By The Book by Jasmine Guillory is a Beauty and the Beast retelling that features Izzy, an editorial assistant, and Beau Towers, a grumpy, isolated, celebrity who is late on his memoir. Izzy is tasked with helping him produce a manuscript and ends up moving into his home to provide daily pep talks. While there she discovers a variety of things:
1) it does in fact rain in California,
2) the world’s greatest snack cabinet, and
3) people will surprise you if given the chance.

⭐⭐⭐⭐ of five stars

Izzy in particular was an extremely relatable character who landed her dream job as an editorial assistant, only to realize that it wasn’t everything she hoped it would be. As Izzy spends her days stuck in a house with Beau Towers attempting to give him daily pep talks to get him started on his book, she begins to rediscover her own passion for writing and realizes that she has placed too much stock in the opinions of those who would seek to keep her down. As she resets in this Santa Barbara dream home she evaluates her career and life choices while building a connection with Beau.

A bit of a spoiler, so if you’re not interested stop reading, but the relationship that develops between Izzy and Beau is so cute! The whole thing is expected from the moment the book begins and yet getting to see these two learn to be vulnerable with each other was beautiful. The ending of this book, when Beau mails Izzy his writer’s notebook was *chef’s kiss* perfection.

Overall, one of my biggest dislikes about this book actually turned out to be the Beauty and the Beast references. Some of them were well-executed and felt appropriate, but some of them were a bit too heavy-handed for me, like calling Beau’s assistant, “Kettle” as a nickname, but then ditching it so that it only happened a couple of times. A bit more consistency and a lighter hand would have truly brought this to life in my opinion.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC of this audiobook!

I really enjoyed this audiobook. The narrator was not my favorite, but I did overall enjoy the story. I can't believe I missed the first one in the series- I will def be going back to read that one ASAP. I loved the slight nod towards the original Beauty and the Beast, but like how you read it without knowing the original and it will still make sense.

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced preview of this book. I loved this book and cannot wait to purchase a copy for my library. If you are a fan of the cartoon and live action versions of Disney's Beauty and the Beast, you will enjoy this book.

This book is a fairy tale in the making. Girl meets boy, girl hates boy, girl falls for boy. I love that she is in publishing and the way she talks about books is how all of us feels about them. I especially loved the first library scene, it made me think of Beauty and the Beast.

I adore Jasmine Guillory’s books and retellings; however, this one fell short. In this retelling, Belle was Isabelle, a new book editor, and the Beast is Beau, a celebrity with a bad reputation.

The overall premise was perfect for a Beauty and the Beast retelling; it just didn’t go far. A book editor heads to a book convention, and then tries to help a struggling writer find inspiration for their memoir, which is past the deadline. The story was just superficial, nothing was fully developed, and the romance was very Hallmark like.

Thank you to Disney Audiobooks, Hyperion Avenue, and NetGalley for an advanced listening copy of this audiobook.

By the Book is the second installment in a new series of fairytale retellings. This one is inspired by Beauty and the Beast. Isabelle is a recent college graduate working in her first job at a publishing company. She's been at it for a few years and is disappointed that she's not farther along in her career path. Izzy has been struggling to get actor Beau Towers to commit to writing his memoir. While in Santa Barbara for a work event, she decides to take matters into her own hands and pays Beau a visit to find out just what the hang-up is. While this story is definitely reminiscent of Beauty and the Beast, it's lacking in the magical elements and I really wanted that! I still found the story charming and enjoyable but it was a like for me instead of a love.

Looking for a nice, light read for by the pool or at the beach this summer? Check out By the Book, by Jasmine Guillory.
Izzy works in publishing, but has been stuck in her assistant job for far too long, so jumps at the chance to contact reclusive California “bad boy” author Beau to try to get him going on his long overdue book. Izzy ends up staying with Beau in his California mansion and working with him every day to get the book written.
What could be more fun than a book about books, writers, and the writing process … in sunny California and with a slow brewing romance to boot? I found By the Book to be heartwarming, engaging, and just plain fun – I mean really, who hasn’t always wanted an entire cabinet always stocked with snacks??
The book is actually a reimagining of Beauty and the Beast, and is second in the “Meant to Be” series. The publishing company Izzy works for is called Tale as Old as Time, or TAOAT, and every time it was mentioned I found myself humming the tune, and the housekeeper’s nickname is Kettle … oh, and every once in a while Izzy catches herself speaking to inanimate objects! If you like By the Book, check out the first in the series also, “If the Shoe Fits”, by Julie Murphy. Apparently there will be more to come in this series as well.

This book fell a little flat for me. I get that it is based on Beauty and the Beast, but there were elements that were just too contrived for me. The chemistry between the main characters was non existent for so much of the story because he literally does not talk about anything to do with himself. When he does talk he is outrageously hurtful. Ultimately Izzy is in love with the house and lifestyle.

This author quickly became one of my favorites and I jumped at the chance to listen to this one. The Story was amazing. The Writing top notch and the narrator was very pleasant and well read.

"By the Book" is a contemporary rom-com retelling of Beauty and the Beast. It is cute, light, and fun. A perfect book for readers who want a romance novel without the sexy scenes - something that can be hard to come by! I did find that this book struggled with being a Beauty and the Beast retelling. It is a tricky fairytale to adapt to a contemporary read without any elements of fantasy as magic is such a central component in the original. The attempts to make connections to the source material felt forced and took away from the overall plot (so many mentions of how Isabelle felt like she was talking to the furniture). Overall, I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a nice summer read.

I loved this one more than I expected! The dreamy descriptions of Santa Barbara contrasted with the cutthroat publishing world created a dynamic plot. The slow burn romance was surprisingly satisfying and I’m a sucker for a confessional journal reveal. I loved it!

By the Book: by Jasmine Guillory was the first book I have read by this author and I will definitely be reading more!

Isabelle (known as Izzy) works for the “Tell as Old as Time” Publishing Company as an aspiring editorial assistant. Despite her best efforts, she has been there for two years with no promotion in sight. Her boss, Marta, presents an opportunity for Izzy to again show her worth as an employee by dealing with a very stubborn author. This author has not turned in a manuscript for his memoir, even though he is far past the deadline. Izzy volunteers to go to his California mansion after an event to see if she can persuade him to turn in his manuscript.

Upon meeting the author it is apparent that this book has the vibes of two popular tropes; enemies-to-lovers and sunshine/grump. Beau is brooding and likes to be alone. He might be a bigger challenge than Izzy first thought, but she is persistent! As they spend more time together, they begin to realize that they both have their own baggage from the past. They soon connect easily and form a genuine friendship. Their attraction grows as their time together grows short.

This story is sweet and has fun fairytale references thrown in at the perfect moment. The character development was significant for both of the MC’s. I loved how they were quickly able to resolve problems and miscommunications weren’t dragged out.

This book felt a little slow at times most likely due to the extra slow-burn progression of the romance. Overall the author did a splendid job of retelling and adapting this classic fairytale into the modern world. This was a love story that contained diversity, inequality in the workspace, and mansplaining.

I would give this book 4 stars and is a perfect read for someone in the mood for a sweet slow-burn romance.

Special thanks to NetGalley and Hyperion Avenue for sharing this audiobook digital reviewer copy with me in exchange for my honest thoughts.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a cute Beauty and the Beast retelling written by one of my favorite authors. This book was easy for me to get into and it read quickly. I am an absolute sucker for books about people who love books and stories about people who dedicated their lives to telling them. Izzy and Beau were lovable, even when they were not supposed to be lovable. I found myself wrapped up in what happens next! As with all JG books, the food was on point. Loved! Fab!

Where I ran into some issues was with the pacing of the story. Things seemed to happen quickly, and then not at all. Maybe this was due to the formatting in which I received the novel, but it interrupted the experience. One thing I love about Jasmine's books is the rich way in which she writes her details, and I felt that was lacking in this book.

Overall, I enjoyed and would recommend to those who like a cute, low steam, Beauty and the Beast retelling!

3.5/5

This second novel in the Meant to Be series of Disney reimaginings brings a fun, sweet take on Beauty and the Beast. Guillory does a wonderful job of crafting extremely likeable main characters and a romance that blooms from hate to love with the backdrop of the publishing industry. The narrator was pleasant to listen to and conveyed the characters' emotions well.

I loved this book. It was a good second book in the series even though you don't need to read them in order. I really enjoyed the romance between the characters.

If you are a fan of Jasmine Guillory's previous novels I think this will be very enjoyable but unfortunately for me it was just a little too sweet for my taste. Considering it is a beauty and the beast retelling, there was very little beast like attitude or anger and almost no conflict. Much like in the Proposal, the two main characters get along very quickly and are bringing each other food and refilling each other's wine before you know it. I'm fully aware this is a personal choice, but for me this story way too sweet and too kitschy. Romcom novels tend to be a little cheesy by nature but this was so soapy and conflicted free it started to get boring very quickly.

I wish the beauty and the beast dynamic had been played up in a more interesting way instead of just joking about how the dishes weren't going to be magically washed by themselves. I found neither character to be particularly compelling in a way that made me want to keep going with the story and it started to feel like a bit of a chore.

🌟🌟🌟🌟 @jasminepics and her rom books are always a win. I don’t think it was a new story of any sorts but I still loved it. The formula works for her!

This is the second book in the Meant to Be series. The first being a Cinderella retelling. This is a great series to read if you are a Disney fan like me. I really like the way they are taking the fairytales and retelling them from a contemporary standpoint but if are like me you will also appreciate the small hints of magic in the Meant to Be series.

This book was just what I needed in a romance novel. It was super cute and sweet, I appreciated this retelling of beauty and the beast in the enemy to lover troupe. I also appreciated the insights that are given about working in a publisher house. I thought that was really interesting. The subtle hints of diversity or the lack of in the publishing industry were also nice.

Beauty and theBeast is by far my favorite Disney Princess story, mostly because of Belle's love of books. I loved this loose retelling of that story. Isabelle is a wonderful main character and I enjoyed her contrast to Beau. I loved their relationship and how it progressed (even if I had a few negative thoughts about things they did). I was rooting for them the whole time. This was my first book by Guillory and I really enjoyed it. The narrator was wonderful and I really enjoyed the audiobook version.

By the Book is a wonderful re-imagining of the classic story of Beauty and the Beast. I absolutely adored Isabelle, Izzy who was of course our belle. Her personality and energy throughout the book definitely gave me new age belle. Her love of books, her heart for career, and her interactions around her really endeared her to me. Beau Towers as our "beast" was so great too. I love their interactions and enjoyed going on this adventure with them in writing and romance. The book's romantic pacing was wonderfully done and not too rush at least for my taste. Beau and Izzy just seemed meant to be! Also the narrations for this book was so good it really helped me immerse into the world of the author. All in all, I think this book is a perfect treat for those who love Beauty and the Beast will thoroughly appreciate and enjoy By the Book. Thank you Disney Audiobooks and NetGalley for the chance to enjoy this advance reader's copy of the audiobook.