By the Book by Jasmine Guillory
Pub Day 5/4/22

[Thank you to @netgalley and @disneybooks for the eARC!]

This book is:
-Driving down 101 with the music on
-The smell of cinnamon buns
-The crack of the spine of a new book

Swipe for Summary

Thoughts:
This is the second in the Meant to Be series, and I am all for this modernization of my favorite fairy tales. If the Shoe Fits was fun and touched on real topics, so I had high expectations for this one. When I found out that Jasmine Guillory was writing it, I knew it was in good hands.

Jasmine Guillory did a great job of making these characters likable, connectable, diverse and close enough to their disney counterparts to be familiar. Beau and Izzy were great main characters, and I'd definitely read another book about them. The incorporation of books and publishing and arcs was a fun touch, and overall this was a fun and easy read.

The only complaint I have is that the romance was super, super slow burn. I've read almost every book that Jasmine Guillory has published, and this was missing some of the passion and romance of the other ones, which I imagine is because Disney is somehow involved. I didn't miss the passion and steam while reading it, but it would have definitely upped my rating a bit.

Overall, a fun and light read for any fans of disney, friends to lovers, and Jasmine Guillory! I can't wait to see which fairy tale this series modernizes next!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This was my first book by Jasmine Guillory and I thought it was sweet. I loved Isabelle and her love of books and I thought her chemistry with Ben was fire. The problem I had was that it moved so slowly that I was bored at times. I like a slow burn as much as the next person; I just thought this one was TOO slow. I didn't think there were any obstacles with Isabelle and Ben except for the fact that there were times when they would jump to conclusions and not talk to each other. The misunderstanding trope is a no for me. I also like the love scenes to be a little steamy. This is definitely a personal preference, but I thought they were a little tame for me. The book was good, but overall just meh.

** I received an advanced ecopy of this book from Netgalley for an honest review **

You guys, this book. Jasmine Guillory really did a fantastic job modernizing and realistically portraying a Beauty and the Beast retelling. From Izzy acting like the furniture and house was talking to her and cheering her on, to the beastly man who was a teddy bear underneath.

This is a beautifully organic love story. Isabelle needs to prove herself to her boss, Beau has been extremely unresponsive about his memoir. What a spoiled rich man. From New York she could only pester him with emails twice monthly, but at a conference in LA she convinced her boss to let her bug him in person. And the story unravels from there. Beau has a lot to work through to get this book on paper and Izzy’s pep talks and help are the only way he will get there.

I think one of my favorite things is that Izzy is a plus sized character; however, her actual size (a size 12) is only mentioned once. Guillory writes her character outside of being plus sized. It’s not Izzy’s whole personality but it does play into how she feels about herself and what she wears.

Thanks to @netgalley for my E-ARC!

Y’all, May’s first pub day hit me hard. So many great authors released books, and one of them that I was highly anticipating was By The Book, by @jasminepics! I picked it up a day early (thank you @bnsouthlaketwnsq for that), and devoured it within 12 hours.

By The Book is a modern day Beauty and the Beast retelling, but with Isabelle, an editorial assistant who isn’t enjoying her job, and Beau Towers, a jaded and withdrawn celebrity whose memoir is massively overdue. Isabelle is sent to Beau’s home to try to get some progress going on the memoir, and ends up getting him to start writing a story.

I just loved this book! It was an easy to read romcom that hit some very serious notes at the same time. And it was so lovely, so refreshing, and hit the perfect balance of light and heavy. And I loved the Beauty and the Beast references, such as the Tale As Old As Time publishing company that Izzy works for.

Synopsis: Isabelle has dreams of becoming a literary editor; she sees these dreams starting to fall into place when she is given the opportunity to be an executive assistant for an editor as Tale As Old As Time Publishing. Fast forward two years and she feels stuck; she is still an assistant with no signs of moving up. When she is given the opportunity to prove herself by taking on a well-known bad boy who is meant to be writing a memoir for the publishing company, she jumps at the chance. Suddenly, Izzy finds herself living in a mansion with the grumpy Beau Thomas and pushing him to write the memoir that she knows he is capable of.

A Beauty and the Beast retelling that everyone should be reading. Jasmine Guillory writes in a way that feels like a warm hug for the reader and I truly believe she was meant to write Disney retellings. Also, can we talk about how a retelling of a problematic fairy tale that centers around redemption, boundaries and includes a Black woman as the heroine is just what we need in this world?

If you're going into this looking for the spice and steam of Guillory's previous books, you'll be disappointed. Remember this is a retelling of a fairy tale and is being published with ties to Disney. But if you're going in and looking for the feels and warmth that Guillory often serves her readers, you won't be disappointed at all. Is it predictable? Yes, and it's meant to be. It is a retelling after all.

And the sublte nods to the Disney story are done perfectly. For fans of Disney, this is a must read.

asmine Guillory’s sweet, charming new novel, By the Book, is a modern-day retelling of a beloved fairy tale that is sure to delight fans of the author – and make her some new ones.

This novel is listed as the second in the Meant to Be series which are novels based on various fairy tales. While I absolutely loved book one – Julie Murphy’s If the Shoe Fits – and would highly recommend it you absolutely don’t need to read that volume to enjoy this one. There is no real cross-over between the two tales.

Isabelle – Izzy – Marlow began work at A Tale as Old as Time publishing with a spring in her step, a smile on her face, and hope in her heart. Two years later, the spring is practically a limp, the smile is fake and she’s pretty much given up hope. She’s overworked and underpaid, and as a result of the latter, forced to live with her parents at the ripe old age of twenty-five. She’s not sure what she wants to have happen but she knows something’s got to change. While at a conference in California, opportunity knocks in the most surprising of ways. Her boss has been working hard at getting Beau Towers to write the memoir he contractually agreed to. Beau is:

A former child star, son of two celebrities, famous first for being a teenage heartthrob, then for his general rich-kid dirtbag-type behavior -fights in nightclubs, crashing sports cars, smashing paparazzi cameras, etc.

Beau is autobiography gold. His tell-all will definitely top bestseller lists if they can just get him to turn it in. But they can’t. Phone calls have not worked. Begging has not worked. Increasingly candid, charming emails from Isabelle, entertaining, enlightening, and dang helpful to a struggling writer, have not worked. But since they’re in California anyway, her boss decides Izzy can spend some extra time in the golden state, head to Beau’s place, and give him an in-person pep talk. Izzy’s thrilled about the opportunity, convinced working with Beau will be a big step in the right direction come promotion time.

When she arrives at Beau’s mansion, she meets his amiable assistant Michaela but the man himself refuses to speak to her. Dejectedly heading to her car, with a watchful Michaela escorting her off the grounds, Izzy is hopeful she can at least score some decent tacos on the way out of Santa Barbara so the trip isn’t a complete failure. But Michaela trips, Izzy winds up taking care of her, and Beau Towers is grateful enough to let Izzy spend the night there. He’s rude and mean and obstinate but Izzy’s combination of charm and blunt talk soon have the savage beast very nearly tamed. By the next morning, Beau has decided Izzy is just the tonic his writer’s block needed. Arrangements are made for her to stay and thanks to Izzy, Beau starts the hard work of writing a candid, surprising tale. One that shows a guy who’s much deeper than expected, the kind of man who could easily win Izzy’s heart.

There are a ton of Beauty and the Beast references, specifically the Disney version, in this novel but this isn’t much of a variant on the original. Yes, Beau starts out unfriendly but beast-like he is not. Maybe I’ve seen the movie too often to think of anyone who doesn’t lock you in a tower as truly heinous, but to me, it was clear from the start that our beast was all bark and no bite. The nice part is that Izzy isn’t the kind of beauty who puts up with either barking or biting – the few times Beau snaps at her, she makes it clear that behavior is intolerable and repeats that lesson till he learns it.

In fact, I thought Beau was pretty fabulous. Beneath his occasionally gruff exterior is someone who is generous, kind, caring, and talented. I love how diversified his interests are – he surfs, he bakes, he loves to read – his surface hobbies reveal a person who is, internally, very multidimensional. He (mostly) treats Izzy with an amazing amount of respect and kindness and his few temper flare ups re never violent – he can be cutting but he is equally quick to be apologetic.

Izzy is equally fabulous. Life has beaten her down a bit in recent years but she uses her time in California to regroup, think through what she wants, and then go after it. She’s got a very positive, upbeat personality without being a Pollyanna, and she is tolerant and forgiving of others’ foibles and mishaps without being a pushover. For example, her boss has a rather acerbic personality but Izzy is able to see through that to the person who lies beneath and recognize the difference between someone who has a quirky, prickly nature and a person who’s a genuine jerk. I liked that Izzy has such a keen sense of discernment.

The secondary characters here are very secondary. We get little information about them and they receive equally sparse page time. The concentration is on the growth of Beau and Izzy as individuals and as a couple. I would have expected that to result in a deeply romantic tale but this story is actually more women’s fiction/general fiction than romance. A lot of time is spent on them dealing with their individual issues/personal growth and the rest of that time is spent on Izzy and Beau building a friendship and working on the issues he is having writing his memoir. There’s no kissing till the 70% mark and not even a lot of lustful thinking. They keep things very professional, and while each finds the other attractive, neither does anything about that until we are almost all the way through the book. In some ways that really works – these two have such a terrific friendship that when the heat does appear it’s a foregone conclusion they will have an HEA. They are just too fantastic together not to. For those who like sexy romances, this might be a negative, however.

Jasmine Guillory is a terrific writer who pens an absolutely lovely tale whether it’s a hot love story like While We Were Dating or a much more subtle and sublime narrative like this one. I thoroughly enjoyed By the Book and would recommend it to anyone looking for a friends-to-lovers romance.

Beauty and the Beast retelling I am here for it! If you like Of the shoes fits you will enjoy this story and I can’t wait to read the next. It is slow burn and I am not a fan but it was still a good story

#ArcReview

Editorial assistant Izzy Marlowe yearns for more in her career. She’s earned her way in her field and feels like she’s been put aside for potential promotions. When word gets around that her publishing company has not heard a peep out of child celebrity actor, Beau Trowers, who is supposed to submit pages or notes from his memoir, Izzy takes this chance to prove herself by showing up at Beau’s mansion and offer assistance and guidance.

At first, they don’t hit it off, but eventually Izzy’s sunshine personality and fantastic wit win Beau over and at the same time, Beau starts to win Izzy’s heart, too.

A huge chunk of this slow burn involves Beau writing his memoir and Izzy helping him express himself in order for his book to be tangible and enticing. While their moments spent in Beau’s library were meant to be productive moments in writing, they were also moments of intimacy, intense conversations, and of course those side glances.

With the “Beauty and the Beast” theme, “By the Book” had so much potential. I feel it lacked that “zing”. Yes - there is indeed a friendship going on here, and for that, I feel like Izzy and Beau truly connected as friends. The premise of one helping another write a book is great! And there were also moments where Izzy shows her passion in reading and this is when you start resonating with her. But something got lost and I just can’t put my finger on it but only say that it lacked the qualities of a superb romance I'm used to getting from Jasmine Guillory.

I don’t know if it’s because it’s from a different publisher or perhaps the author is going a different direction but I’ve always been a fan of hers so I hope I’ll have better luck with her next one.

If you’re a fan of Beauty and the Beast or you’re a slow burn closed-door enthusiast, this one could be for you.

One Sentence Summary: In this contemporary re-imagining of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, editorial assistant Izzy finds herself helping the mean and rude celebrity Beau Towers write his memoir.

Overall
By the Book is a contemporary re-imagining of Disney’s classic Beauty and the Beast. The parallels are strong during the first half of the book, but, during the second half, it felt more like a romance with some fun nods to the movie. I did like that it didn’t strictly adhere to the confines of the movie so it could take a life of it’s own. Izzy and Beau were very cute and sweet together, but sometimes they just had a little too much in common for me to believe it. The setting in Santa Barbara wasn’t quite what I was hoping for as I’m a native of LA County a couple of hours south, but I am glad the beach and some California culture made it in. Overall, this was a sweet romance with some fun nods to the movie.

Extended Thoughts
Isabelle Marlowe is an editorial assistant to Marta Wallace, a top editor at Tale as Old as Time Publishing. She works hard for her demanding boss, but never really gets any feedback or praise from Marta, and Marta’s former assistant, Gavin, doesn’t seem to think she has any real talent when it comes to writing. The only fun she seems to have is hanging out with Priya, another editorial assistant, and writing whimsical biweekly emails to Beau Towers, a beastly, spoiled celebrity who was supposed to turn in his memoir manuscript ages ago and who has seemingly vanished off the face of the Earth.

In a bid to get on Marta’s good side and prove she can do her job, Izzy volunteers to head over to Beau’s Santa Barbara home and ask how the writing’s going. When she gets there, she’s confronted with an angry Beau, but also his cheerful assistant, Michaela. With Michaela’s encouragement, Izzy talks her way into staying the next few days, and, after an interesting breakthrough with the rude and angry man, things start to smooth out and actually go well, leaving them to grow and struggle through writing, and maybe discover there might be something there after all.

By the Book is a contemporary re-imagining of the classic Disney movie Beauty and the Beast. About halfway through I started to lose the thread of the fairy tale and just found myself reading little more than a cute and sweet fairy tale love story, but elements from the movie were woven in all the way through. I liked that this book focused on writing and publishing, but I found I best enjoyed this read while not thinking too hard on it. The first half was a bit boring to me as it felt like it was either trying too hard to align with the movie or was trying to break away from the movie to become something novel but didn’t know how to do it. The second half, though, felt more like a typical romance with some movie-specific references thrown in, so I found it to be a much more fun read as it finally found it’s stride.

As a re-imagining of Beauty and the Beast, it was easy to pick out the details, but they felt more like background pieces. I liked that the books mentioned were references to some of the songs in the movie. Michaela was clearly supposed to be Mrs. Potts, and she nailed that role so perfectly that I really, really wanted to see more of her in the book (and her snack cabinet was brilliant! I loved that there was so much food in this book.), though Gavin made for a poor Gaston. But my favorite was when Izzy found herself talking to the furniture. It was funny and a little absurd, but was such a nice nod to the movie that, no matter how cheesy it came off, I found it oddly endearing and wanted more. There were a number of small references liberally peppered through the book, but the focus was always on Izzy and Beau and their romance.

The romance was sweet and cute. After a rough spot, it was, more or less, smooth sailing and I liked that they eventually handled bumps with maturity and understanding. They both had a great deal of introspection, which didn’t always make their bumps easier to deal with, but at least they could give each other space and admit when they acted like jerks. For two twenty-somethings, it was refreshing, so I had a lot of fun reading about their relationship. Most of all, I loved that there were few references to Beau’s celebrity status, and instead a focus on his struggles with that celebrity status and that of his family, and even fewer references to Izzy’s physical appearance. Izzy and Beau just seemed to embrace who the other was, which made way for a cute romance between two people who clearly like each other, but aren’t quite sure how to proceed. Since I prefer romances that offer both points of view, I actually really loved the ending to By the Book. The progression and pace of their romance felt natural, and I liked their dancing around each other, though I did sometimes feel impatient with them.

Beau kind of felt like a toasted marshmallow to me. He was surprisingly sweet and gooey on the inside, but his exterior was clearly rough and, well, beastly. But, other than his mean behavior towards Izzy in the beginning, I failed to see how he was supposed to be the Beast character. At first, it was kind of annoying, the way he behaved. I quickly grew tired of his behavior and did feel his change was a little sudden, but, after getting to know his character better, I could start to understand it. Izzy sometimes felt a little too cheerful to me and a bit hotheaded, but she did remind me of Belle. I loved that she worked in publishing and was struggling through her own writing. Her friendship with Priya was incredibly fun, and I wish Priya had more of a presence in the book and had gotten a little more personality. It did make it seem like Izzy was self-centered since almost all of their interactions focused on what was going on in Izzys’s life. I liked how Beau and Izzy had a lot in common, but sometimes it felt like overkill and too unrealistic so it kind of annoyed me. Though, other times, it did feel sweet, and I liked that they had similar struggles they worked through together.

The one thing that really disappointed me was the setting. Santa Barbara is gorgeous, but, other than Beau’s house and the beach, Izzy and Beau don’t really seem to explore what it has to offer, especially since Izzy isn’t the prisoner Belle was. But what really bothered me at the beginning was the sheer number of baths and showers Izzy was taking since all of California is in moderate to severe drought conditions. Considering I’m a Californian who has been asked to conserve (with more restrictions to come in June), I found myself getting angry at her and with everyone else not mentioning the drought. It’s kind of a big part of what California is. I also struggled with it being February and March. Of course Izzy is from New York with much colder temperatures, but, after a few days, she should have acclimated, but seemed to spend more time laughing at how people bundled up and saying how warm and sunny it is. The beach was nice, as well as the surfing, which made it easier to swallow them going periodically to a beach in February. It’s cold at the beaches, especially at night, but surfers will still surf. Though their trip to a beach at sunset felt unrealistic as it would have been chilly. I guess I just wanted it to feel like it was February and not June. So the setting was a massive miss to me.

By the Book is a cute romance that felt loosely based on Disney’s Beauty and the Beast. As the story wore on, I found fewer and fewer similarities to the movie, and sorely wished Gavin had been more villainous. Other than Izzy and Beau, all the characters felt one dimensional and little more than useful. I did like the depth given to Izzy and Beau, though. They both clearly had struggles to get past and I liked that they did it together. Theirs was a surprisingly mature relationship and I enjoyed the way it ended. I did find Izzy’s pep talks to be a little too casual, generic, and repetitive, but their actual writing sessions felt very serious and rang with a great deal of honesty.

As a romance, By the Book really delivers. As a re-imagining of Beauty and the Beast, it had moments where it was strong and moments when I completely lost track of it. By the end, I wasn’t quite convinced I was reading a re-imagining of the classic, but could completely believe it in the beginning. The references were definitely nice touches, so the only real negative to me was the setting. Overall, this was a very cute romance and I liked the nods to the movie.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hyperion Avenue for a review copy. All opinions expressed are my own.

Adorable. Absolutely adorable. Just comfortable and sweet and cute and romantic. Loved every moment of it. The characters are enjoyable, the plot works, all in all it just totally gets the job done. It was great to read a story about a woman who loves to eat but wasn't constantly in her head worrying about whether or not she was fat. Even when Izzy compared herself negatively to the actresses and models she was sure Beau was into, weight was never part of that mental conversation. I really appreciate that.

Minor points deducted for the overused Disney Beauty and the Beast imagery. The story was cute enough that I'll allow it, but all the Lumière, kettle, This Provincial Life, etc, etc actually wound up taking me out of the story a bit. It was like a constant reminder that I was reading a story. Every time I'd fall into full immersion, another quirky little Disney bit popped up to pull me out again. It might have been better to pull images from different versions of the story, not just the Disney ones, or just made the retelling less literal.

Otherwise, absolute love. Very grateful to Netgalley, the publishers, and the author for the opportunity to read this book

Can I admit something here?

I am not a fan of "Beauty and the Beast". I always found this fairytale a bit icky and weird. So when I saw Jasmine Guillory's latest book, "By the Book" from Disney Publishing's "Meant to Be" series, which is a modern retelling of the tale as old as time I was apprehensive. However, I will read anything Jasmine Guillory writes, so I decided to give this book a chance. I am so happy that I did, she did an amazing time making Beau (Beast) likeable and the circumstances for Izzy (Belle) coming to Beau's estate while contrived (it's a modern day fairytale - so to be expected) were not creepy. The romance between Beau, a child of Hollywood stars, struggling to write a memoir, and Izzy, an entry-level assistant in publishing was adorable and I believed their romance. Though, because this is Disney there was a lot of kissing and not much else, but Jasmine Guillory was able to write the kissing scenes in a way that provided all the steam you typically associate with her books. Also, if you're wondering, true to Jasmine Guillory fashion there is plenty of food in this love story.

A very enchanting and enjoyable story. Izzy is thoroughly disillusioned with her work at a publishing house. She was hoping to advance to assistant editor but after two years, no go. When she overhears her boss talking about a way behind author. Izzy volunteers to go to his house and talk to him in person. Instead of a civil conversation, he is a bear. Due to other circumstances, she ends up staying at his home and working with him on his novel. She is the feisty spirit needed to light a match under him.She gets under his skin and causes him to really look at all the stuff he has avoided. I loved the banter between Izzy and Beau as they work on his memoir.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The book was such a cute RomCom. It was full of romance and comedy. I loved the beauty and beast reference and that it involved around books and writing. I thought the characters were good and easy to follow.

It was hard to get into the storyline at first. It was a slow start. The dialogue between the two characters seemed very immature at times and also more towards YA. I would recommend her other books over this one. But this book was still a cute and easy read.

Thanks to Netgalley and Hyperion Avenue for this eARC.

Overall, this was a cute romcom that about a grump/sunshine couple who find themselves sharing a home while they work towards writing a manuscript. Definitely a light and easy read - I do love a grumpy/sunshine romance and there was some good banter here that had me smiling. I can def see the Beauty and the Beast influence here, which I think worked.

I think my biggest problem with it, which is becoming a trend in my thoughts toward Jasmine's books, is that there is not a lot of depth or character development. I never felt really attached to either MC. While I liked the progression of Izzy and Beau's relationship, I just wanted MORE out of this.

Rating: 3 stars

A book about writing a book-pretty much a flawless story line. This was a light romcom with a fade to black scene towards the end. I loved the banter between Beau and Izzy and Izzy's determination to help Beau finish his book. There's definitely some swoon worthy moments. This book is launching at the perfect time for a summer beach read!

Rating: 3.5

Even though Beauty and the Beast is one of the most retold stories, I don't think that took anything away from the book! Many other aspects shined bright, such as the clear representation within the publishing/writing industry as well as the cute interactions between the heroine, Izzy, and the handsome grump, Beau. It wasn't super steamy/spicy, but it didn't need to be because the intimate/tender moments were just as fun to read. I will say I got a bit frustrated at times because I felt like the plot wasn't progressing at a pace that I usually enjoy, however thats only because I hadn't realized it was going to be as much of a slow burn as it is.

The writing style is super light and easy to digest! This was my first Jasmine Guillory read, and it definitely won't be my last!

I recommend this for anyone looking for a cute and light rom-com!

Thank you NetGalley and Jasmine Guillory for the ARC!

This was my first Jasmine Guillory book, and it definitely won’t be my last. It was the perfect light and enjoyable romance read, and it was especially needed after reading a few heavy books. So what did I love about it…

✨grumpy/sunshine trope
✨another fun book about books
✨Isabelle’s (MC) positive but strong personality
✨California/NYC setting (both a fave)

Check out this book if you need a feel-good read! ♥️

I enjoyed it so much! This was a great Rom Com! Definitely recommend. I have read other books by Jasmine Guillory and this is one of my faves! Also THE COVERRRRR😍

4 stars

I love love love the story of beauty and the beast and this was a perfect ode to that story!! I'm not usually one to love retellings but this book did a great job in that aspect! I enjoyed the story, the representation and the characters too!

Also, that cover!! So so pretty!

Thank you to NetGalley and Hyperion for the earc in return for an honest review.

I enjoyed this book. Isabel and Beau are both a little lost. They come from such different worlds and yet they click so well. All the characters are well developed, the story rather unique and the ending more than satisfying.

Isabel, Izzy, is really good at her job even if her boss doesn't acknowledge or even seem to see it. She's got an amazing relationship with her parents, which is good since she's still living with them. She's loyal, a good friend, clever and smart. She's a ray of light in Beau's rather small, dark world.

Beau is rich and famous and hasn't always been the man he should. He's been so angry and harsh, especially with his mom. Beau is just the damaged guy I like so much in books. We see glimpses from the beginning that he's not the jerk the press makes him out to be. He runs hot and cold so fast Izzy can't keep up. What an amazing surprise to find he's been reading her increasingly nonsensical emails. He might just have the desire to write his book, and the talent, that he's not given any indication of so far. Can Izzy coerce a book out of him?

The book takes it's time, deliciously, developing the characters. Especially Beau. The more time he and Izzy spend together the more she learns about him and he learns about himself. Izzy's growing too in her confidence in her editing abilities. She's so loyal and honest and surprises Beau when she never peeks in his writing notebook. That's just how awesome she is. When Beau is finally honest with himself, Izzy and his memoir, we find a really good man where we thought we might.

As these two get closer and closer my heart soared. I wanted them to find the HEA so much. I also was glad to see them get the the lives they deserved. I literally laughed out loud and then cried at different parts. There was plenty of emotional range. The books was just a delightful way to spend a few hours. I definitely recommend it.

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.