This was a super fun read. Ela has a thirst for revenge - before she was able to make her debut in London, she was ruined by her supposed best friend - to such an extent that she lost everything and was shipped off to a school for ruined girls in Cumbria. She spends her time there stewing in her hatred of Poppy and Lord Ridley - the man whom Poppy betrayed her for. But her time at the school is not for naught - she is able to plot the perfect revenge on the both of them.

Told in alternating chapters, current and at the before leading up to the current - we learn how Poppy utterly destroyed Ela and how Ela plans to get her back. But we also see how Poppy is still wreaking havoc on those around her because she is an AWFUL HUMAN BEING. This was a quick read that I thoroughly enjoyed!

thank you to netgalley for the advanced reading copy of queen bee. this was an interesting reading, historical fiction and romance. The little fight between two young women who were once friends fighting over being the best up and coming woman in the season and fight for a man they both have interest in.

Queen Bee is the embodiment of a quintessential high school teen drama. Amalie Howard delightfully embraces a teen rom-com, full of diversity and modernizations that feel relatable and brings this period drama to life. I adored this novel now and I would have adored and delighted in this in my teen years! So I would highly recommend sharing this with any young readers you might know! Howard's writing is accessible, well paced, and knowledgeable. Howard really beautifully weaves together a tale of revenge, teenage heartbreak and backstabbing in the delicious regency backdrop of a historical romance. This novel is told in first person and interestingly lays out the story bouncing back and forth between the past/incident and present/revenge plot.

I love the way that Howard choses to tell this tale, by being in the heroine's point of view we have a deeper understanding of who she is, the heart ache and betrayal she goes through, and the friendships she is building, and the trust and romantic awakening she is going through. The heroine is such a relatable character and the heart break and backstabbing that affect her are relatable to any teenage girl. This novel explores what it means to be a young woman who is learning to trust others, be independent, learn how to advocate for oneself, and learn what true forgiveness is. This is a young adult romance so the heroine's friendships and romantic interest are both balanced, and the overall plot focus of the story is in our heroine's growth and understanding of herself and the world around her. I love the true friendships she builds and I found the romance to have the softness and sweetness of first love and infatuation.

Amalie Howard is a beautiful writer and I have loved her adult historical romances and was really taken with this young adult historical romance. If you love Howard's works, I think you will find this delightful. If you love a teenage romcom and historical romance, then this novel beautiful intertwines both. If you have a young reader who loves romance, then this is a perfect novel for them.

Perfect for teens who can't get enough of Bridgerton or fans of romance/friend drama! It has a back-stabbing rivalry, a soap opera feel which makes for a quick paced read with just a dash of Cinderella.

This was a fun regency romp with a side of revenge! A little predictable, but I did enjoy the romance between the two main characters.

This is a delightfuk and well written why a historical romance. I love the story between the protagonists. It’s such a sweet and delightful romance that keeps you interested from start to end. The plot was well written, and all of the characters had me intrigued, wanting to know more more about them.

I really enjoyed this book!!! I think my favourite was the chemistry between the mfc and the mmc. It was literally perfection. The yearning, the slow burn, everything about it! I also liked seeing how it starts with revenge but so much more is revealed. Overall great read.

This one is MADE for the regency lovers looking for something dramatic and YA and uniquely diverse! It's so much fun seeing characters of color in a regency story, especially in YA!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Children's / Joy Revolution for the e-arc!

This delightful novel is the perfect mix of charming, sweet, historical romance! The characters are interesting and well developed and the story that ensues is adventurous as well as entertaining. The "revenge" vibes this book presents are the driving force along with the banter exchanged between the characters. The Regency time period is well suited for this story and also comes to life with well-written and planned details that really pull in the reader. I recommend this whether you have read anything by Ms. Howard or not because you are sure to be entertained and engaged almost immediately!

A great follow up by Joy Revolution—I can’t wait to see what else they have in store. Excellently written; I’m adding Howard’s adult novels to my historical romance list as we speak. That being said, I think she needs more practice with writing YA.

The pacing was off—it felt like the plot barely began until about 72% through. The premise was a bit flimsy to me—everyone knows revenge of this scale is stupid and it made me like Lyra less. I wish it would have been a bit smarter of a plan, although that’s more of a personal pet peeve because this does feel believably teenage. Some of the dialogue seemed a bit too modern, like it didn’t fit the tone or the sentence the same character had just said. The language and description were a bit dense for YA, but enjoyable, especially for teens who have already worked their way through the Bridgerton books. The ending wrapped quickly in a neat, saccharine little package, which wasn’t my ideal but enjoyable nonetheless. A great teen companion to Bridgerton.

This book was such a thrilling read! I loved the drama of the story, the scandal, the romance, the theatrics, all really made this book an enjoyable read.

My Rating: 4/5 Stars

My Review:

I received a digital ARC from the published in exchange for an honest review – thanks! And thanks to TBR and Beyond Tours for my place on this blog tour!

I was the teeniest bit skeptical about this book, only because I was not the biggest fan of the last Amalie Howard book I read, but I have to say Queen Bee blew me out of the water! It was funny and witty, filled with so much voice and the characters were everything. I couldn’t put it down!

I am a bit unsure where to begin my review, but I think I will start with the story’s structure. For most of the novel, we are treated to a dual timeline with alternating chapters. I was a bit worried by this at the beginning, but it worked quite well for this story. It helped to build to the climax of the plot very well, and unravelled the centre of the story at the perfect pace. It was very well done.

Howard describes this book as an anti-historical regency romp and I have to say I really enjoyed the way she subverted the genre on itself. Most regency romances I have read are overwhelmingly white and straight, but the England she created within Queen Bee was so much more interesting than any other I have read. It received a treatment similar to the Bridgerton show, but I would argue done much better within these pages. It was so refreshing to read a regency set histfic with such bold and well developed side diverse characters, who are not just there for the sake of diversity. I would honestly read a book about any of the romances of the side characters, so here’s hoping that we might get some of those in the future.

I must say, I do think this book could have been given a different title that really encompasses how mature this story is. Ela has such wonderful character development throughout the book. She grows so much, especially as we begin to learn more of her backstory. She was a wonderful MC and really was the heart of this book.

Fans of Bridgerton and really great historical fictions/romances should not hesitate to pick this book up. It will draw you in from the first page and have you hooked until the very end.

Queen Bee releases April 4th, 2023

Queen Bee by Amalie Howard was a regency read I wasn't expecting. It had the best favorite story lines. The main characters were adorable and sweet. Their banter was perfect and kept you entertained. While this was a little different from a historical romance, it still delivered with everything you would want. I honestly didn't realize this was a young adult read.

I was so pleasantly surprised by this book. It had all of my favorite story lines and tropes. I loved the main character, she was so iconic and such a sweetheart. The love interest wasn't toxic. I loved the banter between the characters. READ THIS BOOK ASAP.

Thank you Netgalley for giving me the chance to read this amazing book!

Interesting concept for a regency romance. I enjoyed the drama of the main character trying to navigate and seek revenge on those who had wronged her in the past. The storyline between the main character and main love interest was entertaining and swoon-worthy. I thought the pacing was great through the book except it did seem to wrap up/move quickly at the end. I could have used a little slower timeline for the ending. Otherwise, very enjoyable- a good read for a rainy day!

Amalie's books always hook me! I get totally sucked into the world of dukes, marques, lords, duchesses, marquesses and ladies. The love stories are always fantastic and I just can't put them down. This was of course no exception. This is a story of a girl who lost everything and decides revenge is the best way forward. So many relatable topics in this book.

OVERALL:
When a girl that Ela used to thus was her best friend betrays her, and ruins her, and the friends she thought were true, don’t stand up for her, Ela is cast out, wallowing in hatred and anger in her new situation. However, she makes an unlikely friend, and who allows Ela resources to follow through with a plot to get back at Poppy (i.e. truly terrible person). Ela takes on a new name and persona and progresses the plot along. Unfortunately, she is the object of attention from Keston , whom she used to love, and then all the mixed feelings about what she is doing come out.

This book is why I do give books second chances. I started this book months ago, and could only make it about 25% through. I think I wasn’t in the right mindset or mood for this genre. So I picked it up again a few days ago and actually flew through to the end!

20 SECONDS “WHAT’S THIS ABOUT?”
Lady Ela must become Lyra to exact revenge on a childhood friend who ruined her, literally, estranging her from her father and leaving her penniless and unwanted. She comes to London to attend the season but then struggles when she starts to have conflicting feelings, about people who are just supposed to be pawns, including the boy, now man, who she used to love and may be starting to again.

MY FAVORITE PART:
Anything with Keston. He was sweet and mischievous at the same time and I LOVED it.

ARC provided by Netgalley and Random House.

Thank you PRHAudio and Joy Revolution Books for the complimentary audiobook & ebook!

I know I keep saying that I’m out of my YA era but… I LOVED this book. The cover? Perfection. It was billed as “Bridgerton meets Count of Monte Cristo” and I was really scared that I’d been duped, to be honest with you. But it really was a perfect blend of the two.

I listened to this mostly on audio, and absolutely loved the narrator. Something to keep in mind is that this is a dual timeline book, alternating chapters from the revenge plotline and several years before. For me, the audio was a little harder to keep track of this, especially when the main character was in the same location with the same characters - so you might want to read it with your eyes if that is something that could confuse you as well.

If you pick this one up - make sure to read the author’s note at the end!

Rating: 4.5 stars/5

Queen Bee truly encompasses the “Is it me? Am I the drama?” audio/meme and I love it. Ela/Lyra maybe is the drama (and maybe the villain a little bit too) but I’m here for the drama and it went down!! I love watching a good revenge plot go down, especially when there’s a little bit of questioning of love trying to throw off the main character a little bit and this is what Queen Bee is and it did it so well. This book was funny, witty, revengeful and amazing. Definitely one of my top reads of the year!

Need a Regency romance with a streak of revenge?

Look no further! Queen Bee is a bracing romance with a plot to overthrow a former friend turned enemy. Amalie Howard's bouncing back and forth from childhood to the present day makes for
wonderful story progression and plot development.