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Reviewed by: Sarah Wergin, High School Librarian Title: Queen Bee Author: Amalie Howard Publisher: Joy Revolution
Year: 2023 Good for Grades: 9-Adult Genre/Type of Book: Historical Fiction/Romance
Content Warnings, or things that other School Librarians should be aware of: N/A Recommended for a school library: Yes Reason(s) for choosing the book: The cover looked intriguing. If you were tasked by the publisher with writing a short quote for the back cover of this book, what would it be: Gossip girl meets bridgerton! When Ela is betrayed by her best friend, Poppy, and everyone in the town believes the lies, Ela will stop at nothing to bring down Poppy and all those who ruined her.
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Review:
Poppy, who has everything but a title, envies her friend Ela, who possesses a title despite her own modest means and personal losses. Although Poppy and Ela are like sisters, Poppy secretly resents Ela's title. Tensions rise when a newly titled family moves in next door and Ela seizes the chance to befriend them before Poppy can. As their friendship strains, Poppy, determined to secure a title through marriage, plots to ruin Ela's reputation among the Ton after she sees how close Ela and the Marquess of Ridley and his sister have become.
Ela is sent away to a boarding school where she is given the opportunity to reinvent herself. Convinced no one will recognize her, Ela goes back to London to get even. Ela is still bitter about Poppy’s betrayal and the Ton’s acceptance of Poppy’s lies. Determined to ruin Poppy and the Marquess of Ridley, Ela returns to London under a new name- but when Ela falls into the familiar friendship with the Marquess of Ridley, she questions whether she can go through with her plan for revenge after all.
I was not expecting to like this book as much as I did. The book, which is clearly influenced by Bridgerton, is bright and full of diversity. I picked the book based solely on the cover art. It looked like it would be regency era historical fiction. What did I get? So much more. A story of betrayal, friendship, and facing your own truths.
The novel was a quick read for me – but I think that this is a clean and school appropriate book that fans of Gossip girl and/or Bridgerton will love! I wouldn’t hesitate to have this book in a middle and high school collection.
Queen bee will soon be the first novel of a series. The second novel, Lady Knight, is due to be released in 2025 which will follow the story of Marquess of Ridley’s sister, Lady Zenobia. The Series is slated to be called “The Diamonds."
The author’s end note discusses the research and history that went into the writing of the book. Speaking about the true histories of diverse and LGBTQ figures in Regency London and the influence that had on the writing of her novel.
Number of party hats:
Find more about Queen Bee at Teachingbooks.net
You can also find more information about this book at the Publishers Website