Queen Bee
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- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-02-26 00:19:34
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Nina Manning
- ISBN：B09HMGKBJL
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
Vina
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A surprise winner， ‘Queen Bee’ which I just picked up randomly had me rapt within just a few pages。Nina Manning’s book is about social media ，its tentacles， and its invasion into privacy。 Sometimes a picture posted on a site can render a person vulnerable，visible to his worst enemies。 Set in a small， friendly village， it creates a story through the interactions of the women in the village。 No， not gossip or rumours， but relationships。 I loved it。4 StarsBelow is a picture of the book’s cover。
Deborah Sinclair
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Thriller with a twist This book started slowly with lots of back and forth which was a little frustrating but all makes sense at the end of the book - where there is a good twist。 I did suspect the plot about half way through but enjoyed the book nevertheless。
Betty Mueller
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Very well written and suspenseful with a surprise ending I definitely did not see coming。
Arvin Dhillon
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I was in between a good book to read and so I started reading this new book by Nina。 I have tried to read her previous book before， but it was so boring and so I left it， and alas， I can say the same for this book as well。 Really grown up BFF plot！！！！！ Sorry I had to leave it。 It is so mundane。
Bridget
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If you get a buzz from reading exhilarating domestic suspense then don't miss out on Nina Manning's Queen Bee。 Miranda Wallace is mum to Anabel， wife to David， and the queen bee in the village of Helesbury Gloucestershire; she is a great mother， popular and friendly。 Verity is the opposite - indifferent and cool and she disrupts Miranda's happy life。 What does Verity know about Miranda？ I loved the concept of this dark tale with shades of obsession and an undercurrent of foreboding and it was a If you get a buzz from reading exhilarating domestic suspense then don't miss out on Nina Manning's Queen Bee。 Miranda Wallace is mum to Anabel， wife to David， and the queen bee in the village of Helesbury Gloucestershire; she is a great mother， popular and friendly。 Verity is the opposite - indifferent and cool and she disrupts Miranda's happy life。 What does Verity know about Miranda？ I loved the concept of this dark tale with shades of obsession and an undercurrent of foreboding and it was a quick read for me。 I was hooked from the beginning and surprised by the ending。 I look forward to reading more from Nina Manning。I received a complimentary digital copy of this novel at my request from Boldwood Books via NetGalley， and this review is my unbiased opinion。 。。。more
Jessica Belmont
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Queen Bee isn’t my first read from Nina Manning so I was really excited to get into this one。 I love this author’s writing style。 She draws readers in with a compelling storyline and keeps you invested with twists and turns。I really enjoyed the two different plotlines。 Trying to figure out what was happening and how everything fit was entertaining。 I think the execution of the ending was done pretty well， though it wasn’t as shocking as I expected。 Doesn’t make this book any less well-written， i Queen Bee isn’t my first read from Nina Manning so I was really excited to get into this one。 I love this author’s writing style。 She draws readers in with a compelling storyline and keeps you invested with twists and turns。I really enjoyed the two different plotlines。 Trying to figure out what was happening and how everything fit was entertaining。 I think the execution of the ending was done pretty well， though it wasn’t as shocking as I expected。 Doesn’t make this book any less well-written， it just ended differently than I anticipated。I loved the characters。 Nina Manning has a talent for casting well-developed characters who really help move the plot forward。 Really great。Overall， I really enjoyed this one。 Nina Manning is an author I will always say yes to reading， and I’m looking forward to more from her。 Don’t miss out on Queen Bee！Thank you to Rachel’s Random Resources for the free review copy。 All opinions are my own and unbiased。 。。。more
Gem ~ZeroShelfControl~
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I received this book from NetGalley and the publisher， in return for an honest review。 This review is based entirely on my own thoughts and feelings。Overall rating : 1*Writing skill : 1*Plot: 2*Characters: 2*Predictability:1*Okay， so I had written a whole review， but I've deleted it。 I'm not here to drag authors down when I don't particularly like their book。 Others will love it， and I'm glad they do。 All I will say is that I was disappointed in the story but I am not put off reading another of I received this book from NetGalley and the publisher， in return for an honest review。 This review is based entirely on my own thoughts and feelings。Overall rating : 1*Writing skill : 1*Plot: 2*Characters: 2*Predictability:1*Okay， so I had written a whole review， but I've deleted it。 I'm not here to drag authors down when I don't particularly like their book。 Others will love it， and I'm glad they do。 All I will say is that I was disappointed in the story but I am not put off reading another of her books， but this one was just not for me。 。。。more
Esther Peacock
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Queen Bee by Nina ManningIn the quiet village of Helesbury， Miranda Wallace prides herself on being the most popular member of her small social circle; the perfect friend， the best mum – the queen bee。Until one day， Verity arrives。 Cool and indifferent， Verity is everything Miranda isn't， but she threatens to shatter Miranda's picture-perfect life。Suddenly plagued with insecurities， Miranda is certain Verity is hiding something。 And Miranda knows all about secrets and the damage they can cause b Queen Bee by Nina ManningIn the quiet village of Helesbury， Miranda Wallace prides herself on being the most popular member of her small social circle; the perfect friend， the best mum – the queen bee。Until one day， Verity arrives。 Cool and indifferent， Verity is everything Miranda isn't， but she threatens to shatter Miranda's picture-perfect life。Suddenly plagued with insecurities， Miranda is certain Verity is hiding something。 And Miranda knows all about secrets and the damage they can cause because she's hiding some of her own。So when Verity threatens to reveal the truth about Miranda and destroy the perfect life she's built， Miranda knows she has to act to protect the people she loves – even if the results are deadly。Queen Bee is the 5th novel I have read by Nina Manning， and again I was far from disappointed。The book is a well-written dramatic thriller that tightens its hold on you as you delve deeper into the story。 Jealousy， secrets and emotional bonds make up this contemporary， individual and intriguing plot。 There are plenty of twists and turns throughout to keep you guessing。 I am happy to recommend this and alsoNina Manning's other titlesThe Daughter In LawThe Guilty WifeThe House MateThe BridesmaidI want to thank NetGalley， Boldwood Books and author Nina Manning for a pre-publication copy to review。 。。。more
Lucy
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I throughly enjoyed this read， although it was a little slow to get going。 When the pace picked up， I found myself flying through in anticipation。 With lots of thought provoking concepts around modern day society， this would be a great book club discussions。Filled with the classic drama and suspense that I expect from this author， this book ticks all the boxes of this genre。 Full of characters who are like marmite， I found myself switching from loving to loathing them and back again。 Queen Bee i I throughly enjoyed this read， although it was a little slow to get going。 When the pace picked up， I found myself flying through in anticipation。 With lots of thought provoking concepts around modern day society， this would be a great book club discussions。Filled with the classic drama and suspense that I expect from this author， this book ticks all the boxes of this genre。 Full of characters who are like marmite， I found myself switching from loving to loathing them and back again。 Queen Bee is not my favourite book by this author， but that opinion is based solely on my own personal preferences。 I recommend this to anyone who likes to read community based tales with revealing conclusions and character analysis。 Thank you Rachel’s Random Resources and Boldwood Books for a gifted copy of this， and a place on the recent book tour， in exchange for an honest and voluntary review。 All opinions are my own。 。。。more
TinyLittleFoxes
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Great book， creepy and stalkery， just like I like them， throw in a dash of paranoia and crazy female and it's perfect！ Great book， creepy and stalkery， just like I like them， throw in a dash of paranoia and crazy female and it's perfect！ 。。。more
Jane Hunt
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I like the immersive quality of this story and the claustrophobic setting。 Miranda has secrets， but her obsession with being popular draws her into village life until she earns the title of Queen Bee， which she loves。 A newcomer threatens Miranda's status and anonymity， and it's hard to keep secrets in a village。Miranda isn't likeable。 Her insecurities manifest irritatingly， but her story is suspenseful with surprising twists， and it's an absorbing read。 I like the relatable characters and imagi I like the immersive quality of this story and the claustrophobic setting。 Miranda has secrets， but her obsession with being popular draws her into village life until she earns the title of Queen Bee， which she loves。 A newcomer threatens Miranda's status and anonymity， and it's hard to keep secrets in a village。Miranda isn't likeable。 Her insecurities manifest irritatingly， but her story is suspenseful with surprising twists， and it's an absorbing read。 I like the relatable characters and imaginative scenarios that make this psychological suspense resonate。I received a copy of this book from Boldwood Books via NetGalley in return for an honest review。 。。。more
Sue stamper
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BrilliantRead in one sitting。 Can't wait for next book。Congratulations will certainly recommend your books to my friends。 Aazing book！ BrilliantRead in one sitting。 Can't wait for next book。Congratulations will certainly recommend your books to my friends。 Aazing book！ 。。。more
Javier
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Review published in: https://diagnosisbookaholic。blogspot。。。。3，5 ⭐️Miranda Wallace is the “Queen Bee” in the small village of Helesbury。 Her family moved there after some mysterious scandal in her past， but in the year she’s being living there she has managed to leave it behind and make a good friend， Evie。 She’s the friend she always wanted and their friendship looks perfect until a new woman， Verity， arrives in town and threatens their idyllic friendship。 Miranda suspects Verity of hiding some Review published in: https://diagnosisbookaholic。blogspot。。。。3，5 ⭐️Miranda Wallace is the “Queen Bee” in the small village of Helesbury。 Her family moved there after some mysterious scandal in her past， but in the year she’s being living there she has managed to leave it behind and make a good friend， Evie。 She’s the friend she always wanted and their friendship looks perfect until a new woman， Verity， arrives in town and threatens their idyllic friendship。 Miranda suspects Verity of hiding something， but she has some skeletons in her closet too so， which secrets will come out to light first？Queen Bee was a nice domestic suspense story but， in my opinion， it could have been so much more。 The main issue I encountered was Miranda’s character。 It was veeeery difficult to warm to her。 She behaves in a very childish， immature way for the most part。 Her jealousy over Evie and Verity’s friendship was more like a teenager would behave， not a woman in her 40s。 This not so rational behavior also made me think that the thing she was trying to keep secret would be much bigger。 Thinking about it now， I still can’t honestly understand why the need to keep it quiet。The story points the finger to some interesting issues about social media， how addictive it can become if you’re not careful， how it can become a wrongful source of validation for some people and the dangers of going down the rabbit hole when you engage with certain kinds of people。There was a past timeline that added a bit of suspense to the story， but at the same time made the resolution not so surprising。 Besides， the ending felt a little bit rushed。Scattered throughout the story were chapters consistent of police interviews of the village neighbors that reminded me a bit of “Big little lies” and that made me keep guessing what could have happened between all the main characters。Slow burn suspense story about friendships and secrets that has been interesting enough to make me wanna read some more of the author’s backlist。Thanks to NetGalley， Boldwood Books and Rachel’s Random Resources for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review and a spot on the Blog Tour。 。。。more
Nicki
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Before she had managed to ruin everything， Miranda had been one of the shining stars of the internet， a highly popular influencer whose grid on Instagram had thousands of followers whose likes and comments made Miranda feel wanted and worthwhile。 But， then something terrible had happened and Miranda's husband David had decided to move his beloved wife and their young daughter Anabel from London to the tiny， picturesque village of Helesbury。 Initially， Miranda hadn't been very happy about being u Before she had managed to ruin everything， Miranda had been one of the shining stars of the internet， a highly popular influencer whose grid on Instagram had thousands of followers whose likes and comments made Miranda feel wanted and worthwhile。 But， then something terrible had happened and Miranda's husband David had decided to move his beloved wife and their young daughter Anabel from London to the tiny， picturesque village of Helesbury。 Initially， Miranda hadn't been very happy about being uprooted to the middle of nowhere but over the past year， she had put her life back together。 She had worked hard to rebuild her reputation and was now viewed by her group of friends Hatty， Olivia， Beth， Natasha and Miranda's best friend Evie as the queen bee of the village。 Miranda felt as if her life was back on track， no one knew about her past indiscretions and everything was going well。Or it was until the fateful evening when Miranda walked into a meeting of the book club （something that she had started） and was introduced to a newcomer to the village。 Someone called Verity， towards whom Miranda took a instant dislike，a woman who suddenly kept appearing in different locations around the village and seemed hell bent on breaking up the close friendship between Miranda and Evie。 Who was this mysterious interloper？ Did she know anything about Miranda's past？ Miranda was desperate to keep her best friend and wasn't prepared to just sit back and let someone like Verity take Evie away from her。 But little did Miranda realise that her obsession could send her back down the road of self destruction and result in her possibly losing everything。。。。including her own life。Omg，Miranda started to irritate me literally from the minute she was introduced into the story，she had so many annoying character traits and my opinion of her didn't change at any point during the ensuing story。 She was lucky enough to have a loyal husband and adorable young daughter and I struggled to understand why she was so obsessed with keeping Evie in her life。 Sure， it's nice to have friends and there are people who have been fortunate enough to enter into friendships that last for years but any relationship can be unpredictable and many can drift apart for a variety of reasons。 It appeared to me that everything Miranda did was aimed at stoking her own ego and feelings of self importance and she hardly ever stopped to appreciate her loving family，something that a lot of people aren't fortunate enough to have in their lives。 Along with families and friendships， the other prevailing theme to the plot of this story was modern societies addiction to social media and how easy it is to become obsessed with the number of likes and comments your posts have recieved。 A addiction which can sneak up on you，catch you unawares and swiftly take control of your life。Helesbury was a realistic chocolate box village with a small shop， pub， church and the school that was attended by Anabel and Evie's daughter Juno。 The residents were a mixed bag of believable characters and scattered throughout the book was police interviews in which some of the secondary characters recounted events that proceeded the culmination of the story。Scattered throughout the book was chapters that were set in the past， written from the perspective of young girl and recounted her life in the numerous houses that she and her mother were forced to relocate to in their search for somewhere safe to live。 But who was the young girl？ What or who were she and her mother running from？ How did these chapters fit into events that were unfolding in the present day？This is more of a study of human relationships， interactions and obsession with a added dash of mystery than a thriller。 It's a slow burner which contains some plot elements that keep the reader guessing and wanting to know what secrets are hiding within the homes of some of the author's believable characters。 It's a enthralling read which contains some pages that are permeated with undercurrents of tension and foreboding and has tiny clues and hints at what is going on cleverly scattered throughout the story。 。。。more
Rebecca
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You know how much I love a psychological thriller and this was a quick and easy read。 I found that the concept seemed very fresh and the author kept a steady pace throughout。 There were no parts where the story seemed to go too slow nor were there bits where it went too fast and you lost where you were。 We all know of people who like to be Queen Bee and dislike when they feel like they are being challenged and Miranda is truly the epitome of this。 Just how much of a threat is Verity and what is You know how much I love a psychological thriller and this was a quick and easy read。 I found that the concept seemed very fresh and the author kept a steady pace throughout。 There were no parts where the story seemed to go too slow nor were there bits where it went too fast and you lost where you were。 We all know of people who like to be Queen Bee and dislike when they feel like they are being challenged and Miranda is truly the epitome of this。 Just how much of a threat is Verity and what is Miranda prepared to do to ensure her reputation remains untarnished？Miranda is an irritating character， there is no denying that， but it's because she has to be。 How many Queen Bee's do you know who aren't？ This book kept me guessing throughout and I really enjoyed it。 。。。more
Connie
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Miranda， her husband， David， and their daughter， Anabel， age 8 have moved from London to the town of Helebury near the Cotswolds。 They have a large home and a maid twice a week。 Miranda has made many friends and enjoys getting with them。 She even started a book club。 She has a candle making business on the side that helps to keep her occupied。 Miranda has a friend， Evie， a single mom with a daughter， Juno， age 8。 Anabel and Juno are good friends and Miranda likes Evie。 But when a woman named Ver Miranda， her husband， David， and their daughter， Anabel， age 8 have moved from London to the town of Helebury near the Cotswolds。 They have a large home and a maid twice a week。 Miranda has made many friends and enjoys getting with them。 She even started a book club。 She has a candle making business on the side that helps to keep her occupied。 Miranda has a friend， Evie， a single mom with a daughter， Juno， age 8。 Anabel and Juno are good friends and Miranda likes Evie。 But when a woman named Verity comes to town， she appears to be a friend to Evie and is rather aloof to Miranda which angers her。 Miranda wants everyone to like her。 After several overtures to friend Verity， Miranda realizes she doesn’t like the woman。 Verity is an author and living there to finish a book。Something happened when Miranda and her family lived in London that caused great upset and moving to this town has been good for her。 But when she is drawn to social media again that she managed to avoid， Miranda starts to get back into the situation she fled from。There are two plots going on in this book and one of them is a mystery to the reader。 It’s just at the end when the two combine。 I was thinking that something really big was going to happen and I know the author tried， but I was rather disappointed。 This is mostly because I found that Miranda to be a pathetic woman running after a woman to get her friendship。 She obviously is talented in many ways。 Her husband， David， is a saint。 She should have concentrated on him instead。 Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review。 。。。more
Karen Andrew
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ReviewThere hasn't been a single Nina Manning book I've not enjoyed。 I really enjoy her writing style。 I loved Miranda， she's had a rough experience before moving to her tranquil village and just wants to be part of everyone's circle so when she meets Verity personalities collide。 Verity has a real sense of mystery about her and I love her progress as the book goes on。 Typically with Nina's books I didn't see the twists at the end and thought it rounded the book off really well。⭐⭐⭐⭐ ReviewThere hasn't been a single Nina Manning book I've not enjoyed。 I really enjoy her writing style。 I loved Miranda， she's had a rough experience before moving to her tranquil village and just wants to be part of everyone's circle so when she meets Verity personalities collide。 Verity has a real sense of mystery about her and I love her progress as the book goes on。 Typically with Nina's books I didn't see the twists at the end and thought it rounded the book off really well。⭐⭐⭐⭐ 。。。more
Henriette
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The story is told from 3 angles… there’s before about a small girl and her mother， there’s interviews at a police station after something bad has happened and then there is the story told by Miranda the “Queen Bee”。 Miranda tells her story first person and normally I love this， but this time I am not sure。 Miranda comes across as very insecure， self centered and much too eager to please and not at all the “Queen Bee”， although she clearly wishes she was。What to expect:✅ suspense… we know somethi The story is told from 3 angles… there’s before about a small girl and her mother， there’s interviews at a police station after something bad has happened and then there is the story told by Miranda the “Queen Bee”。 Miranda tells her story first person and normally I love this， but this time I am not sure。 Miranda comes across as very insecure， self centered and much too eager to please and not at all the “Queen Bee”， although she clearly wishes she was。What to expect:✅ suspense… we know something bad ends up happening， but we do not know what exactly and who is guilty✅ so many secrets…✅ Miranda definitely has a past she does not want her friends in the village to know about✅ Evie also behaves odd， so is she also hiding something？✅ who is this Verity and what is up with her weird behavior？It’s quite a long and well written story where you are constantly wondering what actually happened and why。 I think if I had liked the characters more then I would have given this story 5 stars。 I had expected to be on Miranda’s side and rooting for her the whole way through， but no… she just wasn’t my kind of girl and all the drama coming together in the end didn’t quite live up to my expectations。Nevertheless， it was a very enjoyable read that left me guessing until the end and I am keen to read more Nina Manning books。 。。。more
Amanda
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I have read and loved a couple of Nina’s books。 There are still a couple to catch up on but I hope to get there very soon。 I read the synopsis for ‘Queen Bee’ and it certainly sounded like the sort of book I have come to expect from Nina Manning- a gritty， psychological thriller with a twist。 I wasn’t to be disappointed either because I loved reading ‘Queen Bee’ but more about that in a bit。I have to say that I wasn’t at all keen on the lead character called Miranda。 She is certainly intriguing I have read and loved a couple of Nina’s books。 There are still a couple to catch up on but I hope to get there very soon。 I read the synopsis for ‘Queen Bee’ and it certainly sounded like the sort of book I have come to expect from Nina Manning- a gritty， psychological thriller with a twist。 I wasn’t to be disappointed either because I loved reading ‘Queen Bee’ but more about that in a bit。I have to say that I wasn’t at all keen on the lead character called Miranda。 She is certainly intriguing but I can’t say that she is all that likeable。 When the story starts， it’s clear that Miranda has got a history that she would rather remain hidden for the rest of time。 Miranda come across as very insecure， quite needy and she gives me the heebee jeebies somewhat。 She finds it hard to make friends and when she does make friends she wants to keep them for herself。 She has a best friend and woe betide anybody who tries to get between them。 When a new person moves to the village and encroaches on Miranda’s ‘turf’ so to speak， fireworks ensue。 The newcomer， called Verity， threatens to reveal Miranda’s past。 What happens？ Well for the answers to that question and so much more you are just going to have to read the book for yourselves to find out as I am not going to tell you。As soon as I started reading ‘Queen Bee’， I knew that this was one book that I would seriously enjoy and that reading it would become very addictive。 Well I was totally right on both counts。 I made the fatal mistake of starting to read the book shortly before I went to bed。 Let’s just say that bedtime was delayed and I ended up with a ‘lack of sleep’ hangover but it was so worth it。 This was one of those stories that stayed with me whether I had the book in my hand or not- If I wasn’t reading the book， I was thinking about it。 If I had to put the book to one side for any reason， then I would immediately look forward to being able to pick it up again。 I had my own theories as to what was going to happen so I had to keep reading to see if I was on the right track or I had wandered down another path entirely。 I soon got to the end of ‘Queen Bee’。 I found ‘Queen Bee’ to a gritty， tense， gripping and dramatic book that kept me on the edge of my seat throughout。‘Queen Bee’ is extremely well written and then some。 Nina has one of those writing styles that is easy to get used to and easy to get along with。 Nina certainly knows how to grab the reader’s attention and draw them into a compelling story。 The story is written in the present day although there are flashback chapters going back in Miranda’s history and there is the occasional chapter which takes the form of police interview transcripts。 The chapters interlink really well and the story flows seamlessly as a result。 Reading ‘Queen Bee’ felt like being on an at times scary and unpredictable rollercoaster ride with several twists and turns along the way。 I love the way in which Nina makes the reader feel as though they are part of the story and at the heart of the action。In short， I thoroughly enjoyed reading ‘Queen Bee’ and I would definitely recommend it to other readers。 I will certainly be reading more of Nina’s work in the future。 The score on the Ginger Book Geek board is a very well deserved 5* out of 5*。 。。。more
Claire
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“Every tribe needs its queen”Moving to a new place is never easy but moving to a close knit community like Helesbury is going to be even harder。 Everyone has their friendship groups and it’s so small， it’s difficult to muscle your way in… that is unless you’re Verity。 And things are awkward with our leading lady Miranda…Miranda hints at something that’s happened in her past， what is it？ I really wanted to know what it was！ And how does she link to the little girl found in the beach hut or is tha “Every tribe needs its queen”Moving to a new place is never easy but moving to a close knit community like Helesbury is going to be even harder。 Everyone has their friendship groups and it’s so small， it’s difficult to muscle your way in… that is unless you’re Verity。 And things are awkward with our leading lady Miranda…Miranda hints at something that’s happened in her past， what is it？ I really wanted to know what it was！ And how does she link to the little girl found in the beach hut or is that a total red herring？？ I was flummoxed and totally intrigued！Manning presented the story by keeping me on my toes。 The jumps between the present and the past are a little unnerving as the key players in the past are yet to manifest themselves。 The interviews drop little nuggets of information which add to the intrigue and suggestion of something sinister that was ahead of me… I kept clicking through my e-copy desperate to get to the climax！This is a tense thriller set in a claustrophobic village where everyone knows everyone’s business and it’s a matter of time before secrets are known。 Manning tempered the tension and intrigue brilliantly。 I genuinely didn’t know how this was going to pan out despite the unsuspecting and innocent clues she drops in throughout。 I was totally blindsided！ This is my first taster of Manning’s writing and it won’t be my last; in fact， I’ve added another one of her novels to #mountTBR。 。。。more
Lynette P
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Finished in one day。 I love her books and this one was amazing also。 It was clean and had you guessing the whole time。
Melissa Borsey
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Overall this was a good read but I did feel slightly disappointed because the synopsis of the story sounds far more sinister than it actually is。 I thank Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book。
Karen
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Queen BeeMiranda Wallace （43）， her husband David and daughter Anabel （8） moved from Chelsea to a village called Helesbury for a new start。 Everything is going well， Miranda set up a book club， which is very successful and she is seen as the Queen Bee of the village。 She also has a wonderful best friend in Evie。 But one evening， newcomer to the village Verity turns up at the book club， cosying up to Evie and putting Miranda’s nose right out of joint！ The book is written in chapters， some in the p Queen BeeMiranda Wallace （43）， her husband David and daughter Anabel （8） moved from Chelsea to a village called Helesbury for a new start。 Everything is going well， Miranda set up a book club， which is very successful and she is seen as the Queen Bee of the village。 She also has a wonderful best friend in Evie。 But one evening， newcomer to the village Verity turns up at the book club， cosying up to Evie and putting Miranda’s nose right out of joint！ The book is written in chapters， some in the present （2019） where characters are being questioned at Gloucester Police Station， some labelled BEFORE and others in a time inbetween where we follow the developing story。 The 2019 chapters are especially intriguing and you want to find out what they are referring to。 Miranda is a strange character and I found I didn’t like her too much， I much preferred Hatty！ But it didn’t stop me wanting to read and discover her story and what was really going on with Miranda， Evie and Verity – and how it all tied in to the other parts of the book。 Helesbury is a very realistic village too。 Having lived in a small village （and even set up a book club there！）， I could definitely relate to the atmosphere where they live – in both good and bad ways。 It can feel very safe， but also villages do feel like if you sneeze one end of the village， they hear about it the other end within minutes。 The book keeps you guessing all the way through and all my guesses were wrong！ The twists and turns keep coming， right until the end。 8 out of 10 。。。more
Catherine Craig （Angelic Light）
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I thoroughly enjoyed this psychological thriller from Nina Manning。 It is a great read and I highly recommend it！ I love Nina's books， and I look forward to her next one！ I thoroughly enjoyed this psychological thriller from Nina Manning。 It is a great read and I highly recommend it！ I love Nina's books， and I look forward to her next one！ 。。。more
Kelly （aka jsybookworm）
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After running away from London with her husband， David and little girl Anabel， Miranda has settled well into life in the country in a close-knit village。 She has made a lovely group of friends and her best friend is the bubbly and kind Evie。 However， Miranda still doesn’t feel she wants to reveal to them what led to her and David making such a drastic move for fear they will change their opinion about her。 All of a sudden， a new face arrives into the village， Verity， subdued and quiet Miranda ta After running away from London with her husband， David and little girl Anabel， Miranda has settled well into life in the country in a close-knit village。 She has made a lovely group of friends and her best friend is the bubbly and kind Evie。 However， Miranda still doesn’t feel she wants to reveal to them what led to her and David making such a drastic move for fear they will change their opinion about her。 All of a sudden， a new face arrives into the village， Verity， subdued and quiet Miranda takes an instant dislike to Verity on sight and visa-versa。 But when Verity bonds with Evie， Miranda starts to get jealous and with that， her and Evie’s relationship begins to crumble。 Miranda has so many questions about Verity especially when she starts to realise that Verity knows why she left London and Verity has no allegiance to Miranda and is more than happy to spill the beans。 Will Miranda lose her “Queen Bee” title once all her friends know the truth？！I found this book quite hard to read because despite trying I just couldn’t warm to Miranda。 I thought the way she behaved was very immature especially when it came to her jealousy over her friends and in all honesty at times， it felt like I was reading about a teenager not a woman in her 40’s。 The pace was quite slow but did pick up a bit after the mid-point of the story， but I had already worked out what the twist was， so it didn’t surprise me unlike other books I have read。 I quite liked the Instagram content and how addictive Instagram can be however ultimately， I felt the ending was really rushed and I didn’t feel satisfied when I finished the book。I must admit I wouldn’t recommend this to others as I didn’t really enjoy it。 I don’t like giving a low star rating， but I have to be honest with my opinion。 However， I do have another Nina Manning book on my to be read list so hopefully that will capture me unlike this story。Thank you to Netgalley， Nina Manning and Boldwood Books for my advanced reading copy。 Due out 26th January 2022。 。。。more
Catherine
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Miranda Wallace seems to have it all。 Living in a picture perfect village。 A good looking talented husband。 The centre of a social circle， the real queen bee。However her life is upended when a newcomer to the village arrives。 Verity！Verity has her secrets but then doesn't Miranda。 However Miranda feels that Verity could destroy everything she's built since leaving her old life in London。 What secrets do these women hide and what lengths will they go to protect those secrets。Many thanks to the pu Miranda Wallace seems to have it all。 Living in a picture perfect village。 A good looking talented husband。 The centre of a social circle， the real queen bee。However her life is upended when a newcomer to the village arrives。 Verity！Verity has her secrets but then doesn't Miranda。 However Miranda feels that Verity could destroy everything she's built since leaving her old life in London。 What secrets do these women hide and what lengths will they go to protect those secrets。Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity to see an ARC 。。。more
Georgi_Lvs_Books
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I really enjoyed Queen Bee。 When everything came together at the end I was baffled！ Did not see any of it coming。 I’ve read almost all of Nina’s work apart from The Bridesmaid and I recommend her work if you enjoy reading thrillers and mysteries。
Niki
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Queen Bee revolves around the central character Miranda who has many insecurities and has an over whelming need to be at the centre of everything but most of all， to be liked。 When her best Friend Evie calls her the Queen Bee of the village， Miranda feels that she has made it and only wants to cement this new found title in the whole village。 Yet something and someone is right around the corner ready to upset her apple cart。Throughout the book I was constantly willing Miranda to stop over thinki Queen Bee revolves around the central character Miranda who has many insecurities and has an over whelming need to be at the centre of everything but most of all， to be liked。 When her best Friend Evie calls her the Queen Bee of the village， Miranda feels that she has made it and only wants to cement this new found title in the whole village。 Yet something and someone is right around the corner ready to upset her apple cart。Throughout the book I was constantly willing Miranda to stop over thinking every action of her friends。 I just wanted her to talk to Evie about her new found friendship with the interloper， Verity， but that certain something from her past seems to not allow Miranda to fully let go。 She keeps looking back and thinking people are like those from her past。 Miranda is definitely paranoid and has some issues that at times I found really annoying！ However the author clearly wants to instil this feeling in the reader and boy does she do it well。I really enjoyed the past and present approach to the chapters， which helped me to see just what Miranda has been through that has made her the person that she is today。 The constant threat of danger and Miranda’s escalating downward spiral and utter hatred for Verity builds well throughout the book。 When the end comes it is a total twist and not at all what I was expecting。 A great ending to an equally great book。 It’s a slow burn psychological thriller that lets you in to the characters lives， allows you to reach your own conclusions as to the behaviour them all， even the children are brought into the story expertly and we get to see life through their eyes too。 I enjoyed Queen Bee immensely and would recommend to anyone who likes an uncomplicated thriller that still leaves you enthralled， with a great and unexpected twist。 。。。more
Georgina Candy
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Thank you to @rachelsrandomresources for my copy of this book。I was really looking forward to this after reading the synopsis， but unfortunately it fell flat for me。 I didn’t warm to the main character， Miranda， and the constant nearly reveal of the “big secret” got a bit repetitive after a few chapters。It is an easy， well written book that has “before and now” chapters which I always enjoy in a book， and they certainly kept me guessing。 There were a lot of what seemed to be “sub secrets” within Thank you to @rachelsrandomresources for my copy of this book。I was really looking forward to this after reading the synopsis， but unfortunately it fell flat for me。 I didn’t warm to the main character， Miranda， and the constant nearly reveal of the “big secret” got a bit repetitive after a few chapters。It is an easy， well written book that has “before and now” chapters which I always enjoy in a book， and they certainly kept me guessing。 There were a lot of what seemed to be “sub secrets” within the story and this made it a bit chaotic sometimes。 Overall， a quick easy read but just not for me。 。。。more
Angel Martin
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