eARC received via NetGalley in exchange for honest review.

Such a quick read, in fact I read it in just a few hours. I’d previously read the first instalment in the ‘Once Upon A Con’ series a while ago but missed the second. I don’t think that fact actually made any difference to my enjoyment. The characters were connected but the stories not linked so they could definitely be read as stand alone novels.

As the name suggests, it’s a retelling of Beauty and the Beast? Honestly I didn’t really get that many BATB vibes which was slightly disappointing. Personally I love a good villain but in this case I’d argue Vance was more misunderstood than a villain or a ‘beast’ if you will. I think this is probably my only criticism, I’d definitely liked to a seen more made of the retelling angle. But still, I enjoyed it! I thought it was cute, it was cheesy and it was full of cliches. And with a budding romance over a book AND set in a library! has got to be every bookworms romantic dreams made true right?

As with the previous instalment the geekiness continued. The comic con thing was only part of the introduction which I was okay with. But the Fangirl and Last Airbender references!! That certainly made my nerdy heart flutter.

I have no doubt if you enjoyed the previous books then you’ll love this one too! I hugely recommend for a quick, easy contemporary YA read.

Even though I didn't enjoy my reading experience with the second book, The Princess and the Fangirl, book 2 in the Once Upon a Con series by Ashley Poston, I still was very much looking forward to reading Bookish and the Beast. Sadly, the story was a bit up and down for me. When scenes doesn't feel realistic or logical, it's distracting. That happened a few times, but not enough to DNF. I finished the book and I did enjoy it, but feel a little let down because it could have been so much better.

Bookish and the Beast is a fun fluffy read, and anyone looking for something light and quick will most likely enjoy it.

I should say before I give my full review - this is the first book in the Once Upon a Con series I read. While Bookish and the Beast can be read as a standalone, I feel like if I were familiar with some of the characters, I probably would have been more excited. I just really wanted to like this more than I did. At times the writing felt choppy and disjointed. There were also a few parts where it felt like the author forgot what happened on the page before and it got a little confusing. I also took issue with Vance. I was hoping that in his chapters we would get to see a bit of his true self, but wow, he was hard to like, and by the time we were supposed to, it might've been too late.

Writing aside, fans of beauty and the beast retellings will enjoy it enough. I would recommend reading the rest of the series first, but I know that there are many students who will enjoy this one very much.

I really enjoyed reading this, will be interested to see what the pictures look like when released in print. I'm a massive fan of fairytale retellings and this one didn't disappoint, I liked the nods to other books and the Disney version in this but wasn't sure on the Amara scenes throughout as they didn't really add to the story in my opinion and I found myself skipping over them.

DESCRIPTION:(From Netgalley)



A tale as old as time is made new in Ashley Poston's fresh, geeky retelling of Beauty and the Beast.

Rosie Thorne is feeling stuck—on her college application essays, in her small town, and on that mysterious General Sond cosplayer she met at ExcelsiCon. Most of all, she’s stuck in her grief over her mother’s death. Her only solace was her late mother’s library of rare Starfield novels, but even that disappeared when they sold it to pay off hospital bills.

On the other hand, Vance Reigns has been Hollywood royalty for as long as he can remember—with all the privilege and scrutiny that entails. When a tabloid scandal catches up to him, he's forced to hide out somewhere the paparazzi would never expect to find him: Small Town USA. At least there’s a library in the house. Too bad he doesn’t read.

When Rosie and Vance’s paths collide and a rare book is accidentally destroyed, Rosie finds herself working to repay the debt. And while most Starfield superfans would jump at the chance to work in close proximity to the Vance Reigns, Rosie has discovered something about Vance: he’s a jerk, and she can’t stand him. The feeling is mutual.

But as Vance and Rosie begrudgingly get to know each other, their careful masks come off—and they may just find that there’s more risk in shutting each other out than in opening their hearts.



WHAT I LIKED:



I enjoy a good fairytale retelling. I enjoyed that aspect of the book. I enjoyed how Rosie and Vance's relationship developed. How she tamed the beast and how they became friends.



I also enjoyed Rosie's friends. They had her back when things got sticky. I loved the way they were willing to give up their own enjoyment in order to comfort and console their friend.



Garrett, the Gaston nemesis was perfect! Such a jerk!



And Rosie's dad was entertaining and kind of a fun guy.



WHAT I DISLIKED:



It seemed like the author was quite bent on getting in all of the politically correct sexual orientations that are present. Rosie's dad is bi-sexual. Even Vance has dabbled in relationships with same sex partners. And then there is Rosie's friend Quinn. I have to admit this character confused me the most at first. The character was constantly referred to as "them, they, they're, etc. etc." and I couldn't figure out at first if there were two of them! At first I thought well maybe this is a "space" book where Quinn is an android of some kind and they have 2 heads, or 2 personalities. Then finally Quinn was referred to as "nonbinary" now, I had no clue what that meant at first. I lead a pretty sheltered life. But it finally dawned on me that Quinn has not chosen whether to be a male or a female or has chosen to be neither. Ooookkkkkaaaaayyyyy...and that's all I'm going to say about that. I also found a couple of times that both Rosie and Vance's "ah-ha" moments where they had inner dialogue in their heads was kind of boring and had me thinking to myself(inside my head!), "blah blah blah blah blah!"



WRAP UP:



For the most part I enjoyed this book. Unfortunately it wasn't my favorite retelling of Beauty and the Beast, but it had interesting characters and an endearing ending.



**Thanks to Netgalley for my copy of the book. All opinions are my own**

Such a cute, sweet story and part of a cute and sweet series. There is enough drama to appeal to teenagers and happily ever afters. The length of these books is wonderful, they don't drag on.

Like the author, I adore Beauty and the Beast, so when I saw this retelling of my favourite fairy tale I couldn't resist.
Our heroine, Rosie, is the 'Bookish' part of the title, while Vance is the 'Beast'. Due to an unfortunate accident involving a pond and an expensive book, Rosie finds herself organising the library at the house where Vance has been 'sent' by his parents - he considers it a punishment.
While the story was in essence a contemporary form of Beauty and the Beast, it has definitely been written for the teen/YA market as there were numerous references and terms that were new to me.
The author also brought in a touch of inclusivity with LGBT+ characterisation, much of which wasn't explicitly pointed out (why should it be?), although I was left a little confused by Vance's sexual preference.
I have to admit, the story fell a little short as I was really hoping Rosie would tell Vance to get lost - he came across as a spoilt brat, wallowing in his self-induced petty problems, and I did not like him. Even after the big reveal, I couldn't understand why Rosie wanted to be with him - one night of him showing his 'true self' did not erase a lifetime of selfishness.
So, I have mixed feelings about this book. I love the theme, adore all the characters, except Vance. Had Vance shown some redeeming qualities I would be fully on board with the romance nd the book.

Bookish and the Beast is the third and final book in the "Once Upon a Con" series. I really liked the first two books-they are both fairy tale re-tellings set in a convention setting. They're super fun, silly, a little cheesy, and great to read when you just need an escape.
Bookish and the Beast has the same format, and is still a cheesy, fun, escapist read, but unfortunately this was my least favorite book in the series. I'm sure this was just my preference issues, but the cheese in this book seemed too forced-there were so many Beauty and the Beast lines and references that didn't seem natural or organic, more like in-your-face irritating. The re-telling and romance themselves were fine, it was the writing that mostly got to me the most.
I think most fans of the first two books in the series will love this finale, it unfortunately just didn't work for me.

Thank to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me a copy of this book.

Having loved the previous Geekarella books, I had high hopes for this and it did not disappoint! This hits so many of my favourite tropes and has just the right amount of romance. One of the things I love most about this series is how the 'geeky, fangirl, nerdy' characters are written. This isn't patronising, mocking or stereotypical but instead, the geeky passion is shown as a positive. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this and the previous books in the series!

Another fun adaptation in the Once Upon a Con series! I think this one may be my favourite in the series. I loved all the characters (Space Dad! Quinn!) and I loved how it was easily recognizable as a Beauty and the Beast retelling, without feeling forced. All in all, another great story.

This was such a sweet book. You can connect to the characters instantly, though I wish they were a bit more developed. The author was witty and clever using lines from Disney’s beauty and the beast, which I loved. All in all a sweet teen romance with a nerd twist readers will love

My favorite addition to the Once Upon a Con series. I love this fairy tale and the modern twist was so much fun.

Ashley Poston is back with another engrossing novel which readers will find extremely hard to put down. Set within the same universe as her previous novels, Ashley has once again taken the reader in to an immersive world that many in fandoms can relate to. This time with a modern and very relevant telling of the classic tale of Beauty and The Beast.

This is a book you become thoroughly engrossed in, perfect for curling up on the sofa or in the bath and reading in one sitting. Ashley creates characters that every reader can relate to and in settings many have experienced themselves. All Ashley's novels while set in the same universe are standalone so can be read without having read her other novels. Ashley Poston is an author whose work gets better with every release and is definitely one to read if you haven't already!

This is the fairy tale high school superfans would tell themselves before kissing a Baby Yoda plushie and tucking into superhero sheets for the night. Bookish and the Beast is what you should pick up when you need a feel good story where romance meets real life, but with just enough whimsy to up the ante on fun and high jinx. Plus, there's a dog, the best friends wish you had, and pancakes.

Masked girl meets masked boy while avoiding the crowds at a con, spend night talking and then part without sharing their names. Fast forward to real life working at the grocery store, and that one night seems really far away. In a nearly impossible re-meet/cute, the two are reunited, but don't realize it until way past chapter three (although it would have been kind cool if that happened because, ya know, Disney version of B-and-the-Beast). The words delightful and enjoyable need to accompany this review . . . an enjoyable and delightful addition to the Once Upon a Con series.

Downfall: the word 'scrub' is used way too often to have read during a pandemic. Now I keep saying "scrub" as I wash my hands for 200+ seconds.

Review copy courtesy of NetGalley.

Ashley Poston can keep working her way through the fairy tale repertoire forever, in my opinion, as each of her Starfield stories have been enjoyable. In this one, Starfield’s bad guy gets his own story in a Beauty & the Beast flavor.

An amazing third installment to Ashley Poston’s Once Upon a Con series! This time, she wonderfully incorporates Beauty and the Beast, with several clever nods to the 1991 Disney version.

Vance, the actor who plays Sond in the Starfield films, is sent off to a small town after an accident, hiding from the media. Rosie, a Sond fangirl, is still grieving the lost of her mother, and having to fight off the unwanted advances of the homecoming king. A chance encounter leads to Rosie having to organize the sci-fi library in the big house that Vance is staying in, but they are barely even friends... until somebody bends (okay I tried, but I am not as masterful as Poston at this!).

This is such a fun take on the tale, and it was really nice checking in some of the characters from the previous novels. I do think they can be read as standalones, but it’s more satisfying to read them in order. This one has less of the convention setting, but I think that was fine for this plot. I also liked the LGBT+ representation as well. Overall, good fluff! I love those tropes too, Ashley!

I recommend this to anyone who loves Beauty & Beast, congoers, and fans of YA in general. Fantastic read.

5 stars

Thanks to Quirk Books and NetGalley for this copy, in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Loved the first book - LOOOOVED the second book - the third unfortunately just didn't land as well for me. I still love Ashley's writing, and the whole universe she's created, but there wasn't enough tension. The two leads clearly don't really belong together, there's nothing that I could see that would remotely attract them to each other bar their hotness, and the story seemed to be shoehorned into the B&TB tropes and plot points rather than follow them organically.

I think it's because the characters feel surface level. Everything interesting that happened to them happened in the past. They're basically cooped up together doing.... not much. And the stakes weren't very high. Neither of them had much agency. Vance was the more interesting of the two, but I still didn't feel.... anything. I actually felt more connected to Space Dad than anyone else.

Otherwise? I'm sorry I couldn't give this a higher rating, because I really enjoyed the first two and think Ashley's great!

I adore this series, these are the perfect books for teen girls to just sit and get lost in. Rosie is adorable and down to earth which makes her the perfect character to cheer for in love and life. While this wasn't my favorite of the series (I LOVED Geekerella), fans of Ashley Poston's - and Beauty & The Beast fanatics - must pick up this third installment in the Once Upon A Con series!

4.5/5
Beauty and Beast trope with a library thrown in for good measure? Bring it on!

“A girl from the middle of nowhere meeting the guy she fell in love with at a comic-con, only to find out that he was a jerk of an actor, and yet . . .”

I felt this one is as good as and possibly better than Geekerella. Loved the banter between the main characters. Also the relationship between Rosie and her father. I liked that this one focuses on a “villain” who turns out to be just human.

The Beauty (I mean The Bookish):
I loved how everything bookish is described as if they are love letters to books and libraries themselves. And music to a book lover’s ears.

“But there is so much more in those words than just loving books. I love the smell of them. I love the way their bindings look pressed together on a shelf. I love the feel of pages buzzing through my fingers. I love big books and small books. I love words and how they’re strung together, and most of all, I  love the stories. I love how books are not really just books at all, but doorways. They are portals into places I’ve never been and people I’ll never be, and in them I have lived a thousand lives and seen a thousand different worlds.”

“Don’t go falling in love with a library, now. Especially one you can’t own.” “Can’t I fall in love just a little? At least books won’t break my heart.”
“Then clearly you haven’t read the books I have.”

The Beast:
The only thing I felt there was a bit too much of is pop culture/literary references. I could have done with a few less. For that I’d dock half a point.

Thank you Ashley Poston, Quirk books and Netgalley for providing the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

P.S. I think this line needs to be on the cover: “Maybe I can tempt you to the dark side with hot chocolate and a good book.”

Great addition to the Once Upon a Con series. Recommended to fans of the previous books and of Beauty and the Beast retellings. Can be read as a standalone but would recommend reading the other books in the series to better understand the Starfield references.