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.

This was a bit of middling read for me. While I enjoyed the YA/historical romance crossover, I felt like it was very unbelievable that so little time would have passed between the two time periods of this novel and I couldn't quite get over my initial disbelief for the rest of my reading time! That being said, Amalie Howard does a nice job capturing teenage voices and the petty, vengeful attitude of teens and I loved the more inclusive and multiracial Regency world she pulled together. I think for readers who are newer to his roms or perhaps just better than me at suspending their disbelief, this is a great kind of "revenge romance".

Was this perfect? No. Did I have a very good time while reading? Absolutely.

Simone Ashley & Charithra Chandran walked (briskly) in Bridgeton Season 2 so that Amalie Howard's Queen Bee could run. This was such a fun regency romance with a ton of representation, dual timelines, and banter for the ages. I am really hoping that Amalie Howard will follow in the great regency romance tradition of doing separate books for characters within a first novel because I would give an arm and a leg for more of this group of friends and their successes in the 'Ton. The only thing I could ask for is some spice but I understand and accept this as a YA title...but now that I've looked at Amalie Howard's back list it seems like she may be able to satisfy through her other books! Overall this had the same energy of Bridgeton (via Netflix) and even the Wild Wynchesters series by Erica Ridley (which I adore). If you are in need of a fun palate cleanser while waiting for the story of Queen Charlotte on Netflix this is the book to pick up.

AMALIE HOWARD NEVER DISAPPOINTS. Queen Bee was a fantastic book. The only reason I have it 4/5 stars is that I cannot concentrate on dual timelines. My ADD brain should be able to handle it but I just can’t. The characters were terrific. I love the storyline and the love interest. Fantastic read. It really caught my attention. I can’t wait for everyone else to read it!

I really enjoyed this one! I love a good mean girl type drama, especially when said ‘mean girl’ gets what she deserves in the end. I also really love the fact that this was anti-historical as the author noted in her author’s note. The diversity of the characters was great and it made the story even more enjoyable.

A fan of adult historical romances and revenge plots, I am very pleased I had the opportunity to read Queen Bee. It is accurately described as a cross between The Count of Monte Christo and Bridgerton (the show), but it is toned down and ideal for YA readers new to historical romance.

It moves at a nice pace, not too fast nor too slow, with chapters alternating between Lady Lira Whitley's revenge and before Ela's exile from society. Labeled an anti-historical novel, the diverse cast was very much welcomed and the sometimes modern dialogue was not as jarring as I expected.

Additional detail would have been helpful. Including more descriptions especially about Ela's fall from grace and the subsequent inception of her plan for revenge would have contributed to greater intrigue. It also would have increased the sweet satisfaction of a conniving villain getting her comeuppance. Because of the lack of detail, it leads to the book being lighter read, which I did not mind. In fact, this was another reason I liked the book.

Overall, I enjoyed the story. While the conclusion was satisfying, more groveling would have been the cherry on top. (I am a fan of lots of groveling. Heh...) Queen Bee is a great choice for YA readers who are newer to historical romance and may want to try a contemporary take on historical romance. (3.5 stars rounded to 4 stars)

4.5 Stars

Queen Bee is billed as an anti-historical Regency-era tale that’s Bridgerton meets The Count of Monte Cristo. It’s an excellent comparison, though I’d also throw the television show Revenge in there as well. It’s a great mashup of the feel of the three, but written for a YA audience.

Told through alternating chapters featuring the past and present, Queen Bee unfolds in a delightful way. Each chapter brings new insight and interest. And this way of introducing background creates an air of mystery.

The principal player in Queen Bee is Ela, once a trusting soul whose heart was broken and life destroyed by a supposed friend who only cared about her own upward mobility. Ela is smart and strong and thinks she knows what she wants. But your heart and mind aren’t always in sync. Ela’s a strong protagonist that really carries the story. Supporting characters are well developed, although Poppy (the nemesis) feels a bit one note.

In Queen Bee, author Amalie Howard has created a believable world built on history but with a number of twists. You immediately feel at home in her world, and her own imaginings are grounded and feel natural.

Queen Bee is a fast, entertaining read that brings all the things people love about Regency fiction together with modern sensibilities. It’s great fun to read, and I hope the author is planning more in this genre.

4.5 stars

I honestly really enjoyed this story concept…pitched as “Bridgerton” meets “The Count of Monte Cristo,” and it actually meets those expectations. Or at least it did for me. It’s been a little while since I’ve read a Regency Romance-esque story…and now I kind of want to go and binge read a bunch of different ones.

Following Ela as she creates a new identity and inserts herself into the world she was sent away from years before, and returning to society as Lyra…well that was honestly so intriguing. I honestly thought that the whole plot to get vengeance on those who wronged her and ruined her reputation before was pretty darn riveting.

This book gives us the current story with the intrigue and revenge path, but then we also get flashbacks to what occurred with Ela and Poppy and Keston leading up to the betrayal and ruining of reputation. It helps to showcase how she came to be in the position to want revenge in the first place.

Watching Ela as Lyra, ingratiating herself to polite society, and making social maneuvers really was like watching an intricate chess match. I found myself practically glued to the pages, wanting to keep reading as I got more swept away into the story and the plight of all of the characters. Honestly, I read it in only a couple of sittings, and if I hadn’t started the story late one evening while already fairly tired, I probably would have read it all in one go.

This was exactly the book I needed to whet my whistle while waiting for the release of “Queen Charlotte” on Netflix in another month. I’m ready for more adventures in the Bridgerton world…and if you have any recommendations for Regency Romance-esque stories (particularly if they have magical fantastical elements in them, I’d love to have more books to add to my TBR.

"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 is a juvenile love story.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley. This in no way affects my opinion of this book which I read and reviewed voluntarily.