Queenie Is Working on It: A Novel

Queenie

by Candice Carty-Williams

Candice Carty-Williams, internationally bestselling author of Queenie (now a television series on Hulu), reunites us with the iconic character nearly ten years on, facing new chaotic choices in life and love with cherished old friends and family in this highly anticipated sequel.

Queenie Jenkins is moving on up.

She’s thirty-three, the editorial director for The Good Sis, a thriving media network amplifying the voices of Black women, a far cry from her former toxic workplace. With a great platform and a renewed sense of purpose, she’s fighting the good fight.

So when an appointment for research goes haywire and reveals startling truths about her own fertility, Queenie is confronted with a racing biological clock when she’s not even sure she wants kids in the first place. She’s sort of seeing someone, but it’s not that serious (according to him), and her mom, grandma, and aunt Maggie all mean well, but they keep asking when she’s going to settle down.

Surrounded by loyal friends who seem to fall in love with their person and get pregnant at the drop of a hat, Queenie feels they just don’t get her. After a series of confusing “situationships” that prove more trouble than they’re worth, an old flame that she’s now second-guessing why she ended it with, and her beloved grandfather’s failing health, Queenie feels as though time is running out in all the parts in her life. And she’s going to do what she thinks is best to get back on track, no matter how inadvisable.

Bigger. Not better. Older. Not wiser. The beloved and flawed Queenie Jenkins is scared, she is frustrated, she is confused…but…she is working on it.

Genres: Contemporary, Fiction

384 pages, Hardcover

Expected publication September 8, 2026

About the author

Candice Carty-Williams was born in 1989, the result of an affair between a Jamaican cab driver who barely speaks and a Jamaican-Indian dyslexic receptionist who speaks more than anyone else in the world. She studied Media at Sussex because her sixth form teachers said that she wasn’t clever enough to do English, but she showed them all by first working at the Guardian Guide and then moving into publishing at 23.

Carty-Williams has worked on marketing literary fiction, non-fiction and graphic novels ever since; her first highlight was interviewing David Cronenberg and telling him that if she were a white man she’d like to look like him. In response he called her a ‘delightful person’. In 2016, she created and launched the Guardian and 4th Estate BAME Short Story Prize, a prize that aims to find, champion and celebrate black, Asian and minority ethnic writers. She also contributes regularly to Refinery29 and i-D.

Reviews

[Celia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Queenie is back! Covering some very current issues, Queenie has grown up somewhat in both her personal and work life, both intertwined with each other. Where the first book was laugh out loud in many places, this book is more emotional. Great read.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read an advanced digital copy in return for an honest review.

[Vix S · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oof, I can’t believe the first Queenie book is 6 years old! This felt like a brilliant follow-up, written with exactly the same charm and cultural importance of Queenie and her community. I love her family ties and the dramas with her friends and colleagues as well as the email/text exchanges we’re party to. The whole sideline storyline about her work event/project felt a little bit too BIG and as though it had been squashed in to the rest of the story - I don’t know if maybe the book being a bit longer would have given this storyline more room to breathe? I really enjoyed it as a whole though!

[bailey · Rating 2 out of 5]

I remember loving "Queenie" but this follow-up lacks the charm of the first book. The comparisons to "Bridget Jones's Diary" feel extra appropriate here, which is to say, the fatphobia and lack of communication was on full display in a way that felt really exhausting. Queenie goes on a weight loss journey in an attempt to qualify for medical care, but the book never pushes back on that despite the fact that Queenie gets that advice researching a piece about how the medical industry treats Black women, and fatphobia is famously rooted in anti-Black racism and misogynoir. She just accepts that she must lose weight, magically and rapidly does so, and tries to trick readers into thinking she is on a journey of self-love in the process. Exercising and eating healthfully are obviously positive changes that might result in weight loss, but she complains about "only" losing 1.5 stone in two months, which is over 20 pounds!!!! That's over TEN POUNDS A MONTH. That's crazy.

The writing also felt a little clunky in this book. It was very inner monologue/dialogue-heavy, and it felt distracting when the author tried to break it up (like, pausing a stream of conversation with someone reaching for their water bottle or adjusting their hair or whatever). Some parts of the story felt like they took way to long to finally come to a head and then get resolved while others felt like they didn't get enough time on the page. I would have loved to see more of Queenie working on her work projects, for example, and about half as many ruminations over a past relationship we barely see on page. Finally, most side characters felt like one-dimensional caricatures. They all had exactly one, possibly two, attributes that told readers exactly how to feel about them. They felt a little silly, especially when compared to the complex character that is Queenie Jenkins.

All in all, this was a shocking disappointment since I have loved the previous two novels published by this writer. I still look forward to her next release, and will hope for a better experience. I'm giving this an extra star because of a line from Queenie's therapist that really struck me (and since you shouldn't quote from ARCs, I'll paraphrase a bit)--rehearsing for misery and/or preparing for sadness won't make it hurt less if your worst fears come true. Oof. Such a good reminder for us anxiety-ridden girlies.

I read a digital ARC from NetGalley and Gallery Books.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was lovely to be back in the company of Queenie. Life has not really panned out as expected, what men and a career being more complicated than they should be. Queenie is still a mix of loveable and infuriating, I was unsure as to whether she needed a hug or some strong words. Either way the book is an enjoyable read.

[Dysha Cole · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book. I had read Queenie when it first came out and although I found her to be insufferable, I decided to give the sequel a chance since she had aged since then. She is still insufferable and difficult to connect with. The writing was cool but I just don’t like this character or any of the supporting characters.