I really loved the first book in this series from Julie Murphy, and as a life-long fan of Beauty and the Beast had high hopes for this. Unfortunately By the Book did not deliver. This was mediocre at best and sadly wasn't a very enjoyable reading experience. In this rendition, Belle (or rather Isabelle) is a book editor and the Beast (Beau) is a difficult celebrity who is struggling to write a contracted memoir.

Full disclosure, Guillory has been hit and miss for me as a romance author. That said, I have loved a couple of her books so I was hoping this would be in that vein. Instead we got a super slow burn that spends too much time on writing craft to actually have the "burn" and a "Beast" who is incredibly bland and one dimensional. Not to mention nods to the original Disney film that were both too on the nose (like Isabelle working at Tale As Old As Time Publishing house) and missing the point entirely (like Gavin as a Gaston stand-in who is just kind of a basic jerk and isn't remotely like Gaston).

I liked the concept here, but the execution felt so surface level. I felt far more passion about the food descriptions (many!) than I did about the romance. Which is unfortunate. The books spends a LOT of time on the nitty gritty of how Isabelle helps Beau write the memoir. I probably have a higher tolerance for that than most readers and I still found it to be very overkill, boring, and detracting from what we are actually here for which is the romance.

None of the characters felt fully developed and there wasn't much romantic tension until very late in the book. Then towards the very end, Guillory makes this very odd choice that I can only imagine is try to retcon that tension into existence. Beau sends Isabelle a copy of this notebook where he had written his feelings and reactions to her in the first weeks they were together. Now if this had just been about the first day or two, fine. Cute. But it went ON and ON for pages! WHY wasn't this just put in as his perspective back when this whole sequence of things was actually happening? After it's all over doesn't really work and I don't understand that choice.

I might sound like I hated this and I really didn't . While reading most of the time it was just meh. Not particularly good, but not terrible aside from a couple of specific places. But taken as a whole, I found the book to be so very underwhelming. Which is a shame because the idea had potential and Julie Murphy's take on Cinderella was everything I ever wanted. I received an advance copy of this book for review via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

This is my first Jasmine Guillory novel. I love fairytale retellings and Beauty and the Beast is one of my faves. I enjoyed reading about writing and the publishing industry. I live in SoCal so the L.A. / Santa Barbara setting was fun to read about. Izzy and Beau had chemistry and I rooted for them to get together. The romance was very slow burn and the ending was sweet and satisfying. There wasn't as much conflict as I thought there was going to be and it was a bit slow at times. Overall, a fun, light-hearted read.

First let me say I haven’t been this excited to read a book I was gifted in so long. This is the second installment in the meant to be series (If the Shoe Fits is a favorite of mine) and I was so stocked to see I was given the opportunity to read it. Jasmine Guillory does a beautiful job of making her writing vivid without being so descriptive that you can’t let your imagine conjure up the characters in your head. And from the beginning of the book I had such a clear picture of the main characters I loved reading about them. (For anyone wondering I totally picture @colormecourtney as Isabelle and I totally hope someone else sees that and it's not just me)

Where I felt this book fell flat was in the main characters thought process. The whole book she underestimated herself which is not totally uncommon or unbelievable but when her decision making makes no sense to her it’s almost aggravating. She makes progress in admitting she wants to stay and then two paragraphs later she’s saying I can’t believe I did that I have no idea why. It’s so common for main characters to say no no I didn’t stay for the guy I stayed because of the career advantages this opportunity had for me. They are fooling themselves and we see through it clearly as the reader but where is logic. This main character makes a decision and instead of saying no I don’t have feelings I did it for the opportunity she says “What?! Why did I agree? Who do I think I am? Did a body snatcher come and take my place?!” (Paraphrasing but you know what I mean). It’s frustrating for the reader and makes you feel like not only is she not in tune with her feelings but she’s not in tune with herself at all.

That being said overall it is a sweet story with tons of Disney Easter eggs. Any fan of Disney will probably really enjoy this book. You might be wondering how a modern day retelling of Beauty and the Beast can work but it is fantastic. The romance is there the tense between the love interests keep you from being able to set the book down. It's a solid read and I definitely would recommend. Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this!

By the Book is a modern retelling of the fairytale, Beauty and the Beast. Izzy works in book publishing and loves to read. Beau is a troubled rich guy who has spent the last year in seclusion in his Santa Barbara, California mansion. Izzy ends up staying with him to help him get his memoir written. Perfect setup for Beauty and the Beast! The story is predictable, but very cute and fun to read.

Jasmine Guillory's books are like eating candy--sweet, satisfying, and impossible to put down. Published by Disney's imprint and part of the Meant to Be series, By the Book is a modern take on the classic fairytale Beauty & the Beast. I loved that the book was set in the publishing world, which felt perfect for a story featuring a book lover as a heroine. Isabelle is an overworked editorial assistant who is tasked with searching out a reclusive celebrity author who hasn't delivered pages for an overdue book deal. But when Isabelle arrives at Beau's Santa Barbara hideout, she realizes there's more to the story than she expected. This was a fun read if a little predictable. As is always the case with Jasmine Guillory's books, the characters were charming and the story engrossing. Sometimes with romance, plot points can get bogged down with overwrought emotion and motivation, and I liked that this book was straightforward and easily digestible. The perfect escapist read.

Isabelle "Izzy" Marlowe loves to read and leaves her bookstore job for her dream of working in publishing at Tale as Old as Time (TAOAT). Her job ends up being less than ideal and she hides her unhappiness behind a super sunny, upbeat mask. Her dream job is at publishing rival Maurice.

Izzy's hopes of promotion after two years seem bleak, which makes her daring. When her boss says they need a new tactic to deal with nonresponsive celebrity Beau Towers, she volunteers to visit his house in Santa Barbara to convince him to finally finish his memoir.

When Izzy offers to give Beau a pep talk to help his creative process, Beau accepts and says she can stay with him and give him daily encouragement. Izzy is floored but agrees to impress her boss and enjoy the warm Santa Barbara weather. As the memoir is written, Izzy and Beau feel their attraction intensifying.

By the Book is the second novel in the Meant to Be series, which are modern retellings of Disney fairytales. This novel is a reimagining of Beauty and the Beast and reading the first book in the series is not necessary to enjoy this one.

Belle and Beau literally both mean beauty, so here the beast is a super hot guy with a gruff and antagonistic demeanor. Izzy feels like she is imprisoned in a hostile environment while living with Beau at first, but she has her freedom and isn’t subject to Beau’s whims. Her parents are safe in New York City. Izzy’s job could also be considered a prison of sorts. Minus Stockholm syndrome and magical singing household items, the story didn’t feel much like a retelling of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast.

Recommended for romance fans who enjoy a diverse cast and the forced proximity trope.

Representation: African-American main character, Indian-American

Jasmine Guillory is the queen of cute romance. The main character works with books and gets stuck working with an unruly author. While this one isn't as wonderful as The Wedding Date, it fills the Guillory sized hole in my heart.

I love the forced proximity in this book! Such great character development and I could really connect with both main characters in this book.

Aspiring author and editorial assistant, Izzy is done with her job. Her once shiny love of books and authors has been almost entirely replaced by working life ennui and the unhappy knowledge that she's not getting a promotion again this year. However, a literary conference gives her an opportunity to escape the dull New York winter and find some sunshine in California, where she finds herself unexpectedly volunteering to make a house call to check on a reluctant celebrity author whose book is long overdue. However, Beau Towers is not exactly what she was expecting. The former celebrity playboy has become a recluse, hiding in his palace of a house with only his furniture and assistant for company. His good looks and fabulous house are diminished by his attitude and his ability to hurl insults exactly where they'll hurt the most. However, as she agrees to stay and help him write his book, she finds that maybe there's something there that wasn't there before within him and herself.

This book put the biggest smile on my face the whole time I was reading it. Jasmine Guillory is a fantastic author and the book just feels fun. For fans of the Disney film, there are hundreds of tiny little references to delight you. The characters are lively and full of depth, with believable conflicts and anxieties that mirror the story we all know without just rehashing it. A perfect book for taking to the beach with you or curling up in a window seat overlooking a rose garden (if you happen have that available)! This series continues to offer fun, fresh takes on favorite stories from some of my favorite authors, so I can't wait to see what's next.

BY THE BOOK
Author: Jasmine Guillory
Publisher: Hyperion Avenue
Pub Date: May 3, 2022

Rating: 4/5

Review:
By the Book is a modern Beauty and the Beast retelling and the second of the Meant to Be Series. This rom-com is a light read that will have you swooning for the cuteness of the relationship. Isabelle, our MC, works for a publishing company called "Tale as Old as Time" before she starts living with Beau after she's tasked with helping him write a memoir.

The book itself is very cute but doesn't stand out to me as one of the best I've read. It's definitely something to read if you're looking to get out of a stump and excited to read a book with a classic fairytale twist. It definitely feels Disney which makes sense coming from a Disney publisher. The characters have great chemistry and have good development throughout the story!

The review will be posted on @thelegalreads by April 15th, 2022. Thank you NetGalley and Hyperion Avenue for the free eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Jasmine Guillory's reimaging of Beauty and the Beast is perfect! This sweet rom-com will delight book lovers who enjoy Beauty and the Beast retellings and those who adore books about books.

I really enjoyed this romantic comedy fairy tale retelling! Jasmine Guillory's writing style perfectly matches the tone of the story. While nothing about the story felt particularly original. Beauty and the Best is the most commonly retold fairy tale, so it's hard for B&tB retellings to stand out. This story was cute, the romance developed at a really great pace, and the final romantic gesture was really swoon-worthy, but I never felt like I was reading something I hadn't read before. Overall, I still think people will enjoy this novel and I wouldn't discourage anyone from picking it up, but I will say it is probably exactly what you imagine when you hear "modern Beauty and the Beast retelling."

Jasmine Guillory took on the 2nd installment in the Meant to Be series. A different take on the classic story of Beauty & The Beast. Isabelle got her dream job at a publishing house just out of college. Fast forward a few years and she is overworked & underpaid (aren't we all). When she overhears her boss complaining about a "beastly" author, she takes the initiative to show up at his house and take him underhand. But Beau Towers isn't what she expected. This book plays out exactly like a Hallmark movie and is so sweet my teeth hurt when I finished. While this book was not for me, if you're into the Hallmark channel, this is the one for you.

By the Book by Jasmine Guillory is an adorable romcom & Beauty & the Beast retelling set in the modern world.
First of all, Isabelle works at Tale as Old as Time publishing?! So clever!
As I started reading this book, I started visualizing the story while simultaneously playing The Beauty & The Beast movie from 1991 in my head. The introduction of Isabelle cued the soundtrack to begin.
The anthropomorphizing of inanimate objects was a super clever nod to the original story.
Occasionally I struggled with the conversations not sounding natural to me. & they laughed a lot, which is a great thing, but it sounded a bit repetitive.
The romance is really cute & I enjoyed how the relationship progresses. I appreciate a good slowburn romance & this delivered as such. At times, I felt like this seemed more young adult than adult, but because this is a fairytale retelling I think that makes sense.
I’m happy that the look of princesses is changing & expanding to include more people because everybody deserves to feel like & be a princess & see themselves in fairytales. This book with a beautiful Black woman working in publishing is a step in the right direction.
If you’re looking for a more modern fairytale, I would definitely check out By the Book, which comes out May 3, 2022!

Massive thanks to NetGalley & Hyperion Avenue for giving me the opportunity to read an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Extra things I loved:
-Thanks to this book I learned of the existence of anthropomorphism & how it’s similar but different to personification. I love learning new things.

I was so delighted to get to read the second book in this series as an ARC, and I've read loads of Guillory's books before. This was subtle in comparison to many of her books, but it was sweet and fun and a joy to read. Especially as a Disney and Belle lover! I think this is not the best Beauty and the Beast retelling I've read, but it hits a really nice note where young adults will enjoy it (and it fades to black such that I'd almost be willing to hand it to one of my students) but it still had some pizazz for adult readers. Bonus points for the fantastic bookstore and library scenes, and some excellent sizzle between the beauty and her (misunderstood) beast. I can't wait to find out what the next book in the series is going to take on!

This is a good, solid 4-star book by Jasmine Guillory, an author I adore (I have read everything else she has written and love all of it)! I also read the first book in this new series, called "Meant to Be" - a series of modern day twists on classic fairy tales, and I loved it as well. Looking forward to more! They will all be written by different authors.

By the Book is a Beauty and the Beast re-telling, about Isabelle (Izzy) who works for a publishing company in New York, one of the few, young, black women in the job. She is a publisher's assistant, where she has been stuck in the position for a few years. On a business trip to a conference in California, she overhears her boss speaking to someone about a young, troublesome "childhood actor" and celebrity author they haven't been able to get a book draft out of and is way overdue on deadlines, and she volunteers to drive up to his home in Santa Barbara to personally check-in.

On arrival, she is turned away, but the clever "assistant" and housekeeper devises a plan to get her inside and to meet the "Beast", Beau Towers. Once he gets a look at her, things change, Izzy is able to give a few pep talks about how to write the book, and she figures she'll be back on the plane the next day. Except then Beau needs another week of pep talks. Which turns into a month, and so on and so forth. Together they talk over the book, he starts writing, needs her motivation and moral support, and she enjoys being out of the office and away from some not-so-nice coworkers. Everything goes through it's normal ups and downs of a typical romance (this one is closed door), twists and turns to get to the end, and without spoiling anything, it is a very, very satisfying ending at the publisher's in NYC!


The spin on the classic is that they are real people, no actual beast, but he can certainly behave like it. They learn each others habits, behaviours, and there are quirky little things thrown in to highlight the Beauty and the Beast angle, like him nicknaming his assistant "kettle" because she likes tea, talk of candlesticks, jokes about the ladder in the library, or not doing dishes because the house comes alive at night and does the housework (and one tiny little mention of "be my guest" at the start - loved that).


I definitely recommend this book to everybody who loves Fairy Tales, Beauty and the Beast, the first book in the series, Meant To Be (If the Shoe Fits by Julie Murphy, which I absolutely adored!), everything else written by Jasmine Guillory, and books about book lovers. It is truly fantastic!

I received an advance review copy from NetGalley and Hyperion Avenue, and this is my honest feedback. Thank you very much!

I am bound to love any Beauty and the Beast retelling. Especially one by Jasmine Guillory, in which our heroine works in publishing. I'm still swooning. By the Book strikes the perfect balance of homage and freshness. Cute little references to the Disney classic abound, while also reworking some common concerns of the source text. Instead of trapped by a curse, Beau is struggling to write a memoir due to some major unresolved feelings and grief. No Stockholm syndrome here! Izzy is always free to go, but stays both out of determination to prove herself as an editor and also out of belief in Beau.

I should also mention that I am an absolute sucker for enemies-to-lovers, especially ones with just enough aching yearning. And my goodness, does By the Book deliver. Guillory brings the perfect blend of longing, sexiness, and sweetness to this classic story, and gives the characters just the right balance of chemistry, vulnerability, and honesty. This book is my favorite Guillory romance to date. An absolute treat of a read.

I really loved this book. I just had to keep reading to see what happened next. The main characters Izzy and Beau were just fantastic. This is a story about Izzy who is assistant to Marta, the editor in a publishing house. They have a client Beau, who is having a hard time with his book. Izzy is at a conference in California along with Pryiah and Marta . Izzy is talking and Izzy hears and offers to drive to Santa Barbara and pay a visit to Beau. She goes there and he is upset about her coming but lets her in. She begins helping him with his book and thus this story takes off. A GREAT READ, I recommend it highly.

I love all Jasmine Guillermo books and this one is no different. The set up - beauty and the beast in Hollywood- is interesting. I also enjoyed the insights into the book world. Highly recommend to all the Disney princesses still looking for their prince.

I liked this book, but I didn't love it. I've read many of Guillory's other works and really loved them, but for some reason, this one didn't really hit me in the same way. Maybe it was the retelling of another story aspect, rather than being an original idea. It was a quick read, and I did like the ways that Guillory changed some plot points from Beauty and the Beast to make it the same general story, but enough different that you didn't totally feel like you were reading the fairy tale or watching the Disney movie. Despite not loving it, this is still something I'd probably recommend to a friend looking for something light and easy for a vacation or pool read.