Rating: 4/5

The second (but standalone) book in the Meant to Be series did not disappoint… but of course, that’s to be expected from the incredible romance novelist that is Jasmine Guillory!

There’s nothing groundbreaking in this modern re-telling of Beauty and the Beast, but it’s filled with so many cute moments and is an easy, enjoyable romance. Plus, the setting is a gorgeous mansion with a library (eek!) in California.

It’s fun to find the easter eggs of how the original story has creatively been added to this story. For example, the cook and friend of Beau’s nickname is Kettle.

Another fun part of this story is that the main characters are involved in the publishing world and we get to see the work of an agent and editor.

This novel is great for anyone looking for a pleasing and cheesy romance with a little of the enemies-to-lovers trope! Can’t wait for the next one in the series!

Jasmine Guillory is a must read author for me. In my opinion this book was not quite up to the caliber of writing that I have come to expect from her collection. I am wondering if it has to do with the fact that all her other books are part of the "Wedding Date" Series that she created, but this book is book #2 in the "Meant to Be" series and book #1 was written by Julie Murphy. It is possible she went in a new direction with this one to try to coordinate it with the other author's book. For me this book was just very slow and fixated on certain details that just weren't as important to me. There were big moments with the main couple that I would have enjoyed a little more time reading about instead of what was focused on. The book had a strong beginning and ending,

Book #2 in the Meant to Be series. This is a fun modern day ‘Beauty and the Beast’ retelling.

Isabelle Marlowe is an editorial assistant at Tale as Old as Time, the only black employee at her publishing house, and has a special dream of becoming a writer herself. She attends a convention in California and volunteers to try to convince their uncooperative client, Beau Towers, to finish his memoir. He’s grouchy at their initial meet, she snaps, antagonizes him, and in return he fires back.. (he agrees to write if) she stays at his home to give him those ‘great pep talks’ she had mentioned to help him get his book underway. Which of course, she has no choice but to agree. Eventually Beau opens up to her revealing why he hasn’t been able to write, Izzy agreeing to stay much longer (her boss Marta relaying not to let her down). Beau is this gorgeous recluse that she grows closer to each day, a no-no since he’s their client, but indeed boundaries are crossed to the delight of them both. Unforeseen obstacles are nipping at their toes, but as with all Jasmine Guillory books this leaves you smiling from ear to ear!

*Thanks to Hyperion Avenue via NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This is the second book in the Meant to Be series from Disney’s publishing company. Where the first book was If the Shoe Fits by Julie Murphy which was a Cinderella retelling. This book is a Beauty and the Beast retelling. Izzy travels to California to encourage Beau, a former child star, to actually the write the memoir he signed on to do ages ago. The two find that there is more to the other than appears on the surface.

I am usually a big sucker for Beauty and the Beast retellings but this one fell a little flat for me. It didn’t bring enough new to the table for it to be a truly memorable book, which is in sharp contrast to the first book which is one of the few Cinderella retellings that I like. I found Izzy’s narration style crossed the border into annoying at times and I really wish it had been dual POV. The book itself is well written but it just didn’t click for me. I usually really like Jasmine’s books, so my lack of interest in this one surprised me. Oh well, not every book can be perfect.

I was so excited to see Jasmine Guillory's take on Beauty and the Beast in this series of Disney fairy tales adapted to contemporary romances. Izzy is an assistant at a major publishing house and one of her tasks is emailing the reclusive celebrity Beau Towers for updates about he very late memoir, which are always ignored. In an effort to impress her boss, Izzy goes to Beau's home in Southern California to try to finally find out what's going on, but ends up staying to help Beau despite his prickly exterior.

I really liked the background for Beau's self-imposed exile and the nod to the talking appliances from the movie.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.75 stars

This Beauty and the Beast retelling was a sweet closed-door romance between angsty beast Beau Towers and sunshiny sass-pot Izzy. This is a loose retelling of the fairy tale, I loved the small touches weaved in -- Izzy talking to inanimate objects in the home, Beau's assistant is nicknamed Kettle, and <i>the library of every book nerds dreams</i>.

The tension starts early when Izzy shows up to Beau's house to talk to him about his long overdue manuscript. He throws down the gauntlet and tells her if she wants the manuscript, she'll have to stay in his home and give him pep talks in person every day. Izzy's never one to back down from a challenge, so she accepts. The longer they work together and get to know one another, the more their feelings grow. This is definitely a slower burn kind of romance and it works so well!

<b>"It was a big deal, Isabelle. You're a big deal to me."</b>

We love emotionally vulnerable men who put it all out there. Beau is sweet and romantic underneath the beasty snark and seeing him come out of his shell and work through his writing was sweet. The only thing I truly disliked about this book was how many times Izzy says "Beau Towers". For me, it stuck out like a sore thumb. It's not until their flirting turns to more that she finally just calls him Beau. This may be something that was edited out before publishing.

Thank you Net Galley, Hyperion and Jasmine Guillory for the eARC!

I've never read a retelling of Beauty and the Beast before and I wasn't sure what to expect, but this was really cute and clever!

This reminded me a lot of Must Love Books. Izzy is working at a publisher and feeling lost and confused about her job. She gets a break by going to Beau Towers house because he needs help writing his memoir.

They had a lot of chemistry. And I think their relationship grew and progressed easily. I heard people say this read sort of as a YA and I agree.

I sort of wish there was more of a conflict. I feel like Izzy was insecure and not sure in her relationship with Beau or her job, but there wasn't like a catalyst or big misunderstanding and I sort of wish there was.

But I enjoyed this and if you like Beauty and the Beast you will love all the little details thrown in.

Check this out May 3rd!

I really enjoyed this story and finished it in one day. I loved this retelling of Beauty & The Beast in this Rom-Com format that centers Black Love Interests/characters. I laughed quite a bit and enjoyed the banter between Izzy & Beau as well as Michaela (who was definitely a favorite for me)...It was a wonderful build up to Izzy & Beau's romance, which I appreciated! I do wish that we got Beau's perspective and maybe a tad bit more spice but I was more than happy with gratuitous kissing. This was such a wonderful read and a great pick me up!

When Isabelle's dream job in publishing has all but completely soured, she seizes an opportunity to to convince an off the rails celebrity to deliver on his promised memoir manuscript. All in the hopes of impressing her boss and proving to herself that she's cuts out for the industry. As sparks begin to fly, she quickly realizes that there is more than meets the eye.

This is a cute, if predictable, behind closed doors romance. I liked that there is a focus on Isabelle's career as well as the developing relationship between her and Beau Towers. There was obvious chemistry between the two and the backgrounds and conflicts in each of their lives were believable and felt real. As this is a nod to Beauty and the Beast, there were a lot of little hints that harken back to that story, which I personally felt were unnecessary, but if you love Disney, it will be cute. I did find her side-kick friend to be annoying, but enjoyed the lighter touch of the cook. Overall, recommended!

Thank you Netgalley and Hyperion Avenue/Disney Books for the advanced e-copy!

I'm a bit conflicted on how I feel about this one. On one hand, I did enjoy it to a certain extent, but I also felt like there were discrepancies and that it could use some work. With this being an arc, it could definitely account for some things, but not all things.

First, I loved that Izzy is a book lover. I always love reading about other book lovers because they're obviously so relatable in their love of books. I also loved that she's a woman of color and that a light was shined on some of the struggles that can take place in the workplace for women of color. However, the whole Gavin situation was very obvious from the start and I can't believe it took Izzy so long to figure it out.

If you're a Beauty and the Beast fan, there's definitely A LOT of comparisons within this book. It's like a non-magical retelling of Beauty in the Beast. Beau is definitely the Beast initially and Izzy or (Isabelle) is Belle who loves loves loves books. Two people who start out distant and sniping at each other and slowly start to come together through, in this case, writing. There's definitely some stand out moments/scenes that I highlighted that were classic Beauty and the Beast. Izzy has a thing about talking to furniture. This is not to say anything's wrong with it, just a theme that I noticed throughout the book. So if you're into retellings, this could sort of be considered one.

What I'm most conflicted on is the writing style. I started out loving the book and somewhere along the way it took a turn and I had a hard time reading it since. I think this IS in part due to the writing style, but also because of Izzy and the flow of the book.

The transitions were reallyyyyy rough. Again I'm not sure if that's an arc thing. I've read arcs where the transitions can be rough, but I've also read ARCs that are more polished. Usually the case has been that when I'm reading an arc such as this with rough transitions, I have a hard time with the writing. I also wanted some scenes to be expanded upon. Not only did moments feel really cut off because of the rough transition, but things seemed to happen and pass so spontaneously, but I'll get into that a little deeper in a minute.

The flow of the story was really slow as well or maybe I'm just used to romance stories developing a little more quickly or stories that jump around a little but more time wise. I say this because 50-60% into the book, Beau still didn't know much about Izzy in my opinion. He knew little things about her like her love for snacks, books, and that she doesn't do anything she doesn't wanna do, but not in the way that Izzy got to know him. Izzy knows a lot more about Beau because of his book which is to be expected. I just wish that it had been a little more equal/balanced on that front. Izzy did eventually open up to Beau, but my point is that it took a really long time for her to do so.

That leads me to their relationship as a whole. It was definitely cute and quirky. They made me smile and laugh, but I still wanted more from them. Like I said, it was spontaneous, but not in a good way. There also wasn't a lot of depth when they finally did get together and I mean this as in it's like the author bypassed over a lot of the in between (only when they did get together) that I feel like would have added so much more to the story.

If you've stuck with me this far, I guess to sum it all up, I really wanted to love this one more, but I had too many issues and overall, it was just so slow that I got bored. If you're into slow burns though, definitely check this one out.

This is my very first Jasmine Guillory book and it certainly will not be my last! This is a Beauty & the Beast retelling, spotlighting Izzy who works at Tale as Old as Time Publishing, and Beau, the brawny stubborn celebrity whose memoir has Izzy scratching her head and facing new frustrations daily. To please her boss, Marta, Izzy steps up to personally hunt down Beau to "encourage" him to hand in his memoir. Romance ensues and the rest is history.

Now, the nods to Beauty & the Beast were pretty obvious and more prominent throughout the first couple of chapters or so. Those sort of died down a bit as we progressed through the book. I have nothing to compare it to in terms of comparing Guillory's other romances to this one and how quick/spicy the romance is but, the romance wasn't too spicy, and it was a very slow burn - I was about 65% in when a move was finally made.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I do wish there was more plot development - it was kind of one note - but I loved the characters and the character development. I also enjoyed the Beauty & the Beast take on the story.
I would rate this 4/5 stars, and would recommend to anyone who wants a fun, quick romance read.

I think I've decided the Meant to Be series is not for me. I read the first one by Julie Murphy (an author I LOVE) and wasn't a big fan, and now I've read this one by Jasmine Guillory (an author I ALSO LOVE) and wasn't a big fan. While I enjoyed the first half of the book and getting to know the characters, I thought the book had a main character chemistry problem, in that I didn't feel any sparks between them, and so once I got to the actual romance I wasn't quite sure I believed it. Although I wanted to love the retellings of the Meant to Be novels, I think I'll pass if any more are written. I will still read any and everything Jasmine Guillory writes, this one just didn't hit.

Thanks to Hyperion Avenue and NetGalley for for sending this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review! By the Book will be published on May 3, 2022.

By the Book was a cute, fun read. This is a very clean Beauty and the Beast retelling. When I say clean I literally mean there is no hanky panky going on between these pages.

While I enjoyed it I felt something was missing. It needed a bit of grit thrown in. Something to make it a little bit messy. It was all a little too easy.

Cutesy read!!

**Received ARC through NetGalley. Voluntarily reviewed**

I liked a lot of things about this book. I actually didn't realize it was a Beauty and the Beast retelling going into it, but realized it pretty quickly. The story follows editorial assistant Isabelle (Izzy) on her quest to get belligerent party boy turned author Beau to complete his memoir manuscript. In a last ditch attempt, she travels to California to his house to try to talk to him. Beau is standoffish and doesn't want to talk to her, but challenges her to stay with him for a week to use her powers to get him through his writers block. One week turns into more and the two quickly become friends as they accomplish breakthrough after breakthrough.

Things I liked:
A good bookish romance will always grab me. I love reading about the publishing world. This was one of the more creative Beauty and the Beast retellings I've read, and some of the references and Easter eggs were very cute. I liked the setting and I liked Izzy's character.

Things I didn't love:
In general, I want more spice from my romances than Jasmine Guillory gives, but this book was particularly bland; a TOTAL fade to black. I also didn't feel a ton of slow burn chemistry between Izzy and Beau. While the Beauty and the Beast references were cute, some of them were a bit on the nose for my taste, but I may just not be the right audience.

Overall, a very cute read! I would absolutely recommend it to patrons in search of a PG - PG-13 romance.

Thanks to Hyperion Avenue and NetGalley for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

ARC provided by NetGalley for an unbiased review.

I really love Jasmine Guillory and was excited to find out she was writing a Beauty and the Beast retelling! We follow Isabelle, an assistant at a publishing house, and Beau, a former celebrity star turned recluse working on a memoir. Isabelle ends up conjuring a plan to get his very overdue memoir written and figures out what a beast he can be. With lots of subtle little hints to the original Beauty and the Beast, and relatable characters, Jasmine Guillory has created a great addition to the Meant to Be series.


Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for providing me with an arc for an honest review.

Isabelle works for TOAT publishing company (Tale as Old as Time) and has been working her tail off to get them to see she deserves a promotion. In an effort to prove her worth, she assigns herself the task of getting an overdue manuscript out of the infamous and grumpy Beau Towers while at a conference in California! It starts out as strictly business but soon morphs into an intimate friendship that turns into love.
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This was such a sweet retelling of a modern Disney Beauty and the Beast! I love Disney, so when I heard this I had to check it out. The characters really were such a modern Belle and Beast. The book had a lot of pure joy to it and really focused on how the small things in a relationship really are the big things like spending time with each other, eating dinner together, and so many other sweet things. Such a cute Romance that everyone should check out!
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Thank you to Netgalley and Hyperion Avenue for a free copy of this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Oh but this was cute. Too cute. It’s sickening.

Here’s the thing. I was really enjoying this in the beginning. It had a super cheesy quality to it that made it super cute, and there was a lot of potential for the story to pan out into something fun and romantic. The writing style was certainly engaging and as a main character, I liked Izzy. She’s a little bit of a firecracker who has some issues with speaking up for herself, but has no qualms with snapping back at the spoiled rich author she is staying in California to help.

Sadly, the Disney-ish-ness of this destroyed every ounce of potential for me.

I really hope this is because it's a Disney imprint and not Guillory's usual style, since this was remarkably surface level and spiceless. Like, we're talking G-rated romance here. Forced proximity for weeks on end with incredible potential for tension, yet there's almost no romantic chemistry between Izzy and Beau until well past the 60% mark. I hesitate to even call this a slow burn because there is so very little to build up and on to. There's a lot of "oh, I just realized how close we're standing to each other" moments, but nothing that makes you think they're pining for or even interested in each other that way. And the funniest thing to me is all I wanted was for them to do something, yet when they did, I was ready to DNF the book within 10 pages. Once they kissed, they just ... didn't stop. It was so vanilla and boring and nauseating. I ended up skimming the last 15% because it was so mind-numbingly dull.

I didn't realize this was part of the Disney retelling series until I started reading this, so behold, a Beauty and Beast contemporary retelling. And as far as a Beauty and the Beast retelling goes ... meh. Some of it was so on the nose, like calling the publishing house Tale as Old as Time (I rolled my eyes so hard), and other parts were pretty weak if you want to compare them to the Disney story and characters we all know and love. Making Izzy think the furniture was talking to her felt so forced and unnecessary, and randomly declaring certain rooms off-limits and not explaining doesn’t make any sense.

One thing I deeply appreciated was the realistic publishing view. Izzy is an editorial assistant at a publishing house, and while she started the job with such optimism, two years later she is entirely disenchanted and stuck in a promotion-less rut. If you're around on writer/book twitter, you'd have to be living under a rock to not notice the shocking number of publishing staff are leaving the industry entirely because they are underpaid and very overworked with little change on the horizon. Izzy shows a lot of the same frustrations well and it was so relatable. Also, the writer advice she gives Beau is spot-on. Couldn’t have put it better myself.

I am officially in a romance novel slump, and I’m not happy about it.

This was a very sweet modernization of Beauty & The Beast. I loved Izzy and Beau, they were both very believable in their skin. Izzy is an overworked, underconfident editorial assistant and Beau is a spoiled rich kid with depression & anxiety. I love how well they get along, and how they're both each others' biggest fans by the end of the novel. As for that ending!!! 5/5 stars for how everything was resolved, I greatly appreciated it!

2.5/5 Stars

I didn't dislike By the Book, but I didn't love it, either. The premise is cute, a modern take on Beauty and the Beast, but it just fell a little flat for me. I felt like Izzy was this wide-eyed child for part of the book. I know this was a plot device because she starts standing up for herself, but it was annoying nonetheless. I wanted MORE from both Izzy and Beau. But overall a quick read. I'm still a Jasmine Guillory fan and will continue to read all of her books.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of this book!

isabelle is the only Black employee at her publishing house that she’s been working for since she graduated from college. she is underpaid, under appreciated, and definitely overworked. she knows that there is more to her life than being an editorial assistant so when she overhears her boss talking about a difficult, hermit client who hasn’t made any progress on his memoir book deal, isabelle hops on the opportunity to show her boss what she’s made of. it should be easy enough, right? she just needs to go to his home in CA and give him a few pep talks, then she should be golden. NOT. beau towers is as broody as they come. he slams the door on her face at first but izzy is determined to see this through. the two soon realize they have a lot in common including their love for snacking and dipping sauces haha! their forced proximity helps them create a friendship… and possibly more?!

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this book was SO cute. i absolutely loved it. i love the rep!!! i loved seeing izzy fight for what she deserved!! this is a SLOW. BURN. but every second is so pure and cute. both characters had an amazing arc and i loved watching them find themselves. jasmine’s writing is SOO easy to read and i promise you won’t wanna put it down!

tropes:
grumpy x sunshine
forced proximity
work romance (sorta)
millionaire romance
& the fmc loves romance books!!