Discussed on All the Books (Book Riot podcast). Transcript below.

If you ask a bunch of bookworms their favorite Disney movie, Beauty and the Beast is going to be overrepresented.
It’s not just that Belle is a bookworm.
It’s Belle gracefully sliding a rolling ladder across a bookstore,
which I believe we all have a lifelong desire to recreate.
And then, of course, there’s the Beast’s library, with its physics-defying windows and spiral staircases and abundance of colorful tomes.
So, if I say this is a bookish Beauty and the Beast romance retelling,
I can almost hear a certain percentage of people already opening up another window to order it or place a hold.
But just in case, here’s the whole pitch.
Isabelle was overjoyed to get a job in publishing right out of high school,
But now she’s 25 and still in the same underpaid and stressful Editorial assistant job,
And she’s the only Black employee in the office.
If you pay attention to publishing news, this is going to sound eerily familiar,
Because a lot of people in editorial assistant or similar jobs in publishing have spoken out about the poor pay, huge workload, and lack of opportunities for growth.
In fact, a ton of people are leaving the profession right now because of it.
So Isabelle’s is not alone in her position.
Where it starts to diverge from reality, though, is where Isabelle sees her shot.
A big-name author is missing deadlines, and he’s apparently beastly to work with.
The company needs this title, but nothing seems to get through this author.
So Isabelle demonstrates initiative by volunteering to... go to his Santa Barbara mansion and give him some pep talks.
But this is a romance novel, not a thesis on the publishing industry, so we’ll take the leap.
When she gets there, she finds an exhausted and burned out Beau who’s stuck on his memoir.
They butt heads, but Isabelle is determined to have him complete some pages.
As she works with him, they discover they have a lot in common,
including that they’ve both gone through similar losses.
This is a slow burn romance that develops as they begin to open up to each other through working through Beau’s memoir.
There are also Beauty and Beast references hidden and adapted throughout as easter eggs,
And they’re referencing the Disney movie more than the original fairy tale.
This is the second book in the Meant to Be series,
Which are modern romance retelling of classic fairy tales,
But they each follow different characters, so you don’t have to read the first one to understand this story.
We all know that readers find it hard to resist a book about books,
And I’m no expectation to that,
So I’m excited to check out this romance set in the publishing world,
Especially because it critiques the racism in the industry.

i will read anything JG writes. This book is another example of how much i love her and her books! She is a genius and i loved these characters so much. it was fun to see a different world and i enjoyed this one a lot!

As a beauty and the beast loving gal, I was so excited to receive @jasminepics latest book, By the Book, from @netgalley. This sweet retelling of beauty and the beast follows Isabelle, an editorial assistant at Tale As Old As Time publishing, seek out Beau Towers a reclusive and unresponsive author. I loved the nods to the classic Disney film but it was its own story. If you love a sweet romance, I would grab this book at your local bookstore or library.

Cute story. I'm not really a romance reader so I gave this a try because it involved some of my favorite things ( books, post-college/first job life stories), but I struggled to stay engaged in the characters and I just kept waiting for something to happen. The beginning was slow, but I think this about most romance novels as I am reading them. It picks up, but not enough for me.

I wanted so badly to enjoy this one but I personally just couldn't get into it : ( I wanted to enjoy this fairytale concept but it just was a little bit too cheesy and predictable to me! I ended up not finishing but truly think this book would definitely be a cute story and good book
for people who enjoy this fun and easy romcom. I was given an ARC through netgalley and sharing my honest
opinion

I love books about books, bookish characters and Beauty and the Beast so I was immediately sold on this book and luckily, I ended up really enjoying it. This is a contemporary reimagining/retelling of Beauty and the Beast and if you didn’t know Beauty and the Beast is one of my all-time favorite movies. Anytime I see a book that says it’s a retelling of this tale I add it to my TBR. While this does have elements of Beauty and the Beast, I would say it’s a very loose retelling. The reason I say that is because for the most part the things that link it back to the original tale are things like the publishing company that Isabelle works for is called Tale As Old As Time. And then instead of Belle it’s Isabelle and she talks to inanimate objects like her tub but they don’t actually talk back. Beau is the beast in this story but the only reason he is a beast is because he is rude and keeps to himself. It basically just does stuff like that which references back to the original tale which don’t get me wrong I loved all of the references.

Just like in the classic tale we get enemies to friends to lovers, and I guess grumpy sunshine. Beau is really just a big teddy bear. I loved seeing Isabelle and Beau go from enemies to friends and eventually lovers. The banter between them was amazing. The character development throughout was great as well. I also really loved all of the talk about books and writing books. Never once did I feel like it was too much. I didn’t realize this was part of a series when I requested it but now, I want to go back and read the first book which is written by a different author.

I really did enjoy this book and would recommend it just don’t go in expecting an actual retelling. You will get tons of references to the original tale though which was still really good.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I love this retelling of beauty and the beast in modern time. Will he doesn't look like a beast he definitely acts like one at first.

This review breaks my heart, but here is a little context to start this off: 1. I received this ARC via NetGalley for an honest review. 2. I requested this ARC purely based on the author and cover. I was so excited when I realized it was a Beauty and the Beast retelling, which are my absolute favorites. (Spoiler alert none of that is my issue with this book.) 3. I am DNFing this around 25% into it.

Let’s start with what I did like: I love that it had so many references to B&TB. I know some may see it as bluntly obvious and overdone, but I loved it. Also I want to read more diversely, so I was excited about a poc main character. This book takes place inside the publishing world and that also something I have wanted to read more of setting wise.

What I didn’t like: Izzy was a very forced character that just completely grated on my nerves. Maybe if I read farther in, but there are certain comments that she makes early in that really turned me away from her character.

I really wanted to love this. My excitement for this book was off the charts, so I am really disappointed that I just cannot force myself to continue when I’m not even enjoying it a little bit.

After reading several reviews I am seeing that many do not see this as a well representation of the authors precious work. This was my first by this author, so I do look forward to give her other works a shot.

I loved this book! It was so precious. I love a modern day retelling and Beauty and the Beast is a fave of mine. I can completely relate to Izzy experience as being the only black women in the room . The relationship between Izzy and Beau has some of my favorite grumpy/sunshine rom-com troupes and I loved their interactions. I will admit it was a bit slow at times but I still enjoyed this one very much!

I love this series of retellings from disney! The diversity of authors and experiences told through age old and childhood classics is so nostalgic and fresh at the same time!

I had high hopes for this book, as I love beauty and the beast retellings. However this one fell short and I DNF’d at 60%. Everything felt so forced into the Disney story that it just became ridiculous. Come on, Wi-Fi password is Lumiere? Aside from that the characters were flat and lacked true identity and chemistry. At over half way I still didn’t feel like I knew much about either of them. Also, too many exclamation points!!!

I’m pretty sure me reading this was a no-brainer. I LOVE Beauty and the Beast, I LOVE cartoon covers, I LOVE diverse romances, and I LIKE Jasmine Guillory. So of course I have been waiting on this release forever. And listen, for me it was worth the wait.

I was really interested in how they were going to incorporate getting stuck in the love interest’s house with talking lol And even though this was interesting, I know this would never happen in real life lol But it was funny to see it. Or maybe it’s just me being so invested in books like Izzy was and knowing she’d do whatever it took lol But whatever the case may be, I thought it was an interesting way to do it. Now the talking furniture? That was hella cute lol Definitely not something I would have thought to do. And I think that’s my favorite part about it. It seemed out of the box, but it ended up being so simple in theory. I think this is what made me decide I loved the retelling aspect. This book retells the Disney animated version, with almost all the things that the cartoon entails. So much so I had to go and watch the movie when I finished it lol

The romance was what I didn’t exactly vibe with. As “the Beast” he was rude and a terror when she first got there, but over time they finally got it right. But my complaint was it took too long? Which in theory sounds dumb since it was a B&tB retelling, but you get the point. As my long time followers know, I’m a walking contradiction because B&tB is my favorite, but I’m not a huge fan of enemies to lovers, so this bored me a bit. But once things finally got moving between them, I think it worked out fine. I loved the work they did together, <spoiler>and that ending with the notebook did me IN. </end spoiler>

I also didn’t care for the random conflict at the end? Like why was that person even an issue? Who was he supposed to be? Did I miss something when I was listening? I mainly just thought he was annoying and I wanted nothing more than to be done with him. I WAS glad that someone said something to him tho because he was an asshat. I was glad they didn’t let that go unscathed.

It turned out to be a cute quick read that made me not only buy it, but I now know its time for me to read Julie Murphy’s retelling. I’ve been dragging my feet with that one because I’m not a huge fan of Cinderella (because they’ve been done too much) but if they’re all as sweet as this one, I gotta at least give it a try. (Also, I heard that Zoraida Córdova is going to write the Little Mermaid’s tale and I got excited for that one too. Thank you Disney for helping me keep my childhood alive.

I found this book a bit bland. It did’nt make me feel anything. I didn’t connect to the characters and i didn’t feel a romantic connection between them. To me, they’re better as friends. I did find some scenes really cute and I loved the ending. This is a slow burn which is not my favorite but you should give this book a try if you like them!

Ten random thoughts I had after reading By the Book

🌹 I loved the vulnerability and trust in the author/editor dynamic between Beau and Isabelle. After initially pushing her away, Isabelle slowly earns his trust and builds up his confidence as a writer.

🌹 The semi-taboo nature of flirting/dating while maintaining their professional relationship basically equaled a whole lot of sexual tension, you will not find me complaining.

🌹 Right from the start Beau and Isabelle seem to orbit each other. Their raw chemistry is incredible and it's impossible not to follow their story to the end.

🌹 Isabelle comes to check on the status of his book and ends up being "forced" to stay in his gorgeous Santa Barbara mansion. This forced proximity parallels Beauty and the Beast.

🌹 So much of this parallels The Beauty and the Beast and I really enjoyed this loose retelling. However, the magical elements were a little odd.

🌹 Her professional arc was amazing, she is determined to be promoted after years as an assistant and getting Beau's book turned in is her chance to impress her boss. Isabelle never loses sight of her goals, that shouldn't be notable but it is.

🌹 I loved Priya and Michaela--the best friends. I wish we saw a bit more of them though the world felt a bit narrowly focused on Beau and Isabelle for me.

🌹 In general I'm not a big fan of the jealous coworker trope, usually they are used as a one dimensional character and are too easy to write off.

🌹 Women supporting women. I really appreciated how Jasmine Guillory highlights the lack of female POCs in publishing and gave Isabelle's character strong professional mentors.

🌹 Beau. He is the biggest cinnamon roll, grumpy, "beast" and I loved seeing an emotionally vulnerable male lead.

Thank you so much to @netgalley and @disneybooks this ARC, By the Book a is out now, make sure to grab your copy!

This was such a cute book! Personally, it read a little young for me but I think my students will absolutely devour this book! The setting, the plot, and the characters were all developed really well into a modern retelling of the classic fairytale!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Hyperion Avenue for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest thoughts!

Izzy dreamed of working in publishing, but as the overworked and underpaid only Black employee in her office, the shine is starting to wear off. When she hears her boss complaining about a reclusive author failing to complete his manuscript, Izzy sees her chance to show what she can do. She travels to the author’s mansion to give him the encouragement he needs to finish his book. But before long, she finds something sweet and almost kind behind the author’s beastly reputation.

This Beauty and the Beast contemporary retelling is adorable and a lot of fun, especially for fans of the Disney movie! I love how Guillory updated the characters and plot to have a more consent-forward and healthier relationship. There's very little steam (perhaps because it's a Disney property), but it's a delightful romance for book lovers and anyone who has ever dreamed of climbing one of those library ladders.

Jasmine Guillory does it again. This book so swoony. I loved the first book in the series by Julie Murphy and I loved this one too. I love the whole idea of reimagined fairytales with people who haven’t been able to see themselves in the stories until now. This is a book I will read again and again.

Loved this so much that I read it in one day. Izzy is one of the few Black people working in publishing. She is trying to prove to her boss that she is good at her job. But she's feeling burnt out and undeserving of a promotion. In a last ditch effort to impress her boss she volunteers to go in person to see one of their author's who is two years past his deadline with his memoir. Beau doesn't want to talk to anyone about his book, but Izzy won't back down. They butt heads, but Izzy is eventually able to show him how to write his book. He shows Izzy how to surf. They bond over their love of snacks. But when a too good to miss job opportunity comes along Izzy must return to publishing.
Wonderful characters who both learn and grow while working together.

I don't think there's a single Guillory book I've read and didn't enjoy. Her writing just sparkles and all her books put me in a happy place. This was no different. Loved the Santa Barbara setting and the focus on books and reading.

If I am going to read a reimagined fairy tale, Jasmine Guillory is the only one who can pull it off. I read this in one sitting- I was entirely captured by the characters, their relationship and how they both came to terms with their own demons. The romance was spot on and I could not get enough- if you are looking for a fun, romantic, fast-paced read for summer- this is it!
Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.