People person 🌟🌟🌟🌟

I loved queenie and I loved people person - almost as much as I loved the cover 😍

It’s a fast paced but very funny story about a dysfunctional group of siblings united by their even more dysfunctional father. As much as I loved reading this, I only gave it 4 stars because the storyline at times was a bit, well, silly!

People Person, Candice Carty-Williams

Dimple knew of her siblings but she didn’t know them. Her father made sure to introduce the five of them all together once, but largely Dimple has been alone. That is until a catastrophic event brings the five siblings, Nikisha, Danny, Dimple, Lizzie and Prynce together. As they navigate a new normal the siblings are forced to confront themselves, each other and the father who left them behind.

This is a triumph. From page one I felt like these characters had walked off the page and into my life, as I flipped to the end I felt like I was immersed in this bright, beautifully tender world Candice has created.
Handling SO many themes with the energy and care we first saw in Queenie, People Person is a masterstroke of presenting real issues on page that are happening everyday off page.
One of the writers of this generation, this is a magnificent outing.

Thanks to #NetGalley and #OrionPublishing for my copy of this one!

From the author of Queenie (one of my favourite books of 2019) comes a funny and sensitive book about family, halve and wholes. I definitely felt this book, as someone raised by a single mum and with a half brother and I felt very represented in this book. With Queenie I wanted to buy a copy for everyone I know - this book wasn’t quite as perfect, I felt a lot of the characters were a bit one dimensional, but it’s a fun book from a great writer and one I would still definitely recommend.

I really liked this book. It was such a joy to read, I loved the writing style and tone and I looked forward to filling each spare moment I had with a couple of brilliant pages. BUTTTTTTTTT. The premise of the whole thing was completely mental. It was written very sensitively and issued were dealt with in such a careful and considered way; I really appreciated and enjoyed that. But, Dimple, man - why on god’s green earth would you call up people you barely know to come help you with a difficult and unprecedented situation?! I totally understand the mistrust of the police (with a nod to the awful death of Richard Okorogheye and the treatment of his family), but I found it really difficult to suspend my disbelief over calling strangers to come help you clean up a body. A completely wild and jarring plot point in an otherwise fantastic book; one which I would heartily recommend actually!

Wow what an incredible book this was, I couldn't put it down as it was so good and I wanted to know what happened next in fact it was so good i lost track of time and was nearly late for work one day as i was so engrossed in this book . If you loved Queen book then you going to love this book.

I won't ruin this book with any spoilers but I love how you learn about each siblings backstories and these really made the book for me

My favourite character got to be Dimple and some of the things she comes out with

This Book made me howl with laughter especially the image of the gold jeep and that cd and song but also made me cry in places.

I wish the author all the best with this book.

Many thanks to Orion Publishing and Netgalley for the arc of this book in exchange for this honest review.

Having read and enjoyed Candice’s first novel Queenie and then her quick reads short story Notting Hill Carnival I was very interested to read her next offering People Person, I was delighted to be given ARC from Orion books via NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I really did the like sound of the book, I love a family sage, love hearing voices that are some what different from own, and love a mystery so the book sounded right up my street- blended family who come together to help each other after a big event said in a black voice-

First off I have to say I didn’t enjoy this as much as Queenie but like Queenie it is a masterpiece in writing political fiction around the issues of race and gender that is accessible for all. Candice’s writing is fresh, powerful and true. Her voice and voices like hers need to be heard , heard again and heard again until these issues are no longer issues. As a white person it’s important to be educated on the daily micro aggressions or the not so micro ones black people face daily that we are oblivious to. As a women I feel it’s really important to hear black women’s experiences in life, we can see the differences and the similarities we need to band to together to get all female voices heard. Candice’s writing does this even if in the case the backstory to voice this wasn’t quite as good as I hoped.

I found the story pretty silly if am being honest, it never really worked or rang true, even the outcome seemed really daft If that was took to make it go away and get over all so called worry and plotting…if it was going be that easy why did they not just do that in the first instance. I also found it very unbelievable that half siblings who hardy knew each other would be the first port of call in this situation and if it was I found highly unlikely they would do what they did. I understand this was used as means to reunite the siblings but it just didn’t work for me. It escalated to quickly then to nothing, the ongoing story to bring it to conclusion was annoying and weak. I did like the story of the siblings getting together and confronting the Dad that left them all, I liked how they managed to create a family bond without him in the end and how they accepted his failings. I also really liked how the baby mamma were celebrated as both mum and dad. I just wish the back story with Kyron had not been the reason they came together, would have been better if the Dad Cyril had some sort drama that brought the kids together.

The main characters, apart from Danny, were very unlikable Dimple in particular I found super annoying and pathetic this could have been forgiven if she developed as the book went on but she didn’t in fact I found she got worse and in the end didn’t learn anything. She was not a good example of a thirty year old women she read like a teenager , however I assume she was characterised like this to highlight the daddy issues she had she just didn’t work as a viable character for me . Her love interests were both equally awful all be it for different reasons. The relationship between the siblings didn’t work it, they were meant to have seen each for years yet they seemed to behave like siblings whom had grown up together with the bickering and nit picking vert quickly , the elder child taking the elder role like she has been in charge of them all since early childhood this just didn’t work given the siblings grew as only children.

The positives in this novel is how it highlights the issues black people face today in Britain, the Karen character for me summed that up perfectly “ am not saying it like that but”

While this book wasn’t my favourite I still enjoyed it, it is tender, sometimes funny, it has well crafted accessible political voice. A voice we need to hear.

Final comment I loved the cover of this copy it was funky, arty and modern it would catch my eye in a store or estore.

Ooh, this book did not disappoint! I loved Queenie and I didn’t know how this one would match up, but it was brilliant.

Centred around Dimple, I love how whole Candice Carty-Williams makes her as a character. She’s easily led and, as Dimple would tell you, that’s no surprise as she’s a Cancer star sign which means she’s quiet until the situation calls for her crab pincers to come out. And what a situation! The suspected murder of her abusive boyfriend.

I really don’t know how the author manages to make even the most serious of plot lines into comical moments. (Like your sister accidentally kicking a load of bricks on you whilst you’re stood in a hole trying to bury a body). But she does it to perfection. As with Queenie, this novel has sensitive and serious issues that are covered beautifully. Mental health, problems with police bias against anyone who’s not white, and absent parents are all covered. I especially liked how well Dimple’s issues surrounding social media were covered. It’s so honest and realistic.

I loved this book so much, definitely five stars. Also, a huge well done to the cover artist for the fabulous interpretation of the characters.

Meet Dimple. She's an only child. So is her older brother Danny, and slightly younger sister Elizabeth. Her older sister Nikisha and younger brother Prynce aren't only children.....

Welcome to the complicated family of Cyril Pennington.

The five half-siblings had only been together once during their childhoods, driven through Brixton in that gold Jeep by their absentee father.

These five people have nothing really in common. Or so they think....until the time comes when even half-blood proves to be thicker than water.

This is stupendously brilliant.

This title has been featured in “22 books to look out for in 2022” on Caboodle from National Book Tokens.

“ People Person by Candice Carty-Williams
If you could choose your family... you wouldn't choose the Penningtons. Candice Carty-Williams, the fabulous author of Queenie, is back with People Person. In this laugh-out-loud story, Dimple Penington prepares to get to the multitude of siblings who come crashing back into her life.”

This was such a good book, I read it really quickly as I had to know what happened but I also didn't want it to end. It was well written with a good storyline and well developed charcaters that were relatable and likeable. I cannot recommend this book enough.