If you get a buzz from reading exhilarating domestic suspense then don't miss out on Nina Manning's Queen Bee. Miranda Wallace is mum to Anabel, wife to David, and queen bee in the village of Helesbury Gloucestershire; she is a great mother, popular and friendly. Verity is the opposite - indifferent and cool and she disrupts Miranda's happy life. What does Verity know about Miranda? I loved the concept of this dark tale with shades of obsession and an undercurrent of foreboding and it was a quick read for me. I was hooked from the beginning and surprised by the ending. I look forward to reading more from Nina Manning.

I received a complimentary digital copy of this novel at my request from Boldwood Books via NetGalley, and this review is my unbiased opinion.

This is a amazing book you enjoy beautiful writing style, with such amazing characters I loved every page. Full of mystery and drama. Keep you on suspense. It is a creepy compelling read you live. This is a town where everyone know each other and the secrets it’s has. It’s fast paced with characters that keep you full of mystery till the end. I enjoyed the friendship between characters at first then towards the end wasn’t sure about them. Even though I loved every page and enjoyed the story.

I thoroughly enjoyed this read, although it was a little slow to get going. When the pace picked up, I found myself flying through in anticipation. With lots of thought-provoking concepts around modern-day society, this would be a great book club discussion.

Filled with the classic drama and suspense that I expect from this author, this book ticks all the boxes of this genre. Full of characters who are like marmite, I found myself switching from loving to loathing them and back again.

Queen Bee is not my favorite book by this author, but that opinion is based solely on my own personal preferences. I recommend this to anyone who likes to read community-based tales with revealing conclusions and character analysis.

Queen Bee isn’t my first read from Nina Manning so I was really excited to get into this one. I love this author’s writing style. She draws readers in with a compelling storyline and keeps you invested with twists and turns.

I really enjoyed the two different plotlines. Trying to figure out what was happening and how everything fit was entertaining. I think the execution of the ending was done pretty well, though it wasn’t as shocking as I expected. Doesn’t make this book any less well-written, it just ended differently than I anticipated.

I loved the characters. Nina Manning has a talent for casting well-developed characters who really help move the plot forward. Really great.

Overall, I really enjoyed this one. Nina Manning is an author I will always say yes to reading, and I’m looking forward to more from her. Don’t miss out on Queen Bee!

Thank you to Rachel’s Random Resources for the free review copy. All opinions are my own and unbiased.

I received this book from NetGalley and the publisher, in return for an honest review. This review is based entirely on my own thoughts and feelings.

Overall rating : 1*
Writing skill : 1*
Plot: 2*
Characters: 2*
Predictability:1*

Okay, so I had written a whole review, but I've deleted it. I'm not here to drag authors down when I don't particularly like their book. Others will love it, and I'm glad they do. All I will say is that I was disappointed in the story but I am not put off reading another of her books, but this one was just not for me.

I like the immersive quality of this story and the claustrophobic setting. Miranda has secrets, but her obsession with being popular draws her into village life until she earns the title of Queen Bee, which she loves. A newcomer threatens Miranda's status and anonymity, and it's hard to keep secrets in a village.

Miranda isn't likeable. Her insecurities manifest irritatingly, but her story is suspenseful with surprising twists, and it's an absorbing read. I like the relatable characters and imaginative scenarios that make this psychological suspense resonate.

I received a copy of this book from Boldwood Books via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

You know how much I love a psychological thriller and this was a quick and easy read. I found that the concept seemed very fresh and the author kept a steady pace throughout. There were no parts where the story seemed to go too slow nor were there bits where it went too fast and you lost where you were. 

We all know of people who like to be Queen Bee and dislike when they feel like they are being challenged and Miranda is truly the epitome of this. Just how much of a threat is Verity and what is Miranda prepared to do to ensure her reputation remains untarnished?

Miranda is an irritating character, there is no denying that, but it's because she has to be. How many Queen Bee's do you know who aren't? This book kept me guessing throughout and I really enjoyed it.

3,5 ⭐️

Miranda Wallace is the “Queen Bee” in the small village of Helesbury. Her family moved there after some mysterious scandal in her past, but in the year she’s being living there she has managed to leave it behind and make a good friend, Evie. She’s the friend she always wanted and their friendship looks perfect until a new woman, Verity, arrives in town and threatens their idyllic friendship. Miranda suspects Verity of hiding something, but she has some skeletons in her closet too so, which secrets will come out to light first?

Queen Bee was a nice domestic suspense story but, in my opinion, it could have been so much more. The main issue I encountered was Miranda’s character. It was veeeery difficult to warm to her. She behaves in a very childish, immature way for the most part. Her jealousy over Evie and Verity’s friendship was more like a teenager would behave, not a woman in her 40s. This not so rational behavior also made me think that the thing she was trying to keep secret would be much bigger. Thinking about it now, I still can’t honestly understand why the need to keep it quiet.

The story points the finger to some interesting issues about social media, how addictive it can become if you’re not careful, how it can become a wrongful source of validation for some people and the dangers of going down the rabbit hole when you engage with certain kinds of people.

There was a past timeline that added a bit of suspense to the story, but at the same time made for the resolution not to be so surprising. Besides, the ending felt a little bit rushed.

Scattered throughout the story were chapters consistent of police interviews of the village neighbors that reminded me a bit of “Big little lies” and that made me keep guessing what could have happened between all the main characters.

Slow burn suspense story about friendships and secrets that has been interesting enough to make me wanna read some more of the author’s backlist.

Thanks to NetGalley, Boldwood Books and Rachel’s Random Resources for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review and a spot on the Blog Tour.

The story is told from 3 angles… there’s before about a small girl and her mother, there’s interviews at a police station after something bad has happened and then there is the story told by Miranda the “Queen Bee”. Miranda tells her story first person and normally I love this, but this time I am not sure. Miranda comes across as very insecure, self centered and much too eager to please and not at all the “Queen Bee”, although she clearly wishes she was.

What to expect:

✅ suspense… we know something bad ends up happening, but we do not know what exactly and who is guilty

✅ so many secrets…

✅ Miranda definitely has a past she does not want her friends in the village to know about

✅ Evie also behaves odd, so is she also hiding something?

✅ who is this Verity and what is up with her weird behavior?

It’s quite a long and well written story where you are constantly wondering what actually happened and why. I think if I had liked the characters more then I would have given this story 5 stars. I had expected to be on Miranda’s side and rooting for her the whole way through, but no… she just wasn’t my kind of girl and all the drama coming together in the end didn’t quite live up to my expectations.

Nevertheless, it was a very enjoyable read that left me guessing until the end and I am keen to read more Nina Manning books.

Before she had managed to ruin everything, Miranda had been one of the shining stars of the internet, a highly popular influencer whose grid on Instagram had thousands of followers whose likes and comments made Miranda feel wanted and worthwhile. But, then something terrible had happened and Miranda's husband David had decided to move his beloved wife and their young daughter Anabel from London to the tiny, picturesque village of Helesbury. Initially, Miranda hadn't been very happy about being uprooted to the middle of nowhere but over the past year, she had put her life back together. She had worked hard to rebuild her reputation and was now viewed by her group of friends Hatty, Olivia, Beth, Natasha and Miranda's best friend Evie as the queen bee of the village. Miranda felt as if her life was back on track, no one knew about her past indiscretions and everything was going well.Or it was until the fateful evening when Miranda walked into a meeting of the book club (something that she had started) and was introduced to a newcomer to the village. Someone called Verity, towards whom Miranda took a instant dislike,a woman who suddenly kept appearing in different locations around the village and seemed hell bent on breaking up the close friendship between Miranda and Evie. Who was this mysterious interloper? Did she know anything about Miranda's past? Miranda was desperate to keep her best friend and wasn't prepared to just sit back and let someone like Verity take Evie away from her. But little did Miranda realise that her obsession could send her back down the road of self destruction and result in her possibly losing everything....including her own life.

Omg,Miranda started to irritate me literally from the minute she was introduced into the story,she had so many annoying character traits and my opinion of her didn't change at any point during the ensuing story. She was lucky enough to have a loyal husband and adorable young daughter and I struggled to understand why she was so obsessed with keeping Evie in her life. Sure, it's nice to have friends and there are people who have been fortunate enough to enter into friendships that last for years but any relationship can be unpredictable and many can drift apart for a variety of reasons. It appeared to me that everything Miranda did was aimed at stoking her own ego and feelings of self importance and she hardly ever stopped to appreciate her loving family,something that a lot of people aren't fortunate enough to have in their lives.

Along with families and friendships, the other prevailing theme to the plot of this story was modern societies addiction to social media and how easy it is to become obsessed with the number of likes and comments your posts have recieved. A addiction which can sneak up on you,catch you unawares and swiftly take control of your life.

Helesbury was a realistic chocolate box village with a small shop, pub, church and the school that was attended by Anabel and Evie's daughter Juno. The residents were a mixed bag of believable characters and scattered throughout the book was police interviews in which some of the secondary characters recounted events that proceeded the culmination of the story.

Scattered throughout the book was chapters that were set in the past, written from the perspective of young girl and recounted her life in the numerous houses that she and her mother were forced to relocate to in their search for somewhere safe to live. But who was the young girl? What or who were she and her mother running from? How did these chapters fit into events that were unfolding in the present day?

This is more of a study of human relationships, interactions and obsession with a added dash of mystery than a thriller. It's a slow burner which contains some plot elements that keep the reader guessing and wanting to know what secrets are hiding within the homes of some of the author's believable characters. It's a enthralling read which contains some pages that are permeated with undercurrents of tension and foreboding and has tiny clues and hints at what is going on cleverly scattered throughout the story.

Miranda, her husband, David, and their daughter, Anabel, age 8 have moved from London to the town of Helebury near the Cotswolds. They have a large home and a maid twice a week. Miranda has made many friends and enjoys getting with them. She even started a book club. She has a candle making business on the side that helps to keep her occupied.

Miranda has a friend, Evie, a single mom with a daughter, Juno, age 8. Anabel and Juno are good friends and Miranda likes Evie. But when a woman named Verity comes to town, she appears to be a friend to Evie and is rather aloof to Miranda which angers her. Miranda wants everyone to like her. After several overtures to friend Verity, Miranda realizes she doesn’t like the woman. Verity is an author and living there to finish a book.

Something happened when Miranda and her family lived in London that caused great upset and moving to this town has been good for her. But when she is drawn to social media again that she managed to avoid, Miranda starts to get back into the situation she fled from.

There are two plots going on in this book and one of them is a mystery to the reader. It’s just at the end when the two combine. I was thinking that something really big was going to happen and I know the author tried, but I was rather disappointed. This is mostly because I found that Miranda to be a pathetic woman running after a woman to get her friendship. She obviously is talented in many ways. Her husband, David, is a saint. She should have concentrated on him instead.

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Firstly a big thank you to the publishers for my copy to review on netgalley. I devoured this is one go !

An addictive psychological thriller about friendship and all that entails . Jealousy, resentment and lies are prominent themes that are explored really well .

The reader knows something happens as there’s alternate police interviews , this means theres a sense of foreboding tension.

I really enjoyed this and highly recommend if you like your books with twists ,tension and addictive pages!

Published 26th January and do check out her other books too

Review
There hasn't been a single Nina Manning book I've not enjoyed. I really enjoy her writing style.

I loved Miranda, she's had a rough experience before moving to her tranquil village and just wants to be part of everyone's circle so when she meets Verity personalities collide. Verity has a real sense of mystery about her and I love her progress as the book goes on.

Typically with Nina's books I didn't see the twists at the end and thought it rounded the book off really well.
⭐⭐⭐⭐

This is a quick and easy read. While some parts tended to drag a little, overall, it was an exciting, page-turner of a story. Although the “big fish in a little village” is something I’ve read a number of times before, the conclusion of the plot was a pleasant surprise, unique from similar stories.

I also found the characters to be well-rounded, each with individual characteristics, making than stand out more than mere background characters. Miranda was a bit hit and miss with me. While I found the unfurling of her story intriguing, her neediness and jealousy was annoying and could not be excused by her past.

Overall, another great read by Nina Manning.

Nina Manning writes psychological thrillers in a way that is perfectly suited to me. She is slowly but surely becoming one of my favourite authors in this genre.

The opening of the book is really engaging, where we read about a police investigation that takes place in 2019. Then Nina uses a sophisticated and effective dual timeline to develop the story. Both elements of the timeline are intriguing and you are left wondering how it all fits together.

I didn’t particularly like the character of Miranda. She comes across as suspicious and self-centred straight from the off, but the psychological element to the story is so strong that I undoubtedly felt I was witnessing some elements of her deeper self, able to understand and process her thoughts.

The consistent references to the hidden past bring a number of key themes into the story including secrecy, trust, lies, deception, threat and the inability to run away from your past.

Overall, an entertaining and gripping read which I have devoured quickly and really enjoyed. I would once again commend this author for the strong psychological elements and the ability to bring characters to life. I would recommend this book and author to fans of Miranda Smith, Arianne Richmonde and Mel Sherratt.

Overall this was a good read but I did feel slightly disappointed because the synopsis of the story sounds far more sinister than it actually is.

A slow starter for me & I had no idea as to what direction it was going to take me in, but the pace soon amped up & it turned into a fast paced, page turner of a thriller, with an ending that was so unexpected.

I've read several of Nina's books now & they never disappoint, they're always very well written & her writing style draws you in from the very first page, shrouded in an air of mystery & intrigue, compelling you to read 'just one more chapter', then before you know it you've flown through the book.

Many thanks to Rachel's Random Resources for my tour spot.

Queen Bee by Nina Manning
In the quiet village of Helesbury, Miranda Wallace prides herself on being the most popular member of her small social circle; the perfect friend, the best mum – the queen bee.
Until one day, Verity arrives. Cool and indifferent, Verity is everything Miranda isn't, but she threatens to shatter Miranda's picture-perfect life.
Suddenly plagued with insecurities, Miranda is certain Verity is hiding something. And Miranda knows all about secrets and the damage they can cause because she's hiding some of her own.
So when Verity threatens to reveal the truth about Miranda and destroy the perfect life she's built, Miranda knows she has to act to protect the people she loves – even if the results are deadly.
Queen Bee is the 5th novel I have read by Nina Manning, and again I was far from disappointed.
The book is a well-written dramatic thriller that tightens its hold on you as you delve deeper into the story. Jealousy, secrets and emotional bonds make up this contemporary, individual and intriguing plot. There are plenty of twists and turns throughout to keep you guessing.
I am happy to recommend this and also
Nina Manning's other titles
The Daughter In Law
The Guilty Wife
The House Mate
The Bridesmaid
I want to thank NetGalley, Boldwood Books and author Nina Manning for a pre-publication copy to review.

Queen Bee
Miranda Wallace (43), her husband David and daughter Anabel (8) moved from Chelsea to a village called Helesbury for a new start. Everything is going well, Miranda set up a book club, which is very successful and she is seen as the Queen Bee of the village. She also has a wonderful best friend in Evie. But one evening, newcomer to the village Verity turns up at the book club, cosying up to Evie and putting Miranda’s nose right out of joint!
The book is written in chapters, some in the present (2019) where characters are being questioned at Gloucester Police Station, some labelled BEFORE and others in a time inbetween where we follow the developing story. The 2019 chapters are especially intriguing and you want to find out what they are referring to.
Miranda is a strange character and I found I didn’t like her too much, I much preferred Hatty! But it didn’t stop me wanting to read and discover her story and what was really going on with Miranda, Evie and Verity – and how it all tied in to the other parts of the book.
Helesbury is a very realistic village too. Having lived in a small village (and even set up a book club there!), I could definitely relate to the atmosphere where they live – in both good and bad ways. It can feel very safe, but also villages do feel like if you sneeze one end of the village, they hear about it the other end within minutes.
The book keeps you guessing all the way through and all my guesses were wrong! The twists and turns keep coming, right until the end.
8 out of 10

Miranda is the 'perfect' stay-at-home mum with a newly fledged candle business. She has recently relocated to the countryside and she is the darling of the village.
Her best friend Evie is single, has a young daughter named Juno who is best friends with Miranda's daughter Annabel. All is well in the village until the appearance of Verity which upsets the proverbial apple cart.
What is Verity hiding, why does Miranda not warm to her, and what is Miranda's big secret? These are the questions I kept asking myself until the final chapters.