I have read a few titles by this author and enjoyed them all. Sadly, for me, this one just didn't live up to her usual, impressive standard.
The story felt forced and didn't flow.
This author writes great characters but I found myself disliking the main one and becoming increasingly annoyed at her insistence in concerning herself in other people's lives.
I read until the end to see if there would be an amazing, plot saving twist but I was disappointed.
Although this book wasn't for me I would still be interested in the next one but I couldn't recommend this one.

Jane Fallon never fails to deliver a great page turner with vivid characters. Easy to read but always interesting, I always look forward to her books and will be recommending this one. Thanks NetGalley!

Great summer read ... Great story fantastic plot and one of those just well-written books that leave you with a warm fuzzy really after you are done .....

I liked this book although I definitely wanted to like it more. I enjoyed the premise of the story but felt that apart from Laura, the character telling the story, I found the others lacking in much substance and the plot a little lacking in believability and pace.
Laura is newly divorced and the owner of a cleaning company who moves into the granny annex of a beautiful mansion in a wealthy area. She is welcomed initially, although somewhat frostily, by the majority of the Botox Barbie type wives. Laura somehow becomes aware that the husband of the Queen Bee, who has accused her of flirting with her husband, is planning to leave her high and dry before their lavish wedding.
Laura proceeds to then help Queen Bee Stella plan her future and plot to keep her and her daughters safe and with some money to fall back on.
The big reveal at a garden party falls a bit flat for me as if it could have been more impactful, funny or eventful. The story just falls flat a little here for me.
A pleasant read but one that I found wishing was more.
Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this for my honest opinion.

Quite simply, I loved Queen Bee! It’s perfect for indulging and immersing yourself in this brilliant book. Welcome to The Close, inhabited by a group of women who seem to spend all their time having the latest face lift or hair extensions and where Stella is Queen Bee.

Laura’s marriage has broken down so she’s renting a small annexe in The Close. She’s a total outsider and Stella takes an instant dislike to her. However when Stella’s life starts to change, she forms an unlikely friendship with Laura.

I devoured this book from start to end. It’s well written with some great characters and I think this will appeal to many. Highly recommended, I would rate this 4.5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, Penguin UK Michael Joseph and the author for the chance to review.

I really enjoyed this book and liked Laura, who after going through a divorce finds herself renting the annex of a luxury house after the purchase of a house falls through.

Seeing how the other half live is certainly an eye opening experience and when Laura finds herself ostracised from the community by Queen Bee Stella and her neighbours, she feels frustrated and turns detective in order to try and resolve the issue.

This was a great read.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my review.

Living over the garage in an exclusive street. Meet the alpha males and the trophy wifes. Lead by Stella the ladies turn on the newcomer as she is not a lady who lunches and as a new divorcee she might just be after your husband.
Secrets start to unravel and unlikely alliances start to form as it turns out one of the husband's is cheating and planning a new life, leaving behind all ties to the past.
Self centred and manipulative characters against the world but not as we know it. Made me smile. Loved the ending

After an unexlexted divorce, Laura finda herself as tenant of a tiny annexe in a privtae close of exlcusive mansions and millionaire couples. Becoming closely embroiled in their lives, she sets off a chain of unravelling secrets.

On a superficial level, I enjoyed the characters. Jane Fallon works hard to add realistic touches and to gently undermine Laura's inverse snobbery as she realises they are good people beneath the trappings of wealth. Nevertheless really nothing much happens through the course of the novel, there are a series of similar garden parties and the dramatic denouement falls rather flat. This is not one i would reach for again.

This took a little while to get in to, but once the action gets going, the reader is swept along for the ride.

Laura has separated from her husband and has found a little place to rent, in the no-mans land of not staff, but not 'one of the ladies' in the very exclusive close. She runs her own cleaning company and has a young daughter that she longs to be with full time, once she has found a new home. Laura becomes a team with the queen bee of the close, the entitled Stella, investigating Stellas errant husband.

This had a satisfying conclusion and was a good read.

From the first few pages I warmed to Laura, the main character as we read her struggles to settle into 'The Close' with its cliques and money obsessed inhabitants. What I really enjoyed about reading Queen Bee was how it kept me guessing, all the way to the end of the novel - a great alternative to some of the predictable narratives I've read before.

I’m a huge fan of Jane Fallon’s books and have read most of them so I was super excited to discover she has a new book coming out soon.

Queen Bee is a story of the haves and have-nots. The contrast in lifestyles of the wealthy and those struggling to make ends meet is clear. The characters are colourful and lively and Jane has an eye for observation. I did feel there was some stereotyping and cliques but it is a light read so that’s to be expected.

The story follows Laura, the owner of a small cleaning business, who manages to find herself embroiled in the scandal of the rich. There’s a mystery to solve, secrets to spill and lives to shatter so in theory, it has all the makings of a juicy chicklit. Unfortunately, for some reason, I wasn’t as drawn into the story as I hoped. Laura perhaps seemed a little self-riotous and I didn’t always think she behaved any better than Stella, the spoilt rich trophy wife whose husband had a secret. Towards the end, the story picked up and I found myself more invested in the outcome. I did find the ‘one year later’ section cram packed with story that I would have liked to see unfold and developed (or possibly not included at all) but that’s just my opinion. There’s lots to love about this book - it’s witty and a great insight into how the other half live.

Genre: chick lit
Rating: 3/5⭐️

I love love love this! I’ve never been let down by a Jane Fallon novel and I can’t recommend this highly enough!

I do enjoy Jane Fallons writing.

I could picture the lavish hourses in a desperate Housewives scenario almost.

We all have that neighbour we dont get one with - but the question is can Laura be the bigger, better person - should she?!

I loved the way i could just fall into Lauras world and support her as she went about her life.

thumbs uo from me

This book is charming, engaging and funny.

It's a light and airy read told from the point of view of Laura, recently divorced and temporarily living in a tiny flat above a garage in a very posh neighbourhood, feeling like a fish out of water. She soon becomes embroiled in some of the goings-on of the botoxed, silicone-implanted and face-lifted trophy wives of The Close. The set is presided over by the titular Queen Bee - Stella - who is soon to marry long term fiance Alec. Their perfect life is showing signs of strain with extravagant wedding plans that could rival those of the Khardasians (Shetland ponies on the lawn!) Laura comes across some information which throws Stella's cozy, pampered world into turmoil.

As with all Jane Fallon's books the characters come alive and are funny. The descriptions of the effects of surgical procedures - the fish lips, pointy boobs and impassive frozen faces - are absolutely delicious. The posh set are beautifully counterpointed by the down-to-earth crew of Laura's cleaning company employees.

The writing is engaging and maybe the plot is a bit far-fetched at times, but it wouldn't be as much fun otherwise! Definitely recommended.

Really enjoyed this book. A story where you can really relate to the main character and enjoy everything going on around her and the strength she displays.

I really enjoyed this book by Jane Fallon. This is the first book by this author I have read; I liked the style used and the intricate description of the characters. An enjoyable read with a pleasing ending.
Thank you NetGalley for my advanced copy of this book 📚

The protagonist in this book is Laura, and this book is told from her perspective only. I really liked Laura, she is a very independent woman, who really loves her little girl, and feels quite down after her divorce. She is trying to rebuild her life, and I salute her for that. I liked the characters that the author picked out for this book, they are all very glamorous and quite grotesque. I really loved how real Laura was in this posh and “plastic” environment. I really enjoyed the contrast between the rich and the normal worlds, that the author described in this novel, it was quite fascinating.
The narrative was not as strong as I hoped it will be. I enjoyed the story and the interactions between the characters, but I was missing the suspense and the moments when I am left with my mouth open due to a surprising and mind-blowing twist. (That did happen in the past :D ) The story just kind of plodded along, with only little turns here and there.
I do enjoy Jane Fallon’s writing style, she has a great sense of the rich people and their world, and I really like how she utilises that in her novels. The atmosphere is constantly changing in this book and combined with decent chapter length, this book was quite entertaining. I liked the ending of this novel, it left me satisfied with the outcome, and I think it rounded this book really well.

I love Jane Fallon’s books, so was excited to read her newest offering. Although it took me around a third of the book to get into it, I did end up staying up late as I had to know how it finished! I love the contrast between the main characters Stella and Laura and how their relationship developed. I really empathised with Laura and even began to feel for Stella too. There are twists and turns to keep you interested and the secondary characters are also well developed and interesting. I really enjoyed it and loved the ending.
Thank you to netgalley, the publishers and Jane Fallon for allowing me this arc in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

Laura has arrived in The Close. A street of amazing mansions and botoxed ladies. However, Laura is in a servants flat and only for six months until she can find herself and her daughter a flat. She is recently separated from her husband and runs her own cleaning business.
One of her clients Al also lives in The Close with his partner Stella and two daughters.
Laura finds out that Al has a secret which will rip Stella's life apart and the two of them plot revenge.

This book is just fabulous! I adored all of the characters but especially Stella and her spoilt ways. The story is so far fetched it is hilarious. Perfect light hearted reading.