Queenie was a book I was really excited to read after listening to the author Candice Carty-Williams on one of my favourite podcasts The High Low which is hosted by two British journalists Pandora Sykes and Dolly Alderton. Candice Carty-Williams spoke about how she wanted to create a book that represented her as a black woman growing up in London, but echoed her teenage love of Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging which was a series I adored as a teenager. Personally, I think Queenie was much darker and much more adult than the Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging, but that doesn't harm the brilliance or boldness of Queenie in any way.

Queenie was very much focused on the trials and tribulations of being a young-black women from a Jamaican family living in London and dealing with inherent racism of British society, overt racism,

(of creepy white guys that just want to hit on black women - which is just some really horrid fetish that I've never even heard about until Carty-Williams spoke about it in her book and on the podcast)

mental health issues, cultural conflict between her Jamaican family and her British upbringing, and all the problems of being a woman in the 21st century. On that basis, I absolutely loved the book as it was so refreshing and eye-opening to hear a black women's story, as unfortunately too much of the media is white-focused.

On the other hand, I wasn't quite prepared for how dark Queenie could get at times

Within the first couple of chapters, she is dealing with a miscarriage despite using contraception. She regularly has unprotected sex with random men which she doesn't seem to enjoy and the sex is quite violent at times. She ends up going to therapy and has a lot of issues to work through there related to her mental health. There are just a lot of issues to unpack, and they never feel quite resolved by the end of the book.

. There was traits that Carty-Williams put into Queenie's character that I didn't necessarily like at times; however, I do not think the intention was to like Queenie at all times. Throughout the book she battles with serious mental health issues that are a layover from her childhood and only made worse by the oppression and inequality she faces in her everyday life.

The other big aspect of the book was the female-friendships that Carty-Williams created within the story. Queenie's best friends, also known as "The Corgis" were supportive, caring and concerned for Queenie (mostly). I think the female-friendship focus was made more important in this book because Queenie had such a dysfunctional relationship with men. I cannot say I liked a single guy in this book; they were all absolutely awful. This was definitely the point of the book, however, I'd warn future readers not to expect a happy romance from this book as it is about the harsh realities of online-dating, casual sex and the breakdown of long-term relationships.

The final point about Queenie that I think was really important was the relationship that Carty-Williams crafted between Queenie and her grandparents. Her grandparents came over to Britain from Jamaica in their youth to find work and "lead a better life". Their Jamaican heritage and cultural upbringing is still strong as Candice Carty-Williams unpacks what it means to be a young British-Jamaican woman and how the two cultures can clash, particularly around ideas of mental health and lifestyle.

Overall, Queenie was definitely not what I expected and gave me a much darker, thought-provoking read than I initially expected. I think Candice Carty-Williams is making brilliant waves in the literary world as she talks about issues of race, identity, mental health, and sexuality. This book is undeniably feminist and bold, and for that reason I could give it 5 stars. However, I don't think the book was perfect and I did struggle to read it initially just because it at times made for uncomfortable reading. Still, I would recommend this to everyone with the warning that at times the book can be graphic, dark and be prepared to have your world-view challenged.