When Isabelle's dream job in publishing has all but completely soured, she seizes an opportunity to to convince an off the rails celebrity to deliver on his promised memoir manuscript. All in the hopes of impressing her boss and proving to herself that she's cuts out for the industry. As sparks begin to fly, she quickly realizes that there is more than meets the eye.

This is a cute, if predictable, behind closed doors romance. I liked that there is a focus on Isabelle's career as well as the developing relationship between her and Beau Towers. There was obvious chemistry between the two and the backgrounds and conflicts in each of their lives were believable and felt real. As this is a nod to Beauty and the Beast, there were a lot of little hints that harken back to that story, which I personally felt were unnecessary, but if you love Disney, it will be cute. I did find her side-kick friend to be annoying, but enjoyed the lighter touch of the cook. Overall, recommended!

Thank you Netgalley and Hyperion Avenue/Disney Books for the advanced e-copy!

I'm a bit conflicted on how I feel about this one. On one hand, I did enjoy it to a certain extent, but I also felt like there were discrepancies and that it could use some work. With this being an arc, it could definitely account for some things, but not all things.

First, I loved that Izzy is a book lover. I always love reading about other book lovers because they're obviously so relatable in their love of books. I also loved that she's a woman of color and that a light was shined on some of the struggles that can take place in the workplace for women of color. However, the whole Gavin situation was very obvious from the start and I can't believe it took Izzy so long to figure it out.

If you're a Beauty and the Beast fan, there's definitely A LOT of comparisons within this book. It's like a non-magical retelling of Beauty in the Beast. Beau is definitely the Beast initially and Izzy or (Isabelle) is Belle who loves loves loves books. Two people who start out distant and sniping at each other and slowly start to come together through, in this case, writing. There's definitely some stand out moments/scenes that I highlighted that were classic Beauty and the Beast. Izzy has a thing about talking to furniture. This is not to say anything's wrong with it, just a theme that I noticed throughout the book. So if you're into retellings, this could sort of be considered one.

What I'm most conflicted on is the writing style. I started out loving the book and somewhere along the way it took a turn and I had a hard time reading it since. I think this IS in part due to the writing style, but also because of Izzy and the flow of the book.

The transitions were reallyyyyy rough. Again I'm not sure if that's an arc thing. I've read arcs where the transitions can be rough, but I've also read ARCs that are more polished. Usually the case has been that when I'm reading an arc such as this with rough transitions, I have a hard time with the writing. I also wanted some scenes to be expanded upon. Not only did moments feel really cut off because of the rough transition, but things seemed to happen and pass so spontaneously, but I'll get into that a little deeper in a minute.

The flow of the story was really slow as well or maybe I'm just used to romance stories developing a little more quickly or stories that jump around a little but more time wise. I say this because 50-60% into the book, Beau still didn't know much about Izzy in my opinion. He knew little things about her like her love for snacks, books, and that she doesn't do anything she doesn't wanna do, but not in the way that Izzy got to know him. Izzy knows a lot more about Beau because of his book which is to be expected. I just wish that it had been a little more equal/balanced on that front. Izzy did eventually open up to Beau, but my point is that it took a really long time for her to do so.

That leads me to their relationship as a whole. It was definitely cute and quirky. They made me smile and laugh, but I still wanted more from them. Like I said, it was spontaneous, but not in a good way. There also wasn't a lot of depth when they finally did get together and I mean this as in it's like the author bypassed over a lot of the in between (only when they did get together) that I feel like would have added so much more to the story.

If you've stuck with me this far, I guess to sum it all up, I really wanted to love this one more, but I had too many issues and overall, it was just so slow that I got bored. If you're into slow burns though, definitely check this one out.

This is my very first Jasmine Guillory book and it certainly will not be my last! This is a Beauty & the Beast retelling, spotlighting Izzy who works at Tale as Old as Time Publishing, and Beau, the brawny stubborn celebrity whose memoir has Izzy scratching her head and facing new frustrations daily. To please her boss, Marta, Izzy steps up to personally hunt down Beau to "encourage" him to hand in his memoir. Romance ensues and the rest is history.

Now, the nods to Beauty & the Beast were pretty obvious and more prominent throughout the first couple of chapters or so. Those sort of died down a bit as we progressed through the book. I have nothing to compare it to in terms of comparing Guillory's other romances to this one and how quick/spicy the romance is but, the romance wasn't too spicy, and it was a very slow burn - I was about 65% in when a move was finally made.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I do wish there was more plot development - it was kind of one note - but I loved the characters and the character development. I also enjoyed the Beauty & the Beast take on the story.
I would rate this 4/5 stars, and would recommend to anyone who wants a fun, quick romance read.

I think I've decided the Meant to Be series is not for me. I read the first one by Julie Murphy (an author I LOVE) and wasn't a big fan, and now I've read this one by Jasmine Guillory (an author I ALSO LOVE) and wasn't a big fan. While I enjoyed the first half of the book and getting to know the characters, I thought the book had a main character chemistry problem, in that I didn't feel any sparks between them, and so once I got to the actual romance I wasn't quite sure I believed it. Although I wanted to love the retellings of the Meant to Be novels, I think I'll pass if any more are written. I will still read any and everything Jasmine Guillory writes, this one just didn't hit.

Thanks to Hyperion Avenue and NetGalley for for sending this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review! By the Book will be published on May 3, 2022.

By the Book was a cute, fun read. This is a very clean Beauty and the Beast retelling. When I say clean I literally mean there is no hanky panky going on between these pages.

While I enjoyed it I felt something was missing. It needed a bit of grit thrown in. Something to make it a little bit messy. It was all a little too easy.

Cutesy read!!

**Received ARC through NetGalley. Voluntarily reviewed**

I liked a lot of things about this book. I actually didn't realize it was a Beauty and the Beast retelling going into it, but realized it pretty quickly. The story follows editorial assistant Isabelle (Izzy) on her quest to get belligerent party boy turned author Beau to complete his memoir manuscript. In a last ditch attempt, she travels to California to his house to try to talk to him. Beau is standoffish and doesn't want to talk to her, but challenges her to stay with him for a week to use her powers to get him through his writers block. One week turns into more and the two quickly become friends as they accomplish breakthrough after breakthrough.

Things I liked:
A good bookish romance will always grab me. I love reading about the publishing world. This was one of the more creative Beauty and the Beast retellings I've read, and some of the references and Easter eggs were very cute. I liked the setting and I liked Izzy's character.

Things I didn't love:
In general, I want more spice from my romances than Jasmine Guillory gives, but this book was particularly bland; a TOTAL fade to black. I also didn't feel a ton of slow burn chemistry between Izzy and Beau. While the Beauty and the Beast references were cute, some of them were a bit on the nose for my taste, but I may just not be the right audience.

Overall, a very cute read! I would absolutely recommend it to patrons in search of a PG - PG-13 romance.

Thanks to Hyperion Avenue and NetGalley for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

ARC provided by NetGalley for an unbiased review.

I really love Jasmine Guillory and was excited to find out she was writing a Beauty and the Beast retelling! We follow Isabelle, an assistant at a publishing house, and Beau, a former celebrity star turned recluse working on a memoir. Isabelle ends up conjuring a plan to get his very overdue memoir written and figures out what a beast he can be. With lots of subtle little hints to the original Beauty and the Beast, and relatable characters, Jasmine Guillory has created a great addition to the Meant to Be series.


Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for providing me with an arc for an honest review.

Isabelle works for TOAT publishing company (Tale as Old as Time) and has been working her tail off to get them to see she deserves a promotion. In an effort to prove her worth, she assigns herself the task of getting an overdue manuscript out of the infamous and grumpy Beau Towers while at a conference in California! It starts out as strictly business but soon morphs into an intimate friendship that turns into love.
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This was such a sweet retelling of a modern Disney Beauty and the Beast! I love Disney, so when I heard this I had to check it out. The characters really were such a modern Belle and Beast. The book had a lot of pure joy to it and really focused on how the small things in a relationship really are the big things like spending time with each other, eating dinner together, and so many other sweet things. Such a cute Romance that everyone should check out!
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Thank you to Netgalley and Hyperion Avenue for a free copy of this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Oh but this was cute. Too cute. It’s sickening.

Here’s the thing. I was really enjoying this in the beginning. It had a super cheesy quality to it that made it super cute, and there was a lot of potential for the story to pan out into something fun and romantic. The writing style was certainly engaging and as a main character, I liked Izzy. She’s a little bit of a firecracker who has some issues with speaking up for herself, but has no qualms with snapping back at the spoiled rich author she is staying in California to help.

Sadly, the Disney-ish-ness of this destroyed every ounce of potential for me.

I really hope this is because it's a Disney imprint and not Guillory's usual style, since this was remarkably surface level and spiceless. Like, we're talking G-rated romance here. Forced proximity for weeks on end with incredible potential for tension, yet there's almost no romantic chemistry between Izzy and Beau until well past the 60% mark. I hesitate to even call this a slow burn because there is so very little to build up and on to. There's a lot of "oh, I just realized how close we're standing to each other" moments, but nothing that makes you think they're pining for or even interested in each other that way. And the funniest thing to me is all I wanted was for them to do something, yet when they did, I was ready to DNF the book within 10 pages. Once they kissed, they just ... didn't stop. It was so vanilla and boring and nauseating. I ended up skimming the last 15% because it was so mind-numbingly dull.

I didn't realize this was part of the Disney retelling series until I started reading this, so behold, a Beauty and Beast contemporary retelling. And as far as a Beauty and the Beast retelling goes ... meh. Some of it was so on the nose, like calling the publishing house Tale as Old as Time (I rolled my eyes so hard), and other parts were pretty weak if you want to compare them to the Disney story and characters we all know and love. Making Izzy think the furniture was talking to her felt so forced and unnecessary, and randomly declaring certain rooms off-limits and not explaining doesn’t make any sense.

One thing I deeply appreciated was the realistic publishing view. Izzy is an editorial assistant at a publishing house, and while she started the job with such optimism, two years later she is entirely disenchanted and stuck in a promotion-less rut. If you're around on writer/book twitter, you'd have to be living under a rock to not notice the shocking number of publishing staff are leaving the industry entirely because they are underpaid and very overworked with little change on the horizon. Izzy shows a lot of the same frustrations well and it was so relatable. Also, the writer advice she gives Beau is spot-on. Couldn’t have put it better myself.

I am officially in a romance novel slump, and I’m not happy about it.

This was a very sweet modernization of Beauty & The Beast. I loved Izzy and Beau, they were both very believable in their skin. Izzy is an overworked, underconfident editorial assistant and Beau is a spoiled rich kid with depression & anxiety. I love how well they get along, and how they're both each others' biggest fans by the end of the novel. As for that ending!!! 5/5 stars for how everything was resolved, I greatly appreciated it!

2.5/5 Stars

I didn't dislike By the Book, but I didn't love it, either. The premise is cute, a modern take on Beauty and the Beast, but it just fell a little flat for me. I felt like Izzy was this wide-eyed child for part of the book. I know this was a plot device because she starts standing up for herself, but it was annoying nonetheless. I wanted MORE from both Izzy and Beau. But overall a quick read. I'm still a Jasmine Guillory fan and will continue to read all of her books.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of this book!

isabelle is the only Black employee at her publishing house that she’s been working for since she graduated from college. she is underpaid, under appreciated, and definitely overworked. she knows that there is more to her life than being an editorial assistant so when she overhears her boss talking about a difficult, hermit client who hasn’t made any progress on his memoir book deal, isabelle hops on the opportunity to show her boss what she’s made of. it should be easy enough, right? she just needs to go to his home in CA and give him a few pep talks, then she should be golden. NOT. beau towers is as broody as they come. he slams the door on her face at first but izzy is determined to see this through. the two soon realize they have a lot in common including their love for snacking and dipping sauces haha! their forced proximity helps them create a friendship… and possibly more?!

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this book was SO cute. i absolutely loved it. i love the rep!!! i loved seeing izzy fight for what she deserved!! this is a SLOW. BURN. but every second is so pure and cute. both characters had an amazing arc and i loved watching them find themselves. jasmine’s writing is SOO easy to read and i promise you won’t wanna put it down!

tropes:
grumpy x sunshine
forced proximity
work romance (sorta)
millionaire romance
& the fmc loves romance books!!

I love a good Disney movie and Beauty and the Beast is one of my all-time favorites, so I was excited to jump into this modern retelling.

Isabelle (Izzy) is an assistant to the editor at Tale as Old as Time publishers. She still lives at home with her parents and she works really hard to not get paid all that much in return. While she is at a publishing event in California, her boss sends her to check on a celebrity client who is way overdue in submitting his memoir.

The celebrity client in question, Beau Towers, doesn't want to be bothered and wants to be left alone. He's angry in general and has many issues that he hasn't dealt with. But since Izzy is there, she ends up staying for an extended period and things begin to develop between them. They start as adversaries, move to friends and then move to more.

This is a very sweet romance, but I have to say it was lacking something for me. I enjoy Jasmine Guillory's writing and it was well written, but it did seem to wrap up way too quickly for my liking. The resolution to the conflict was just too fast for me. While this wasn't my favorite, I'll definitely give Ms. Guillory's books a read in the future!

**I voluntarily read an early copy of this title courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review**

“By the Book” focuses on Izzy, a young woman who has always wanted to work with books. Getting a job as an editorial assistant sounds like a dream come true, but turns out to be anything but. Just when she’s thinking of walking away, the challenge that could make her career comes up: get star and recluse Beau Towers to deliver his late memoir. What should be easy is made increasingly difficult by Beau’s beastly behavior, but Izzy is determined to see the challenge through. And along the way rediscover a bit about herself.

This is a delightful celebration of books and growing love, and a complete unadulterated homage to Beauty and the Beast, with inner beasts and fears challenging both Izzy and Beau along the way. Give yourself points for each B&B reference you notice and compare with friends as a fun sideline to the story. But that didn’t take away from the plot for me, Beau is a tortured individual, even if he is the one doing most of the torturing. Aren’t we all our own worst critics? He’s traumatized by events in his past and paralyzed by shame and regret over how he handled things. Izzy needs to bring him out of his shell not only so he can write his book, but for his own mental health. At the same time, she’s dealing with her own issues about work, ones any of us can relate to. A boss who never gives feedback, a passive aggressive coworker, feelings of insecurity and wondering if what she thought was the right career was a big mistake. She knows she needs to push herself forward more or change jobs, but is afraid of rocking the boat Beau and his project help build up her confidence in a way she hadn’t had in years.

I liked how the confidence and trust Izzy and Beau slowly build between them was completely separate from the romantic feelings they developed for each other. Obviously they helped the slow-burn romance blossom, but the work came first. The belief in themselves as people and as writers came before the romance, which for some reason I found very affirming. We can all stand on our own, but it is nice to sometimes be reminded that others see us and are standing in our corner too. I was a little disappointed with the flip-flopping at the end, although without giving away spoilers I’ll just say it seemed more immature than I had thought Izzy in particular had gotten in her emotional maturity. But the ending was lovely and positive and all things a good romance novel should be.

I very much enjoyed this book with its unapologetic love of books and the delightful characters, Izzy especially, who discover how strong they are.

I received an Arc from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Listen, Beauty and the Beast is one of my favorite Disney movies (I want that library) so I was excited about this retelling. Especially when I found out that Isabelle went by Izzy which is also my nickname. I loved the references and tie-ins to the movie, but I felt conflicted about this one. I was bored throughout most of it and it was a bit of a struggle to get through it. The ending bumped this up a bit for me but I just really struggled to get through this one.

Thanks to NetGalley for a free advanced copy in exchanged for a review.

I really like Jasmine Guillory and <em>Beauty and the Beast</em> is probably my most favorite Disney movie, so this was a good match. I didn't think Beau was beastly enough - he was a dick, but not too much of a dick that Izzy would have just left the first chance she got, which I guess makes sense in this modern retelling (since Izzy wasn't a prisoner like the original Belle, the only thing keeping her there was dedication to her job). I love the nods to the movie and thought this was cute. It didn't have the same level of described sex that Guillory has had in other books, but that's not always a bad thing. I also loved all the talk of food throughout. The descriptions weren't as well done as Sonali Dev does when she describes food, but I love that there was so much of it in here!

I went into this book automatically assuming I was going to love it because, 1) I loved the first book in this series If the Shoe Fits and 2) I positively adore Jasmine Guillory's books.

There were some parts of this that I really enjoyed. I liked the Izzy and her struggles felt very real. She was likeable and her choices made sense for her character. The little nods to Beauty and the Beast (which this was a retelling of in a way) was a lot of fun and super cute.

I felt like the book was a little... immature overall though? I didn't realize these books were from a Disney publishing company, and while that's not a bad thing, I think if I'd realized that in the beginning my expectations would have changed a little. I never noticed it with the first book but this one had moments where it felt noticeable. The book felt a step up from a Hallmark movie. There were a few times they swore and there was kissing on page, but it was super wholesome otherwise. The fade to black is more like a hint of light grey.

This would be a good romance novel for someone transitioning from YA romance to Adult romance. I think that's the best way to put it.

If you are looking for a sweet, Disney fairytale inspired romance, this is a great one to check out.

Thank you NetGalley and Jasmine Guillory! Gosh where do I start. I devoured this book. When I read this I didn't realize it was a 2nd book in a series so now I need to go read book #1. Isabelle was so filled with passion and I immediately gravitated to her workaholic and under appreciated character. Beau was also intriguing to love and hate at the same time. If you haven't added Jasmine to your TBR and you love honest love stories you should. Definitely one for the beach bag!

As a part of a series, I think each book can stand alone as I don't think the first book was relevant to this one. Unfortunately, I did not care for this book. Really I just didn't like Beau mostly based on the way he was written. I didn't find him very masculine (and I don't mean in an aggressive/testosterone way), but every time there was a dialogue, it felt as though there were two women talking. He wasn't feminine, but he was written in a way that just reminded me of a woman. He was not impressive.

This Beauty and The Beast retelling had everything from a castle-like house, a reclusive and grumpy here to the library ladder and a sweet love story. Izzy made a great Beauty with her optimism and quick wit I loved seeing how the story played out and how she handled living in the house with Beau (Beast). Their relationship went from enemies to something else over time and with loves of delicate maneuvering on both their parts. The author did a beautiful job of unraveling Beau's pain and showcasing Izzy's struggles. She gave each of them something to fight for and managed to create an almost magical situation.

I highly recommend this to anyone who loves a sweet slow burn and lots of references to writing, publishing, and a bit of family drama.