The Beauty and the Beast vibes were on point, down to the amazing library and Kettle. Very fun to read, and, as with all of Jasmine Guillory's work, I enjoyed every second.

The best fairytale retelling I've read in a long while!

Izzy is an assistant editor at a publishing company, where she's obviously not happy but does her best to work hard to climb up the ladder. When given the opportunity, she offers to help Beau Towers work on his memoir. The very first time they meet, it's like oil and water trying to make a connection — it doesn't go well.

But with time, as they get to learn more about each other, the walls are broken down and hearts become filled with fluttery feelings. This was a light read and made me smile from ear to ear one chapter at a time.

Thanks to Hyperion Avenue for sending me an arc copy! I loved it.!

Not one of Jasmine Guillroy’s best books in my opinion, but there’s still a fun attention grabbing plot that keeps you coming back for more. I loved seeing how the characters evolved through the book, but I was a little bummed to see the characters didn’t bleed over like in some of her previous books. I can’t wait to see what’s still to come in this new meant to be series.

By this point of following the blog, you know I’m a sucker for a fairytale retelling. So you cannot be surprised that the premise of Jasmine Guillory’s latest release, By the Book—book two of Disney’s Meant to Be series, and based loosely on Beauty and the Beast—colored me intrigued. Add to the fact that I’ve heard a lot of lovely things about Jasmine Guillory’s writing and had yet to experience it outside of her essay in Black Love Matters: Real Talk on Romance, Being Seen, and Happily Ever Afters, and I found myself softly anticipating this new novel. And…it happily lived up to my expectations!

The book begins with our protagonist, Isabelle, a 25-year-old assistant editor for a well-established publishing company. When we meet her, she is grappling with the fact that she’s living her greatest dream, working the most bookish job she could conceive of in New York City. On one hand, she’s gained access to all the books she’d ever want to read, she’s made a great friend in a colleague—Priya—and she’s been able to draft her own novel. On the other hand, the senior editor she assists barely acknowledges what she brings to the table, she’s the only Black face in a very white space, she’s overworked and underappreciated by the authors she edits, and she’s received depressing feedback about her manuscript from the junior staffer she trusts most. On the very brink of burn out when the same junior staffer tells her that she is unlikely to receive a promotion, one that would help her move out of her parent’s house in New Jersey, she finds herself reluctantly excited about an upcoming trip to a work convention in California. Little does she know that this ordinary opportunity will turn into the most extraordinary experience of her lifetime. What happens next affects how she sees herself as a person with growing agency and authority over her personal needs as well as who she wants to be in her career and in relation to others.

As a book reviewer living in New York City, it is hard not to run into book professionals. From what I’ve learned from the publishing people I have interacted with, much of Isabelle’s consternation is true to life. Even as someone who has worked primarily within non-profit spaces, her struggles with promotion, task to time management, and professional anxiety mirrors much of what I and many of my friends have encountered. The fact that these dynamics make up most of her concerns is so real and makes her a very relatable main character. I enjoyed the enchanted location she finds herself in with this story’s Beast character, Beau. His grumpiness is endearing and also very relatable. There are numerous passages where Isabelle’s editor experience hit me in my own aspiring writer needs and it’s refreshing to see an author use her own understanding of the craft within her craft. Speaking of Guillory’s craft, one aspect of her writing that I often hear about is the wonders she brings to food. Because this has never been explained well to me, I half expected to have Food Wars!: Shokugeki no Soma-style reactions happen within the story or on my own. What I found instead was that Guillory has a very wonderful grasp of the human to food dynamic, by which I mean that such a good chunk of our lives is spent around buying and eating food that it behooves us to make sure that the food is good. And Guillory takes this relationship seriously. From a magnificent snack cabinet that Isabelle threatens to marry to joy brought to the romance based on their shared enjoyment of each other’s food choices, Guillory writes about food in the same way it has significance in our lives without adding weird or restrictive thoughts around it.

By the Book is a novel that covers so many bases in extremely satisfying ways. It is a modern, adult retelling of Beauty and the Beast without being over-reliant on the original plotlines or wandering into the abusive captor-prisoner department. The book even gives nods to the spellbinding Disney animated feature by having Isabelle anthropomorphize different items during her stay in an alluring Santa Barbara estate, making for some truly quirky, comical, and charming moments on her own and with characters who appreciate her humor. In short, I think the title says all that needs to be said: By the Book!

*BGC kindly thanks the teams at Disney Books and NetGalley for early access to this book.*

Izzy is an aspiring writer and editor, although right now she’s (only) an assistant. The publishing company Izzy works for has offered a book deal to Beau Towers, a celebrity who’s dropped off the earth and had some hardships in the past. In an attempt to impress her boss, Izzy offers to take it upon herself to travel to Beau and encourage/help him write his book.

One word for this Beauty and the Beast retelling is: sweet. This book is really cute and I did enjoy reading it. The references to BatB were implied and lovely. However, this story should’ve been a novella. It was insanely long for what it was. It took me awhile to get through because it was quite boring and repetitive. There were no major issues or tension between the two characters, just minor miscommunications. The story is also very G rated and simple. Man and woman in proximity fall in love. So yes, nice to read, but not a lot happens until the very end of the book. Izzy was a great character, well written and likeable, although I don’t feel like I knew enough about Beau at all, especially since he was presented as having a troubled past. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the free preview in exchange for an honest review.

Isabelle started working her dream job in publishing right after college. However, after a few years the glamour faded when she realized she was in her mid-twenties, underpaid, living with her parents, the lone black employee at the publisher and still in the same position as an editorial assistant. One day she learns that the publisher is having trouble with a well-known author, Beau. He is very late turning in a manuscript. Isabelle jumps at the chance to get a promotion for going to Santa Barbara and getting the author’s manuscript. She soon finds out that Beau is writing his memoir and a mess. As she tries to get Beau to finish the manuscript, they realize that there is a spark between them.

I didn't know that this is a part of a series of Disney books modernizing classic fairy tales. In this modern love story ala Beauty and Beast, Izzy and Beau gave me all the feels. I loved Izzy and Beau and their love for books. Unfortunately, the end of the book felt a bit rushed, and the characters’ relationship could have been more fleshed out. Overall, if you loved the animated version of Beauty and the Beast you should give this one a chance. What can I say, I am a sucker for a love story.

As a beauty and the beast rewrite - this is super cute and adorable. Jasmine was able to include all the awesome elements we love from Beauty and the Beast.

Izzy is the ultimate bookworm with a positive attitude like no other - she is determine to succeed in the publishing industry and if that means motivating and living with Beau then so be it.
Beau has agreed to write a book about his life and his famous parents but he hasn't been able to produce anything as yet .He's grumpy and gruff but he's sweet to his core. and he has a soft spot for our Lizzy

It took me no time to finish this book. I was so engrossed and involved there Lizzy and Beau story

I think this idea to do the princess retelling is awesome and so far I am loving this series and the authors who have written already.
Beautiful

I was so excited for this book when it first was announced - and it did not disappoint! I enjoyed the first in the series, but I love Jasmine Guillory and Beauty and the Beast, so was eager to read this one!

First, I loved the reinterpretation of Belle, in this case Isabelle, as a book lover - here, she works in the publishing industry and is also an aspiring author. For our Beast, Beau, we get a wonderful grumpy, but secretly cinnamon roll. I loved how their friendship developed, while it was clear they were both harboring feelings for each other.

This was a couple that I desperately wanted to read the steam - but I understand the Disney's publishing company may not be about that life. Even without that though, I was so rooting for these two - and the grand gesture at the end had me crying on a recent plane ride!

This was a quick and light read! I enjoy Jasmine Guillory books but they always seem to fall flat for me. Maybe I’m just not a fan of retellings?? I enjoyed the book talk within the book though!

In the second installment in the “meant to be” novels is Jasmine Guillory's latest novel “By the Book.” Following the structure of Beauty and the Beast, we follow Isabelle (Izzy) and her career in publishing. Isabelle is described as intelligent, and creative, is twenty five years old, and still lives at home with her family. The Beast in question is a high-profile author named Beau Towers. Isabelle sees an opportunity for growth in her career if she can assist him in completing his next novel. How will she do that ? Will it is in this novel do you learn if and how she does. Prior experience with Guillory's writing reminded me of why it is that I read romance novels, The plausibility in circumstances described and at times the comfort that it brings. As a thank you to netgalley and the publisher I wrote this review in exchange for advanced readers copy. This novel was one I enjoyed and give it a 3.5 out of 5 stars and an overall rating of four stars on goodreads.

This book started out a little slow and took me a while to get into. it But after a few chapters I really started enjoying it, It is a very light hearted and cute romcom and was very quick to read. There were some swoon worthy moments that made me happy. However, there were also a few instances where I was really bored. Also, when I started reading this book, I had no idea that it was a beauty and the beast retelling. So, that was a surprise.

Another cute romance from Jasmine Guillory! Heart warming and engaging, a perfect beach read that continues in a wonderful series. I always appreciate Guillory approach to creating heroines that are relatable.

What a sweet book! A very good Beauty and the Beast retelling that had good character growth for both MCs. Guillory always knocks it out of the park with her writing.

Tropes: enemies-to-friends-to-lovers, forced proximity, kind of workplace romance, off-page action.

I always love Jasmine Guillory's books. This one is no different and I love it's unique take on Beauty and the Beast.

When editorial assistant Isabelle goes to a reclusive author's house to convince him to write the book owed to her boss, she doesn't expect to live out the plot of Beauty and the Beast in his SoCal mansion complete with a full library, grumpy former Hollywood star, and lots of snacks and tension.

As Izzy works with Beau to finally write his memoir, their clashing personalities give way as they get to know each other, trust each other, and learn they're more alike than they thought.

I really loved Beau! It's single POV but you know that pining is not one sided and he adores her!

I appreciated that the author essentially gave us Beau's POV through his book. His writing allowed us to see inside his head and omg I loved what we saw!

Seeing Izzy become confident and not only ask, but get what she wants and deserves was great. She had options and was seen for her value and I was so happy for her. Their HEA personally and professionally was perfect!

Tropes: enemies to lovers, grumpy/sunshine, beauty and the beast, forced proximity

Closed door romance - no spice but lots of tension

Thank you to Netgalley and Hyperion Avenue for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

4 stars

I really wanted to love this book since I'm a huge Jasmine Guillory fan, but it just fell a little flat for me. I don't know if it was having to stick to the Beauty and the Beast storyline or what but I just couldn't get into it. It felt a little too contrived to me.

I didn't realize this was YA until I started. I have loved Jasmine's writing for a while now, and I was really excited about this one. But maybe it was because it was not her regular romance, that I felt like this fell a bit flat for me. It was still enjoyable enough.

𝟑.𝟓 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐬

This is such a cute story! But, with that said, I'd make a few changes. If it makes any sense, the book felt overly long. Some parts were simply uninteresting and carried on when I didn't think they should have been. We needed more banter between them because the chemistry was evident, but it felt like we were getting nothing out of them together.

Isabelle is a pretty optimistic girl, but she desires something exciting in her life after working her tail off for two years. She leaps at the chance to assist this guy named Beau. Beau has been working with this publishing business, despite the fact that he hasn't submitted his manuscript and they haven't heard from him in a long time. This was her time to make an impression on her boss.

When Isabelle arrives at his Santa Barbara address, he is clearly not pleased. However, they come to an agreement that she will stay with him in his home to help him write this book.

𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘨𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘈𝘙𝘊 𝘪𝘯 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸

It’s a tale as old as time…

One of my favorite authors making a beloved Disney story into an adorable modern day romance? Count me in! @jasminepics writes some of the best romance books out there with genuine characters, body diversity, real problems and they are always eating delicious food.

By the Book is a flip on Beauty and the Beast. Isabelle works for a publisher who is trying to get a memoir from a former child actor who went wild and he’s stopped responding to emails. While out in California, she decides to go visit him to see if she can get him working. She goes to meet Beau Towers at his Santa Barbara mansion and ends up staying there to work with him one on one while he writes this book.

I liked this a lot, but it’s definitely a departure from Jasmine’s usual witty banter. There’s still some and there’s a whole trope about a snack cabinet that I would love to get my hands on. I loved all the Beauty and the Beast Easter eggs dropped into the story such at Beau’s assistant is always offer them tea and he calls her Kettle (she’s Mrs Pots!). The Wifi password is Lumiere! Because this is a Disney book, there’s also zero steam. But I really thought it was done well and I now need to read the first book in the series which is about Cinderella.

Thank you so much to @disneybooks and Jasmine for my gifted copy. By the Book is out now!

Loved this light, quick, Beauty & the Beast re-telling, a great part of Meant to Be series. The publishing intern chasing down a reclusive writer to try to force a manuscript out of him is a twist on this trope I did not know I needed in my life but wow did I need it! Jasmine Guillory is a delightful writer and the voices of her characters show it. From the beginning, the voice of Isabelle is clever and tempestuous in the best ways, and the banter between her and Beau sparks. She also builds in enough good plot development and beautiful friendship development that I found the more slow-burn style romance - which I usually don't enjoy as much - warm, engaging, and natural. This is an enemies-to-lovers that I can definitely get behind!

A quick caveat: I am not always a fan of a retelling! I want to like them and some are absolutely magical, but I do also often find them disappointing. That definitely wasn't the case with this book as a retelling of a classic story, but parts of the retelling connections the book made were too on the nose for me. But if you tend to love a retelling you'll be delighted! I didn't fall head over heels like I did with the first Meant to Be novel, but it's still a brilliant addition to this collection and one I will likely be going back to read again! And I really enjoy that this "series" is bringing in different authors for each book, they bring such unique wonderful additions to the retellings!

I also want to know, for those who read it, who else called the little twist at the end?? Very fun and playful, a delightful read from start to finish! Many thanks to Net Galley, Hyperion, and Disney Audiobooks for the ARC access!