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I absolutely adored the story of Lady Ela Dalvi. The twists and turns that the story took kept me hooked the entire way through the story. From the Bridgerton-esque intrique of high society to the Mean Girls-esque glimpses into her past to show why and how she had gotten to where she is when the reader meet her, Amalie Howard builds a world that leaves much open for more stories to be told.

Side characters were nicely fleshed out and gave great support to the story without being just one-dimensional obstacles to overcome

"Queen Bee" by Amalie Howard delivers a captivating blend of scandal, revenge, and romance, positioning itself as a noteworthy addition to the YA genre. Drawing comparisons to the Bridgerton series, the novel skillfully integrates the wisdom of Italian diplomat Niccolo Machiavelli into a compelling revenge story.

Lady Ela Dalvi's transformation into the enigmatic Lyra Whitley, as part of her Machiavellian revenge plot against her betrayers, sets the stage for a riveting narrative. The complexities deepen as her intricate plan involves navigating a second chance romance with Lord Keston Osborn, her childhood friend and first love.

The alternating timelines, a potential stumbling block for some, are deftly handled, maintaining a high level of engagement throughout. Ela's character growth and the well-defined supporting cast, particularly Keston's sister Zia, contribute to the story's richness.

While the novel isn't without its moments of convenience and occasional cheesiness, the overall execution is commendable. The revenge plot is a triumphant high, and the second chance romance is tenderly portrayed. The book successfully marries the allure of Bridgerton with a Count of Monte Cristo flavor, resulting in a clever and charming narrative.

For those seeking a YA tale filled with scandal, drama, and a nuanced romance, "Queen Bee" emerges as a compelling recommendation. It strikes a balance between the indulgent and the thought-provoking, making it a noteworthy addition to the regency-era YA landscape.

Bridgerton meets revenge. This was such a fun read. I enjoyed it immensely. It definitely reminded me of Count of Monte Cristo and Revenge the Tv show. I really enjoyed the audiobook and the narrator. I definitely recommend it. I loved the diverse cast and the history at the end.

I requested this for consideration for Book Riot's All the Books podcast for its release date. After sampling several books out this week, I decided to go with a different book for my review.

I had high hopes for this book, but it didn't hold my attention. I love a regency romance that isn't all white characters, but I think this was adding diversity for the sake of diversity and not really exploring any of these characters. I wasn't attached or rooting for anyone because it moved too fast for me to really like anyone. I like what this book could have been, just not what it turned out to be.

A fun Regency read for YA fans of the era. It takes the Bridgerton show approach to the world, making it more diverse. Lady Ela Dalvi's revenge plot makes sense for the time period, but it does drag a bit in parts. It is a more subtle revenge and the end leaves me wanting more in the way I don't feel like she adequately got her revenge. It was her driving force at the beginning and, yes, through the course of the story, she grows as a person and develops, but it just fell flat for me. The characters are what kept me reading, as many (even Poppy) were fun to read.

I loved this one so much! Amalie Howard does not disappoint! The novel is so much more than a revenge story. The main character grows towards the realisation that revenge is not as satisfactory as expected. What she learns is the importance of standing up for herself and for others. She also learns the importance of forgiveness.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Children's for an e-galley of Queen Bee.

I loved this book from start to finish - a perfect Bridgerton adjacent book for teens, complete with mystery, drama, and a healthy dose of romance.

Ela was betrayed horribly by her best friend. Fast forward three years, and she has reinvented herself and appeared on the London social scene. No one recognizes Ela after her disappearance, so she is able to launch her revenge scheme against Poppy. However, the further into her plan she gets, the more Ela realizes that revenge might not be her end goal after all.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me access to this book in exchange for an honest review! After seeing the cover, I knew immediately that this was a book that I wanted to read. Queen Bee is a book that gives off major Bridgerton vibes, which is a win for young historical fiction fans. I would have loved this book as a teen, especially as a youth who loved Regency novels. Queen Bee is a solid debut novel for Howard, it has great themes and interesting characters. I look forward to seeing what she writes in the future!

This was a fun YA read with Bridgerton vibes but less spice and a diverse cast of characters. I loved the strong female lead! Thank you, NetGalley, for the ARC!

This young adult novel blew me away! I loved every minute of reading this and if I could have read this without taking any breaks I would have.

This is a regency era historical fiction novel but one with plenty of diversity. This story spotlights POC and LGBTQ+ characters and I am here for it! 

The author basically gave me everything I wanted in this book. She made a story about girl whose reputation was ruined instead of just hinting at consequences. I cannot think of a story that followed a ruined girl in this period of time. 

The revenge plots and the banter were entertaining to read. The author pulled no punches and the ending was almost exactly how I wanted things to go. There was not ever a time that I felt the author played it safe or wrote something to appease anyone. 

To sum things up, the author wrote a great story that entertains and engages readers. I will definitely be reading this book again and will likely be reading more from this author. Drop everything to get this book!

Very Bridgerton-esque in tone with added diversity and more gentle romance, this novel will appeal to younger teens looking for historical romance without the spiciness. I loved the characters but wished it adhered more closely to some of the tropes of the romance genre.

love a good historical romance! ela is quick witted and the ultimate heroine that makes you just want to keep reading. loved the ending.

I guess I might be rating it a little harshly since it's technically YA, but it didn't rank highly for me amongst books in romance or YA either. I don't think the heroine really learned anything, despite the fact that's kind of a key of the genre/age group. As a result, the fact that the cast is racially diverse is likely to be underrated. Missable overall.

It's got a lot of the vibes that make for intriguing stories: Bridgerton, revenge, and a cute boy!

Thank you so much for the opportunity to review this book.

I hadn’t read from this author before, so I went into this with no expectations other than a vengeful, YA historical romance.

Queen Bee is a story of revenge, set in Regency era England. Ela is betrayed by her childhood best friend, who wants the Duke’s son at the cost of Ela’s entire reputation. So Ela is left penniless, orphaned, and ruined. Instead of feeling sad for herself, she decides to rise from the ashes of the ton and get even.

Ela comes back to society as Lyra Whitley, intending to humiliate her ex-best friend, Poppy, using the Duke’s son, Keston, as her pawn to win the chess game.

Without spoiling too much, this is a fun story about revenge where a young girl reinvents herself over three years to come back to London society. We get back-and-forth chapters between Lyra and Ela, showing us how Ela was betrayed and how Lyra needs to seduce Keston in order to carry out her vengeful plan, but her old feelings are rearing their ugly head, creating a hitch in her plan for revenge as she slowly falls back in love with her childhood lover.

This story flowed smoothly, and I loved the past and present chapters and how well they worked to create a plot and a timeline. The characters felt like real people, and the female side characters really shined in this! (Church and Zia namely) I enjoyed the budding romance between Ela/Lyra and Keston.

My biggest complaint is that the ending was wrapped up too quickly, and I would have liked to see some of it drawn out a bit more for my satisfaction. I also would have loved to see Poppy’s demise or see more of Ela’s plan to ruin Poppy. It seems like two small things happened and then Poppy is out to pasture. Otherwise, this was a really cute young adult historical romance!

Coming off of a Bridgerton high, I wanted to like this book so badly! I think the projection of my hopes and wishes for Queen Bee by Amalie Howard to be Bridgerton-like shaped most of my opinions about it - especially while waiting on the next season to hit Netflix in December. Unfortunately, I did not like this book and only stuck with it until 80% , before giving up.

We did decide to order a copy of the book for our library and purchase a copy for our digital collection too.

I am OBSSESSED! I felt the same compulsion to read this book as for the Bridgerton series, which I devoured the first 2 books.

Have you watched the TV show Revenge? Gosh I loved that show. A 20-something rich girl that plans her revenge against those who were bad to her father.... I devoured every episode, always wanting more. I was devastated when it ended. This book felt like the show : a rich 17 years old is planning her revenge against those who made her life a living hell 3 years before.

Chapters are alternating between past (Ela in 1814) and present (Lyra in 1817), so we can understand better why she's planning to demolish her enemies.

It's perfect, in every way.

I read Amalie Howard’s Always Be My Duchess a while back and thoroughly enjoyed that fun Pretty Woman retelling. So, when I saw Queen Bee I immediately requested it. (I also have her Clueless ARC retelling of Never Met A Duke Like You, which I’m excited to start soon!)

Queen Bee has been marketed as Bridgerton meets The Count of Monte Cristo. I can get down with that description as long as you include the chess and Machiavelli strategies.

We all know the worst thing that can happen to a woman in Regency era novels is for her reputation to be ruined. This happens to our main character Lady Ela Dalvi (turns Lyra) when her best friend, Poppy, disgraces her publicly with lies. All over a boy, Keston. 🙄

After 8 years “Lyra” enters town looking completely different (she’s thinned up and matured in her later adolescence and learned how to dye her hair) for REVENGE with plans to ruin Poppy and Keston (because how dare him believe the lies!). All this with strategies she’s devised from Machiavelli and chess moves.

I enjoyed this one a lot, very bingeable. I’ll admit that Poppy is a very one-dimensional character, which isn’t my favorite because it’s entirely unrealistic. And I feel like Keston should’ve had a bit more development/retribution, but alas…if you’re looking for a fun, quick revenge YA romance that has anti-historical non-white main characters, then this fits the bill! I look forward to reading Howard’s next book soon!