I always enjoy these books. They are a fun and quick read and I was so excited to see this one would be based on Beauty and the Beast. Well there was a library and a grumpy guy but the similarities ended there. It wasn’t a terrible book but it wasn’t particularly memorable either.

I was so enamored by this story! All of the stories Poston has penned within this universe so far have been fantastic but this was for sure my favorite - I have always been a gigantic fan of Beauty and the Beast and I loved this fangirly twist on the trope that's as old as time.
Both Vance and Rosie were such interesting and well-fleshed out characters and their way to each other was filled with so many twists and trust issues and snarky comments which was all right up my alley!
So entertaining, heartwarming and overall unputdownable, this is a must read!!

A fun, light-hearted read. I love that this series manages to incorporate fan culture (good and bad) along with fun twists on old fairy tales and turn it into an enjoyable ya romance that doesn't take itself too seriously.

So I got the ARC the day before it came out and I guess I should have just waited because I felt like I was reading the unedited version of the book. I really hope the dozen typos and inconsistencies I found were fixed (and I wasn't even worrying about scene changes and ebook formatting since those things are usually not finalized in ARCs).

Overall, it's cute and fluffy nerd fiction, full of tropes and predictable, which is everything I love about these guilty pleasure rom-coms I started reading. Yes, there are a lot of pop-culture references but remember you are reading a series called Once Upon a Con and there are going to be pop-culture references. I wonder if the author even struggled with whether to set this series in a world where there is no Star Wars or Star Trek though? I feel like those other series were referenced a lot more in this book and I just think the world might actually work better if those rival Star series didn't exist.

Also, whoever approved the design of the cover did not read the book because there was no awesome rolling library ladder and Vance has long hair...so I feel lied to.

I absolutely loved the first two books in Ashley Poston's Once Upon a Con series and this book was no different. I always love it when an author connects all the characters in their series so it was great to read about some of the characters in previous books. I thought. Rosie was a girl after my own book loving heart, and I thought Vance was the perfect amount of grumpy. And it was so fun to discover which characters in the story matched with the characters from the original Beauty and the Beast fairytale. I'd definitely recommend this book to anyone looking for a cute teen romance.

The Once Upon a Con series by Ashley Poston is a set of companion novels that are modern fairy tale retellings told with a fangirl flair. For more about the first two books in the series, read my reviews of Geekerella and The Princess and the Fangirl. The third companion book in the Once Upon a Con series is Bookish and the Beast, and as the title makes obvious is a geeky retelling of Beauty and the Beast.

Bookish and the Beast is the story of Rosie Thorne, a book worm and Starfield superfan, and Vance Reigns, Hollywood bad boy and superstar actor. A scandal forces Vance to ride out the storm in Rosie’s small town. Their abrupt first meeting accidentally damages a valuable book and they are forced to partner up to organize the book owner’s library. As Rosie and Vance spend time together, a tentative friendship begins to grow with the possibility of something more.

One thing that sets Bookish and the Beast apart from the other companion novels is its small-town setting. This gives the story a wholesome, grounded vibe. While the story begins at the famous ExcelsiCon, it doesn’t center on this event as it did with the first two books. I liked seeing Rosie and Vance be ordinary teens falling in love with out the back drop of fandom taking over their romance.

Ashley Poston makes it easy to love all of her characters. Rosie is awkwardly adorable and her love of books/reading makes her relatable. Vance is every bit the broody, misunderstood hero who cautiously gives you a glimpse of his true self. There’s a great supporting cast with Rosie’s best friends, Annie and Quinn who are the most amusing and loyal friend squad you can have, along with supportive parental figures for Rosie and Vance.

I love how Poston carefully builds the romance between Rosie and Vance. They start with a prickly dynamic that evolves to a cautious friendship which turns into a sweet romance. Both of them learn and grow through their relationship. Rosie is able to recognize that her life didn’t end when her mother died. She begins to embrace her future and is ready for the next chapter of her life. Vance transforms his self-loathing to self-love and understands he doesn’t have to play into people’s expectations of him. He can make his own choices about who he wants to be.

Just like previous installments, there is no shortage of fun fandom lingo and pop culture references in Bookish and the Beast. There are also excerpts from the extended universe Starfield books that serve as a mirror to Rosie and Vance’s story. These particular snippets, however, reveal a surprising arc for two popular Starfield characters.

Final thoughts: Bookish and the Beast is a geeky tale of love, friendships, and taking that brave step towards your true self.

Thank you to Quirk Books for sending us an e-ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review!

Thanks to NetGalley and Quirk for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest feedback.

I absolutely devoured this book. I haven’t read the others in the series, so I was a little confused by some of the story of Starfield, but I genuinely loved the dynamic between Vance and Rosie. It’s charming and fun, and I read it in a few happy hours.

I’ll have to read the previous books now!

Bookish and the Beast is the 3rd installment in the once upon a con series. The series follows the stars of the show Starfield and each book is a retelling of a fairy tale. This story is a retelling of Beauty and the Beast which stars Rosie Thorne and Vance Reigns.
Vance plays one of the key villains in Starfield and has also been cast as the villain in his personal life. He is sent to a small town to let the latest scandal die down. Rosie is just trying to graduate high school and get into college. One day, she follows a lost dog into an empty house where Vance is staying and ends up ruining a priceless book. Rosie must then work in the library to pay off her debt. Vance and Rosie take an immediate dislike to each other, but is is possible they've met before?
This was another great installment in the series. Rosie and Vance are a great enemies-to-lovers couple. I loved the parallels from this book to Beauty and the Beast. Many of them were subtle which was a nice change from many of the obvious retellings.

I love this series so much, so I was ecstatic to get an advanced ebook of Bookish And The Beast!

It takes place in the same Starfield-obsessed universe and is of course a teen geeky version of Beauty and the Beast with a book lover and a famous actor. Sadly, I didn’t love it as much as the first two (I didn’t love the main characters as much as I wish I did and I didn’t find the romance as swoon-worthy as the ones in the first books), but I still found it charming and funny and sweet!

Thanks for the advanced copy NetGalley.

I received a free digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Rosie Thorne is having a pretty rough year. Her mom died, she and her father had to sell their house and her mother's collection of beloved books, a jerk won't leave her alone about attending the homecoming dance with him, and she just quit her grocery store job. The only redeeming thing, besides her friends, is the trailer for the newest installment in her favorite Science-Fiction series. Then, on the way home, she winds up going on a wild goose chase after a dog that leads her to the town's castle house. In the (mysteriously unlocked) house, she finds a library filled with science-fiction and fantasy books-some that even look like her mother's collection. However, she's not alone in the house and Vance Reigns, star of Rosie's fandom obsession, startles her-right into the pool while holding one of the priceless books.
This was cute YA retelling of Beauty and the Beast, which I would have normally loved. It did move quickly and hit several of the plot points. However, much like with Christine Riccio's ,"Again but Better", there was almost too much fandom and name dropping. I got the references, but books need to stand on more than just referencing current series.

Ashley Poston is back with another retelling of one of my favorite stories! Beauty and the beast but a much cuter YA Romcom version of it! It’s an 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.

I really enjoyed the "Once Upon a Con" series, so I was super excited to get a Beauty and the Beast retelling as part of this series. But this one fell a bit flat for me.
Things I liked: the books! so much bookish content in here, which made my heart so happy. The author also does a phenomenal job with LGBTQ representation in this entire series. And the side characters in this story are so fantastic whenever they made an appearance.
Things that fell flat: I felt like I wanted more between Rosie and Vance. Their romance jumped from hatred to love much too quickly for me. And some of the story was just a bit too hard to believe.

This was my least favorite book in the series, but I"m glad I read it to finish off the entire story.

What a great way to start my first read this August. My goodness!! Until now my heart is racing with excitement and my heart is filled with joy! I seriously love retelling especially from Beauty and the Beast, this one is just lovely written and I’m so happy this is my first read this month!

The story is well written and well made. Like ugh... I can't put it into words how much I love it. Library plus a hot and rich guy? I mean, come on we’re having a combo here. From the start of Geekerella, we’ve known the flow of the story not rich will meet the rich thingy. Even though it’s a really common setting and genre, the author makes it in a very unique way and makes it relatable to her readers as well. maybe that’s why I love this series.

Overall, this series never fails me, like ugh. I just love it. I’ve been eyeing this series and when I knew she wrote a third book, I'm hands up. I might be biased because I read the first and second which is also good and I love it. When Ashley Poston wrote this series, she never failed to amaze me with her love stories. You make me believe in love once more.

I was excited to receive a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review!

This was by far my favorite of the Once Upon a Con series so far. It helps that I love any romance that begins with a dog, especially if it continues with books.

Going into this book, I was very curious how Ashley Poston would manage to write a modern and realistic Beauty and the Beast retelling without it feeling forced, but she managed beautifully. Rosie and Vance initially meet at ExcelsiCon in masks (of the masked ball type, not the pandemic type), and while their connection is apparent, the details are sparse and they go their separate ways. It brilliantly created an underlying tension for the reader, leaving us on the edge of our seats and waiting for the moment they figured it all out.

Honestly, one of my favorite parts of the book was the Gaston character. Garrett was so incredibly unlikable, but also created the perfect foil to Vance, making it easier to see his positive characteristics by comparison. Both Vance and Rosie had compelling backstories, and while they had both suffered tragedies, they used they to shape their characters and create opportunities for growth.

There are some great cameos and references to characters from Geekerella and The Princess and the Fangirl, bringing back some favorites, but this book certainly stands strongly on its own. I definitely recommend it to anyone who loves a nerdy, bookish romance. (Who doesn’t?!)

Bookish and the Beast, the last book in the Once Upon a Con series, was a delightful, summer read. Like all of Poston's previous installments in the Once Upon a Con series, expect Bookish and the Beast to include many nods to its original fairy tale inspiration, Beauty and the Beast, and the fandom life as well as guest appearances from other characters in the universe. Bookish and the Beast may have been predictable, but any book that explores the fandom life tends to still be an enjoyable read for me. It is always gratifying to discover authors who understand why fans are obsessed with particular fandoms...and Ashley Poston definitely gets the fandom life.

I really enjoyed the first two books in Ashley Poston’s Once Upon a Con series and I was super excited to see that there was a third book! With this series in general, I don’t think that it’s necessary to read the first two books to understand what’s going on. This is especially highlighted by the fact that I remembered nothing from the first two books, yet I still got what was going on!

This installment of Once Upon a Con follows Vance Reigns, the actor for General Sond in the world famous Starfield franchise, after he gets banished to a small town to escape scandal, and Rosie Thorn, who gets roped into rearranging the library at the house Vance is staying at after damaging the property. It’s a beauty and beast-esque retelling, and if I had to explain the book in one word, I’d say it was cute!

The book starts out with Rosie meeting a mysterious cosplayer at ExelsiCon. They instantly connect, but since they were both wearing masks, they never get each others names or contact info. I thought this part was really cute (buzzword for this review). It is a very obvious plot point, but having Rosie and Vance initially meet “not as themselves” gives readers an insight into the fact that Vance isn’t as “beastly” as everyone makes him out to be very early on.

Throughout the book there’s a side plot where a boy in Rosie’s school, Garrett (cough cough, Gaston), tries to get Rosie to come with him to the school dance. I was more focused on the Vance and Rosie parts of the story, but overall Garrett is unmemorable and I feel like he was put in just to help fuel the retelling part of the story.

It’s a very light and fast read, which has its pros and cons (haha con). I enjoyed the fact that it didn’t require much thought to read, but I do wish that some plot points and characters were more developed. I really enjoyed Vance’s character, because I felt like he had a sort of depth, and it was interesting to see him sort through his feelings and troubles throughout the book. Rosie on the other hand, I felt was a little bit flat. At some points, her characterization seemed to contradict each other, with her being a sweet, quiet, understanding girl, to her automatically hating Vance and flipping him off every chance she got.

The supporting characters were really great in this book! Rosie’s dad is so cute and supportive, and Rosie’s friends were so fun to read. Rosie’s friends aren’t the most fleshed out, but I wasn’t too bothered by that since they are very minor characters and don’t really appear on the page that much.

This review is a little short because I don’t have much to say about the book, but I rated it three stars! I think that if it was a little longer it would have definitely bumped up to a four-star read, but the way it was, I’d classify it as a light, fluffy read!

Another adorkable romace from Ashley Poston. A recommended first purchase for YA and HS collections.

I’ve been really looking forward to reading this book, and it did NOT disappoint! Just like I did in GEEKERELLA, I love the quirky, nerdiness of the characters and their obsession with Starfield in BOOKISH AND THE BEAST. I love the banter between Rosie and Vance. And I love her best friends and the enthusiasm they put into everything from teasing her about her dad to Quinn’s quest to become Homecoming Overlord.

There was one tiniest bump in my reading road. At the beginning, of course, Vance is a total jerk. It makes complete sense because this IS a Beauty and the Beast retelling. I can tell you now, it’s so worth those early scenes to watch the cracks in his armor form. To watch his heart change and know how big that is.

Another thing that I loved were the references to Beauty and the Beast. There are a couple of places where there references to minor lines in the Disney version of the movie, and some other references to the story as a whole that were too fun for me to spoil them here.

If you’re looking for a pick-me-up book, something light to take your mind off reality for a bit, look no further! I highly recommend reading BOOKISH AND THE BEAST.

Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Can we get a ONCE UPON A CON tv series? BOOKISH AND THE BEAST is charming, earnest, hilarious, and swoony. Poston completely nails senior year stresses, grief, fandom, friendship, and unrequited crushes.

To preface this review, I am trash for enemies-to-lovers and the relationship between Rosie Thorne and Vance Reigns is DELIGHTFUL. Following a mishap with a German Shepherd and accidentally destroying a valuable book, Rosie and Vance are forced to spend time together. They really don't like each other. I won't give away too much but it's a wonderful, heartfelt retelling of Beauty and the Beast.

Although not set at the Con like Poston's previous books, I really liked seeing Rosie and Vance's relationship develop outside of that contained spectacle. Rosie was a great protagonist; she might not know what to write for her college essay but she does demand respect for herself from others. I thought Poston handled Rosie and Vance's emotions and psychology well. Rosie is processing her grief following her mother's death, and in my reading, Vance is living with depression. After they realize that their first impressions weren't fair, they form a supportive friendship that leads to a meaningful and sweet romance.

Like Poston's other books, there were so many fandom and geeky references that had me grinning (ATLA for one) or laughing hysterically (the Howl's Moving Castle homage).

I can't wait for the next book in the Con series (and also wouldn't say no to a Starfield book)!
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

A sweet, modern story based loosely on Beauty and the Beast with likeable characters. However, the sheer amount of ComicCon culture references put me off, which I'm worried about for my customer base too.