I love Jasmine Guillory romances. I have not read the first book in the Meant to Be series but I felt this book was standalone and I did not miss any part of the story.

By the Book is a retelling of Beauty and the Beast and I loved the small references to the original story sprinkled throughout. I enjoyed the banter between Beau and Isabelle but also the way they each supported each other through their work.

I also loved Beau's spunky assistant Michaela.

At times, the story skewed a little too cheesy but overall it was very cute and sweet romance.

I think this was a cute book. I enjoyed it and it was a nice change of pace from my usual heavy fantasy romance selections. Isabelle is an interesting character, and the Beauty and the Beast retelling was also quite nicely done. I would recommend this to anyone who loves fairytales and grew up loving Beauty and the Beast.

An adorable fairy tale retelling for grown-ups! In this riff on Beauty & the Beast, a book-loving editorial assistant must convince the gruff, surly celebrity to finally sit down and write his memoir. Set in a mansion so gorgeous it's practically magical, the plot hits key B&tB touchstones while telling a sweet, romantic tale that's also original and entertaining.

this is my second novel from the “meant to be” series and “by the books” was another winner for me! i said it before and i’ll say it again: i love how disney has reimagined these beloved tales into modern stories and i couldn’t be happier that they’ve chosen jasmine guillory for this novel! there are lots of references to “the beauty and the beast” movie and i had so much looking out for them. if there were speech bubbles above my head as i was reading, there’s be a lot of “i canNOT believe that got snuck in there” and “that’s so clever!!”

this was such a fun read and i found it extra fitting that izzy works in the publishing world! but i found myself frustrated at beau over the same situations multiple times. izzy and beau took a lot of steps forward, followed by even more steps back and i’m not sure if it’s because of the way “the beast” was recreated, but i felt that a lot of beau’s actions were repetitive. besides that, i thought izzy and beau were adorable together; one of my favorite parts of reading this novel were the dates the two of them would go on. whether it’s in beau’s mansion or outdoors, i thought they had great chemistry and banter!

I’ve been reading a lot of publishing world novels in the past year or so but was drawn to this one because it was written by Jasmine Guillory. The details felt spot on but this didn’t captivate me as much as some of the others, like Shauna Robinson’s Must Love Books. Delivers on the grumpy/happy trope and gives a very satisfying ending for Izzy and Beau, both romantically and professionally. But the slow burn was very slow indeed. Tons of tension but it didn’t feel romantic to me until more than halfway through.

I wanted to enjoy this book so much, and it was just so under-whelming. I know that the premise of the book was to be in the vain of Beauty and the Beast but my goodness was it so cringey and overly done. BATB is one of my favorite stories and this was so flat, so undeveloped and made me really uncomfy. I am usually such a fan of JG too.

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. It's a definitely recommend for readers looking for a cute romance.

I stayed up to 1am to finish this gem.
You’ve got my favorite Disney story, plus one of my favorite authors, plus a book about books? You can’t get any better.
I loved the Beauty and Beast references sprinkled throughout the book and I fell in love with Izzy and Beau.
I loved both Izzy and Beau’s character growth. I know it’s a romance, but to me it was so much more. Both our MCs battled serious internal struggles around self-image and confidence. And with the Beauty and the Beast twist, we have a lovely sunshine/grump trope. This romance made me laugh and cry.

And don’t worry - yes there is a library and it’s fantastic. I want to move to this house immediately.

3 stars
A fairly average work-together romance based on Beauty and the Beast (Disney’s version). Fans of the animated film will enjoy all the little easter eggs sprinkled throughout, but they neither add to nor detract from the story. Our “beast,” Beau Towers, fills the role nicely as his “beastliness” is mainly the rudeness of a misunderstood loner who’s spent a year in isolation (making this perhaps the perfect book for the post-lockdown reader), and our Belle, Isabelle Marlowe, is an appropriately independent bookworm.
The chemistry between the two characters progresses nicely, and I liked that Isabelle isn’t at all perfect. Her struggles at her job are largely due to her passivity (and I do feel for how she’s been conditioned to just take everything; if she had half the confidence of a mediocre white man, she would conquer the world) that would largely be fixed by just asking her boss for feedback. She also struggles to consider others’ point of view and responds to conflict in her budding relationship with Beau by storming out of rooms and not communicating. Beau, for his part, is a total daydream: when he blows up, he takes a minute to regroup and then sincerely apologizes once he’s cooled down! He opens the lines of communication! He bakes homemade croissants! (This book, I warn you, will make you hungry). Sign me up. And his library, of course, is #goals.
Some side notes: Priya, Isabelle’s best friend, is amazing. The New York-to-California setting is well utilized without being too twee. Beau’s family history is really nicely done.
My main complaint, I think, is to do with the professional/personal relationship. Dating your editor is a terrible idea. Yes, we’re meant to take it as Beau would only open up to Isabelle, and so only she could start to edit his work—but emotions run high with creative work and putting your partner in that position isn’t a good idea. But there isn’t really room to address that in this fluffy romance, and Beau isn’t writing any more books after this memoir anyway so it seems a moot point.
A sweet, fluffy book, a little forgettable, but well-meaning.

By the Book is a Beauty and the Beast modern retelling. It's a super light romance that feels exactly like a Disney movie.

Fans of the original cartoon will love all of the Beauty and the Beast nods woven throughout the entire book. Isabelle works for a company called Tale as Old as Time. The Wi-Fi password for the house is Lum1ere. There's a character nicknamed Kettle, a fabulous library and I quite frankly laughed out loud when beef ragout and cheese souffle was mentioned.

Beau played a brooding, misunderstood beast with a short temper perfectly. I liked the idea of him being a recluse and needing assistance to find his way back to society by accepting help to share his celebrity memoir. Isabelle was a great lead. I liked how her story-line shared glimpses into the world of publishing and what it takes to write a book. Their story was definitely a slow burn with plenty of super sweet moments. I really wish the romance would have been steamier, but it read very New Adult with lots of kissing and closed door innuendos.

I loved all of the descriptions of Santa Barbara, this enchanting mansion and all of the food. You will wish you had a fully stocked snack closet while reading this one. Can't wait to see which author continues the series next. If you missed it, book 1 - If the Shoe Fits by Julie Murphy - was a wonderful Cinderella retelling.

I enjoyed this fun romance, a slow burn, enemies to lovers played out over a book manuscript in progress. The chemistry between Izzy and Beau is strong, and I enjoyed watching Beau change from a beast to a really caring partner. Both of them have issues they need to work through before they can be together.
Using Santa Barbara as the location was inspired, the town is a jewel situated between the mountains and the ocean. It’s one of my favorite places for a weekend getaway! I live in the next county south and I’ve spent quite a bit of time there.
All in all, a well written book with humor and interesting characters. 4 stars.

Blurb:
“A tale as old as time—for a new generation…

Isabelle is completely lost. When she first began her career in publishing right out of college, she did not expect to be twenty-five, living at home, still an editorial assistant, and the only Black employee at her publishing house. Overworked and underpaid, constantly torn between speaking up or stifling herself, Izzy thinks there must be more to this publishing life. So when she overhears her boss complaining about a beastly high-profile author who has failed to deliver his long-awaited manuscript, Isabelle sees an opportunity to finally get the promotion she deserves.

All she has to do is go to the author’s Santa Barbara mansion and give him a quick pep talk or three. How hard could it be?

But Izzy quickly finds out she is in over her head. Beau Towers is not some celebrity lightweight writing a tell-all memoir. He is jaded and withdrawn and—it turns out—just as lost as Izzy. But despite his standoffishness, Izzy needs Beau to deliver, and with her encouragement, his story begins to spill onto the page. They soon discover they have more in common than either of them expected, and as their deadline nears, Izzy and Beau begin to realize there may be something there that wasn't there before.

Best-selling author Jasmine Guillory’s reimagining of a beloved fairy tale is a romantic triumph of love and acceptance and learning that sometimes to truly know a person you have to read between the lines.”

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

By the Book
by Jasmine Guillory
Pub Date: May 3, 2022
Hyperion Avenue
Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for this ARC.
* Romance * Contemporary * Retellings
This is not my usual genre but I found this one to be very enjoyable. This is my first book by this author, so I had not read #1 in the series. Third-person POV is always something for me to get used to--definitely not my preferred POV to read. I love that this book includes "real Letters". This gets me every time. I enjoyed the retelling of Beauty and the Beast.
3 stars

I adored this sweet novel full of charm and a healthy relationship. The characters were so realistic from their issues and concerns to their desires and aspirations. The references to Beauty and the Beast were very well done and added a magical charm to the book.

Isabelle Marlowe finally has her dream job as an assistant editor at a publishing house. She gets to read all the books she had to buy. She also is dealing with a difficult client, Beau Towers. At a convention in California, she offers to go see him to see how the manuscript is coming along. From the moment he kicks her out of his house, it seems Izzy made an impression on Michaela. They tried to ignore each other. It seems they were reaching a amicable peace. Izzy speaks her mind and he just wanted to retreat. Eventually he was writing every day and so was Izzy. Feelings were deepening but they live on different coasts. The beauty is he can run his charity from anywhere and Izzy and be an editor and write her book from New York or Santa Barbara. I loved the ending

Loved, loved, loved! I would read anything Jasmine Guillory wrote and absolutely love it. This cover is so cute and so was the story. I will definitely be purchasing a physical copy!

Ok, so this was more of a 3.5 for me. I’ll give you my likes and dislikes…
LIKES
1. Retelling of my favorite fairy tale with POC as the main characters
2. Beast isn’t really a monster just a super angry mean guy
3. Izzy (Belle) works for a book publisher and that’s just perfect
4. The play on the characters Gavin (Gaston), Michaela (Mrs. Potts), and the house feels alive
5. They had beef ragout and cheese soufflé 🤣🤣
6. The work in the library all the time.
7. There are so many nods to Beauty and the Beast, it made my 🖤 smile!

DISLIKES
It was a slow burn and closed door romance. I do not really enjoy them. I also felt it took a while to get to a story line. Once it was established, I enjoyed their relationship a lot. So if these are the only dislikes, that’s pretty great!

Very thankful to Hyperion Avenue and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This Beauty and the Beast retelling was an interesting premise, and I loved the aspects of the writing/publishing industry. However, the protagonist was underdeveloped and I felt many of her reactions were irrational.

When Isabelle Marlowe unexpectedly volunteers to get the rich and bad reputation Beau Towers to write his memoir. So, when she travels to sunny California from the cold harsh winter of New York, a blossoming friendship between Beau and Isabelle is the last thing on her mind.

I gave By the Book five stars, loving the relationship between Beau and Izzy. The hate sizzled between them but they couldn’t help discovering what works for them. It was adorable, funny, and swoon worthy. I had such a fun time reading Izzy and Beau’s work relationship and seeing how bad they tried to keep their hands off each other.

By the Book shows how hard it is to write a book, be in publishing, even being a person of color. Izzy worked hard and in the end, struggled to be recognized. I was impressed by Beau’s struggles as well when writing his book. I found in many books, the writing process is blocked out, but for By the Book, we see every detail, every inspiration, every anger or struggle poured out. I really enjoyed being able to read the making of a book.

I loved that Beau and Izzy were both really supportive of each other and although sometimes Beau would get angry in certain situations,

After reading most of Jasmine Guillory’s other books, I found By the Book something to connect with. I loved this book and am so glad to have gotten this.

Thank you again NetGalley and Hyperion Avenue for inviting me to read By the Book and providing me with an e-ARC. I was lucky enough my Barnes and Noble sold this early. I know have some loving highlights from this amazing book.

This story was a charming and adorable breath of fresh air.
It's a romance where the drama is almost non-existent, the characters communicate, and you experience the romance growing between the characters as they get to know each other and experience things together. I would have given this book 5 stars just for showing that communication is key in any relationship.
I honestly came into this expecting not to like it because I am so over fairy tale retellings, but the way that Guillory integrates the recognizable Beauty and the Beast elements into the story of Isabelle and Beau is a masterclass in making a story completely yours. You can catch the bits that are callbacks to the fairy tale if you're looking for them, but they're so subtly there that you'd be forgiven for thinking that you're just imagining it. It's that well done.
Overall, it's a romance with characters you care about and a plot that keeps you interested despite knowing that the HEA is inevitable. A great read that has me jonesing to get my hands on the previous volume in the series and hoping that there are more retellings in the future.

Very happy thanks to NetGalley and Hyperion Avenue for the fantastic read!

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read By the Book!

Isabelle works for the Tale As Old As Time publishing company, but feels like she'll never get to move up. She feels very unappreciated and underpaid; and her boss doesn't seem to care. One day, Izzy happens to overhear her boss complaining about a difficult client who refuses to finish their book. Izzy then finds herself volunteering to help and on a plane to California to meet the reclusive Beau Towers.

Beau is supposed to be writing a memoir about his life. His family was very prominent in the film industry and in philanthropy, but every family has its secrets and Beau wants to set the record straight. Beau moved into his family home and never really came back out. He's become known for being a recluse, difficult, and standoffish. Izzy convinces him to let her help with his memoir, but she has to stay in the house until it's done. As time goes on, Izzy and Beau become more comfortable around each other and sparks begin to fly. But when Izzy gets a job offer, will she have to choose between her new love or the career she's always wanted?

This was a cute retelling of Beauty and the Beast in the Meant to Be book series by Disney. I have only read one other book by Jasmine Guillory, and I think this one is very different from her other work. I realize that Disney probably had a hand in controlling the spicy bits, and I think it showed...a lot. It seemed like Jasmine Guillory struggled a bit to write closed-door romance scenes because she usually has a lot of spice in her work. Other than that, this book was good! I liked the cute little references to the Disney movie throughout the story and if you're looking for a cute little light romance then this is perfect for you.