Michael Joseph Queen Bee: The Sunday Times Bestseller and Richard & Judy Book Club Pick 2020

I love all the books of Jane Fallon. I also loved this book a lot. But unfortunately there is a mistake in the story. In Chapter 31 she says that her Ex husband is an only child and inherited a house from his parents. Well, he cannot be an only child, as he has a brother who has two sons, which Betsy visited before. They are her cousins. So one or the other has to be corrected. Besides that error, I really liked the book. Jane Fallon can describe all her characters so very well. I just like her stories and read them all. Funny and heart warming.

4 1/2 stars. Fallon had not been on my radar at all until this book was named as a Richard and Judy UK Book Club selection for Summer 2020. I enjoyed every page of this delightful insighful read and plan to track down more of her books. Laura and her husband have just separated and her bid on a house near her daughter's school has been gazumped so she is looking for a place to stay until she finds a new house. She rents what is basically a nanny suite above the garage of a huge home in a gated and exclusive community called The Close. The homes are all huge, the men are all older, the women usually younger trophy wives and money means excess and success. Laura and her daughter run afoul of the Queen Bee of The Close, Stella, as she thinks that Laura is after her husband, Al, which is not the case. That has Laura deciding to play detective to find out who Al's bit on the side is. What she finds and what she does about it is the crux of the book, which I thoroughly enjoyed.

I ageee with those commenters who don't consider this book hilarious at all, and the 'funny' only applies tot the plot and some characterisations and a few funny lines. Especially the Stella character changes her attitude way to quickly and unconvincingly. Having read four of Jane Fallon's books, I finf it somewhat strange that all the female protagonists are kind of snoops, spying on people without any real hesitation and not being able to keep anything they find out to themselves for any time longer than a day or two. Is this male gaze speaking? Is this really typical of women? I'd hate that to be true, actually. Well, I got two more books of hers om my pile of 'yet to read'. Wondering how these will turn out to be...

Easy to get into and some fun light reading for a vacation or relaxation time

This is very light reading but she’s witty and has a typical British sense of humour. The story is a bit predictable but I like her writing style. Besides, her and Ricky are such advocates for animals I would support anything they do.