Queen Bee is a YA Regency romance from Amalie Howard that’s part Bridgerton, part Mean Girls, all revenge plot that changes lives.

Set in 1800’s London, Lyra is on a mission for revenge against her former best friend and crush. When she was 15 Poppy started a viscous rumor that ruined her reputation resulting in Lyra going to a reformation school. Three years later, she comes to London under a false name to have the season she was promised, destroying those that didn’t stand up for her, including the boy she loved, Keston.

I was interested in the first few chapters and enjoyed how the book went back and forth in time to tell how Lyra came to be but after that I felt like it dragged. It was slow in some places that I was like - Let’s get revenging! The plans Lyra had quickly fell apart when she realized how during others didn’t make her feel great, which is probably the moral of the book. I didn’t feel strongly about Keston, he was a wimp not standing up to his dad. I had a hard time believing a few things too that took me out of the story.

Overall, I think young fans of Bridgerton or Regency romance will like this one for it’s diverse cast, well researched plot points and easy readability.

Reviews Posted: March 23, 2023
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This was a rocky start for me, but after a few chapters, I honestly could not put it down. I defiantly stayed up way too late to finish it because I just had to know how everything plays out. There were defiantly a few plot points that were predictable but I just enjoyed how everything was played out that I didn’t care as much.

I liked the main character and I think her arc of revenge was well done. Revenge stories tend to only fall a few ways, so it was clear how things would end but seeing her journey and her interaction with other characters was what I liked the most. I also thought the other characters were well done and the author did a great job of expanding on all of them in a short amount of time.

The plot as I said was predictable, but I still had a good time seeing how all the characters ended up where they did in the end. I just wish there was just one thing that caught me off guard.

I don’t read a lot of historical fiction from this time period so it was nice to delve into the Regency era more.

Overall a pretty solid book, with a decent plot, but the characters are the ones that truly shine in this book.

We love a good revenge plot! This book is perfect for fans of Lex Croucher.

I wasn’t expecting to enjoy this delightful YA as much as I did, but it was a pleasant surprise. Character driven stories >>>

I love a good revenge story and the fact that this takes place during the Regency era just made me so happy!

Lyra has a difficult past. She had a friend that she thought was trustworthy when she was young. But, when a new and rich (and handsome) boy moves into town, Ela doesn't realize the overwhelming power of jealousy, particularly in her best friend, Poppy. Poppy not only starts a rumor but "finds evidence" making Ela look like she was with a boy, therefore Ela loses all respect from her peers and even her family and is sent to a small, country, boarding school for problematic girls.

However, like I said, this is about revenge. When Lyra (Ela) returns for the season years later, she immediately grabs everyone's attention. But is dragging down Poppy and lying to the boy from her past worth it? Some would say yes and some would say no. I suggest read and find out!

This was a great read! A really delicious, often humorous look at what makes real friends so important. I loved this story!

Out April 4, 2023!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Amalie Howard for providing me with a complimentary digital ARC for Queen Bee coming out April 4, 2023. The honest opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Lady Ela Dalvi has her life ruined by her supposed best friend, Poppy. She betrays her by starting a rumor about her over the son of a duke. Ela gets sent away to a boarding school in disgrace, her good reputation destroyed. 
 
Almost three years later, Ela is eighteen-year-old. She is consumed with rage and ready for revenge. Her enemy is quickly joining the best of high society while she hides away in the English countryside.

With a well thought-out plan to get her revenge on Poppy, Ela disguises herself as the mysterious heiress Lyra and infiltrates London’s elite. But when Ela sees the only boy she’s ever loved again, she wonders whether vengeance is still what she desires most. 
 
In this complex real life chess game, Ela must choose her next move: Finally bring down the queen or take the king’s heart?

This is my first book by this author. Overall, I loved this book! I loved to see the diverse cast of characters in regency England. I enjoy revenge stories every now and then. This was a fun one. It felt a little like regency Gossip Girl. I think Poppy was definitely a mean girl and deserved her comeuppance. I thought it was a little odd Kes and Zia didn’t suspect something about Lyra since they had been friends before. I guess she had really changed her appearance and had to be completely unrecognizable. I think Kes was at times a bit arrogant and blind, but I do think he had good chemistry with Ela. Some of my favorite parts were when Ela was at the boarding school. She had various friends who had her back and I loved to see it.

I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys diverse regency romances!

This was a very interesting book for me to read! I'm typically not one for historical fiction, but the cover and the synopsis pulled me in. In the Queen Bee, we follow a girl named Lady Ela Dalvi, a girl who was disgraced by her former best friend out of jealousy a few years back. Now, she is back in London for revenge against all who did her wrong as a brand new lady, just in time for the summer season.

I felt that this book was really easy to follow and it was nice to be in Ela's head. I found her to be an entertaining narrator, especially when she was plotting and scheming for the downfall of her enemies. I liked that we got to see her grow throughout the book and it was especially entertaining when her plans were set in motion. I liked a good revenge story and this one definitely delivered. I also liked that the romance was intertwined with Ela's revenge story. I think it would have been too much if it focused on just revenge.

Being in Regency Era Britain made me want to become a lady of nobility and hang out with some of these characters. I loved the setting of this book, as well as the supporting characters and of course, the two main characters we see on the cover. The love interest was fully fleshed out and he was what I would typically think when I think about a son of nobility. I liked that he wasn't really pompous, as well as his group of friends.

If I had one complaint, maybe it would have been cool to see Ela's friend be more three-dimensional? I don't believe we're given much of a reason of why she is the way she is. Maybe she had issues at home to be a terror in British society? Maybe her parents didn't pay much attention to her so she had to get attention elsewhere? Who knows! I think it would've been cool to see why she did those things other than to be spiteful. Overall, a lovely book to dip your toes into historical fiction with equal parts of romance and revenge. Highly recommend!

Thank you to NetGallery and Random House Children's for the ARC! All opinions are my own.

This was a YA anti-historical novel that read as a less spicy Bridgerton meets Mean Girls. The drama was high, and highlighted some political theories from Machiavelli’s The Prince. The language was diverse, and sometimes read a bit like an SAT vocabulary prep novel, or my dry political theory textbook from college.

What I liked- The thread of chess of chess from the start to finish, I’m a sucker for the love story, friends to lovers. Loved the anti-history and diversity. Found family for Ela and Church is a huge selling point.

What I didn’t like- Sometimes it felt dry, or like it was paced too quickly. I got confused sometimes between going back to when Ela was at school, and present day the timeline shift was from dates 3 years apart, due to context we got there but… it made me annoyed.

Overall it wasn’t bad, but it didn’t engage or excite me as much as I would have liked. I would personally rate it 3.5/5, rounding up to 4.

This review an ARC given to me by NetGalley, for a fair and honest review.

A teen girl seeking retribution against her backstabbing former best friend finds her plans slightly derailed once she catches the eye of a familiar, handsome marquess. Bestselling author Amalie Howard delivers a delightful, anti-historical Regency-era romp that’s Bridgerton meets The Count of Monte Cristo!

This book was so much fun and a nice easy read! I love the setting in society with all the glitz, glam and yes, scandal! Lyla's journey for revenge plays out nicely especially with how real her torment of actual feelings were. I think this is a great book for fans of Bridgerton or The Gilded Age. @amaliehoward has written a really wonderful book!

I truly appreciate @Netgalley and @randomhousekids for letting me preview this book!

I ADORED THIS BOOK- the following are my tweets about it reviewing it

when they say bring diversity into regency romance!!!! no hint of racism in this delightful fantasy regency world (and yes we should address actual history but sometimes a woc just wants to enjoy a fun romance without trauma)

1/2 stars were taken because the writing was modern with modern idioms etc which were difficult to ignore.

i hated the villain which was good thing but god i hated her!!

ALSO MC was wearing saris and there was more diversity just all around and it wasn’t treated like a spectacle idk it was neat i’ve never seen a regency romance actually do it (bton tried in their show but their diversity is lacking and also love cures racism and all that)

YA Bridgerton/Gossip Girl and chess?! This book is perfection! Ela is set on revenge after a disastrous event throws her life in ruin. After learning what has happened, you can’t help but root for Ela and laugh at her clever ploys as she tries to get back at the person who has wronged her. There is a focus on revenge but the book is so much more. Friendship, forgiveness, being yourself, and found family are themes present in the story. I loved how amazingly written and diverse all of the characters are. This is the perfect book for the new imprint Joy Revolution. I could not recommend this more! Thank you NetGalley and Random House Children’s/Joy Revolution for the arc.

I gave 5 out of 5 stars. I loved the chess references throughout the book. I loved Ela/Lyra, she as so classy and she didn’t really do a lot of bad things for her to fall into the same character flaw as the person she wants to take revenge on. She reminded me of a good person trying to be bad to protect themselves but failed woefully at being bad. Ela/Lyra’s relationship with Keston was so beautiful, the sparks was flying off the page the minute they met the second time and you could see the beautiful budding romance of their younger days as well. The strong friendships and connections was the most heart-warming part of the story. I love how the author goes from present Lyra to past Ela until events catch up at the end, just thrilling. I love it when this type of historical romance that reminds you of mills and boons is not the featuring a white character is its main protagonist.

This was an sweet book in the line of the tv interpretation of Bridgerton but in a more YA style (and less spicy).

I thought the time jumping was well used. I liked some scheming and pranking alongside the love story. I felt that the quotes were well used alongside the characters growth.

I loved the diverse cast of characters. The romance felt sweet and earned. All around I think it’s a great YA entry to the Regency Romance genre.

In reading the author’s note, Howard mentions this being an anti-historical romance and I frankly couldn’t agree with that phrase more. This book is unlike any other historical romance I’ve ever read before, no matter the genre.

Queen Bee follows Lady Ela Dalvi who has her reputation ruined and is sent away to a boarding school. From there, we find out the reason why and why she’s on such a quest for revenge against Poppy who is her former best friend. We also get introduced to some of Ela’s former friends who have no idea who she is and the love interest, Keaton.

While the romance was a major player within these pages, I feel like the real story was about Ela or Lyra as she starts to realize that maybe revenge doesn’t taste as sweet. Regardless, that’s not to say she doesn’t have fun along the way or ends up getting to one-up Poppy when it’s absolutely called for.

Honestly, Queen Bee surprised me with how action-packed it was along with how much backstory we got about Ela’s life before she started her quest for revenge. I feel like Amalie Howard did an amazing job of illustrating just how damaging accusations could be and how much Ela truly suffered. Regardless, it made the ending of this story all sweeter.

Maybe it’s just me but I feel like I wish one of her old friends would have realized it was her sooner. In the story though, it does make sense why they wouldn’t. Either way, Queen Bee is one of the few historical romances I’ve read this year and absolutely devoured. Whether you’re a YA reader or not, I feel like you can’t go wrong with Amalie Howard.

I enjoyed this book so much, and I had been in a slump, but when you tell me a book is about revenge similar to The Count of Monte Cristo, then I am in. This did not disappoint, as I was caught up in the journey of the characters, and it even had Jane Eyre vibes, and I am definitely here for that, as it's a favorite of mine. If you're looking for the classic cast-out-of-society-gets-back-in-to-get-even trope, then this is for you, and you'll find yourself wishing the main character would change her ways, even though you also want to see everyone get theirs. It's a book with a happy ending, so no worries about extremely terrible things happening. It's just a really fun, quick read, about friendship, love, and being a better person. The setting is also glorious, if you like Regency Era literature. There's the classic copious amounts of the wealthy participating in games, but there's less dancing than usual for this era, I would say, so if balls bore you, I think this book will be a good choice. I think this book is a delight to read to wile away an afternoon.

I absolutely loved this book! I wasn't sure at first how I would feel about the present and past chapters going back and forth, but I actually really enjoyed and it was the perfect format for Ela's story. I loved the diversity of characters in this book and thought that it elevated the story.

I really enjoyed Ela (Lyra) and her journey from childhood to outcast to triumphant member of society. The more I learned about Poppy, Keston and Zenobia the more I understood Ela and how much she had lost with the false rumors that Poppy had spread. I'm sad that Ela never had a true chance to reconcile with her father, but I'm sure (in fictional heaven) that he knew that she wasn't guilty.

I can't wait to see more of what Amalie does within this version of Regency!

5/5.

Queen Bee tells the story of a young teenager who is wronged by her best friend in the Regency era, and then goes on a revenge quest to make her pay for it. Ela/Lyra is our main character, and I appreciate a teenager who is fueled by spite (because what sixteen year old isn't?). We learn about her time as Ela, when she was young and scrawny and naive and best friends with Poppy, and then we see her as Lyra, the older, more sophisticated lady who is hellbent on destroying Poppy. Told in dual timelines, the story eventually becomes revealed as we learned exactly what happened to Ela and how she became Lyra.

Unfortunately, a lot of this story fell flat for me. I don't know if this is just my personal preference, but I did not enjoy Poppy's characterization. It's clear from the beginning that she has an air of superiority and she's always looking down her nose at everyone who she deems "beneath" her, and I just can't figure out the motivations. Why does Ela spend time with her in the beginning when it's clear that Poppy is so awful to be around? Why is Poppy so evil? It's almost comical how over the top Poppy's mean-girl-ness is, and it's exhausting. I understand that people spend time with her because she's rich or whatever, but it seems so unlikely that everyone would always take her side when all she does is ruin people's lives. And why? Because she wants to end up with Lord Ridley? Her characterization and motivation just fell so flat for me. Maybe I'm just over the whole "girl is mean for the sake of being mean" trope in young adult novels.

The rest of the characters were fine - I actually liked Ela/Lyra a lot. Like I mentioned, I enjoy when characters are motivated by spite, and I think she had a good character arc as she learned that revenge might not solve all of her problems. She was realistic and fun to read about as a main character, and she made poor choices, but it always made sense why she did what she did. Lord Ridley, aka Keston, felt like kind of a nothing character to me. I liked him when we got flashbacks to three years prior, but he was so blah to me for the rest of the book. He boiled down the solely the love interest, and while I didn't actively dislike him, there wasn't really much going for him in my opinion either.

In terms of the writing style itself, I thought this book was extremely well-written, Even though I had my problems with the characters, it was compelling to read and I really felt immersed in Lyra's world. I will definitely be picking up more of Amalie Howard's books in the future, because I really did enjoy the writing style. The story itself was also compelling, with the way the plot progressed and the way the story was laid out on the page.

Overall, I thought this book was a fun read, other than the antagonist, Poppy, who I thought was such a caricature of herself. I would recommend it if you're looking for a fun Regency-era read with an interesting main character and story arc!

*Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Children's, Joy Revolution and TBR And Beyond Tours for providing this book in exchange for an honest review*

Step 1. Read Queen Bee arc. Done ✔️
Step2. Pre-order it from Amazon. Done ✔️
Step3. Re-read Queen Bee arc.Done ✔️
Step 4. Wait patiently until 4/4/2023 (pub day) Done ✔️

This book was EVERYTHING I wanted to be and so much more. I really loved this amazing book. I do not know where to start. From the dual POV of Ella and Lyra? To hunk Kes? Where? Sorry I'll start at the beginning.

"Instead of clipping my wings, she was letting me fly"

Amalie Howard knits a powerful story about a young girl who got wrong. But while plotting her revenge, she makes wonderful friendships and falls in love. I loved every aspect of this book. I loved the LGBTQ+ representation of the book. I loved the mixed races, and the fact that in the end all you saw where unforgettable characters. I highly suggest this -now a favorite- book.

I had so much fun with this book, I read the entire thing on one flight. It’s a light hearted, fast paced regency revenge book! Ela is a relatable character; her personality traits and inner narrative put her in mental spaces I think we have all been in before in some form or another. The men in this book are handsome and fun for sure! I do wish Poppy had been more fleshed out and hadn’t been such a generic villain with a quick and amateur takedown. All in all, a very enjoyable read that will have you thrown into the regent world of revenge.

3.5/5 Gotta say, I really loved that our female protagonist went so hard from the start as a Machiavelli fangirl. This was generally a fun read; I do love a contemporary re-imagining of a Regency era romance. The first half of this was fast and rich, but by the last quarter it fell off. The love interest wasn't super compelling - there wasn't a whole lot of substance to him other than he was handsome and flirtatious. The ending fell a bit flat. It felt like everything resolved neatly and all at once. Would have been great to carry some mystery and complexity from the first half to the second half. Interested to see what else the author puts out in the future!

Perfect for fans of Austin, Bridgerton, and Gossip Girl alike, this book examines mean girls and the power of gossip. The cast is diverse in multiple ways and it brings life and richness to the story.