I picked this book based solely off of the description, and I’m so glad that I did. Amalie Howard has crafted a beautiful, low key spicy YA romance novel that will satisfy YA and adult readers alike.

Queen Bee is a clever, charming YA historical romance set in England in the Regency period.

Ela is a fifteen-year-old girl who is the daughter of an earl. Her beloved mother has died, and she lives with her father in the countryside. Her best friend is a local girl, and she also plays with the son and daughter of a duke who live nearby.

Ela is happy, kind and trusting, until one horrid day when she is betrayed by someone close to her. The lies that are told about her are believed by everyone, and, her reputation in ruins, she is banished to a distant boarding school for girls.

She gets through the tough days by planning her revenge on all who were involved in the actions that resulted in the loss of everything she had known.

When she is eighteen, she is given the opportunity to put her plans into motion. She vows to be ruthless and to not hesitate to ruin the lives of her targets.

This may sound a bit dark, but the book is not at all grim. It is, in fact, lighthearted and hopeful. The characters, with the exception of a villain or two, are likeable and entertaining. The dialogue is smart and sharp, and the romance is sweet and moving and as spicy as a Regency novel about eighteen-year-olds can get.

The author sneaks in some serious points about the role of women in that society and their lack of power and agency, mainly due to the inheritance laws of the time.

This cast of characters in this book is “entirely diverse”, as pointed out in the Author’s Note. The author calls this an “anti-historical novel” due to the fact that historical records inherently reflect the bias of the writers and may not accurately or entirely reflect the actual facts. Case in point, there were women of color in British high society.

But don’t let any of this dissuade you from reading this lovely, engaging novel. It absolutely can be enjoyed just for the story itself, and I recommend this book to anyone who is not allergic to a little romance.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️, available now. My thanks to the author, Amalie Howard, to the publisher, Joy Revolution (an imprint of Random House Children’s Books) and to NetGalley for providing me a copy of this book.

#QueenBee #JoyRevolution #netgalley

If you're a fan of Bridgerton and a fan of Revenge like me, you will LOVE this book! It's a fun, diverse Regency YA book with some very fun revenge vibes.

After she is betrayed by her best friend and left with nothing, Lady Ela Dalvi is shipped off to a school in Cumbria for other troubled girls. As she adjusts to her new life, Ela has one thing her mind: getting revenge on her former best friend and taking away everything that was stolen from her. It takes three long years, but Ela returns to high society and sets her plan in motion. But when she reunites the boy she once loved, Ela starts to question what's most important to her. Will she finally get her revenge or rekindle the relationship with the boy she loves?

I think the structure of this book was so well done. We flash back to Ela in 1814 and Lyra (Ela's new identity in 1817). As Lyra's plan unfolds we get to see how what happened to drive her to this point.

I loved EVERYTHING about this book. You get all the fun of the Regency - the balls, the angst, etc mixed in with Ela plotting (aka Emily Thorne vibes). The side characters are also so fun and charming -- I hope we get more books in this world. I love Regency books and shows, but often want to see more diverse stories and this delivered exactly what I wanted.

If you're looking for a fresh, diverse Regency story, I highly recommend.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Children's for an arc of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

When she was fifteen-years-old, Lady Ela Davis’s life was ruined when her best friend, Poppy, spread a rumour about her. Ela’s father sent her away to a school, away from her friends and the boy she liked: Keston, Duke Ridley. Three years later, Ela returns to high society as the heiress Lyra Whitley. Her plan is to get revenge on Poppy by separating Poppy from her friends and removing her from her place at the top of society, while potentially claiming Duke Ridley for herself.

Queen Bee is Bridgerton meets The Count of Monte Cristo. I loved the revenge plot. Ela was wrongfully accused of something, which led to her being removed from high society. It always bothers me to see people wrongfully accused of something when you know they didn’t do it. Though this revenge plot could be perceived as bullying, with the way that Ela manipulated things to pin on Poppy, I think Poppy deserved it in the way she was constantly trying to tear other people down to raise her status in society.

Queen Bee is a fun story of vengeance.

Thank you Penguin Random House Canada for providing a copy of this book!

Content warnings: death of parent, addiction, bullying, drug addiction

At the beginning of the book we meet Lyra, who is being introduced into London Society as "the new girl." Unbeknownst to everyone but the reader and Lyra, she is not actually who she says she is. The first 2/3's of the book is told with alternating flashback's - to the girl she was, to the girl she is now. The flashbacks are utilized to give the reader insight into how the protagonist became who is currently and her motivations. As the title suggests someone is the queen bee and Lyra's goal is to take her down.

To me this book felt a little too YA for my taste. I know that this book is classified as a YA book but there are other YA books that I've read that didn't feel as YA to me. There were several times that I predicted what was going to happen, and much of the book didn't surprise me. Overall it was a cute and enjoyable read.

Do you ever stumble across a book that is pure delight? One that sneaks up on you and makes you fall in love with it? Because that was Queen Bee. It was a delightful, anti-historical* regency novel that was full of charm and wit, but also important and timely lessons.

I adored this novel for two reasons: the character's voice and the pacing. Both were extremely well done in this novel. Ela’s voice was immersive and spoke to her emotional past. It was easy to connect with her as a character because of her backstory. It is the familiar story of an ex-friend turned bully, and the way it drove Ela’s plot was predictable; but, what made her story shine was the way she rejected conforming to society and encouraged the young people around her to do the same. (Was it a stretch of Regency rules? Certainly. But it was refreshing all the same.) Ela’s overall arc and lessons learned were timely and paired well with the fast-paced plot.

As far as plotting goes, the novel was straightforward and predictable. While I was muddy on how Ela and Poppy’s comeuppance would play out, other sub-plots were easy to sus out. It was easy to see that Ela and Keston were endgame and that the revenge plot would fizzle out. Early on, I guessed the truth behind Poppy’s father and how that played into Ela’s father’s fate. It wasn’t the most inventive plot, but it made for an enjoyable mess of drama all the same.

If I had to write one critique, it’s about the colloquialisms in this novel. Yes, it is anti-historical in terms of its diversity and loosening of true Regency Era rules, but, for the most part, the language felt like a young adult historical novel. Until colloquialisms stumbled across the page. Using words and phrases—such as “bombshell” and ‘’tongue tango”—from modern vernacular immediately took me out of the story. Like most readers, I read stories to disappear into a different world for a time. So, coming across those modern sentiments was disappointing.

Otherwise, this was a delightful and easy read. If you’re a reader who can set aside historical inaccuracies and lose yourself in an entertaining, fun-loving plot, then this is the novel for you. I know I look forward to re-reading this novel when I’m in need of a pick-me-up!

Thank you to Joy Revolution and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book.

* NOTE: Amalie Howard defines anti-historical as placing a diverse cast of characters in a Regency setting. This book delivered based on that definition!

Thank you, NetGalley and TBR and Beyond Tours, for the chance to read and review Queen Bee by Amalie Howard.

Lady Ela Dalvi doesn't suffer the usual betrayal from her childhood best friend. Those betrayals are usually petty, blown up beyond recognition. You can look back and laugh at how stupid you were. Poppy does far more than that. She sets out to ruin Ela's reputation and, through that, her life. Years later, Ela is back for revenge on everyone involved. She has the money, the looks, the charm, and a plan. But sometimes love and friends can get in the way.

Queen Bee is a fun read; I left it with 3.5 stars! It's a super fun Count of Monte Christo retelling; honestly, we need more of those around! Amalie Howard is a good writer, and the book is fast-paced, with fun petty stuff being done to Poppy and enough drama at the end.

However, many things could have been cleaned up a bit more. This book is billed as YA Historical Romance, which generally falls under Regency Romance. The regency world tended to have a lot of rules, so I don't know if Ela, or even Poppy, could have gotten away with any of this. I understand that it's meant to be anti-historical. Still, even if it is anti-historical, the rules make things a bit more interesting. In addition, the representation, like that of Bridgerton, felt slightly token. There is more to Indian culture that could have been included, that wasn't just a longing for a sari.

Overall, I recommend the book, and it does seem to be doing well with other readers (it.s 4+ stars on Goodreads with 350+ reviews). It is YA, so I may be more critical of things than its intended audience, who should enjoy it! It is also Amalie Howard's debut novel, which means we should only see more and more from this author and even better things! As of now it's only been out 2 weeks!

"Queen Bee" is a less spicy "Bridgerton" with better scheming, more revenge plots, and "Much Ado About Nothing" vibes. A romantic adventure from start to finish.

I didn't realize when I requested this book that it was a YA book. And I was annoyed at first by the teenage crush. But then entered Poppy who turned the tables on her best friend, Ela, and had her banned for life from society by ruining Ela's reputation. Why? For a boy, Keaton, a boy who would be Duke
The story ends up being about the revenge Ela would exact upon Poppy ànd Keaton.
The story had romance, revenge, scandal and quite a few twist and turns.
Much to my surprise, I really enjoyed this book. In fact it got to the point, I couldn't put it down.
It was It was inclusive of al nationality and races and sexual orientation.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
I want to thank Netgalley for the opportunity to review this book.

A revenge historical romance? Yes please. We follow the main character from her difficult past to her current dilemma. While it felt a little more "Mean Girls" than Bridgerton, I enjoyed the plot. It is an enjoyable and easy read. Great for if you love historical genre or need to get out of a reading slump.

'Queen Bee' is a quick, and fun historical romance!

Lady Ela Dalvi life was forever changed when her best friend, Poppy, betrayed her without qualm over a boy, the son of a duke. She was sent away in disgrace, her reputation ruined. Three years later, eighteen-year-old Ela is consumed with bitterness and a desire for revenge. (Justified!) To do this, Ela disguises herself as a mysterious heiress and infiltrates London’s elite. What she doesn't account for in her plans is how she would feel when reuniting with the only boy she’s ever loved. The queen of chess doesn't know what's in store for her.

I love that the book starts off with the preface that this is an anti-historical fiction drama/teen romance. While I see the Bridgerton x Count of Monte Cristo inspiration - this is certainly an older YA dramatic romance at it's core. The anti-historical aspect speaks to the diversity within the regency setting of this book. We've got so much diversity in people, celebrations, and culture in this story.

The plot itself is very much a tried and tested revenge-to-love plot. Often Queen Bee doesn't feel like a historical romance. There are certain choices in plot, relationships and dialogue throughout the book that feel more modern than historical. It often doesn't have a regency tone to the actions and speech which can take you out of the immersion.

If someone is a historical romance aficionado, I think this might be irksome to read. However, if you mainly just enjoy banter, lots of flirting, high society drama and revenge stories then this will be a fun read!

Queen Bee is a very easy read overall and the drama was engaging. I actually even wanted more drama at certain points because the way the showdowns were so dramatic. Give me more fights and reveals in public!

Ela is the shining star for me in Queen Bee. I appreciated her development from a shy, young girl to a confident and regal young woman. Her growth and how she fared after being shunned by society and her own father at a young age to who she becomes (and who she really wants to be) was written so well. More than anything else in this book, I appreciated her relationship with her guardian, Church.

On the other hand, I didn't appreciate her losing her coherency at every instance she saw the main love interest, Keston, the marquess. She deserved better than him. I know the author justified they were young and that he made mistakes. But this man did my girl Ela so dirty and I don't think I can forgive him for that!

I might have appreciated him more if they didn't get together so quickly at the end. He needed to grovel more and we needed to see how their relationship developed a bit more with all their truths out in the open.

Overall, I found Queen Be to be a quick and fun read! Lots of drama to keep you hooked and a great cast of characters to keep you entertained.

Thanks to TBR Beyond Tours for the eARC and Joy Revolution and Penguin Random House for my gifted copy!

Publication Date: April 3, 2023
Review Date: April 13, 2023
Overall, a delightful, light-hearted YA read set in Regency Era Britain. Following dual timelines, we learn of the betrayal that led to main character’s Lady Ela Dalvi’s downfall and her plot to get revenge on her ex-friends.

This is an anti-historical fiction drama/teen romance, and I was glad for the note from the publisher so I knew to take it as such! By anti-historical, there was a broad spectrum of representation (characters from different backgrounds, cultures, sexual orientation, etc) that may not have been normally represented from this timeframe, and a strong feminist message with issues facing women of the time period at the forefront of the theme.

I got strong Gossip Girl vibes, though I would say reasonably cleaner, sort of mixed in with the plot from that ABC TV show Revenge from about ten years ago. One stronger point that made this book stand out to me more than other YA I’ve read recently is the fairly good relationship development between the main character and her love interest. There were some areas that I could potentially do without, (mainly excessive swooning) but keeping in mind I’m not the targeted demographic (age), I still found this very readable with a page-turning plot.

Anyone who enjoys a good historical drama/teen romance or likes the “lying about your identity” trope is likely to enjoy this book. For me, about a 3.5/5 stars.

Lady Ela Dalvi's reputation was ruined by a lie that her "best friend" Poppy told the community. Isolated from her family and friends, Ela's sole focus is on enacting revenge against her former friend. As the "new" girl in London a few years later, she gets to do just that, but finds that maybe her plan isn't the most important thing any more.

I really liked Ela/Lyra as a character - this is a YA novel, so you definitely get to see growth and the further development of identity as she spends more time with her peers. I really liked that setting as well - definitely very Bridgerton-esque, but it was also fun and different. I enjoyed this!

After being betrayed by her friends and shunned from society, Lady Ela Dalvi swore vengeance on the ones who cast her out. Her reputation was destroyed at the tender age of fifteen and ever since, she’s been planning her revenge. Now eighteen, Ela has shed off her old self and infiltrated the London ton as the wealthy heiress Lyra Whitley—joining the season not to find a suitor but to take down Poppy, the QUEEN BEE responsible for causing Ela’s downfall.

Lyra is set on revenge, but parts of Ela still question her decision. Is exploiting a friendship okay if it means she gets to avenge herself? Is payback worth breaking the heart of the only boy she’s ever loved? And worst of all, is her Machiavellian quest for retribution turning her into the very person she detests?

An anti-historical Regency romance from the Joy Revolution Books, QUEEN BEE by Amalie Howard is a Bridgerton-meets-Mean Girls young adult novel that speaks against one’s desire for revenge. It highlights sexism and patriarchy and celebrates the different ethnicities and sexualities that existed, but were not well-documented, amongst the elite societies of 19th century England. Full of references to Indian culture, Machiavelli, and chess, this book is ideal for an upper YA audience fond of racy-ish rom-coms and glamorous teen dramas.

In terms of diversity and representation, it does a good job (although it relied on too many stereotypes for my liking; e.g. saris and chai and marigolds). It did fall short in terms of plot and narration, so I give it 3.5 stars, rounded up to 4.

My least favorite part was the author’s note, which felt like an insult to the reader’s intelligence, especially because the book is clearly written for an older YA audience (based on the ~romantic- scenes).

Many thanks to TBR Beyond Tours, Get Underlined, and Penguin Random House for my gifted copy!

I am absolutely obsessed with this book. It is probably my favorite historical romance that I have ever read, and I can't wait to read the rest of Amalie Howard's work. "I support women's wrongs" is how I felt reading this. Like sure, Ela was definitely being petty by reinventing herself to get back at Poppy and Keston, but I was rooting for her the whole time. She showed growth, which we love to see, but I couldn't help wanting her to continue to be so petty. It was giving Cady Herron versus Regina George and I was here for it.

This book was an absolute delight! Bridgerton meets Mean Girls with a diverse cast that is completely swoon worthy. Hopeful that we'll see this group again in future books!

I enjoyed Queen Bee quite a bit! It's a fun diverse story with lots of drama that really feels the void of a trashy dramatic tv show when you don't have one.
.

This was a mean girls regency romance! The story was fun and a little bit unbelievable but was resolved in a great way,

Thank you to the publisher, Penguin Teen Canada, and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Three years ago, Lady Ela Dalvi was betrayed by her best friend Poppy who caused her reputation to be ruined, and was sent away in disgrace to a distant finishing school in the countryside. Now, three years later, Ela has plotted out her plan to get revenge and joins London society under a new name posing as a mysterious heiress. At first, everything seems to be going perfectly, but when she catches the attention of a handsome marquess who happens to be her childhood friend that abandoned her over the scandal, things get complicated very quickly. Will she see her plans through or throw away her shot at getting even for a chance of happiness?

I love a good retelling, so I was very interested in this one. Not only was it a retelling of The Count of Monte Cristo (which is quite rare, I’ve only come across one before), but it was set in the regency era which is one of my absolute favourites to read about.

Plot wise, the premise of this book was unique and well thought out and it set up the revenge arc for Ela perfectly. The story alternated between the perspectives of Ela from three years ago and Lyra, her new identity, as she sets out on her quest for vengeance. It was interesting to see the two timelines unfold in parallel and I also loved that the cast of characters in general was so diverse.

On the downside, this barely felt like a regency novel at all. In a real regency setting, the daughter of an earl would have never been permitted to socialize with or befriend the daughter of the family solicitor, much less run about without a chaperone. The whole plot that Poppy orchestrated to ruin Ela also couldn’t have worked out that smoothly with no consequences. It also ignored so many points of etiquette and societal norms of the time. This story could have been moved to another setting entirely with little impact to the core plot. It also didn’t feel very believable that nobody recognized Ela – it was only three years since they last saw her and all she did was change the color and style of her hair.

I think overall, if you were to start looking at the finer details, this world building would not be plausible, but if you’re willing to gloss over it and focus on the story alone, this works.

The pacing was decent throughout and kept things moving. Queen Bee was a very easy read in general and not one that required a lot of focus, making it a good choice to pick up jf you’re looking for something that doesn’t take too long to read. The writing and narration were pretty good, however, the dialogues read more like modern rather than regency speech which definitely affected story immersion for me.

Ela/Lyra was an interesting main character. Her transformation from the irritatingly timid and naive Ela to the strong, independent Lyra was fantastically done. Now if she had just stayed the course, it would have been a much better character arc, but instead, she basically melts at the first sight of the handsome marquess – even though he didn’t stand by her when she needed it.

Which brings me to the somewhat weak love interest. I felt that Ela deserved better than Keston, the marquess, because he never stood up for her when it counted and instead let himself be influenced by others around him. It also made no sense to me why he would allow Poppy to hang around him regardless because clearly he is aware of her nature. He was forgiven way too easily and the entire romance was less than compelling for me.

The ending felt a bit rushed compared to the rest of the book and things came together almost too conveniently, making it fall flat. In my opinion, the way the author chose to wrap up this book was sort of a letdown compared to how strong the plot had been until then.

Overall, this was an entertaining read with vibes of Mean Girls meets Bridgerton. Queen Bee was a fun take on The Count of Monte Cristo and if the premise appeals to you, I would definitely recommend it!

Super cute for fans of Bridgerton! I really enjoyed this YA. It felt different from anything I've read lately while still being familiar enough to keep me engaged and entertained.