Read/Listen If You Like:
❤️ Fairytales & Disney Princesses
❤️Reading Diversely
❤️ Beauty and the Beast
❤️ Grumpy/Sunshine Trope
❤️ Forced Proximity Trope
❤️ Slow-Burn Clean Romance

Book Review:
“To all the Black girls who loved books and wanted to be princesses. This one’s for you.”

To start… the dedication for this one… it is absolutely perfect and another reason why I love Jasmine Guillory and her books so much!

I also love that none of her MC’s are the stick thin beauty queens, but they all have curves and are average size woman so the characters always feel more relatable that they aren’t being described as tiny.

The heart of this story is based on forced proximity when Izzy stays at Beau’s home in a work capacity to get him to write the memoir that he is over a year behind on as he has been ditching her and her bosses emails. This is a last ditch effort to get the book from him, and though time, Izzy is able to get him to start writing and through that build her confidence to go after her goals as well. As they keep working together they begin to fall for each other as they spend time together outside of writing exercises. After nearly two months Izzy needs to return to her job and life across the country and interview for a promotion she has been wishing for. That’s when she gets it, his notebook with all his little notes about Izzy and his time together he would start with during their writing exercises and you see his distain turn to lust and love.

This one is much different than Jasmine’s other books as it was written for the Disney series so it doesn’t have her normal spice I’ve come to expect, but still such a cute Beauty and the Beast inspired romance!

Thank you NetGalley and Hyperion & Buena Vista Books for the ARC of this book! I am so thankful to obtain a copy to read in advance of its release!

I have always been a sucker for fairy tale retellings and this one doesn't disappoint. I know that Beauty and the Beast is one of the most popular fairy tales to try to retell or modernize so you would think that by now I would be sick of it but I am not (and at this point I don't think I ever will). By the Book still managed to take a story that everyone knows and turn it into something new and exciting. Putting Izzy (our Belle character) in the publishing world was absolutely genius. I can forgive some changes when it comes to retellings but not having books be a large part of our Belle/Beauty's life I don't think I could move past so I am glad that I didn't even have to try. Beau, the recluse and tortured author was *chef's kiss*. I could not get enough of these two together. Obviously, it is a romance and a fairy tale retelling so I knew how it was going to end (to some extent) but that didn't stop me from enjoying the ride. I can't wait to see what author and fairy tale this series tackles next!

Side note, this was my first Jasmine Guillory work and I have to say I really enjoyed her writing style. It had great flow and pacing. Never once did I feel like something was missing. She gave me enough to keep me interested and engaged the whole time. I look forward to checking out some of her other works in the future.

*arc received on NetGalley

By the Book was such a wonderful read. I truthfully sat down and read it in 4.5 hours. This enemies to lovers romance is beautiful. Beau & Izzy are such normal characters. By normal I mean like you & me. Jasmine has this way with her words that truly makes you feel the emotions the characters are feeling. Hate, love, heartbreak, sadness, & frustration are just some of the feelings I had alongside our character Izzy.

If you need a quick romance book to read this is definitely one you should pick up when it releases in May!

Thank you NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read the second book in the meant to be series. I was thrilled to see that this book was written by one of my favorite authors Jasmine Guillory. Alright let's talk book. I'm going to be honest, I'm probably in the minority here but beauty and the beast is my least favorite Disney movie. I mean I love books but that is all the positivity I can say about the original Disney movie. So when I found out By the Book was a retelling of beauty and the beast I was not sure how it would go. This book takes a lovely spin on a tale that is not quite as old as time, and let's our protagonist Isabelle or Izzy work in publishing and want to be an author herself. She is tasked with helping a celebrity finish his long overdue memoir and winds up moving in with him in his mansion in Santa Barbara where sparks fly as these two figure out how to work together, and grow to like each other.

I enjoyed this book. It took me a bit longer to get into at times but there are a lot of punny references to Beauty and the Beast, which fans of the movie may enjoy more than I did. But as always the relationship building and overall story told by Jasmine Guillory was great. Do I wish it had a bit more steam? Yes, but I am willing to accept what it has because after all this is a Disney modern retelling. So if you like books, mansions, grumpy misunderstood celebrities hiding from the world, meddling assistants, and slow burn enemies ish to lovers and sure beauty and the beast read this book.

I *love* beauty and the beast retellings, and this one is basically if the animated movie took place in modern times. Belle (Izzy) is an intern for a book publishing company and beast (Beau) is a celebrity who signed a book deal to write a memoir for said publishing company. Although I was a tad put off by the many references to the movie in the first third of the book, I decided that when the romance started to develop into main focus of the book I was finally hooked. There’s nothing better in a romance than a slow burn grumpy/sunshine trope mixed in with some banter to keep the reader interested. Also the sweet moments of vulnerability and support made me MELT. It’s safe to say I enjoyed this book and am looking forward to picking up more books by Jasmine Guillroy in the future.

Beauty and the Beast is already my favorite fairy tale but make it a modern retelling by one of my favorite authors? Sold!

This book was adorable and funny with easily lovable characters. There was also the perfect amount of magical touches in this book 🥀💛

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this early copy!

Thank you to NetGalley and Hyperion Avenue for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A modern day Beauty and the Beast! I think Jasmine Guillory did a great job with this retelling. It was just fairy tale enough, but still had some "rom-com" tendencies (though with a PG rating, good for the fairy tale crowds?). I liked Izzy and Beau's friendship more than anything, but a dramatic declaration of love (even if I didn't fully see the romantic connection?) gets me every time.

This is just the most delightful, charming, enjoyable book in the world. Loosely inspired by "Beauty and the Beast," it's a lovely tale of a vivacious young woman and a reclusive movie star who are thrown together and forced to work on a very personal project. Book lovers and readers everywhere will absolutely swoon over this one. Guillory has done it again!

I struggled through this book from the beginning. I couldn't quite put my finger but I finally figured it out. The writing was very one dimensional, everything is explained rather than allowing the reader to use their imagination to fill in the blanks. I do think it was an interesting to read about a character in publishing. I think readers romanticize the writing process but it sounds awful. Also this should not be marketed as a rom-com, this book is fiction with romantic elements. Though I'm not sure if the romance was believable they are colleagues and should have stayed that way 🤔

By the Book was a cute little take on Beauty and the Beast. I did not realize that this was part of a series but I didn't feel like I had missed out on important information by not reading the first book of the series. By the Book was at times predictable and a little cheesy, but overall, I enjoyed reading!

Thank you to NetGalley and Hyperion for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

CW: death of a parent (past), grief, family tensions

This was a soft, low-angst Beauty and the Beast retelling. Honestly a great beach read and soft rooommance.

Steam: 1

Another adorable slow burn, (kind of) enemies to lovers, (kind of) grumpy/sunshine trope from Jasmine Guillory!

In this close proximity romance, assistant editor, Izzy, is sent to convince Hollywood disgrace, Beau Towers, to complete his memoir.

A rocky start leads to an adorable, hilarious, at times frustrating, friendship and more.

When both Beaus and Izzy’s dreams and future plans are at odds, sending Izzy in a different direction, both literally and metaphorically, they must decide where their relationship fits. Was it just fun? Or is it love that’ll last a lifetime.

A story that will be nearly impossible to walk away without warm and fuzzy feelings, and a perma-smile that Jasmine Guillory books are known to leave.

I really struggled with this one. I’m no stranger to romance novels and I love a good reimagining of a fairy tale, but this fell flat for me and I struggled to get through it.

This was a very cute, very tame romance novel. Do not go into this book expecting any amount of spice (though, since it’s published through Disney, that’s something to be expected). Izzy was a very relatable protagonist for me: stuck in a job where she doesn’t feel appreciated, living at home with her parents to save money, size 12 and not afraid to eat some good food, and obsessed with books and reading. Beau was… an okay love interest. For some reason, I’m able to forgive the Beast for his outbursts while watching the Disney movie, but I would get so annoyed with Beau whenever he had any type of anger or annoyance towards Izzy. The plot wasn’t AMAZING (the main bit was good, but some of the minor points never felt fully fleshed out to me), but was still a fun ride to go on. My only major annoyance was the dedication to making this be like Beauty & the Beast in the sense that Izzy spoke to the furniture… that bit could have been left out, and we’d all have been better for it. Overall, cute read if you’re looking for something tame and quaint to read.

When I heard that Disney Publishing was launching the Meant to Be series that would reimagine Disney’s princess stories as modern, adult romance books, I was so excited. What a great idea.

Though after reading By the Book, I should have realized that with Disney as the backer, that this book would be a super clean romance and one that had this air of everything being sunshine and roses.

The book had a really great start.

I adored all the little references to Beauty and the Beast that Guillory threw in there from Izzy’s first stroll around New York, to the Michaela’s nickname Kettle and her young son, to the Wifi password and many other gems. These really solidified the whole “beauty and the beast” look-alike, with Beau’s first appearance being the strongest.

While Beau definitely had his “Beast” moments, once he and Izzy found their stride in working together, the book sort of got a bit….boring.

I found myself skimming because nothing really happened other than them writing and having a few fights but even those ended with profuse apologizing and them talking it through with perfect communication skills.

It was all just a bit too….nice. Almost a bit too fake and unrealistic but I guess that’s what fairytales are, right?

Izzy was a great female lead who learned to stand up for herself a bit more at work and in her own mind about her writing, but Beau just didn’t really grow on me though he was a very nice guy.

I actually really liked the idea behind Beau’s memoir but even that part of the story just kind of came and went.
Overall, I think it was well written and a sweet read that many will enjoy. It just didn’t capture my attention as the story unfolded.

Do I love the tie in with Beauty and the Beast, absolutely, but I think I was looking for something less sweet, maybe more romantic and just a bit…more.

I love this Beauty and the Beast modern day reimagining! Beau is our “beast” but really he’s just hiding out in his amazing house after some difficult situations in his life. Izzy is our “beauty/Belle” and she’s there to help Beau write his memoir. I loved the behind the scenes look at publishing and working with books. I also chuckled every time there was a reference to Izzy talking to inanimate objects in Beau’s house as compared to the movie. Overall, this was a sweet love story with a happily ever after! It was everything I hoped it would be!

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced copy.

Every book by Jasmine Guillory is a delight to read. "By the Book" is no exception. I ate this book up! I couldn't put it down and loved every page. The characters, the romance, the location were all written to perfection.

By The Book was a fun and sweet new retelling of Beauty and the Beast, Izzy is a strong character who learns her strength along the way and falls in love with Beau, it’s cute and fun. I liked the little nods to the original tale throughout, a sweet way to add some flavor into this story,

By the Book by Jasmine Guillory is a modern day retelling of Beauty and the Beast!

I love Jasmine Guillory, Beauty and the Beast, and the pub date is my birthday so all of my fairy tale dreams came true when I received the approval for this book.

This book starts out super cheesy. To be completely honest, I questioned whether or not I would enjoy the book but decided to go along with the ride. The premise is that Izzy, who works at a publishing house, is assigned to help hot tempered celebrity Beau on his super late memoir. Luckily the book gains some depth in the middle as Izzy helps Beau confront his past and their relationship develops.

If you're a Jasmine Guillory fan/reader, this book has some similarities. There are lot of food scenes and snacks are practically a main character in this book. Personally, I love Guillory's food descriptions. The romance is definitely toned down from what she usually writes and is very "closed door." The tension between the characters is still there and has a very very slow build. Think first kiss closer to the end than the beginning.

Overall this wasn't my favorite book of hers but I did find it an entertaining read in one day kind of book. I give it 3.5 stars but will upgrade to 4 for Goodreads. Thank you so much for the advanced eARC of this book!

Thanks to Hyperion Avenue and NetGalley for this eARC.

This was incredibly cute. I read it all in one evening around my yoga class, and it almost felt like a little vacation. Izzy and Beau are a good pair, the bathroom in Izzy's room is indeed PERFECT, and the callbacks to the Disney movie were (mostly) not too much. This is a fun series - I'm not sure who they're doing next, but I kinda hope Rapunzel.