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.

This book was such a good read, I could not put it down! If you enjoyed content like Bridgerton, Gossip Girl, and a mix of Mean Girls then this YA Historical Romance should be on your tbr!

The book takes place during the Regency Era in England. We don't stay within dialect of it which goes for a much smoother reader in the YA category. The story alternates between past and present throughout the chapters which helps the reader understand why Ela is so bent on revenge and gives us some great insight into the story. You have a diverse set of characters WHICH WE LOVE! There is also talks of sexual preferences which deter from the norm which is so refreshing to see written especially in a historical romance. I love that we get to read as our main character changes and grows and shows us that even though we have our hearts set on one path, it's always okay to change if it doesn't feel right or no longer fits the future we see for ourselves.

Our main character, Ela is sent off to a boarding school when a girl whom she thought to be her best friend put forth false allegations that tarnished Ela's reputation. Ela makes new friends and comes into money after losing everything. Despite others trying to steer her into a different path she chooses revenge. There are definitely so many good messages written within this book. There's drama, there's intrigue. It's so good!

Thank you Netgalley, Random House for the ARC! And of course thank you Amalia Howard for this gripping novel you wrote for us!

I thought this was a fun read. I really loved seeing historical romances by YA authors cause i think the self discovery plot lines def take center stage. I also like the struture of this both and both time lines. I grew to love the main character but she could be unlikable. This book had a alot of diverse elements that have me brigerton vibes. I sometimes struggle with revenge based stories but this story was jsut fun. I also like how howard felshed out some of the characters so much so that they could get a futue book!! Def a fun ad quick read!!

Amalie Howard has created a delightful mashup of Regency England and a modern high school romance. Her diverse cast is endearing and empowering. Their clothes might be so 1817, but their speech is very modern. One can’t help but root for Ela as she extracts her revenge on the mean girl, “Queen Bee.” Set in the 1810s, the stakes are much higher. Lady Ela loses everything because of Poppy’s lies. Her good name/title. Her home. Her father. She comes to London under a new name and means to make everyone who betrayed her pay—Machiavellian style. Including the marquess who broke her heart. Themes of accountability and forgiveness and weaves seamlessly through the story. This charming historical romcom is the perfect Bridgerton for teens (and adults)!

Will post on my socials (Instagram, fb, and Twitter) on April 4, 2023.

If you don't have this book in your possession at the moment, I genuinely feel grief for you. Bridgerton but make it young adult and include a revenge plot. A recipe for success, I'd say.

Our main character, Ela, was wronged in her youth and her reputation was the cost. Three years and a puberty transformation later, Ela changes her name and heads to London for the season to take back what was stolen from her: her future.

The quotes before every chapter were perfection. This is dual POV between Ela when she was younger (to reveal what happened to her back then) and present Ela under her fake identity (following her revenge plot). Switching between the two timelines worked so well and kept me reading.

The chess references and metaphors were everything. The name dropping of famous figures and places of the time was so fun. The end became a bit ridiculous very quick, but it was so much fun that I didn't care.

I can't wait until this book physically comes out so I can get my greedy hands on a copy. It was amazing and I can't wait to read more from this author!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I LOVED this book!! It was regency but still read like a current romance book. I loved the revenge plot by Ela/Lyra and how she talked through her plan throughout the book. My favorite part of the whole book was the banter and relationship between Keston and Ela and then the more mature and flirty relationship whenever Ela comes back for revenge. Ends with an HEA!

The elaborate revenge plan in Queen Bee, complete with quotes from Italian diplomate Niccolò Machiavelli and allusions to chess moves, consumes Lady Ela Dalvi, as she plots to ruin her former best friend Poppy who slandered Ela with an allegation that destroyed her reputation. Ela is sent to a boarding school in Cumbria where she is a penniless nobody, abandoned even by her father. With the help of Church, a wealthy school benefactor whom Ela befriends and nurses back to health, she disguises herself a Lyra Whitley and returns to infiltrate London society. Not only does she want to take down Poppy, but also Lord Keston Osborn, the Marques of Ridley, her childhood friend and first love, who did not support her during Poppy's sabotage. She must seduce him to accomplish her revenge plan, but unresolved feelings get in the way. Church warns her that revenge is complicated, and Ela/Lyra must decide what is more important - happiness or destruction of those who harmed her.

A great retelling of the Count of Monte Cristo. Overall, I loved the main character and I totally bought in to her plan for revenge. However, after a great start it did lag a little in the middle but picked up with a good ending. I struggled a bit when she lost the drive for her revenge and she started thinking about how she was using people, partially because it felt a little expected. However, the ending of how she was found out and came to terms with how revenge doesn't actually make you happy was still enjoyable. I would have liked a bit more of a twist to the expected plot but overall it was still a fun ride. I particularly enjoyed her various friends because they were unique, well-rounded, and supportive and the romance was delicious and believable. Overall, I would recommend it!

This book was adorable! Totally didnt realize it was going to be YA Bridgerton but I enjoyed this book nonetheless!

Okay ahh this was such fun to read, seeing Ela's revenge schemes work out step by step were amazing. I had a hard time reading the "past" chapters because it was so sad to see a sweet, younger Ela being taken advantage of and then betrayed by her own friends and family, BUT the "present" chapters more than made me happy. I particularly loved the falling in love plotlines (the first and the second times!), and the plotlines of Ela making friends. The ending was really wholesome as well, so overall I'd say this was a perfect angsty, second-chance romance + "girl who evolves to take no shit" book.

--- ty to the author, the publisher, and to Netgalley for an advanced copy!

I can't say enough about how much I love Amalie Howard's writing style. Her books always hit the spot for me, even when there is something I don't like about them. This one was no different. My only complaint is that I'm getting too old for Teen books to be all that fun anymore. And that is a me problem, not a book problem. I thought the characters were well written, the story was engaging, and things play out both how I expect but also differently enough to keep things interesting (which is exactly the way I like it). Definitely recommend.

Read it for the:
-count of Monte cristo vibes
-diverse character cast
-romance and revenge

A true YA, with themes of revenge, forgiveness, friendship, and a stunning cover, this book had potential but unfortunately missed the mark for me.

While the theme was there, plot-wise, it did not keep me entertained or invested in the characters. I found myself skipping pages. This is a regency, and even though it is a YA with a modern feel, I felt the dialogue was misplaced and unrealistic at many parts. I liked Ela/Lyra and her overall character arc but the rest of the characters did not really add anything.

I think book might better appeal to middle grade/younger teens but, for me, this story just didn’t work.

This was a highly enjoyable read. I loved the flashback chapters, which gave the book a great structure and really showed the contrast and similarities between Ela and Lyra. The growth of the characters was clear over the course of the book, and the romance was sweet, especially in their younger years. Great book!

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC! I really struggled with this one. While it was interesting to see her old life and new life in pieces, I felt like it was dragging out information leaks at times. Like, I feel like I needed to know who Church was sooner. I also found the love interest annoying and felt like what he did was forgiven too quickly just because he was attractive. I also found it hard to believe that someone could go back and not be recognized by anyone. I felt like Lyra's story was the YA version of the Bridgertons but did not suck a reader in as much (and I am not saying the Bridgerton stories are great-they are a guilty pleasure). Overall, I had to force myself to finish it. I was mildly curious what happened to her enemy, so that and the fact that I was writing a review for the ARC kept me going. Had I picked this one up on my own, I doubt I would have finished it.

This Count of Monte Cristo inspired tale is full of revenge and plotting and the subtle demise of mean girls all over. Lady Ela Dalvi is such an interesting character and the story structure of the past and present alternating POVs was interesting and so well done to parse out the information we needed to know with the parts that will whet our appetites for more morsels going forward.

Before this book, I'd never read or heard of an anti-historical novel, but as I started to read I noticed the parts of the story and characters that didn't fit with my ultra white washed version of regency era England. While Howard tells of the ways in which that is amplified in this book, it was so interesting and unique to see these characters interact without the strict adherance to the racial and social delusions of the day in Regency times.

The characters are (obviously) the best part of the book, but to see our heroine plan and plot her revenge and then continue to ask herseld if it was worth it felt so real and relatable that it could be taking place in modern day just as well as two hundred years ago.

Synopsis:
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!
Lady Ela Dalvi knows the exact moment her 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.
Nearly three years later, eighteen-year-old Ela is consumed with bitterness and a desire for . . . revenge. Her enemy is quickly joining the crème de la crème of high society while she withers away in the English countryside.
With an audacious plan to get even, Ela disguises herself as a mysterious heiress and infiltrates London’s elite. But when Ela reunites with the only boy she’s ever loved, she begins to question whether vengeance is still her greatest desire.