I adored this book! I loved Ela/Lyra's character so much and really think she was written with a lot of depth! it starts off with Ela being the daughter of a Lord and given whatever she wants but BAM it all changes overnight, Her mother dies, her father loses control of his accounts and her BFF ruins her in the most awful way. Off she's sent to a wayward school for girls. 3 years later we meet Lyra, Ela's badass alter ego! We see her grow from vapid Ela to strong character Lyra. She has a solid personality and her banter with the MMC are phenomenal! This was an easy read and I enjoyed almost all the characters in this novel!

This is a great Regency era novel. Think Bridgerton setting with the gowns, the dapper gentlemen and the drama! The blurb says its comparable to Count of Monte Cristo but in all honesty nothing can top that book but I see where the comparison kind of a revenge story with a HEA.

Lady Ela had a good childhood. The daughter of an Earl, the beginning of her life was filled with privilege and respect. Then her mother dies at a tragically young age, and her father begins to see massive misfortune with their estate. Still, none of that can top the betrayal she suffers at the hand of her closest friend Poppy. A betrayal that tarnishes Ela's reputation and has her father shunning her and sending her away to a school for wayward girls. Three years later Ela is in high society London, posing as the mysterious Lyra. She plans to make her debut in society, and take down everyone that wronged her in her earlier years.

This story was set in a society much like Bridgerton. Ela, disguised as Lyra, makes her debut the season of her 18th year. Many people of the Ton (yes, that word is used) are quickly enamored with the beautiful newcomer. Thankfully, no one from her past can recognize her thanks to a remarkable glow up.

I found reading this book quite enjoyable. It was a different setting than I am used to, and I enjoyed it. The book goes back and forth between everything that happens to Ela in her younger years, and Lyra as she navigates her way through the season.

The characters were all pretty likeable, except for Poppy. I know she was meant to be the villain of the book, but she was over the top annoying. Revenge is not the answer, but honestly the whole time I was rooting for Ela's plans to take down Poppy to work out.

Thank you to NetGalley and Joy Revolution for the digital ARC!

This was so good!! I love Regency era romance and this was everything that I could have wanted! I loved the plot and the characters. This was so good.
I just reviewed Queen Bee by Amalie Howard. #QueenBee #NetGalley
[NetGalley URL]

Bridgerton with a vendetta! I loved the revenge plot taking place in a regency era story. The flashback chapters were done so well in creating compelling character development! Would absolutely recommend!

Thank you to #NetGalley for allowing the opportunity to read a digital ARC of this YA novel which will be released April 4, 2023. All opinions are my own.

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Lady Ela’s life was ruined by her best friend, Poppy. After Poppy’s betrayal, Ela is sent away to Cumbria to a seminary school for girls. There Ela’s desire for revenge grows until Ela dies and Lady Lyra Whitley emerges from the ashes. Determined to get vengeance, Lyra enters the London scene with a plan: infiltrate the elite, ruin Poppy’s social standing, and break the heart of the boy who didn’t believe her.

Revenge, Regency, and romance what more could you ask for?! I loved the narrative voice and Ela/Lyra’s character. She is determined and strong, but also reflective. This is a story of revenge, and the themes surround choice and how we are all by responsible for our individual actions. I found the dialogue to be witty and the story moves quickly meaning there is never a dull moment. This is an anti historical novel with a diverse cast of characters, many of whom are very forward thinking for the time period, which makes this a unique and completely captivating story. This is my second 5-star read of the year. I highly recommend you check it out once it’s released or, better yet, preorder it. You won’t be disappointed.

I was super excited for a Regency revenge romance. I love a good revenge story. I really liked Lyra. She was wronged by who she thought were her friends and was ruined. Years later she comes back new and improved, ready to take on the ton and those that wronged her. She is determined and ready for part two. I was in total support of Lyra’s mission. What Poppy did was messed up. She really was the biggest witch in town, a total bully and brat.

Two things were my biggest problems. One, the book had parts that I really enjoyed but also some parts that were very slow so the story didn’t flow for me. I don’t think it was the back and forth scenes of showing how she was ruined vs present day. There were just some parts that weren’t either needed or needed to be re-written or re-arranged.

Lastly, I couldn’t get onboard with the romance because the love interest, Keston, is a weak man. He didn’t stand up for her when it was important. He followed along with everyone else and turned his back on her. Why you want to be with a weak man that can’t stand up for you or even himself. He knew Poppy but let her get away with everything. Even the end, he never really set her straight. Lyra needs someone stronger than Keston. I didn’t care for him at all.

Overall, a good and fun read but with the pacing and certain unreliable characters, it wasn’t my favorite Regency romance.

*Received via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*

This was a super sweet YA read for fans of Bridgerton. The appropriate age group for a book like this is somewhere in the High School realm, although certainly it can be enjoyed by older readers as well, as long as they know what to expect in terms of lexile level and content, etc.

I love historical romance, and this book did not disappoint. The thing that I really loved about this book was the unique perspective the author added to the story. This book was full of diverse and varied characters that really felt inclusive and allowed everyone to feel part of the story. Both the main character and her love interest were strong characters that experienced personal growth that was exciting to watch unfold.

This was a refreshing twist on period drama and so well written. There was some mystery, some intrigue and a beautiful love story. The way it was written, you experienced everything the main character was feeling and empathized with her situation and her dilemma. I cannot recommend this book enough and also can't wait to read more from this author!

What a delightful book! I thoroughly enjoyed reading this. Perfect if you are looking for a Bridgerton fix - although this is definitely YA, nothing beyond kissing happens on or off the page. I thought the characters, especially Ela/Lyra, were very well fleshed out, and I really enjoyed the first-person narration. It's not always my favorite, but I thought Amalie Howard used it really well here; I enjoyed being inside Ela/Lyra's head, and I thought the multiple timelines (1814 vs. 1817) were used very well also. Overall I would whole-heartedly recommend this book! (For serious historical fiction fans, I'll warn that there was some anachronism (in the service of diversity, as well as simply in some dialogue/actions). Personally I had no trouble overlooking this but I know that might not be the case for everyone.)

Content warnings: loss of a parent, drug addiction

Lady Ela Dalvi's life in the English aristocracy was ruined in one fell swoop by her former best friend Poppy. Ela spends years plotting her revenge and returns to the London social season as Miss Lyra Whitley with a mission to ruin Poppy.

Unfortunately for Ela/Lyra, her childhood crush is also at almost every ball and musicale she attends, dragging her attention away from her mission. Can she have both love and her revenge?

Amalie Howard's sense of humor comes through this book in zingy one-liners and turns of phrase that add fun to the narrative.

Recommended for fans of Netflix's Bridgerton and Austenites looking for a more modern cast of characters.

Representation: main character of Indian descent, side characters of Chinese and Indian descent, POC side characters

This might be closer to a 3.75 for me. I liked the concept of a girl coming back into town to get revenge on those who have wronged her. Stories that examine how harsh Regency Era rules were on women is always pretty interesting, and it is nice how they reimagined the world to create a more diverse cast. I did truly hate how this was a story about a girl being stabbed in the back by someone that she thought was her friend.

I am finding it really hard to believe that no one recognized Ela. The story itself was fun. Poppy was the worst and I'm not sure why The Marquess led her on and allowed her to believe he was going to end up with her. It was obvious that no one in his family liked her, yet they included her in everything? Loved the ending. Loved Church. Loved the diverse cast.

I keep reading that books are "Brigerton" readalikes, but this is the the first one that I think actually fits that bill (it's for teens though, so no sex)! Queen Bee follow "Lyra" as she returns to British society after being shunned due to the lie of her former bestie, Poppy. After spending 3 years stewing over Poppy's betrayal, Lyra has decided to exact some revenge.

This was a lot of fun! I liked all of the characters and they felt pretty believable. There are a few premise things you kind of have to ignore (like she was great friends with some of these people and I feel like they would've recognized her, your face doesn't like COMPLETELY change when you age lol), but overall, a great YA historical romance, that yes, fans of Brigerton will love. 3 stars - I liked it!

An okay read but the premise was unsustainable. Cliffs notes: A girl in the Regency era (when everyone knew everyone) ages three years and dyes her hair so that she is completely unrecognizable to her dearest friends, but with a revenge plot and some Dickensian rags to riches shit.

Absolutely adorable YA historical fiction!! This was swoony and sweet with lots of chemistry between the two leads, and I enjoyed the cute old-fashioned courtship and historical details. This was a captivating historical love story that all readers are sure to enjoy.

THIS WAS SOOO GOOD! Totally a young adult Bridgeton, but better! I liked the sizzling witty banter between all of the characters! I will definitely be recommending this book everybody I know! I also can’t wait to see what Amalie Howard writes next!

First of all, thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy of Queen Bee. I loved the Bridgerton books, and I have a few students who watched the show on Netflix. As a result, I've been looking for something that feels like Bridgerton but tamer for younger teens. Queen Bee fits the bill, and though I don't think this will get widespread readership, that smaller group of students who have been searching for something like this will be all over it. The multicultural cast and the romance are delightful, and the story of seeking revenge is also well-done. My main quibble, though, is that I find it hard to believe that Poppy, Keston, and Zia wouldn't recognize Lyra as Ela at any point. I can explain away Poppy not knowing by her self-centered nature, maybe, but I really think Keston or Zia would have made that connection despite darker hair and being taller and clear-skinned. Even her voice could have rung a bell. Regardless, this was a fun romance that will leave the right readers swooning.

4/5 stars

This was a really fun and quick read. Nothing was too hard to grasp and the concept was also. All of the characters were fun, engaging and I don’t think I was particularly annoyed by characters that were meant to be likeable. I liked the build up to learning how our MC got her wealth and what happened between her those 3 years. I didn’t have a ton that I thought was wrong with the book itself, it just didn’t jump out at me enough to give it the full 5. But I definitely recommend it if you’re dabbling into historical romances and want to see if it’s a genre that you’ll enjoy!

I liked this book. It had mean girls meets regency vibes. It was a pretty easy read. Definitely more on the younger side but I enjoyed it.

Such a great YA romance. We love Amalie Howard and think this book was wonderful. Can't wait for more from her!