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Thank you, NetGalley and TBR and Beyond Tours, for the chance to read and review Queen Bee by Amalie Howard.
Lady Ela Dalvi doesn't suffer the usual betrayal from her childhood best friend. Those betrayals are usually petty, blown up beyond recognition. You can look back and laugh at how stupid you were. Poppy does far more than that. She sets out to ruin Ela's reputation and, through that, her life. Years later, Ela is back for revenge on everyone involved. She has the money, the looks, the charm, and a plan. But sometimes love and friends can get in the way.
Queen Bee is a fun read; I left it with 3.5 stars! It's a super fun Count of Monte Christo retelling; honestly, we need more of those around! Amalie Howard is a good writer, and the book is fast-paced, with fun petty stuff being done to Poppy and enough drama at the end.
However, many things could have been cleaned up a bit more. This book is billed as YA Historical Romance, which generally falls under Regency Romance. The regency world tended to have a lot of rules, so I don't know if Ela, or even Poppy, could have gotten away with any of this. I understand that it's meant to be anti-historical. Still, even if it is anti-historical, the rules make things a bit more interesting. In addition, the representation, like that of Bridgerton, felt slightly token. There is more to Indian culture that could have been included, that wasn't just a longing for a sari.
Overall, I recommend the book, and it does seem to be doing well with other readers (it.s 4+ stars on Goodreads with 350+ reviews). It is YA, so I may be more critical of things than its intended audience, who should enjoy it! It is also Amalie Howard's debut novel, which means we should only see more and more from this author and even better things! As of now it's only been out 2 weeks!