3.5 stars

In this second installment of the 'Meant to Be' series, Jasmine Guillory takes a stab at a Beauty and the Beast inspired event featuring Izzy and Beau in respective iconic roles.

Izzy is an extremely likeable main character made even more appealing - as is the case with all parts of this novel - by the charming narration of Sarah Hollis, who expertly voices the whole audiobook. Hollis highlights what appear to be Izzy's essential qualities: down-to-earth but optimistic. Izzy finds herself in Santa Barbara (from New York) working with Beau. While she tries to get her own writing/editing career in order, Izzy takes up the task of helping the notoriously challenging Beau *finally* complete his memoir.

Like all good Guillory pairings, the most hilarious part of the relationship here is these characters' mutual appreciation for food. Unlike most Guillory pairings, these two are a bit more PG (at WILDEST PG-13) and are generally uncomplicated.

Though I'd have loved to see a bit more passion, challenge, and grit in this relationship, the simple and sweet nature of these two fits the profile of the series they inhabit. Having read every other Guillory book, I was a little bummed to feel like she was perhaps a bit hampered by those constraints, but this is an easy read nonetheless.

I enjoyed this loose retelling of Beauty and the Beast, but it was not my favorite book by Guillory (who is an autobuy author for me.)

I enjoyed the little moments that were based on Beauty and the Beast and enjoyed picking them out of the story. I liked the premise of Isabelle working in publishing and helping Beau to write his memoir. I liked seeing the other side of publishing and what it's like to work in that industry.

I'm not sure I fully bought the relationship/close bond that develops between Beau and Izzy, but I enjoyed their friendship as it turned into more. The ending wrapped up a little quickly, but overall I enjoyed this book and I will continue to read and buy whatever Guillory writes! 3.75 stars rounded up to 4

I thought this book was very cute! It was just what I needed to pick up my mood after a not so great read. Jasmine Guillory has a way of not letting me down! A modern day retelling of Beauty and the Beast with even more focus on books, what more could a JG and Disney fan want?

IsaBELLE goes to Santa Barbara to prove to her boss (and to herself) she's worthy of a promotion to assistant editor at TAOAT publishing; she finds herself in for a tough beginning working with jackass Beau, the beastly celebrity who is behind on his memoir deadline. Could a man with the name Beau really be so beastly?

I enjoyed so many things about this book:
-The writing and library sessions, and the simplicity and importance of food/SNACKS and nightly dinner and tv time for Izzy and Beau
-The honesty they were able to pull out of and the way they could inspire each other, as it related to both their work/writing, and their personal lives
-The surfing was a fun break from hard work and something really modern in the story that I loved
-The very noticeable hints but also subtleties of 'Beauty and the Beast-ness' - things like Izzy talking to her fabulous bathtub, and the publishing company names: Tale as Old as Time and Maurice
-Diversity as always from JG; maybe not as talked about as usual in her books, but still there and fabulous!

My FAVORITE part of the book though was reading snippets of what Beau had been writing during all the sessions towards the end of the book, talk about swoon worthy! I always enjoy when authors similarly write about what inspired their writing and their story at the end of books, so that was simply a pure and beautiful part that brought it all home and made it and Beau so loveable for me.

This was just a fun and mostly light romance suitable for any Disney fan; I would definitely recommend it for anyone looking for a mostly cheerful and quick, fun read!

Love love loved this book!! The Disney Easter eggs were *chef's kiss* and made me smile throughout the book. I thought the modern day/real-life adaptation was expertly done! The slow burn fit perfectly with the story - I don't think this would have worked any other way. The subtle Beauty and the Beast references were also my favorite - the enchanted house, talking to inanimate objects, joking about being a prisoner....all of it was so good!!

I love love loved If the Shoe Fits by Julie Murphy. And I love Jasmine Guillory's books a lot. When I requested this title, I did not even realize that this was the next book in the Meant to Be series.
And I have never been this excited to realize this.

This book was so great. I enjoyed the twist on the Beauty and the Beast tale - I even sometimes forgot it was a retelling.
I also just... really love the body positivity in these books. It makes me feel warm and fuzzy and seen.

Such a cute Beauty and the Beast retelling! Izzy (Huh! Just got the IsaBELLE part, wow, I'm slow sometimes) is struggling in her publishing job when she jumps at the opportunity to track down an author well past his deadline and hopefully get some answers from him. No surprise that he's in a fancy house and has a rather beastly attitude. I loved all the little nods to the disney movie, some I obviously didn't even notice until the end. It's a cute slow burn romance and I liked the growth of both of them as writers. And yes, I would like to spend a few weeks in that bathroom with a talking tub, thanks.

Think Beauty and the Beast with a modern day publishing twist. Isabelle feels like she’s lost in life and wanting more from her publishing job. She’s determined to get a promotion, so when she hears about a high-profile author with a reputation for bad behavior is behind on his manuscript, she sees this as the perfect opportunity to prove herself. She goes to his house and gives him a pep talk, and ends up staying as the story slowly comes out of him. But the more time they spend together, she realizes there might be something more between them.

Beauty and the Beast is one of my favorite Disney movies so I was very excited for this retelling, especially since I loved book 1 in the Meant to Be series AND this book is written by one of my favorite authors. I did enjoy this one, but was surprised how different the writing style felt from Jasmine’s other novels. I was hoping for more steam and banter that we see in Jasmine’s other works, but that was not the case in this one. But this is Disney so it makes sense it was less steamy.

Overall, I thought this was a fun retelling. I enjoyed the publishing world twist and how that felt so true to Belle’s character. The love story between Izzy and Beau was great and I loved all the subtle references to the Disney movie that were sprinkled throughout!

I look forward to see what retelling and what author are next in this series!

I have enjoyed this author's previous books but really struggled to connect with this one. I didn't feel the spark between the two main characters and the conflict fell flat for me. Maybe it's just me? Will continue to read this author!

DNF at 20%.

I am not the audience for the book. This would be a great transition from YA novels to romance novels, but it was altogether too juvenile for me. I found myself getting annoyed at everything.

The Beauty and the Beast references were painful conspicuous. ("Kettle" being a character's nickname?)

This is a very different story than what I'm used to from Guillory, yet her voice still rings true, and I still enjoyed it. If you love Beauty and the Beast, you will love this. There are some other Beauty and the Beast retellings that I thought were just fine, but I enjoyed every page of this. It's a fresh take on a favorite tale, and book lovers in general will love the characters and the story here.

I’d like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced copy of this book for review purposes.

This was my first book by this author. I’ve been curious about her work for some time now and was glad to finally jump in with this book. This is a contemporary Beauty and the Beast retelling featuring an editor’s assistant and a petulant author. I love a bookish premise which is another reason I was keen to try this book.

I loved Izzy from page one. There was just something about her optimism and drive that made me smile. While I wish she had been a more confident heroine, it was nice to see her arc develop. Beau as a LI was intriguing, infuriating and (eventually) sweet in my opinion. His internal struggle was much more interesting to me than Izzy’s and I kind of wish we had gotten to see things from his perspective more.

I liked the writing well enough though there were passages that I found bothersome because they were a series of questions building on unsubstantiated suppositions by the MC. If this was an attempt at showing anxiety and chronic overthinking I didn’t find it convincing. The cast of secondary characters kind of fell flat for me. I did not feel emotionally connected to them or invested in Izzy’s relationship to any of them.

The pacing of the book was fine though there were many tiny time jumps which were jarring at times. I understand why they had to be used though. They just felt clunky I guess. Overall I thought the romance was cute but because we only get Izzy’s point of view it took a very long time for the tension and chemistry to build up which was a bit of a shame. Once it did happen though I enjoyed it. Overall a pretty good book and I’d be glad to read more from this author.

Thank you Netgalley for the advanced reading copy! I have read a lot of Jasmine Guillory, but this is my first in her “Meant to Be” series. Though a different feel than her “The Wedding Date” series that brought her to fame, the comfort and sweetness of Guillory’s style remains the same. “By the Book” is a fairy tale, Beauty and the Beast modern retelling set in New York City and Santa Barbara, California. Isabelle (Izzy) is an editorial assistant at a fast moving, competitive publishing house. To move her career along and get out of a funk, she agrees to help a tormented and grumpy author/celebrity Beau, who is trying, but not succeeding, in writing a memoir. While staying at Beau’s charming mansion, romance and self discovery follow. This book sneaks up on the reader, with a very pleasant and warm feel woven throughout the story. I think that Guillory’s writing gift is that she showcases the regular aspects of relationships and falling in love, such as snacking together, staying in to watch a movie or binge a show, and gently and affectionately getting to know one another and falling in love over time. This book is also about the joy of writing and storytelling, which though not always thrilling, is well done by Guillory. A side note about reading Guillory: I read “The Wedding Date” on paperback, but then read many others in that series through audiobooks. The narrator of her audiobooks is usually Janina Edwards, and listening to these stories is delightful. I think this series and this book would be great in audiobook format as well. Overall I recommend this book for lovers of Guillory’s other books, enemies to lovers, and sweet romances.

I'm conflicted on my feelings about this read. I have enjoyed Guillory's books immensely in the past. This just didn't feel like her normal material.

Perhaps that is in great part to the fact that this is a Disney publisher, but it just felt very watered down.

I will say that the OG Beauty and the Beast ties were in point!! I cackled often at the obsurd ways she added in those tidbits!

The love story between Izzy and Beau was great. Also, I love the inclusion that was presented here.

Overall, I'm conflicted. I liked much of it. I disliked some of it.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an advanced readers copy in exchange for my honest feedback

I loved everything about this Black contemporary Beauty & the Beast. captured my attention from the first page. wonderful character development and pacing, bolstered by a creative plot.
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brief synopsis: Isabelle works as an editorial assistant in New York, struggling with grunt work & low wages, till she finds herself in Santa Barbara, helping author Beau Towers complete his memoir. Beau initially comes across as angry, bitter, even spoiled, but their relationship evolves with the spirit of ‘something there that wasn’t there before’ from Beauty & the Beast. it’s so sweet.
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I’m now a big fan of this series. IF THE SHOE FITS and BUY THE BOOK are two of my favorite recent contemporary romances. fitting that while Cinderella works in fashion (and offers fat representation), Belle works in publishing (and offers Black representation). books are magical in BY THE BOOK, and the protagonist is a princess of books.

4.5 stars

Light, fun, fluffy, satisfying, happy…those are all good adjectives to describe this contemporary fairy tale. It’s not super original in all ways, but it’s also not supposed to be; it’s a bit of a unique twist on a tale as old as time with fun (and sometimes subtle) nods to the original story. I liked the characters, the plot, the setting. I already knew I enjoyed Jasmine Guillory’s romance writing, and although it’s toned down in ways from a lot of contemporary romances (ex. virtually all sex takes place off the page; I’m guessing that’s because it’s a Disney publication?), it’s still very sweet. I enjoyed this modern, feminist retelling of one of my favourite magical stories.

I’m really liking this series. We had a plus-sized protagonist in the first book, and now we have a Black couple in the second book, so it’s nice to see more true diversity starting to show up in Disney stories, although there’s still a lot that needs to be considered for meaningfully diverse representation. I’m looking forward to the next addition to the series and can’t wait to see who will be writing it. Personally, I’m hoping for the next one to feature a queer romance. Fingers crossed!

By the Book is the second book in the Meant to Be series, but you don't need to read If the Shoe Fits first in order to follow and enjoy this story. This book is a modern twist on the classic tale of Beauty and the Beast following protagonist Isabelle and her journey in the world of publishing. After years of work she is still an editorial assistant and the only Black employee at Tale As Old As Time Publishing so when she overhears her boss complaining about an author who has failed to submit his manuscript (or even respond to emails) she takes it upon herself to go to his house and give him a pep talk. Isabelle soon realizes there is more to Beau Towers than just his beastly reputation and they discover they have more in common than they could have imagined. There is a lot to love about this romance: the characters are dynamic and entertaining, the settings make the reader long for vacation and there are plenty of hidden Beauty and the Beast gems. If you want to read a book full of more books then this is the book for you.

Special thanks to Netgalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

I'm always down for a retelling of Beauty and the Beast, especially set in sunny Santa Barbara with glorious bookworm overtones! The pacing was slow to medium, and it certainly felt like a much smaller cast of characters than normal, however for the story, it worked. The romance part felt a little flat to me, but I had similar notes for the first Meant to Be book.

Overall, a lovely, sweet read about finding yourself and finding your space.

2.5/5⭐️

I was thoroughly bored throughout this entire book but it was just interesting enough to read to the very end.

I didn’t like how to author would just throw in small arguments from out of nowhere and make it go from 0 to 100 real fast. They were mad at ridiculous stuff imo. Also they laughed at the most unfunniest things. There was only one time I thought what they laughed about was funny.

There was some cutesy moments but the book was just meh for me. Definitely not my cup of tea but I think other people would enjoy it.

Jasmine Guillory’s sweet, charming new novel, By the Book, is a modern-day retelling of a beloved fairy tale that is sure to delight fans of the author - and make her some new ones.

This novel is listed as the second in the Meant to Be series which are novels based on various fairy tales. While I absolutely loved book one - Julie Murphy's If the Shoe Fits - and would highly recommend it you absolutely don’t need to read that volume to enjoy this one. There is no real cross-over between the two tales.

Isabelle – Izzy - Marlow began work at A Tale as Old as Time publishing with a spring in her step, a smile on her face, and hope in her heart. Two years later, the spring is practically a limp, the smile is fake and she's pretty much given up hope. She’s overworked and underpaid, and as a result of the latter, forced to live with her parents at the ripe old age of twenty-five. She’s not sure what she wants to have happen but she knows something’s got to change. While at a conference in California, opportunity knocks in the most surprising of ways. Her boss has been working hard at getting Beau Towers to write the memoir he contractually agreed to. Beau is:

A former child star, son of two celebrities, famous first for being a teenage heartthrob, then for his general rich-kid dirtbag-type behavior -fights in nightclubs, crashing sports cars, smashing paparazzi cameras, etc.

Beau is autobiography gold. His tell-all will definitely top bestseller lists if they can just get him to turn it in. But they can’t. Phone calls have not worked. Begging has not worked.  Increasingly candid, charming emails from Isabelle, entertaining, enlightening, and dang helpful to a struggling writer, have not worked. But since they’re in California anyway, her boss decides Izzy can spend some extra time in the golden state, head to Beau’s place, and give him an in-person pep talk. Izzy’s thrilled about the opportunity, convinced working with Beau will be a big step in the right direction come promotion time.

When she arrives at Beau’s mansion, she meets his amiable assistant Michaela but the man himself refuses to speak to her. Dejectedly heading to her car, with a watchful Michaela escorting her off the grounds, Izzy is hopeful she can at least score some decent tacos on the way out of Santa Barbara so the trip isn’t a complete failure. But Michaela trips, Izzy winds up taking care of her, and Beau Towers is grateful enough to let Izzy spend the night there. He’s rude and mean and obstinate but Izzy’s combination of charm and blunt talk soon have the savage beast very nearly tamed. By the next morning, Beau has decided Izzy is just the tonic his writer’s block needed. Arrangements are made for her to stay and thanks to Izzy, Beau starts the hard work of writing a candid, surprising tale. One that shows a guy who's much deeper than expected, the kind of man who could easily win Izzy’s heart.

There are a ton of Beauty and the Beast references, specifically the Disney version, in this novel but this isn’t much of a variant on the original. Yes, Beau starts out unfriendly but beast-like he is not. Maybe I’ve seen the movie too often to think of anyone who doesn’t lock you in a tower as truly heinous, but to me, it was clear from the start that our beast was all bark and no bite. The nice part is that Izzy isn’t the kind of beauty who puts up with either barking or biting - the few times Beau snaps at her, she makes it clear that behavior is intolerable and repeats that lesson till he learns it.

In fact, I thought Beau was pretty fabulous. Beneath his occasionally gruff exterior is someone who is generous, kind, caring, and talented. I love how diversified his interests are - he surfs, he bakes, he loves to read - his surface hobbies reveal a person who is, internally, very multidimensional. He (mostly) treats Izzy with an amazing amount of respect and kindness and his few temper flare ups  re never violent - he can be cutting but he is equally quick to be apologetic.

Izzy is equally fabulous. Life has beaten her down a bit in recent years but she uses her time in California to regroup, think through what she wants, and then go after it. She’s got a very positive, upbeat personality without being a Pollyanna, and she is tolerant and forgiving of others’ foibles and mishaps without being a pushover. For example, her boss has a rather acerbic personality but Izzy is able to see through that to the person who lies beneath and recognize the difference between someone who has a quirky, prickly nature and a person who’s a genuine jerk. I liked that Izzy has such a keen sense of discernment.

The secondary characters here are very secondary. We get little information about them and they receive equally sparse page time. The concentration is on the growth of Beau and Izzy as individuals and as a couple. I would have expected that to result in a deeply romantic tale but this story is actually more women’s fiction/general fiction than romance.  A lot of time is spent on them dealing with their individual issues/personal growth and the rest of that time is spent on Izzy and Beau building a friendship and working on the issues he is having writing his memoir. There’s no kissing till the 70% mark and not even a lot of lustful thinking. They keep things very professional, and while each finds the other attractive, neither does anything about that until we are almost all the way through the book. In some ways that really works - these two have such a terrific friendship that when the heat does appear it’s a foregone conclusion they will have an HEA. They are just too fantastic together not to. For those who like sexy romances, this might be a negative, however.

Jasmine Guillory is a terrific writer who pens an absolutely lovely tale whether it’s a hot love story like While We Were Dating or a much more subtle and sublime narrative like this one. I thoroughly enjoyed By the Book and would recommend it to anyone looking for a friends-to-lovers romance.

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Enchanting. By the Book by Jasmine Guillory is a brilliant modern retelling of the much beloved Beauty and the Beast. Isabelle is a literary connoisseur with dreams of being an Editorial Assistant. Her first challenge is to get Beau Towers to write something down of his long anticipated memoir. And quickly she finds herself very committed to his project and in doing so, finds her own passion. An absolute must read for those seeking a happily ever after.