As a retelling of Beauty and the Beast, this wonderful story combined some of my favourite things. Fairytales and books.

Izzy works as an editorial assitant and is getting tired of her day-to-day life. With luck on her side, she managed to end up working with a handsome Beau, a potential author for her boss. Cue the cute scenes of them getting to know each other and falling in love over writing a book.

This book was so relatable - from understanding the feeling Izzy has with burnout to just finding happiness in the strangest of places. I enjoyed each second I was able to read this book and it just makes me love Jasmine Guillory more

<i>Thanks to NetGalley and Hyperion Avenue, I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Guillory does it again! Izzy (our Belle protagonist) is both herself and easily recognizable as her literary counterpart. I always love Guillory's novels for balancing the sweet with the real, and for dealing with difficult emotions while also being just a joy to read. I would have loved just a smidge more chemistry between Izzy and Beau, but that starts to come together towards the end.

As a bookish person and a lover of the original BatB, I highly recommend this adaptation!

A fun modern take on Beauty and the Beast, with lots of fun details tucked into small moments. It’s easy to cheer for our heroine as she works her magic on Beau the beast.

This was the first modern day Beauty and the Beast retelling that I've read about in the romance genre with no fantasy elements. I was hoping there would be more romance and less focus on the actual "publishing world". I did however like the main female character Izzy. She would be someone I feel like I could sit down and have a great conversation with about all the bookish things. Thank you for allowing me to read and review an early copy.

This was my first Jasmine Guillory book and it will not be the last. This rom-com is so fun you'll want to read and reread again. I know I will!!!

Modern day beauty and the beast.

I will say this started off slow for me. The writing was very YA, the character of Isabelle came off very young and immature and the writing style reflected that. The writing, and the character, got better for me throughout the book. Both characters had weird flaws, like how they dealt with arguments, that was just silly, but overall the modern day twist worked for me. Overtly cheesy and just the right kind of fairy tale story.

By the Book was very cute, but didn’t quite meet my expectations. I’m a huge fan of Jasmine Guillory and loved the first book in the Meant to Be series (If the Shoe Fits by Julie Murphy), so I had high hopes for this book. My biggest critique would be that the pacing felt too slow and drawn out. There were several times where I thought I was nearly the end of the book, but checked my progress on my Kindle and saw that I was less than 50% done. Similarly, while the “will they, won’t they” aspects of Izzy and Beau’s budding relationship were cute, it got a little tedious and repetitive over time.

Overall, I’d recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a light, tween-friendly romance. This book is a lot less steamy than some of Guillory’s others, which could be a bonus for younger readers.

Isabelle is an editor’s assistant in NYC who travels to Santa Barbara, CA, to nudge a celebrity, Beau, to finish his memoir. The two develop a cozy but predictable working relationship that evolves into a romance. I enjoyed the first two-thirds better than the ending. This is a light beach read. I thank NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC.

I wanted to love this one, but I didn't. It was an okay read for me. I was first intrigued by the title, and I am a huge Guillory fan, so I just had to read it, but when I saw it was a retelling... I was so happy. Unfortunately, that's the part of the book that was most disappointing for me. I didn't feel like this was a retelling. It was a good story, and I would still recommend it, but if you only want to read it because you think it's a retelling, I would skip it.

By the Book is a modern-day reimaging of Beauty and the Beast following Isabelle, who works at a publishing company that has always been her dream. Several years later and no farther in her career she is thinking of making a big change when the opportunity strikes but she has her work cut out for her trying to get Beau Towers to make good on his promise and book deal, but she might be over her head.
This story was cute, I liked the book and publishing setting. It was definitely a slow-paced development between the characters, it did not have the tension, longing, or missed glance in this story that I was looking for in the build-up of a romantic relationship. It was getting to the point of mutual friendship feeling more than anything. That being said I liked that slow build-up for them, however, I wanted more implications of a love relationship happening. You could see the elements in this story similar to Beauty and the Beast, but not overdone. The character that was representing the villain was pushed off to the side a bit and was really only a small part, I wanted them more in the forefront, adding dramatic and heart-racing moments then it had. That being said, I still found it cute. I liked the writing style. Both characters were likable, and I enjoyed their story, but I did not find this book memorable or attention-grabbing, it was ok for me.
I received this advanced ebook, via Netgalley. This review is my own honest opinion.

Thank you to NetGalley, Hyperion Avenue and Jasmine Guillory for the free e-book in exchange for an honest review.

I didn’t know this was kind of a beauty and the beast retelling because I’ll read anything a Guillory writes! Although, I think going in blind helped! I loved both characters and I have a soft spot for those grumpy characters. Plus, I love a book about well books! I’d definitely recommend if you enjoy Guillory’s writing!

I am loving this series and cannot wait to see what comes next.

<i>Barely even friends, then somebody bends, unexpectedly.</i> In this modern Beauty and the Beast retelling, editorial assistant Isabelle is at the end of her rope. Her superiors at work do not respect her, she is overworked and underpaid. When an opportunity arises for her to prove herself to her boss, Izzy jumps at the chance. All she has to do is go visit infamous star Beau Towers and see why he has yet to deliver his manuscript, which has been over two years in the making. As the two get to know each other, Izzy begins to see through his beast-like exterior.

I wanted to return to this world for days after I finished the book. It was so well written and comforting— familiar, but in a new way. These characters were so lovable. All the subtle (and not so subtle) references were so fun to see.

I'm absolutely obsessed with this book!! Every single Jasmine Guillory book is pure perfection and this is no exception! I empathized with Beau and Izzy and was so happy when they decided to actually communicate their feelings and by the end of this book I was smiling so wide for the last 30 pages. Such a great, feel-good story!

I loved this book! From the beginning I was completely sucked in by Isabella and beau's dynamics. Their banter and enemy to lover relationship was written beautifully. I definitely got all the beauty and the beast vibes, just with a modern twist. The ending was perfect but of course left me wanting more(but that's a ME problem).

I am sorry to say that this book was not a good fit for me. While I can see that it may be a suitable selection for many people, I was not swayed by either the characters or the connection to Beauty and the Beast. Unfortunately, this was a DNF for me.

I was really excited for a new Jasmine Guillory novel, so I didn’t fully read the description and was disappointed it wasn’t part of the Wedding Date series. This one definitely didn’t compare to her other romance novels. I felt like something was missing, the characters were pretty bland, especially Beau, and there was almost zero sexual/romantic tension between the two intended love interests. The best part of the book came right at the end, the writing from Beau. This should have been sprinkled throughout the book, I think it would have built more interest. It was a cute idea to have it be a modern day retelling of beauty and the beast, but it felt like the references were pretty forced. Overall, I will look forward to future books from Guillory, but this one was a miss for me.

After reading an intense novel, I needed something light to read. By the Book was everything I needed and more. I devoured the witty banter, likable characters, and book themed plot. I needed to know what would happen with Beau and Izzy, and their bookish love story. A wonderful summer read that everyone should pick up and enjoy.

A quick and enjoyable contemporary romance retelling of Beauty and the Beast. The fairy telling aspect of this novel will have you feeling like you've read this book before.

As clean romances go, this was probably THE BEST clean rom com I’ve ever read! I absolutely loved the plot, and all the tension, sexual and otherwise between Izzy and Beau was next level. Romantic Comedisney needs to be it’s own genre because this was just so good!!! I would have loved a little bit more romance instead of fade to black, but I get it. I can’t wait to read more books from this line. Jasmine Guillory is the queen of Rom Coms, and I just loved this Beauty and the Beast inspired read!!

Being a huge Beauty & the Beast fan, I found this book to be so much fun to read. I thought the modern take on this "tale as old as time" was imaginative. Isabelle & Beau were fun to get to know. I enjoyed looking for all of the little nods to the original story, like her talking to the bathtub & thinking she might have heard it talk back or the WiFi password being Lum1ere! Highly recommend reading this book if you enjoy romance & fun.
Thanks to the publisher & NetGalley for advanced copy in exchange for my honest review