An interesting retelling of Beauty and the Beast.
I liked the way Beauty was shown, but I didn't like the short chapters and the switching back and forth in time.

A YA retelling of Beauty and the Beast, not overly original, taking the same ingredients, the same settings, but adding chatterbox features to Belle. I did not really enjoy the main character and had just hoped for more new-ness in the story. The writing was good, but I can't help feeling a little disappointed, there is just too many good takes on the Beauty and the Beast out there for this one to stand out.

Beauty Reborn is a beautiful, poignant, and bittersweet retelling of the classic Beauty and the Beast. Whether you're a fan of the classic or the Disney movie versions, you will be happy with this version.
There are definite differences that make this version new. Many elements of philosophy-- what determines who or what is beauty and what makes one a beast?-- are explored in the plot. Very integral to this story is Beauty finding her strength to stand up for herself in a very important way.
The story flows well and is a real page turner. Highly recommend!

Beauty and the Beast is my favorite faitlry tale and I love retellings. This one was amazing.

The characters were well written. They had a depth that came off the page. They could have been real people. The story flowed and the jump between the past and the present was flawless.

She took the fairy tale as we knew it and add to it and it enhanced the story.

The downsides were while I liked Beauty's character, she came off stiff. The way she did something or said something at times were hard to believe. I also think there could have been more to the story. More interactions between Beauty and Beast. It felt like a chunk of the story was missing.
Stephen's character didn't really add to the book, except for what he did to Beauty. You could have taken him out and it would not have made a difference.

Overall, beautifully written and would recommend. I hope to see more from this author.

Thank you to Netgalley for allowing me a chance to read and review this book. This review is entirely my own.

*Trigger warning, discusses sexual assault.

This book overall was really well written. This was the first book I read by Elizabeth Lowham, and I enjoyed her writing. It very much had the fairytale feeling that you want in a "Beauty and the Beast" retelling. I thought the characters were well done and I enjoyed reading a new take on this story.

The story does have some heavy parts though. The book does discuss Beauty's sexual assault by Stephan (the Gaston character of the book). I do think this topic is important, and so I appreciated that it was discussed but it does definitely make the story heavier. Beauty does struggle with trauma and is rightfully deeply distrustful, so that adds to the heaviness.

Overall, the details are thankfully very vague on the actual assault other than a basic sentence saying it occurred. The story mostly focuses on the emotional aftermath of it In all, for anyone who has experienced sexual assault, I feel it's important to know that this topic is cover before making the decision to read.

This novel, "Beauty Reborn", was a fascinating retelling of Beauty and the Beast and I am here for it! Great read.

This is a retelling of beauty and the beast. Very similar to the original tale but also has some twists and turns. I loved that Beauty still loved books and the beast got a different story for why he was a beast. I liked their tender relationship and how it developed. If you like retellings I would recommend.

At first I wasn’t sure if I would like this rendition. But in the first chapter the author sticks to the orginal not Disney style of this lore and I knew it was gonna be good.the author adds enough differents to the story to make it unique and wondering what’s going to happen next.. I loved the way the characters relationships progressed through the story..
It’s an easy read and perfect for anyone who loves Beauty and the Beast.

I just finished Beauty Reborn and my mind and heart are bursting with praise. This was beautiful. I loved the imagery and the writing style. “Then I took the staircase to my room and played my violin until I was certain the grooves in my fingertips would never fill again.” There were details like this throughout the story that really added to it. I get like I was there. It’s been awhile since I’ve been so attached to a character. I felt that Beauty was so well developed and I really cared about her sorrows and phantoms. There were triggers for sure in this story. I know victims of sexual abuse and I felt that this story really told their story. That the author really understands and beautifully told the reality of that situation. It gave me hope for my dear friends in this situation. That God can make Beauty from ashes. This is a unique take on this fairy tale and I think it absolutely adds to the fairy tale. This wasn’t a stockholm syndrome story nor was it a happy ever after Beauty is now a princess story. I liked how the wish from a fairy taught a valuable lesson about being human and the importance of living with lessons learned instead of regrets.
This book was clean. Some mild kissing and alluded to sexual assault. (Was not described in detail at all) There are several instances where different situations cause Beauty to have moments of trauma/ remember what happened to her but it’s also vague.
I absolutely recommend this book and I absolutely would read it again. I’ll definitely be purchasing a print copy for my personal collection.

I'm so captivated with this Beauty and the Beast retelling!
(Mind you, this isn't a fanciful, Disney retelling!)
In this version, our Beauty flees to the Beast's castle to escape an abusive suitor.

I loved the wit between Beauty and the Beast. The way that things slowly unfolded in their relationship.
This story is fast paced, and made reading it quick!

If you're a fan of fairytales and retelling you'll enjoy this one!

Rounding up from 4.5

I will be honest, I love fairy tale retellings. And Beauty and the Beast is one of my favorites. This one hit the ball out of the park.

Beauty has been a used by a man, a man she once loved. Her family has fallen on hard times and has moved to the country. Life is hard, and soon her father comes back with a rose and a tale. Beauty chooses to run from her family and her pain.

Beast has his own story, not a prince gone bad, but a humble man making bad choices and wishes.

I loved the relationship these two built, the trust that grew, the opening of hearts and honesty that developed. I loved watching them both heal from their past. I cheered for their ability to change their past into a new future. Well done!

I just reviewed Beauty Reborn by Elizabeth Lowham. #BeautyReborn #NetGalley

I tried to give this book a chance, it's just not my kind of book.

There are some things I liked about this book and others I definitely didn't. I really appreciated the few new twists on an old and beloved fairy tale with differing motivations behind what many of the characters did. I did not, however, like how closely this follows the tale of Beauty and the Beast. I prefer my retellings to be more "inspired by" the original. The author's writing style is easy to read and flows well, which allowed this to be a very quick read for me. I enjoyed this book but feel like it may be missing something. I like how it focuses on healing and grief as Beauty deals with the tragedy she's been through. I do wish we could get more personality from Beast and the epilogue is too long.

*TW: rape (not graphic or specific)

Thank you to Netgalley and Shadow Mountain for my complimentary copy of this book. All opinions here are my own.

"It’s true what the folktale says: I did choose to live with the beast. But not for the reason you think. Not to save my father. Not even to save myself. In truth, I was hoping I’d be eaten"

Wow I was captivated by the first paragraph. As a fan of Beauty and The Beast I was excited to read this!

The story has different backgrounds for the characters and doesn't follow the original, it made the story unique and darker. The start of the story was a fast paced one, I actually got confused at first because of the back and forth narrative and the transition felt a bit rough. But after I got the hang of it I could follow the pattern.

It was unfortunate that this story had a short climax where it started around 90%. It was too rushed. I also felt unsatisfied with Astra' and Stephan' endings. Their endings were abruptly ended, I don't think they got what they deserved after everything they've done.

Have I mentioned that the interactions between Beauty and The Beast are the cutest?! Love them and their developments!

To those who enjoy Beauty and The Beast retellings, this book might just for you!

Thank you NetGalley and Shadow Mountain Publishing for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

TW: SA

Beauty Reborn is a retelling of Beauty and the Beast with both similar and unique twists to the original tale. It’s a decent length—not too long but not too short—and each chapter wasn’t that long either, so I was able to get through this book pretty fast (plus, it helps being a very fast reader 😉).

I’m giving this book 4 stars for two reasons, one positive and the other constructive criticism. So let’s start with the positive.

There were some scenes in the story that I really liked between Beauty and Beast. Some that were tender and pure and touching. And I liked that how, while this story shared some similarities—Beauty’s love for books, their slow enemies-to-lovers trope, etc.—there were unique elements, such as Beauty’s fear of relationships because of past trauma, which the author handled very well. How Beast treated and cared for Beauty and was so respectful of boundaries after what she’d gone through was so touching.

And now the constructive criticism….

The beginning of the story was much too fast paced and not enough space of the book was devoted to setting up the story and establishing a solid beginning plot. Also, the climaxes of the story fell short for me and definitely left me wanting more. The rest of the book was fine, but definitely the pivotal scenes in the book were a tad disappointing to me.

However, all that to say, the author has a lovely writing style and I’m glad to have read this book!

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for an eARC of Beauty Reborn. A positive review was not required, only my honest opinion. All thoughts are expressly my own.

I love Beauty and the Beast, so I was excited to read this re-telling. In this story, Beauty runs toward Beast rather than away. Why?

For me, this book was more about Beauty’s growth and healing than the romance (and I’m ok with that). I liked watching the process as she remembered and tried to work through her past. The romance was slow-burn and sweet, and I love the way they forged their connection. This was an enjoyable read, and I look forward to more from this author.

TW: rape - not detailed

Thank you Netgalley for the e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

As a big fan of Beauty and the Beast, I knew this was a book I had to read.

It was well written and drew me in straight away. Not a version of the story I had ever come across before. Thoroughly enjoyable.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions expressed are my own

I’m a fan of fairy tail retellings, and the last time I read a Beauty and the Beast retelling I loved, it was Beauty, by Robin McKinley. Beauty Reborn delves into healing after SA. Beauty, the FMC, would rather go in her father’s place and risk a beast in a castle than the beast of a man she knows back home.

I enjoyed this retelling, and Beauty’s voice, especially as it touches on topics of healing and trauma, family vs obligations.

Beauty Reborn is a fairytale retelling full of self discovery, healing and self-examination. Beauty goes through some tragic things and in her journey to heal herself she saves the Beast as well. This book went quite a bit deeper than I was expecting. It deals with some intense topics and is not meant for the faint-hearted. That being said, it is written very well. The character development is spot on and the redeeming arc is so satisfying at the end.

I went into this hoping to enjoy it because I do love Beauty and the Beast and I even love retellings of my favourite Disney movie.

However, I did not enjoy this book. It was just dull. I’m sorry I don’t want to be mean, but I continued reading hoping that the ending would make up for it. Even that was lacking in excitement and conflict.