3.25 / 5 stars

Thank you so much Quirk Books for providing me this eARC through Netgalley.

Bookish in the Beast is Ashley Poston’s third companion novel set in the Starfield fandom world. This installment follows a bookish girl named Rosie who must pay off her debt when something of high value is accidentally destroyed. Rosie must be in close proximity with the frustrating Vance Reigns as she pays off her debut by cleaning and organizing a library.

This book contains two things I adore; fandoms and libraries full of books. I love how Rosie discusses the meaning of reading and how books can play such an important role in one’s life. Her expression of books as an escape was so refreshing to read about. I appreciated the strength and maturity of this character. She spoke so sincerely and directly.

I really liked the idea of this being a hate-to-love romance, but it just did not have as great of an impact in that regard as I wanted it to. I feel like we barely get to know Vance through the entire novel. We did a few glimpses here and there, but ultimately it felt like we just got to know another layer under his mask of indifference. Vance was okay, but he just was not as fleshed out as he should have been.

I enjoyed the plot fairly well, but things were kind of repetitive and slow. I like how this novel incorporated Poston’s Starfield world, but due to the lack of a con it felt a little underwhelming to me in regard to the fandom that has been built in the first two installments.

Overall, this was an average read for me. I enjoyed my time with it, but it is not a new favorite for me. Those who have enjoyed the first two books should enjoy this one as well if the plot sounds intriguing to them. I would not quite expect to feel the fandom feels as strongly though.

One of my coworkers is obsessed with Poston's work and has been telling me to read her stuff for a long time! I hadn't read the first two in the series, but it didn't stop me from understanding what was going on and thoroughly enjoying the book. BOOKISH was sweet, fun, and I was unable to put it down! I can't wait for it to come out.

The Once Upon a Con series is SO charming. I wish the first one weren't called Geekerella because I just think that title sounds so much worse than the book itself is, but anyway, I'm glad I eventually picked it up. I love that Ashley Poston just unapologetically knows what tropes she likes and is here to deliver them. The premise here I think is a bit weaker than the previous two books but the book is just too much fun to think too hard about the exact string of events leading to Rosie having to work off her debt to a mysterious homeowner for chasing a dog and knocking a valuable book into a pool.

Also, it's fun to read all of these and see the references to characters from other books, but they all really stand alone.

Unfortunately, the latest installment in this fandom-and-nerdy-love-explosion just.. really missed the mark. The third book in the series, centering around the revival and cult-following of a tv-series-turned-movie-adaptation relies heavily on the previous fairytale-esque romances set in and around the fandom and conventions and, unfortunately, fails to live up to anything that came before. Added to the mix was an attempted Beauty and the Beast retelling that didn't remotely land.

So what did work in this one's favour? It's diverse. Literally, that's it.

I couldn't get behind the lead characters or their blink and you miss it transition from strangers in reluctant proximity to star-crossed lovers who make out. I couldn't get behind the random other-guy plot and all (and I mean all) the drama that ensued from that (also, hey, where those consequences at? how is this never ever addressed?). I tried to appreciate and respect the thread of grief woven through the story, our MC having lost her mother the year before, but for every time she says she never wants to talk about it, all she's doing is thinking about it, or thinking she's defined by it, when it seems no one actually looks at her as 'the girl who lost her mother'. Only she does. Which I mean, fine, valid, but. It was confusing. The friend group was cute, I liked Rosie's two buds, but overall this felt haphazard and messy and just slapped together.

This was a definite miss and though book one was just a like for me, I was surprised by how much I enjoyed book two, so that adds an extra layer of sad for this one which didn't work at all.

1.5 stars

This is now my favorite book in the Once Upon a Con series! I am so impressed with how Poston was able to adapt so much of the original Beauty and the Beast story into a realistic/contemporary setting, maintaining the magical feeling it provides. Rosie and Vance are the cutest sunshiney heroine/grumpy hero combo, and there were a lot of other beloved tropes incorporated (celebrity falling for a normal person, mistaken identity of sorts, etc) without it feeling like too much. I love the world of the Starfield fandom and getting to see this side of it outside Excelsicon, which was the focus of the first two books. Bookish and the Beast is a delightful rom-com with a lovable cast and just the right amount of drama before the happily ever after, and I'm so glad I got the chance to read it!

ABSOLUTELY fantastic! As much as I love the others in this series, this one is by far my favorite! I love a really good Beauty and the Beast retelling, and this one is just... *chefs kiss*. The way it’s modernized was so great, and it worked so well. The characters were amazing, and I was so happy to see them grow through the story. Highly recommend!!

What happens at Excelsicon, doesn't always stay at Excelsicon. But for bookish, Starfield-loving Rosie Thorne, she thinks that the one night she spent wandering the empty halls with a mysterious Sond cosplayer would be one thing that stayed with her. The one thing she thought of upon returning home, where her mother's death hangs over her like a dark cloud. Then, after a disastrous night at work, her life ends up changing when she follows a German Shepherd dog into the castle-like home...

Vance Reigns is Hollywood's bad boy, and currently doing time in small town nowhere after he accidentally crashes into a pond, with his co-star's girlfriend in the passenger seat. Escaping the paparazzi, his disappointed step-father, and generally in a horrible mood about everything, the one bright spot in Vance's life is his godfather/warden, his dog Sansa, and the memory of the night of Excelsicon he spent completely incognito as his Starfield character, Son, with another masked cosplayer.

When fate brings them together, Rosie begins cataloging the massive Starfield novel collection within the house, forcing Vance and Rosie into close proximity. But when they learn who the other truly is, will it shatter the memories of that perfect night... or lead to something beautiful?

"Bookish and the Beast" is fantastic for a number of reasons. One, we return to the wonderful world of Excelsicon and Starfield, meaning we get to see cameos from favorite characters from the previous books. Two, it's Beauty and the Beast!!! With a bunch of books!!! And nerdy references!!!! (You will die laughing at the recreated "Howl's Moving Castle" scene, folks!) Third, Ashley Poston continues to astound and wow readers with her characters, her wit, and the drama. So much drama... Even for a book series that features a whole bunch of movie stars.

Also, major kudos for Poston writing a contemporary Beauty and the Beast! As she acknowledged via Twitter, this is a hard fairy tale to recreate without magic, but this tale as old as time is retold perfectly in modern time. As you will discover, there is still plenty of magic, woven into every word, every scene, every glance between Rosie and Vance. Whether you have read and loved "Geekerella" and "The Princess and the Fangirl", or are brand new to this world, "Bookish and the Beast" will delight readers from beginning to end!

I hadn’t read the previous books in the series and so didn’t know what to expect, but this was a surprisingly good read. For a nerdy, book-loving, sci-fi fan this book hits all the marks. Now I need to read the others!

I love Ashley! I love everything she writes. This was lived up to my expectations. I love how inclusive she is and her writing style. I cannot wait until it comes out, it needs to sit on my shelf.

I thoroughly enjoyed this read, but there were a few things that made this not quite as good as the other two volumes in the series. Namely, there were too many nerd references. As a nerd, I approve of fandoms and nerding out. But I also want it as realistic. There were parts in this, especially in the beginning, where things Rosie, her friends, or her dad would say would feel forced. Rosie tells her dad
"I love you 3000" as she runs out the door, and merely sentences before there was another reference to a whole other fandom. There was even a super unsubtle nod to Sarah J. Maas's Throne of Glass series in the form of a "giant gold tome" that was described as "trashy fantasy." The amount of time spent on this one inconsequential thing made all of the other moments before it ridiculous. Near the middle, the story tones it down and focuses less on homages to every nerd thing ever and instead the plot.

Rosie is a likable character. She's suffering a lose, and yet it doesn't define her. It's a part of her, but it's not her whole character, unlike what characters like Garrett assume. She's funny and quirky and has a good heart, even if she feels generic YA protagonist at times.

Her friends were so supportive--the boom box scene was straight from every romcom ever, but I loved it to bits--and they also provided immense comic relief.

Vance was a mess. My favorite part about this story was how both he, Rosie, and the reader never once is led on to the "oh he's a bad boy but he has a rough past" idea. He was a bad boy because he did it himself, and despite being a pain in the rear to Rosie, both Rosie and Imogen (from Fangirl) taught him what friendship was as well as the fact people could like you for who you are despite your fame. He grew in this, not that it was a shock to anyone, but it was a good progression and showcased how much he understood he had been awful to people, and himself, in the past.

The plot was cute, and I loved how everything tied in at the end. I knew it would happen because these are nerdy fluff books, but it's so satisfying when it does happen. I genuinely don't know how Aashley Poston does this because I can't stand contemporary, but here I am obsessed with this series. It's a cute continuation to Once Upon a Con, and it's perfectly comedic and heartfelt.

This wasn't a bad book by any means, but it was just incredibly disappointing for me. I just did not get the relationship between the leads in any way, why they were drawn to each other in the first place, why they allegedly had issues with each other, it just did not work for me. I was way more interested in the potential romance between two minor characters than Vance and Rosie, and that's a huge problem. I really don't have anything else to say because their relationship was so much of the book.

I LOVED THIS SO MUCH.

Bookish & the Beast is officially my favorite Once Upon A Con book. I cannot WAIT to buy it, and add it to my collection, and pour over it again when it gets published in June!

Ashley does a fantastic job of taking the Beauty and the Beast plot we all know and reinventing it in smart ways that work, including character origins. I especially think that using Vance's status as a Hollywood heir works perfectly to match the original tale of a prince cursed and cast away! Bookish is also full of references to make any media consumer smile - from fandom to books to dating sims and a particularly wonderful Howl's Moving Castle reference.

Also, this book - and all the books in the series! - feature a diverse and wonderful cast of characters. Come for the fairy tale retelling, but stay for the hijinks and laughter and swoon-worthy romance! I can't wait to see this published and to get my hands on her next book! 🥰

Also, thanks to Netgalley and Quirk Books for providing me access to an e-ARC of this for consumption and review!