People Person by Candice Carty-Williams is a novel about reconnecting with family at a time of crisis.

I loved Queenie so was so pleased to get a copy of People Person.
It tells the story of Cyril Pennington’s 5 children. They didn’t grow up together or with Cyril and they didn’t properly meet until they reached an age where they might meet at a nightclub! But sibling solidarity is put to the test when one of the calls for help one night.
Really enjoyed this book. Would definitely recommend

The Penningtons are 5 half-siblings, united by a shared father but different mothers; they have grown up knowing of each other but have never really met until the day that their dad Cyril scoops them all in his gold car, and introduces them to one another. Cyril hasn't been there for any of them, and he disappears as quickly as he arrived. The siblings dont meet again for another 10 years, when middle sibling Dimple calls on her siblings to help her deal with a nightmare situation in her life, and they are suddenly thrown back together again.

I enjoyed watching them getting to know one another and working out more about themselves and their family. The bonds between them were wonderful and real, and they felt like real people dealing with a real crisis.

Candice Carty-Williams’ second novel is HERE! It is EVERYTHING!

From the opening sentence I was welcomed into the written world of an author who knows what she is doing. Potential readers will be pleased to find in People Person the style and themes we’ve come to love and expect in a Candice Carty-Williams novel. There’s the laugh-out-loud humour, the brilliantly accurate social commentary, fully formed characters you can’t help but care about, and of course the city of London. As a book club based in London it’s a joy to tour the sights and places familiar to us with new characters, seeing our city through their eyes.

In the novel we are introduced to the five Pennington siblings: Dimple, Nikisha, Danny, Lizzie and Prince, who all meet for the first time on an impromptu summer day at Clapham Common. The only thing they seem to have in common is their lothario of a father, Cyril Pennington. Having been absent for most of their lives, he decides to bring his children together, setting off a chain of events that have an impact that pushes the concept of ‘family’ to the brink.

I was invested in this story from the start. I loved the complication of characters coming together and the complexity of blended families. Every character felt fleshed out and with purpose. I had no idea where this book was going, and I must admit the twist did take me aback. However, it didn’t deter me and I was along for the ride to the bitter end.

There is such love for Candice here at Brunch Book Club. Her runaway bestseller Queenie was the first book we read in 2019 and we have been excited for next release since then! It didn’t disappoint.

4/5 stars from me!

Completely captivated from the start - it was like being immersed in a soap opera (in a good way!). Really liked the characters and it painted such visual pictures of them all that by the end I felt like one of the family. An excellent read.

It's took me a while to finish this book. I didn't find myself excited to find out what happens next. However, it was engaging enough that I did finish it and I'm glad I did.
The 'unexpected event' was a little unbelievable and felt like it came from an episode of Eastenders. But ignoring that bit, the sibling dynamics that followed were extremely believable. This is definitely a character driven story and Candice is excellent at creating fully rounded characters that you route for.
The ending felt a little rushed. Without giving too much away I did say to myself 'well why didn't you just do that 100 pages ago?!' But the epilogue felt like a true ending for the characters who had, quite literally, come full circle.

Overall, this was an enjoyable read but I feel my expectations were way too high!

I read and loved Queenie but for some reason when I read the blurb of People Person I wasn't overly pushed to go and read it, then I saw @5inead enjoying it on her story so of course FOMO kicked in and I had to request it. I'm really glad I gave in to the self-inflicted peer pressure as it was a really enjoyable read and listen.

First thing I'm going to mention is that the story is a little bit unrealistic, so cast that aside at the start of the book and then sit in for some fantastic characters, cringe worthy family moments and some great sibling bonding.

The book centers around Cyril Pennington and the five children (that he admits to having) by four different mothers. The children all live seemingly unconnected lives not knowing each other until one day Cyril decides they all should meet so that they don't end up accidentally @coupling' up. Fast forward 10 years later to when out of the blue Dimple calls on the eldest sister Nikisha to help her get out of a rather prickly situation she has herself landed in. The troops rally around Dimple and what unfolds is an entertaining exploration of their characters and previously unknown strength as a family unit.

Carty-Williams has written a host of brilliantly fleshed out, honest and quite likable characters which are so engaging and authentic that it's easy to get caught up and carried away with the story line. She highlights the beauty of family coming together in a time of need and protecting each other at all costs, even against those who should have been protecting them.

I switched between ebook and audio and while both were great I have to save the audio was fantastic, Cyril's character especially came to life far more vibrantly through the audio.

Is this book a bit flawed with some run away flighty moments that have you thinking 'Really?' Yes, but in saying that I laughed so much through out, while also having a few near tear moments. I enjoyed every minute of it and would love to see any or all of the characters followed up on in their own book.

A fun, heartwarming and and engrossing read.

‘Sorry, when did I walk into an episode of How to Get Away with Murder? Who died and made you Annalise Keating?’

✮✮✮✮✮

Dimple Pennington, influencer who isn’t really an influencer, is also an only child that isn’t technically an only child. Five children born of four different mothers met as half-siblings about ten years ago, they never had much contact until Dimple needs them and they all come crashing into her life.

Braaah what a book. Just one thing, you absolutely cannot judge this on the same style as Queenie. They are two completely and utterly different works of literary fiction, but they are both utterly incredible. I inhaled this book in a day and I think I’m about to go and reread it right now. All I’m saying is that the blurb gives NOTHING away. Corrr the drama!

I loved the characters, they were completely relatable in their own little ways, and all the siblings personalities seemed to clash, but I think that made the book even better! The story line I was not expecting at all, and it was really incredible. Every unanswered question going along was dutifully answered toward the end, leaving me extremely satisfied!

Go and read this book, RIGHT NOW!

Focussing on a group of 5 half siblings who all come into each other’s lives as adults. Following a dramatic event they are forced together and also to reconnect with the absent father none of them really knew.

I went into this after having adored Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams and, although I didn’t expect it to be similar to Queenie, I didn’t love this as much and think it suffered from my expectations being super high.

I really enjoyed the group of half siblings. I loved the character of Dimple and thought the others were well written. I never had difficulty remembering who was who. I loved the interactions between the characters and with the side characters too.

The ‘dramatic event’ referenced in the blurb was stretching the realms of belief in my eyes (no spoilers)! I understood what she was trying to do with this but thought that something more realistic could also have worked as a catalyst for bringing them together and also have grounded the book.

Overall, I loved the writing and characterisation in this book but felt the execution let it down slightly. I really enjoyed it and will definitely continue to read everything Candice Carty-Williams writes next.

AD - this copy was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

I loved Queenie and Candice Carty-Williams’ follow-up to her outstanding debut novel doesn’t disappoint. People Person follows the Pennington half-siblings, Nikisha, Danny, Dimple, Lizzie and Prynce. They all share the same father Cyril who has been largely absent from their lives. They haven’t had much to do with each other while they were growing up separately in south London, until Dimple finds herself in a dangerous situation and turns to her siblings for help. The portrayal of adult sibling relationships is pretty rare in fiction, even more so through the lens of the Black British experience, and Carty-Williams addresses this with her characteristic wit and authenticity. As People Person is more quirky in tone compared to Queenie, some of the more hard-hitting themes related to abuse maybe don’t land quite as effectively, but overall, this is an enjoyable novel with well-drawn characters.

Nikisha, Danny, Dimple, Lizzie and Prynce have nothing in common -except their father, Cyril Pennington. One day, Cyril collects all five of his children and introduces them to each other because he simply wants them all to know who each other are. 15 years later, Dimple gets into a spot of trouble with an abusive partner. Panicking, she calls Nikisha, who she hasn't spoken to, since the day their father introduced them. Before Dimple knows it, all four of her half siblings are in her living room with a pledge to help their sister out of this crazy situation.

As a huge fan of Queenie, I was so excited to read Carty-Williams' follow-up novel. I see so many similarities both between the books, both in the characters and themes, but they are also totally separate entities and should be treated and reviewed as such. People Person has a whole cast of fresh, loveable, authentic characters. I fully believed that all of the Penningtons were real people and I really cared about what happened to them all.. Cyril was a fascinating character, who was again very believable. I think I'd have liked to see more of him, despite the fact he frustrated me to no end!

I adored seeing the siblings come together and display some kind of innate, unwavering loyalty. They barely know each other but they seem to have a genuine desire to help and support each other, which was lovely to see. Even though some of the relationships were a little hard at times -particularly between Dimple and Lizzie- there was always this huge sense of siblingship between them. It all felt very real and therefore a heartwarming picture was painted of the unique bond between siblings.

Themes such as belonging, absent parents, mental health, addiction, domestic and emotional abuse are all touched upon. All of the siblings seemed to have coped with having an absent father in different ways and that was really interesting to see. I also really enjoyed seeing how Cyril affected each of the siblings' mothers. There's a scene where all of the mothers and siblings are together and it makes for some pretty explosive stuff!

I'm pretty sure that most readers will see themselves in at least one of the Penningtons -for me, it was a combination of Dimple and Nikisha. Throughout my reading of the book, I laughed out loud, was filled with anxiety and felt my heart lift, so I can certainly say that this book did a great job of burrowing into my heart and soul! I've got no doubt it will be a massive hit and that's down to Candice Carty-Williams' ability to write characters that readers know and stories of hope and love.

After reading "Queenie" I had high expectations about "People Person" by Candice Carty-Williams. I finished it very disappointed.

The idea behind this novel had so much potential--half-siblings who share the same father, who is far from receiving a parent of the year award, reconnect under an extraordinary circumstance. However, if the main conflict that has been driving the plot forward, can be resolved in couple of words spoken by a character who was there from the beginning, it's hard not to think that the whole story was quite pointless.

"People Person" hinted on so many important topics: familial loyalties, intimate partner violence, parentified children, which didn't need the far fetched A-plot to be explored. I think the weakness of the main storyline simply waters down what could be the biggest strength of this novel.

A poignant read that explores what blood and family actually means.

Dimple finds herself in an dangerous situation and calls someone she never thought she would; her half sister who she has only met once in her life. Unbeknown to her, she ends up inviting all four of her half siblings into her life in a frought rollercoaster ride where they all explore what family is to them.

People person is an easy read which lacks climatic moments but rather explores the characters and relationships in a rhythm that is closer to reality. An enjoyable read.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Really enjoyed this! For me, the plot was totally unexpected - something I quite liked. Overall, the story had a good mix of hilarious and serious/thoughtful scenes. The author does a good job of addressing some important themes, such as racism and abuse. The main characters are all pretty likeable, in their own ways. While I was reading, I kept thinking I wanted to learn more about some of the other siblings, esp. Danny and Nikisha - and we did get to learn a bit more about them towards the end of the story.

I thought the book was well written and I'd definitely want to read more books by the author.

I loved Queenie and felt that despite it being about characters I had nothing in common with it was very relatable and did a brilliant job of telling a story about mental health and healing.
So, I was really looking forward to reading the much anticipated new release by Candice Catty Williams. However, I just couldn't get into People Person. I struggled with the pacing all the way through, it seemed to touch every situation and event very lightly and just skipped along. Again, I didn't have much in common with the characters, but this time felt the writing did not go deeply enough for me to draw alongside them. I didn't particularly enjoy the farcical type of storyline and just didn't get on with the writing style or plot of this book.
With thanks to NetGalley and Orion for the digital ARC in exchange for this honest review.

I wanted to read this book based solely on loving her first book "Queenie". I wasn't really sure what this book was going to be about, and I was in for such a surprise.

Dimple Pennington meets her half siblings once, many years ago along with the reader. Then we are in fast forward to the present day and she meets them all again in very different circumstances. It was at this point I was totally hooked into the book. I wasn't prepared for being so invested in all of the characters, but I was and I feel like I'm going to miss them now it's all over.

The writing is once again just brilliant and the words flew off the page and fired up my visual imagination. I was so caught up in the plot that I told other people about it as I read it, who then also wanted to know what happened.

The biggest character has to be Cyril the father of the siblings with four different women. I loved getting to know more about each of the Mothers and how they had come to know Cyril. Such wonderful character writing throughout the book kept me engaged. My favourite character was Nikisha. A strong female lead who I championed as I read.

So, what was this book about? Lives, loves, prejudices and a crime! I'll be first in line for the next book Candice writes.

A well-crafted and snappy story of adult half-siblings brought back together through a truly unbelievable event - this is a crime thriller with Carty-Williams' well-known heart and humour. Really unlike anything else I've read this year!

I was so excited to get an ARC of People Person from Netgalley because I had inhaled Candice Carty-Williams’ debut Queenie in one day. However People Party as just not for me…I contemplated putting it down and not finishing it at several points but persevered to the end. It is a story of family dynamics. Cyril is a notorious womaniser who fathers five children with four different mothers. They very rarely have anything to do with each other until one of them, Dimple, has a crisis and calls on the eldest sibling to help. She enrols the rest of them to help and the story then focuses on the relationship that develops between all five and how they cope with the neglect of their father. I failed to connect with any of the characters which meant I couldn’t emotionally invest in the story and is why I struggled to continue with it. Others may love this - it just wasn’t for me.

Ah I just loved this book. Queenie was brilliant but I think this is my favourite! I finished it so quick because I just couldn’t wait to find out what happened. I loved dimple and Danny, perfect characters!

After struggling a little through the start of the book I was so glad I stuck with it. Loved the story but I loved the characters the most and felt really invested in them. Simply fantastic