This book was definitely a slow start for me, but I really enjoyed the ending! I do love a book about books!

I loved seeing both Beau and Izzy’s confidence in their writing grow throughout this book. I’m glad Izzy realized what she wanted to make her happy and remembered who she is. I hate how much we can sometimes let other peoples opinion of us affect our opinion of ourselves, and I loved seeing that be overcome. Also, the epilogue was perfect for this book!

I love Jasmine Guillory and will definitely be continuing to read her books!

An honest to goodness romcom! Hallelujah! I feel like most of my romcom reads lately have been fine enough but one issue or another that left me conflicted. By the Book, however, knew exactly what it was trying to do and did it well, delivering a breezy, whimsical take on the "Beauty and the Beast" tale (but without the magic), while also touching upon some very real experiences, like being the only person of color in a predominately white industry and losing your joy in something when it becomes your job. Plus, I love a couple that bonds over snacking.

i love jasmine guillory, some of her books are a hit for me and some are a little less so. this was right in the middle. a new take on beauty and the beast is always fun, and i enjoyed reading it, but i'm not rushing out to recommend it either. at times, characters were literally like !!!!! and at others were incredibly stiff, it just seemed like the flow wasn't there. i still enjoyed this, but just a like for me.

you don't have to read the first book to read this one!

This is second in the Meant to Be series from Disney. The series are retellings of Disney fairy tales for adults (closed door, some language). I enjoyed the Cinderella retelling “If the Shoe Fits” by Julie Murphy. "By the Book" by Jamine Guillory is a Beauty and the Beast retelling. Isabelle (Izzy) Marlowe works as an assistant for Tale as Old as Time Publishing. She is underpaid and under appreciated. But while at a work conference in California she decides to take the initiative to call on an actor/author who has not delivered his multi-million dollar memoir. Beau Towers is grumpy, depressed and doesn’t talk to anyone but his cook Kettle (like Mrs. Potts, wink, wink). But after a rocky start Beau agrees to work on his book if Izzy stays and works with him.

My first impression is that is tries too hard to be like the Disney movie. A miserable first dinner, rooms off limits, talking to furniture etc. It is cute but it makes the book feel more YA. I enjoyed how Izzy gets Beau to talk his back story. But beyond his daddy issues and her wanting a better job there isn’t a lot of depth to either character. I didn’t feel any sparks between them. I honestly was looking for the next movie connection more than caring how they came together. It is an okay read but I was hoping for more. Thank you to NetGalley and Hyperion Avenue for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is book 2 of the Meant to Be series - updated and contemporary takes on classic Disney princesses for adults! This one is a retelling of Beauty and the Beast. It was very cute! I’m looking forward to them all!
Thank you Netgalley for the eARC!

3.75/5⭐️

This was a cute romance between an editorial assistant and the celebrity that she is helping to write a memoir. I enjoyed the story overall, but it wasn’t my favorite romance book.

I really liked the characters. Beau was very grumpy and jaded, but you could tell from the beginning that he was actually very sweet. Izzy was more of a sunshine character, getting fed up with her job and the systematic barriers that were clearing hindering her ability to move up in the company being a Black woman and the only Black employee working there. Although the book didn’t get too heavy, I think it did a good job at starting to explore this idea of systematic barriers in workplaces and also briefly discussing racism in society and prejudices towards Black men through some of Beau’s experiences growing up in the public eye.

On a lighter note, this book was a loose Beauty and the Beast retelling. I absolutely loved that aspect of it. I loved the plot and it had so much potential, where it fell flat for me was the writing. Personally, I found the writing was not the best and I often found the dialogue between the characters to be a bit unnatural. A lot of the dialogue felt like the script from a (very) low budget children’s movie. It might just be me and my personal taste.

Without giving anything away, I really enjoyed seeing the notebook pages at the end.

Overall, I still enjoyed this book, I liked the characters and the plot, but the writing was a bit of a turn off for me.

By the Book is a cute and charming reimagining story of Beauty and the Beast. I really liked how the book was a book about books (or more specifically about working in publishing and love of books)! I also liked the tad bits of easter eggs from the original Beauty and the Beast fairytale that was incorporated into the book. I did find it though to be really cheesy at times but felt like that was the overall vibe of the book since it was suppose to be more whimsical love story. One thing I always love about Jasmine Guillory's books is the foodie aspect (there is always food galore) and I love that!

Ah. This is the perfect, modern retelling of Beauty and the Beast. Isabelle is the perfect heroine who is smart, sassy but lacks a bit in the confidence area. Beau is the misunderstood child actor who is trying to write a memoir but is stuck in his own head.

They bring out the best in each other and help each other along the way. Of course there’s romance!

I adore Jasmine Guillory’s books and retellings; however, this one fell short. In this retelling, Belle was Isabelle, a new book editor, and the Beast is Beau, a celebrity with a bad reputation.

The overall premise was perfect for a Beauty and the Beast retelling; it just didn’t go far. A book editor heads to a book convention, and then tries to help a struggling writer find inspiration for their memoir, which is past the deadline. The story was just superficial, nothing was fully developed, and the romance was very Hallmark like.

Guillory is always spectacular. I loved the setting of this romance, complete with charming side characters. The nods to Beauty and the Beast are subtle and not cloying (I was a little nervous). Perfect!

I was provided a free advance copy of this from @netgalley in exchange for my honest review.
This is the second book in the Meant to Be series, modern adult adaptations of Disney princess stories. I enjoyed the first one, If the Shoe Fits (and reviewed it last year), so I was excited when I got the chance to read this one too!
Isabelle is so excited to get a job at the Tale as Old as Time publishing house (TAOAT, I was always confused if I was supposed to try to pronounce this as a word or just say the initials 🤣) right out of college! But a few years later when she hasn't moved up, is still living at home, and doesn't see advancement in her future, the excitement has worn off. After overhearing her boss's complaints about a beastly high-profile client, who is way past his manuscript due date, she decides this is the chance she's been waiting for to prove what she can do. She volunteers to go meet Beau Towers at his house and give him a pep talk, or two, to get him back on track.
What starts out as a quick visit, turns into a stay at the jaded celebrity's house, coaching him through the writing process. Will she be able to help him write his memoir? Will she be able to figure out what she wants with her career? Will she discover the man behind the beast? Will the inanimate objects in the house start to sing and dance? You'll just have to read it and find out! 😁
This was a fun read with a lot of heart. It could have been a fluffy fairy tale, but I liked that it went deeper. The characters felt real, dealing with and worked through some pretty big issues. But don't get me wrong, it was also funny and a sweet romance story too! There were quite some fun bread crumbs alluding to the Disney movie to find (*coughBeautyandtheBeastcough*)! 🥀📚
I will also say, although written for adults (the characters are all adults), these are still very mild on the adult romance. There is kissing/touching (but not in the bathing suit zone), and going to sleep/waking up next to eachother, but nothing more is described.
This one comes out on Tuesday, 3 May, so add it to your TBR!
#NetGalley #ByTheBook

I wanted to love this. I love Beauty and the Beast. Belle is the Disney character I most identify with, she likes books, so duh. But this reimagining? It was a miss.

Things I liked: I feel like Izzy portrayed the frustrations of the publishing industry really well. Her character was super likeable.

Things I didn’t like: it was completely spiceless which is fine but there was like ZERO chemistry. I almost stopped reading this about halfway through. Also, some of the remarks were a little too on the nose. A tale as old as time? Talking to furniture? Rooms that are off limits? I mean… Lastly, wasn’t a fan of Beau’s ‘secrets’. Felt like a lot of drama…

All in all - this book was meh. I finished it. So I can add it to my collection for the year. But other than that, didn’t do anything for me.

This was a cute romcom, but not my favourite! It felt like a fairytale which I enjoyed but the main character got a bit on my nerves, and the plot didn't feel very original. I would for sure still recommend it to any romcom lover as it is full of your regular cute and cheesy romance!

This review is hard for me to write, because I have been an OG Jasmine Guillory fan from the very beginning. I love Beauty and the Beast, so I was very much looking forward to this reimagining. The premise was solid - Izzy works in a publishing house and is tasked to help the grumpy and reclusive Beau Towers complete his memoir. I absolutely loved the first book in this series, If The Shoe Fits, so I had high hopes for this book. Ultimately, I was disappointed.

What I liked:
The forced proximity was well done and believable. I enjoyed the twist of Beau being incredibly entitled. It gave the "beast" a new feel, rather than just being surly. You could feel Izzy's love of books, which felt true to the original without going overboard.

What I didn't care for:
This book did not feel like Guillroy's previous work at all. The dialogue was stilted and was missing the fun, witty banter that I'm used to with her work. Even though this was a closed door romance, I didn't feel the chemistry between Izzy and Beau and their character arc lacked emotion and depth. Both characters felt flat and immature and the book almost read more YA than adult.

The second entry in the “Meant to Be series,” this is a retelling of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast story, though both books can be read independently of the other. We first meet Isabelle, or Izzy, as a new employee at a publishing house, excited about writing and the opportunities she sees. Two years later, Izzy isn’t seeing the fairytale ending she had anticipated: her job is tedious, her boss is curt, and she feels unappreciated and stuck, especially as a Black woman in a predominantly white field. While in LA for a conference, she seizes an opening to impress her boss by going to the home of an especially difficult wannabe author. Through a complicated series of events, she winds up staying in the writer’s house and offering pep talks to encourage his writing. This is a fun read, with many nods to the beloved original Disney movie. Thanks to NetGalley for the arc!

Isabelle Marlowe is an editorial assistant at Tale as Old as Time Publishing. Working in publishing has always been her dream, but after a few years of being under-appreciated by her boss and earning a salary that has her living with her parents at 25, she's looking for a way to make a change. When a conference in California provides the opportunity for someone to confront a reclusive celebrity who's way behind on his memoir, Isabelle volunteers. Before she quite knows what has happened, she's staying at a massive Santa Barbara mansion and working with the elusive Beau Towers on the manuscript. Though his beastly behavior appalls her at first, she begins to wonder if they could be barely even friends... or something more.
I love everything Jasmine Guillory writes, so I jumped at the chance to review an advance copy of this book on NetGalley. I won't lie, I was apprehensive about a Disney retelling. I love Disney, but I wasn't sure how the Beauty and the Beast story beloved by so many could be retold in a new enough way. However, like the magician she is, Jasmine Guillory managed to write a book that is at once original and nostalgic. In a loose BATB-like framework, Guillory develops a story that is fresh in so many ways, with lovable, complex characters. I could see so many twenty-somethings (like myself) relating to Izzy's feelings of being stuck and unsure what comes next. While Beau's "beast" character could've easily been unlikeable, Guillory writes a tortured man with a complicated past who just needs a bit of compassion, courage, and tough love. And the relationship that blossoms between them is sweet and real in a way fairy tales don't quite capture.
On top of a story that is entirely her own, Jasmine Guillory manages to pack this book with references and Easter eggs from the Disney classic. From an opening scene reminiscent of Belle's morning walk through the village, to a glorious library and a WiFi password that references everyone's favorite candelabra, this book will make any Disney lover grin. But even if you're not a Disney fan, this book stands on its own as a sweet, funny romance novel. I'd recommend it to all romance lovers, whether you've never seen a Disney movie or you have Mickey ears to match every outfit.

By the Book is the second in the 'Meant to Be' series of light-hearted Disney fairytale re-tellings, and gives all the Beauty and the Beast vibes. The book is flirty and fun, and is very cute in all the little details thrown in that are an homage to the Disney animated film.

This romance takes a little departure from the kind of books Jasmine Guillory is generally known for, in that it is a closed door romance. Closed door isn't a dealbreaker for me, and I still really felt the chemistry between the characters, and enjoyed watching their relationship grow.

I found the book to be a really clever modern day look at Disney fairy tales, and would recommend it to anyone who wants a light and fun romance.

Thanks to Hyperion Avenue for proving me with an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Izzy works for a publishing house and is aspiring for a promotion. In hopes to prove herself, she pitches an idea to fly out to California to meet with a difficult writer. Upon approval she is on her way to help Beau Towers, a celebrity bad boy finish his book. This story follows Izzy as she develops a book and working relationship with Beau. But then things develop further.

What I liked about this book: This book is a play on the Disney classic Beauty and The Beast. I appreciated the little tie-ins to the original story through the modern take. Izzy is a ball of sunshine and very likable. Beau is darker, has experienced a difficult life and is anything but positive. This is my first Jasmine Guillory book and I will be reading her others. I was impressed with her writing style.

What I disliked about the book: I felt like the words “Beau Towers” were used way too much. Why so many mentions of the last name? We get it, his name is Beau and he is a celebrity. There are other cases that feel like words are overused (e.i. "kissing").. I feel like this book could use an additional editor to eliminate some of these repetitions.

Thank you Hyperion Avenue, Jasmine Guillory, and Netgalley for the ARC.

By the Book was a fun, cute time and had all of the trappings of a Beauty and the Beast retelling that readers come to expect from such endeavors. I think Guillory's tone and writing style worked well with this story, and I liked the characterization! I wouldn't call this a standout of the year, but I had a good time and I know romance readers will devour this as soon as it hits the shelves.

A perfectly executed take on Beauty and the Beast for the modern world!!

Fairytales capture your heart when you’re young and still hold as you get older, but sometimes you can get jaded by the world and curse the ground the princesses walked on. In Jasmine’s Meant to Be novels we get a modern take on these classics that are relatable and realistic! These books remind me why I love fairytales to begin with! In By the Book we meet Izzy and Beau!

Izzy is a hopeful woman who works as an assistant in a publishing house! She’s surrounded by the one thing she loved most; books!! As she finds herself at a crossroads in life and at work she is appointed to go and check on Beau! Beau is supposed to be writing a book well a memoir but not a single word has been sent! When Izzy shows up at his door step she gets a cold welcome! Together Izzy and Beau have to work together to figure out what to do about his book and a weekend turns into a month? Hate turns to friendship and well it’s a tale as old as time!

I loved how Jasmine transformed Belle and Beast into two modern characters that I found myself wanting more of! Seeing them both grow and heal was just absolutely breathtaking especially that amazing ending!!