold Bridget Jones. So yeah, this was a tough one for me, which is a big bummer because I loved the premise and a lot of the writing. But if I’m going to be exposed to trauma at this level, I need a warning first.
Overall Rating: 3 stars