I am such a fan of both Jasmine Guillory and Beauty and the Beast retellings so when I read the description of this book I was so ecstatic.

Izzy has so much optimism when she begins her journey working in publishing. Honestly, I wasn’t sure how much I was going to be able to connect with Izzy’s character initially. However, after being in the same job for some time she begins to feel jaded by the publishing world and I found myself immediately feeling for Izzy and what she was going through. I was cheering her on as she took initiative with her boss by trying to get Beau to deliver on his manuscript that is way past its deadline.

Then she meets Beau and realizes things aren’t going to be as easy as she hoped, particularly given his less than hospitable reception. I loved the relationship between Izzy and Beau. They were well matched and gave each other a bit of a challenge, which I adored. I also couldn’t get enough of the friendship between Izzy and Priya. The pacing of the book was great and it was one that I didn’t want to put down.

What a fun addition to Jasmine Guillory's romance collection! This is a perfect romance for anyone who self identifies as a Disney adult. The will they won't they force proximity of Beau and Izzy's relationship was tantalizing and had me wanting to read further faster! Make sure to add this fun Beauty and the Beast retelling to your must read list.

This is supposed to be a Beauty and the Beast retelling, sign me up! I will say, that a lot of the ties to Beauty and the Beast were lame. Like calling the hired help “Kettle,” the yellow sundress coming down the stairs (sounds more like a danger with it trailing behind her), the feeling of the furniture being magical and giving you hugs. Lame. Anyways. This was a little slow for me. I didn’t quite feel the chemistry between the characters. If I am being completely honest, Izzy got on my nerves a little. I feel like she didn’t grow in the book near as much as Beau did. I did enjoy the general plot, with her helping Beau write his book. Overall, I liked the book and I am glad I read it. It just wasn’t my favorite from Jasmine Guillory.

Bottom Line: If you are a Guillory fan or a fairytale retelling fan, read it. I did enjoy it, it just wasn’t my favorite from this author.

**I received a copy of By the Book from NETGALLEY in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are of my own.**

Jamine Guillory never disappoints! I was utterly charmed by this installment of the Meant to Be series, and especially loved that it was set in the world of publishing.

First of all, I love how expertly Guillory weaves in the racial dynamics of the publishing industry, which unfortunately is an industry where people of color are incredibly under represented. While the love story is certainly the main focus of this book, I just loved that this was an aspect of the book because it's really something that the publishing world needs to work on.

Ok, not on to the love story between Izzy and Beau. Whew! Hot hot hot. Even though this book lacks the steaminess of Guillory's other works, the chemistry between these two just leapt off the page. Sometimes I felt the dialogue was a little unrealistic or forced but those moments were rare. For the most part, I just wanted all good things for Izzy and Beau (and Priya, my best friend. All of our best friend).

This one also has a great audiobook, which I definitely recommend.

As a retelling of Beauty and the Beast, this wonderful story combined some of my favourite things. Fairytales and books.

Izzy works as an editorial assitant and is getting tired of her day-to-day life. With luck on her side, she managed to end up working with a handsome Beau, a potential author for her boss. Cue the cute scenes of them getting to know each other and falling in love over writing a book.

This book was so relatable - from understanding the feeling Izzy has with burnout to just finding happiness in the strangest of places. I enjoyed each second I was able to read this book and it just makes me love Jasmine Guillory more

<i>Thanks to NetGalley and Hyperion Avenue, I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Guillory does it again! Izzy (our Belle protagonist) is both herself and easily recognizable as her literary counterpart. I always love Guillory's novels for balancing the sweet with the real, and for dealing with difficult emotions while also being just a joy to read. I would have loved just a smidge more chemistry between Izzy and Beau, but that starts to come together towards the end.

As a bookish person and a lover of the original BatB, I highly recommend this adaptation!

A fun modern take on Beauty and the Beast, with lots of fun details tucked into small moments. It’s easy to cheer for our heroine as she works her magic on Beau the beast.

This was the first modern day Beauty and the Beast retelling that I've read about in the romance genre with no fantasy elements. I was hoping there would be more romance and less focus on the actual "publishing world". I did however like the main female character Izzy. She would be someone I feel like I could sit down and have a great conversation with about all the bookish things. Thank you for allowing me to read and review an early copy.

This was my first Jasmine Guillory book and it will not be the last. This rom-com is so fun you'll want to read and reread again. I know I will!!!

Modern day beauty and the beast.

I will say this started off slow for me. The writing was very YA, the character of Isabelle came off very young and immature and the writing style reflected that. The writing, and the character, got better for me throughout the book. Both characters had weird flaws, like how they dealt with arguments, that was just silly, but overall the modern day twist worked for me. Overtly cheesy and just the right kind of fairy tale story.

By the Book was very cute, but didn’t quite meet my expectations. I’m a huge fan of Jasmine Guillory and loved the first book in the Meant to Be series (If the Shoe Fits by Julie Murphy), so I had high hopes for this book. My biggest critique would be that the pacing felt too slow and drawn out. There were several times where I thought I was nearly the end of the book, but checked my progress on my Kindle and saw that I was less than 50% done. Similarly, while the “will they, won’t they” aspects of Izzy and Beau’s budding relationship were cute, it got a little tedious and repetitive over time.

Overall, I’d recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a light, tween-friendly romance. This book is a lot less steamy than some of Guillory’s others, which could be a bonus for younger readers.

Isabelle is an editor’s assistant in NYC who travels to Santa Barbara, CA, to nudge a celebrity, Beau, to finish his memoir. The two develop a cozy but predictable working relationship that evolves into a romance. I enjoyed the first two-thirds better than the ending. This is a light beach read. I thank NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC.

I wanted to love this one, but I didn't. It was an okay read for me. I was first intrigued by the title, and I am a huge Guillory fan, so I just had to read it, but when I saw it was a retelling... I was so happy. Unfortunately, that's the part of the book that was most disappointing for me. I didn't feel like this was a retelling. It was a good story, and I would still recommend it, but if you only want to read it because you think it's a retelling, I would skip it.

By the Book is a modern-day reimaging of Beauty and the Beast following Isabelle, who works at a publishing company that has always been her dream. Several years later and no farther in her career she is thinking of making a big change when the opportunity strikes but she has her work cut out for her trying to get Beau Towers to make good on his promise and book deal, but she might be over her head.
This story was cute, I liked the book and publishing setting. It was definitely a slow-paced development between the characters, it did not have the tension, longing, or missed glance in this story that I was looking for in the build-up of a romantic relationship. It was getting to the point of mutual friendship feeling more than anything. That being said I liked that slow build-up for them, however, I wanted more implications of a love relationship happening. You could see the elements in this story similar to Beauty and the Beast, but not overdone. The character that was representing the villain was pushed off to the side a bit and was really only a small part, I wanted them more in the forefront, adding dramatic and heart-racing moments then it had. That being said, I still found it cute. I liked the writing style. Both characters were likable, and I enjoyed their story, but I did not find this book memorable or attention-grabbing, it was ok for me.
I received this advanced ebook, via Netgalley. This review is my own honest opinion.

Thank you to NetGalley, Hyperion Avenue and Jasmine Guillory for the free e-book in exchange for an honest review.

I didn’t know this was kind of a beauty and the beast retelling because I’ll read anything a Guillory writes! Although, I think going in blind helped! I loved both characters and I have a soft spot for those grumpy characters. Plus, I love a book about well books! I’d definitely recommend if you enjoy Guillory’s writing!

I am loving this series and cannot wait to see what comes next.

<i>Barely even friends, then somebody bends, unexpectedly.</i> In this modern Beauty and the Beast retelling, editorial assistant Isabelle is at the end of her rope. Her superiors at work do not respect her, she is overworked and underpaid. When an opportunity arises for her to prove herself to her boss, Izzy jumps at the chance. All she has to do is go visit infamous star Beau Towers and see why he has yet to deliver his manuscript, which has been over two years in the making. As the two get to know each other, Izzy begins to see through his beast-like exterior.

I wanted to return to this world for days after I finished the book. It was so well written and comforting— familiar, but in a new way. These characters were so lovable. All the subtle (and not so subtle) references were so fun to see.

I'm absolutely obsessed with this book!! Every single Jasmine Guillory book is pure perfection and this is no exception! I empathized with Beau and Izzy and was so happy when they decided to actually communicate their feelings and by the end of this book I was smiling so wide for the last 30 pages. Such a great, feel-good story!

I loved this book! From the beginning I was completely sucked in by Isabella and beau's dynamics. Their banter and enemy to lover relationship was written beautifully. I definitely got all the beauty and the beast vibes, just with a modern twist. The ending was perfect but of course left me wanting more(but that's a ME problem).

I am sorry to say that this book was not a good fit for me. While I can see that it may be a suitable selection for many people, I was not swayed by either the characters or the connection to Beauty and the Beast. Unfortunately, this was a DNF for me.

I was really excited for a new Jasmine Guillory novel, so I didn’t fully read the description and was disappointed it wasn’t part of the Wedding Date series. This one definitely didn’t compare to her other romance novels. I felt like something was missing, the characters were pretty bland, especially Beau, and there was almost zero sexual/romantic tension between the two intended love interests. The best part of the book came right at the end, the writing from Beau. This should have been sprinkled throughout the book, I think it would have built more interest. It was a cute idea to have it be a modern day retelling of beauty and the beast, but it felt like the references were pretty forced. Overall, I will look forward to future books from Guillory, but this one was a miss for me.