This is...fine. At no point do the characters seem like actual people. Events happen because the plot needs them to, versus something happening organically. Everything is so implausible...I dunno. It's fine, but it reads just so fakey to me.

I haven't read any of Jasmine Guillory's other books, so I don't know how this one compares.

For me, 'By the Book' was just a very average book overall; I didn't love it and I didn't hate it. It was a perfectly fine, quick, easy read. I'm pretty sure this is marketed for an adult audience, but other than the age of the main characters, it came across as very YA (and pretty tame for YA, even; that's not necessarily a complaint, just a heads-up to other readers who might be expecting otherwise).

While I preferred the first book ('If the Shoe Fits') in this series, 'By the Book' was an adequate follow-up, and I look forward to reading the next one.

I love Jasmine Guillory's books, and this one was no exception. It made me want to hole up in a California hideaway with a handsome celebrity and write together. Loved the nods to Disney's Beauty and the Beast, and all of the publishing details that were too real. Can't wait to read more from this series and more from Jasmine Guillory!!

This is a reimagining/twist on the classic Beauty and the Beast story complete with a gruff leading man and forced proximity in an elaborate mansion. Izzy has her dream job working for a publisher and takes on the daunting task of getting Beau, the famous bad boy, to finish his memoir. Of course the two butt heads, then bond, then fall in love as Izzy uncovers the heart of gold buried beneath Beau’s rough shell. This is a fun read with minimal steam (compared to Guillory’s other books). I really enjoyed the story, grew to love the leading man, and really appreciated the Beauty and the Beast nods. This is a great modern fairy tale.

Thank you to Jasmine Guillory, Hyperion Avenue, and NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Isabelle is stuck in her dream job. Or what she thought was her dream job, until real life set in and her dream became the day to day drudgery of the publishing industry. Her boss is not encouraging, a promotion seems to be nowhere on the horizon and the book she is writing was not well-received by her coworker. When Izzy hears her boss complaining about Beau Towers, a celebrity who is most decidedly NOT finishing his memoir, Izzy offers to go to his house and talk to him. What happens next surprises everyone.

This was just what I needed after a few heavier books! Book 2 in the Meant to Be series, this is a modern retelling of Beauty and the Beast. I liked that this was a good love story, slow burn but the character development of Izzy and Beau was so well-done and fun to watch. This was really cute and refreshing to read. Definitely what I needed right now!

Thank you to NetGalley and Hyperion Avenue for providing me an advance e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

Available May 3, 2022

3.5 ⭐️

Would recommend if you like:
✅ Disney ✨
✅ Slow burn
✅ Forced proximity
✅ Grumpy / sunshine

I've been a big fan of Jasmine Guillory since reading The Wedding Date and this book did not disappoint. By The Book follows Izzy who is working in publishing and goes out to California for a conference and ends up working with Beau Towers, the infamous bad boy celebrity who has no interest in writing his memoir. I thought this book was very cute and loved the little touches that reminded me of Beauty and The Beast. The wifi password, a gorgeous library, and other little moments that bring out the story I know and love. Since reading Guillory's books I was expecting more spice (because there really wasn't any since it was a veryyyy slow burn). Overall, a very cute book that I would recommend to a young adult/teenager who's just starting to read romance.

Thank you to Net Galley and Hyperion Avenue for this advanced review copy in exchange for an honest review!

By the Book by Jasmine Guillory

I’ve enjoyed all the Jasmine Guillory novels I’ve read, so I was excited to get this one on @netgalley, it comes out on May 3rd!

This is different from her other novels, part of a new series that reimagines classic Disney movies as modern love stories. This one is Beauty and the Beast! Isabelle works for a publishing company that is trying to sell a memoir from a celebrity bad boy. Isabelle ends up dropping by his home to convince him to start writing but ends up staying with him to help him through the writing process.

The story was fun and I honestly really enjoyed the small nods to the movie and the quick banter of the characters. This was fun and cute but a little tame in my opinion. The Beast in the movie was a lot more interesting than Beau in this book. I just feel like it could have been better all around to keep my interest. But if you look at it like a cute YA story than it was still an entertaining read.

a modern retelling of Beauty and The Beast? sign me up! ✨

*Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book was really cute! How I didn’t realize this was a modern retelling of a classic fairytale before starting it, I’m not sure 😅

I kind of wanted this to be a little more unique of a plot line… a plot that would make me want to re-read this book. The first book in this series “If the Shoe Fits” is on my TBR and I’m curious to see how Cinderella is retold.

The chemistry for the characters wasn’t fully there for me and I felt like the details from the original Beauty and The Beast were glossed over. Yeah, we got a yellow dress, a big dramatic staircase entrance, Beau’s assistant being nicknamed Kettle, and Beau having the demeanor of a beast… but I wanted more! & despite Isabelle thinking parts of the house were taking to her (i.e. the bathtub), I wasn’t feeling those details very much.

I was a big fan of the ending & for Gavin getting what he deserved lol 🤣

If you’re a big fan of Beauty and The Beast you might LOVE this one, it just wasn’t for me and that is okay! I’m definitely looking forward to reading the other books in this series & think it is such a fun idea!

By the Book is the second in a new series that takes Disney movies and reimagines them as adult romances. As a huge Beauty and the Beast fan and a fan of Jasmine Guillory, I was really excited to read this. Isabelle is an editorial assistant who rashly volunteers to work with Beau Towers, a celebrity who is very late on turning in his highly anticipated memoir. Honestly, I'm really torn here. I liked a lot about this book- Isabelle is exactly the kind of character I love and expect from Guillory- smart, independent and a little sassy. I also loved how Isabelle delves into the writing process when working with Beau. However, the references to Beauty and the Beast were too on the nose and honestly felt out of place. The romance is tepid at best and Beau seemed pretty tame for a character who is supposedly a celebrity hot head. I'll definitely read more by her, but I think she needs to stick to her own plots. (3.5 stars rounded up for Goodreads)

This was a pretty cute romance! I can see a lot of reads really enjoying this one. Highly recommend for a book club.

A Beauty and the Beast retelling romance with a focus on writing and book publishing.

I enjoyed the nods and references to the story of Beauty and the Beast, but with modern twists - such as the WiFi password being Lum1ere!, and Beau's hired cook-and-assistant named Kettle.

By the Book had a cute, interesting plot of an editorial assistant basically moving in with a difficult author to help them write their memoir. I found a lot of the writing and interactions to be heavily saccharine. The interactions between Izzy and Beau were max-fluff, and thus it felt slightly juvenile and cringey to me at some points. This is a personal preference, however, and I do not view the book negatively because of this!

All in all, a cutesy romance.

I loved reading By the Book by Jasmine Guillory. It was a comfort read for me for sure, just like every one of Jasmine Guillory's books have been for me in the past. I read most of it in one sitting. Both main characters were relatable and I loved seeing their romance blossom throughout the book. The fact that the story was a reimagining of Beauty and the Beast only added for my love of this book. If you have loved Jasmine Guillory's books in the past or love a romance I would highly recommend checking it out.

I love the way that Jasmine Guillory hit so many notes of the original Beauty and the Beast story, but with a modern, smart twist. The cute little nods to the Disney classic kept me smiling throughout. I could really picture Beau's mansion and the beachy scenery surrounding it. I also loved the pseudo-magical moments sprinkled into Izzy's life in Beau's mansion. They reminded me of the magical objects and fantastical vibe of the original story.

One thing that I would have liked to see more of was Izzy's personality. I feel like we only learned about her through her job. If pressed, I couldn't really come up with adjectives to describe her personality outside of her work persona. I would have felt more invested in the love story between Izzy and Beau if I could have read more about Izzy's backstory and what she is looking for in a boyfriend. Some of the one-on-one scenes were repetitive and slow-moving, making me want to skim and get to more dynamic plot points.

Overall, I am really enjoying the Disney/Hyperion A Meant To Be novel series. They are fun escapes, and I love how each one is written by a different romance writing powerhouse.

Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for the gifted eARC in exchange for my honest feedback.

This is my first read of Jasmine Guillory, and she gave me everything I want in a rom-com: easily readable, adorable characters, some humor, an engrossing plot, and a beautiful setting. The book is a reimagined "Beauty and the Beast". Of course the book was pretty predictable, however the romance was fun and Isabelle's (Izzy) coaching of Beau to help him write his book kept me laughing. Love the name of the publishing house 'A Tale as Old as Time'! The beautiful home in Santa Barbara was a great setting with the gardens and orchard, and the beach.

Thanks to Hyperion Avenue through Netgalley for an advance copy. This book will be published on May 3, 2022.

Publication Date: May 3, 2022

(This is book #2 in the Meant to Be series)

A book about books and people writing books. Should be good right? Well to me this was meh. I’m a huge fan of Jasmine Guillory and have read all her previous books but this is my least favourite.
By the Book is a reimagined take on Beauty & The Beast. Isabelle (Izzy) tasks herself with the job of convincing a difficult author to complete his long overdue book. She takes herself to Beau Towers’ home in Santa Barbara and due to unforeseen circumstances finds herself somewhat stranded at his home. Izzy & Beau, though having very different personalities eventually find a way to work together to get his memoir completed and of course feelings develop between the two of them.
By The Book was a pleasant enough read and good escapism but it left me wanting more. Izzy and Priya’s relationship felt childish, more like teen-agers as opposed to young women in their 20’s with responsible full-time jobs.
Maybe if this was my first experience with Ms. Guillory’s writing I’d have enjoyed it more. The writing felt clunky, repetitive, and geared to a YA audience which might explain the lack of sex scenes. Ms. Guillory’s previous novels don’t hold back on the sex scenes…they’re hot and spicy! By the Book barely has salt & pepper. I also was disappointed with Izzy’s personality. She had so much passion and spark to handle Beau, but dealing with her co-worker and boss she showed no backbone.
Pleasant enough read but a disappointment from an author I’ve previously really enjoyed.

Thank you to NetGalley & Hyperion Avenue Publishing for the ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.

Loved this Beauty and the Beast retelling! Jasmine Guillory’s romances never disappoint, and I will definitely be recommending this one to patrons!

This is a cute premise with some fun characters who fell into standard archetypes. It just took forever for anything to happen. I liked it but I don't know if I will pick up another book from this series.

I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Beauty and the beast contemporary retelling, or rather inspiration.

This books has all the components for a cute romcom but something isn’t all the way there. Izzy is a people pleaser in the publishing industry that is ignoring her own book for the sake of her career and Beau is the typical brawny grumpy male that needs her to show him the way. The fact that it then centers around books and the publishing, editing process and located in California made it fun.

It’s cute their relationship is stilted at first and the romance blossoms. I read this for a feel good romcom and that’s exactly what it was.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for this early copy for review.

This was just the lighthearted read I was looking to escape with on my vacation. Izzy and Beau’s story is a sweet modern twist on Beauty and the Beast. Beau is a misunderstood tortured soul and Izzy is a well meaning people pleaser. So of course they don’t hit it off at first. The fact that this is centered around the writing process and publishing industry makes it that much more fun. And I loved the California setting complete with sunshine and surfing. Thank you to NetGalley and Hyperion for the opportunity to read this advance ebook copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Jasmine Guillory does it again.

I loved the story of Izzy and Beau. In this bookish romance, Izzy decides to track down the reclusive, famous writer who has not been answering her emails or following through on his contract to provide his memoir to the publishing house that Izzy works for. Despite his rude demeanor, he asks for the publisher to allow Izzy to stay and help him complete his memoir.

She moves into his house for a month to give him writing help and slowly they forge a friendship. While in CA, Izzy begins writing again herself and breathing free being out of the office and away from her coworker Gavin who seems to be constantly putting her down.

Izzy and Beau's friendship grows over time spent working on his book, having them both wonder if there is more to their relationship.