By the Book follows Isabelle as an editorial assistant as she attempts to get a celebrity author to finish his book. The story highly follows the Beauty and the Beast storyline so there are no surprises. There are some cringy references such as talking to inanimate objects and nicknames such as “Kettle.” But overall it was cute and I will read every book in this series.

A BIPOC retelling of BATB set in the publishing world, this really should be everything I wanted but it sadly did not deliver in the ways I wanted it to. While there are several nods to Disney throughout the book some of them were done in quite a cheesy way. There were times when I felt the chemistry between Izzy and Beau and other times when it fell flat for me. And I’m just sad that this book did not work out for me in the end, especially since I really enjoyed the first book in this new series.

Thank you to Hyperion and Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

From the start, Jasmine Guillory's protagonist is charming as heck - so excited to break into publishing, and so filled with bubbling joy! Of course she is immediately beaten into submission by the hard cruel world of NYC publishing. She is questioning all her live choices, and so jumps at the opportunity to escape for a bit to sunny California. Her last ditch effort to turn a "beast" of a recluse into a published author gains her entry into a gorgeous estate and of course....his heart.

Man I love JG's style, and you will too.

Thanks to NetGalley for giving me the chance to read in advance.

Isabelle is an assistant at a New York publisher, she loves books and writing and aspires to be a writer. Every week she writes an email to an author- Beau Towers who is very behind in his promised memoir. Beau is the son of a Hollywood screenwriter and is known to be a wild child and heartbreaker. When Izzy is in LA she drives to his house in Santa Barbara to coax pages out of him and ends up staying for a month.
By the Book was a great read.

I've really been looking forward to the second book in the Disney Meant to be series written by Jasmine Guillory. The first book was a Cinderella retelling and this newest one is a Beauty and the Beast retelling. The clever references to the Disney movie were great but overall I found this a little too much of a sloooooow burn.

The parts I did like though included:
- BIPOC leads
- a grumpy/sunshine trope
- forced proximity
- editor/writer workplace romance
- writing tips

This book was also a close door romance with only on page kissing. Overall I would recommend this for fans of Emily Henry, Must love books by Shauna Robinson or Meet me in the margins by Melissa Ferguson . Much thanks to NetGalley and Disney for my advance review copies!

Beauty and the Beast with a twist — Izzy is a hopeful writer who is biding her time as an editorial assistant. Beau is a wealthy heir with writers block. It is Izzy’s job to get Beau writing, before she loses her job and he loses his book deal.

The modern twist on a classic fairytale is adorable. Guillory weaves in the names and themes of Beauty and the Beast is a fun and relatable way. The book doesn’t feel contrived or farfetched… and no one is trapped (bonus points for that one). I loved the relationships in this novel, but I feel like Gavin could have been a bit more menacing. He was mostly just annoying.

Thank you Hyperion Avenue and Netgalley for this ARC. I will definitely be buying the physical copy to add to my collection.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4662465237

Jasmine Guillory seems to be hit or miss for me. I loved Royal Holiday, especially the fact that it was not steamy/spicy - I'm not into that. The Wedding Date was just OK, with a little too much spice for my taste. This one was very PG rated but I just didn't connect with the characters. I loved the Beauty and the Beast aspect of the book, and I loved the first book in this series (If the Shoe Fits). I would say I enjoyed the beginning and end of By the Book. But they spent sooooo long in the middle building it up. The characters don't even kiss until 70% of the way through. The ending was great, and sweet, but overall it was just too slow of a build for me and got too repetitive.

Jasmine Guillory is back with her newest contemporary adult romance novel BY THE BOOK, a reimagining of Beauty and the Beast and the second in the MEANT TO BE series — Hyperion Avenue’s update of classic Disney princess stories. I loved the first book in the series (shoutout Julie Murphy!), am ob-sessed with everything Guillory has written, and am physically incapable of turning down a book about books, so it was a no-brainer that I’d be picking this story up!

Isabelle (Izzy) Marlowe is two years into her dream job at Tale as Old as Time Publishing and she’s starting to wonder if publishing is really the industry for her. The grind, a demanding boss, and being one of the only Black employees in a very white office has Izzy burnt out and all but abandoning her dream of becoming a published author herself. So when she hears her boss complaining about her inability to get pages out of notorious bad-boy Beau Towers, she jumps at the chance for a change of scenery and offers to check up on him.

But when Izzy shows up unannounced at Beau’s Santa Barbara mansion, she quickly realizes that dragging the overdue memoir out of him is going to take way more than a few quick pep talks. Beau isn’t reluctant and standoffish, as she’d thought. He’s lost and hurt. And as the two spend their days working together, Izzy begins to wonder if she wants their time together to come to an end after all.

For my romance fans: BY THE BOOK is giving grumpy/sunshine, forced proximity, enemies-to-lovers vibes without leaning too heavily into any one trope. (Also it is very closed door — I’d give it a 2/10 🔥 rating). For my Disney fans: there are enough nods to the original to be satisfying and fun without overdoing it. For my non-Disney fans: what are you doing here?! Just kidding — it’s not too much, I promise. BY THE BOOK is a charming retelling of one of Disney’s most heartwarming messages — to truly know a person you have to dig a bit deeper.

A modern take of Beauty & The Beast! *squeeee*
So this book was very cute. I love Jasmine's books and this one was a goodie! I read Royal Holiday over Christmas and realized this was the girl for me. When reading Jasmine's book you can get a few things. You're going to get wholesome, romantic, and warm. That's what I was feeling when I read this book. I liked the modern take on B&TB. Can a book be similar to other books an author has done but....not? I think so because this one was a bit more romance driven and bit more cornball. I like cornball it makes me giggle.

Thank you to Disney Publishing Worldwide and NetGalley for this ARC copy to review. This book was a pleasure to read from start to finish. I was in the mood for a modern fairy tale and the author delivered. The book was cleverly written with endearing characters throughout the plot. There were many slight nods throughout the story which alluded to elements from the beloved fairy tale, Beauty and the Beast. For me, those magical elements were the icing on the cake. It was cheesy and fun, and I smiled the whole way through this book!!

You know what my favourite story of all time is? Based on the subject of this book review you’re probably guessing Beatuy and the Beast and if so you would be right. When a retelling is done well, in whatever capacity, I will find something to love about it. What matters to me is that the heart of the story remains intact.

With Jasmine Guillory’s By The Book, the second fairy tale retelling in Disney’s Meant To Be series, she manages to preserve everything that makes this story my favourite, while putting her own unexpected spin on the classic tale of a beauty and a beast falling in love. I guess things can be ever just the same and also ever a surprise after all.

By The Books follows editorial assistant Isabelle Marlowe, whose love of books has driven her to a career in publishing. Unfortunately, after two years at her current place of work, it doesnt look like a promotion to assistant editor is in the cards for her. While in LA for a conference, she is determined to prove herself to her famously stingy-with-praise boss. Izzy volunteers to head out to Santa Barbara and check up on reclusive celebrity Beau Towers, whose memoir her boss acquired for a large sum, and see what has stalled progress on the book.

On arrival, Beau Towers is less than pleased to see her. Because Izzy doesn’t give up, Beau agrees to continue working on the book on one condition: that Izzy be his guest and move into his palatial home for a month to help him work through whatever is holding him up. Despite the beastly attitude, Izzy agrees.

Like If The Shoe Fits, By The Book is inspired heavily by Disney’s version of the story. Little winks and nods, with references to characters or song lyrics are sprinkled throughout. What impressed me most, however, was how the fantasy fairy tale aspects of the story were adapted to suit a modern context.

The conflicts between Izzy and Beau are not driven by external factors - no, there is no wolf chase in this version - but instead purely by their personalities and personal frustrations coming into conflict. Pain in Beau’s past makes him lash out at Izzy, while Izzy’s own self-doubt makes her push Beau instead of pushing herself.

An intriguing change in adaptation is the way Guillory handles the Gaston character, here named Gavin. Rather than posing him as a toxic rival for Izzy’s affections, Guillory makes him out to be what Gaston always was at the core: a man no one says no to, with behaviour that too often gets swept under the rug and is only flagged as a problem by those not in a position of power.

In the absence of a household of enchanted beings pushing for them to get together - other than Beau’s assistant Michaela, who is no object, but certainly works magic in the kitchen - it comes purely down to Izzy and Beau to discover something there that wasn’t there before.

The best Beauty and the Beast adaptations come with a certain degree of honesty and communication between the central pair. Nothing is left to linger in the rom-com world of misunderstandings and miscommunication. Instead, their sweet, slow-burn romance comes with a healthy dose of trust and genuine friendship.

Also, I say this as a general warning: do not - I repeat, do not - read this book on an empty stomach. The same holds true for any of Jasmine Guillory’s work, really. The woman enjoys baking and it shows.

By The Book is an absolute must for fans of the Disney film, for book lovers who love reading about books, and for anyone in the mood for a gentle, heartwarming tale about two people finding they can change for the right reasons, and falling in love along the way.

By the Book is available May 3, 2022.

Special thanks to Disney Books and Hyperion Avenue for the advance copy for review purposes.

What I LOVED about this book was the twist on how these two met and fell in love. The modern Beauty and the Beast retelling with a focus on publishing made for a great backstory, and I loved how these characters met along the book writing process and grew both on their own and together as time went on.

Izzy's love for books and role in the publishing industry made this story for me, I wanted to BE her in her desire to work hard in her job all for the love of books, while finding her passion and way in the world. Thrown together with Beau, one of her authors who has a troubled past and a past-due memoir, she suddenly finds herself living in his home and forced to work with him if she wants to keep her job.

"Was this one of those limited-time, fairy-tale romances, one of the ones that happened because of a castle and a curse and lots of magic, but that would vanish when real life started again?"

For me, I felt like the book was lacking some of the banter and romance that I've come to love and expect from Guillory after reading her other romance books. I have been so excited for each of these Disney retellings, knowing that they're being written by some of my favorite authors. After If The Shoe Fits had so much of Julie's typical writing style in the story, I was hoping in By The Book Jasmine's would be similar to her other works, but this one seemed so different than what I was expecting. Without really knowing the direction the story would take place for this retelling, I was left feeling like I was waiting for something a little more.

Pick this one up if you'd love a modern-day Belle and Beast love story with a twist, even with the minor complaint I still enjoyed this book a lot and cannot wait to hear what the next in the series will be! Thank you Disney Books + NetGalley for the advance reader's copy in exchange for my honest review of one of my most anticipated reads!

By the Book by Jasmine Gulliroy
A special thanks to Hyperion Avenue and NetGalley for the arc of this book. I voluntarily read and reviewed this book all thoughts and opinions are my own.
Ever wonder what your favorite fairytale would be like in today’s world? Jasmine Guillory writes a super cute rom-com with little hints of Beauty and The Beast mixed in. After two years of working and assistant in a publishing house Isabelle Marlowe Has hit a rough patch. She’s completely stressed out on her job and her life. While at a conference in Los Angeles she volunteers to head to Santa Barbara to deal with a difficult writer who has promised a memoir.
Beau Towers is the son of a famous director and play write in Hollywood. After a very messy public scene at his father’s funeral he goes into hiding in Santa Barbara. What starts a strictly business and helping him write his memoir turns in to a friendship with the potential for more. But much like the Beast his temper gets in the way. Will Isabelle be able to handle his meanness or will Beau change his ways?
It’s a charming romcom from one of the Queens of modern romance books!

"I don't understand how this is Beauty & the Beast," my roommate said as I explained the book to her.
"Well, he's grumpy and she loves books and they're in this beautiful house together..."
"Yeah, but that's kind of it. It's missing everything else."

What does a book need to be a Beauty & the Beast retelling? This book gives us an out of place Shakespeare-nod of a title, a lot of obviousness, some sweetness, absolutely nothing beyond kissing on page, a weird "is it magic, madness, or imagination?", and an innocent way to pass the time. While there are numerous Disney references in the book, they're all light as a feather. What depth exists at all is in our Beast, Beau, working through his past with the book editor who won't take no for an answer, and mostly he comes off as a man-child that Izzy teaches to be a functional adult.

This is a wholesome, quick love story. A beach read that sometimes even takes place on a beach. It's more Disney than Pixar, which isn't a bad thing as long as you know what you're getting going into it.

I didn’t realize this was a part of a series when I requested this book. I just saw one of my favorite contemporary romance authors wrote a beauty and the beast retelling and I was all for reading
it. I appreciated the fun and charm of a modern day retailing especially since Beauty and the Beast is my favorite fairytale. but it just didn’t work for me. Maybe if things hadn’t been too on-the-nose or tried to be too cute, it would have worked better.

I didn't get very far into this book before I had to dnf. This book had one of the most Wattpad style writing I have ever seen. I was excited for the plot of the book but couldn't get past how annoying the characters were. All the damn exclamation points was just childish writing. I know this author has written books before and I wonder if they are any better. But for this book I have to dnf or I would give this book a one star.

Super rocky start, but it pulled through in the end. Solid 3.5 stars, rounded up.

I do wish the characters besides Beau and Isabelle felt a little more flushed out, though.

I have read and loved almost all of Jasmine Guillory’s books, so came into By the Book with excitement and anticipation. A sweet albeit predictable plot, but I was unfortunately disappointed by its lack of her characteristic spark and funny banter. I struggled getting through it, and had to pick it up and lost interest numerous times. Hoping the next one is better!

This book was ok. I didn’t realize it was part of a series. The main characters personality got on my nerves at times but it was a cute romance. I loved that it involved writing and books.It was an easy quick read.

At twenty-five and still living at home, Izzy’s life hasn’t exactly turned out the way it thought she would. She is the only black employee at her job at the publishing house where she works too hard and doesn’t get paid enough. She teeters between being assertive and remaining quiet.

However, when she overhears that Beau Towers, a very successful, hard to work with author has not delivered his anticipated manuscript, she thinks this is her ticket to bigger and better things. After numerous pep talks and Izzy’s help, Beau is able to finish his manuscript.

All this time spent together made them both realize how alike they are and romance ultimately blooms.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

By the Book is a cute, fast and easy installment in this series of fairy tale retellings by Disney pub. The books and writing revival of Beauty and the Beast will make your Disney loving and bookish heart happy. However, if you are grabbing this book having read Guillory's other romances, do not expect anything at all the same. This book has almost none of her typical sass and banter and is completely closed door. It's cute and fun and almost YA.

this lands at 3.5 for me. I enjoyed it, but would have liked to have felt more for the characters and would have rather been a little bit more invested in the story.