I am absolutely shocked by how much I disliked this book. (I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review)

Although Jasmine Guillory isn't my favorite romance author, I have had a good time reading her books in the past. This book was so juvenile and repetitive that I was confused that she authored it. Maybe the ARC I received is a very rough draft (and I would hope so) but I don't think it is.

My first issue was the writing style. It was very stop and start with overuse of the characters "beaming," "laughing out loud," and "grinning." The dialogue was choppy and pulled me out of the story over and over because I was so annoyed. Lots of "he said" and "she said." I'm not a writer, so I don't have tips on how to "fix" the choppiness necessarily, but as a reader, I can tell it's there. It's one of those things where you don't notice it if it's right, but it's glaringly obvious if it's wrong.

My second issue was all the Beauty and the Beast references. I know, I know, this is a BatB retelling, but the references to the original story were sooooo pointed that I was starting to roll my eyes at them. For example, the MC thinks she hears the bathtub talking to her and makes sure to thank every piece of furniture in her room at one point. One of the character's nicknames is "Kettle" and the story's explanation for it is stupid. I love Beauty and the Beast (my BatB themed kindle cover is sitting next to me as I type this), so to have the retelling be cheesy without any tact was extremely disappointing.

My third issue was the romance. Zero chemistry. The male MC refers to himself as a "beast" at one point when he wasn't being terrible: he was just in a bad mood. They talk about how much "time they wasted" not being together when they've only known one another for a month or so...? It was fast and surprising to everyone when they "loved" one another--including the two MCs. I get it. It's the BatB story, but it wasn't believable. It was cheesy to the max.

I was hovering between 2 stars and 1 star but I truly do think this was a poorly written book. It seemed to me like the author was just trying to fulfill her contract and maybe this project went to the wayside because of other commitments. I thought this retelling series was going to be FANTASTIC based on If The Shoe Fits by Julie Murphy (which I LOVED). But I guess they can't all be winners. I'll be excited to see which retelling is next.

It was a very cute book with very cute moments between Izzy and Beau, but I think that Izzy’s insecurities in herself and her relationships was very repetitive. When we first met Izzy it was very clear she was almost tired and bored from her life but I didn’t really like how it was incorporated throughout the story. Very cute moments between the two mc’s though!

Izzy works for a publishing company and when one thing leads to another, she ends up staying in California with a client because he is struggling so much with writing his memoir. She is there to help him, but along the way sparks fly and feelings are caught.

This book was cute, in the clean, soft romance type of way. I enjoyed the premise of the story. Where this book lost me was that there didn't seem to be a strong conflict. At first I though maybe there would be issues with Izzy and her boss, but nothing like that ever happened. And when the really conflict did happen, it was resolved within a few pages it seemed like.

I adored this modern retelling of Beauty and the Beast! The characters were fun but stayed true to this classic tale. Jasmine Guillory did a fantastic job!

Beauty and the Beast vibes!

Isabelle (Izzy) Marlowe wasn’t so sure about staying in publishing being only Black person working for Tale as Old as Time Publishing and still being an editorial assistant and living at home with her parents. But things changed when she decided to visit her boss’ most troublesome author Beau Towers to figure out the problems he was having with his memoir and hopefully get promoted.

Beau Towers just wanted to be left alone in his Santa Barbara mansion leading to serious Beauty and the Beast vibes with some serious slow burn romance between Beau and Izzy because neither of them wants to admit anything.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I love Jasmine Guillory and this was really cute and sweet. Apparently this series is inspired by Disney fairy tales and this was a nice take on Beauty and the Beast. Beauty is Isabelle (Izzy), the assistant to an editor at Tale as Old as Time publishing, her dream job that has basically become a nightmare. While she's out in California for a publishing conference, she ends up being sent by her boss to check in on a celebrity client who was supposed to turn in a memoir like... more than a year ago. Beau Towers, the celebrity, is the Beast, and he's a great Beast - just generally damaged and angry with the world. He challenges Izzy to stay with him to help him write his memoir, and they go from enemies to friends to more. I loved all the subtle references to Disney's Beauty and the Beast (like Izzy feeling like the tub and the snack cabinet are speaking to her). For long time Jasmine Guillory fans, I feel like I should warn you that this is very closed door, but still very sweet and romantic. AND long time fans will love the cozy home scenes and allllllll the eating.

By the Book brings a new and inventive look to Beauty and the Beast. At its heart, it's a story about seeing past someone's exterior. Of taking the time and effort to look beyond. We can hide our true selves behind layers. Behind pieces of our trauma and fear. So By the Book, by extension, it also a story about being seen for who we are and taking the time to find someone who will do the same. With lots of cute references to the original - can you spot them all? - By the Book is a great addition to a promising series.

Book Review
By the Book by Jasmine Guillory
Book 2 in the Disney Meant To Be Series

In this Beauty and the Beast retelling
Izzy is our “Belle” and Beau is our “Beast” complete with Disney references throughout (Tale as Old as Time Publishers, Rose Garden, and library). Their grumpy/sunshine relationship is a slow burn with very little steam- in true Disney fashion their romance is limited to kissing.

First off, I loved the behind the scenes look at the world of writing, editing, and publishing. It makes my inner book nerd happy.

Guillory also presents a new perspective into this professional field. She addresses the racism and sexism faced by many in the industry, for both the writers and the publishers. It was refreshing to see these inequities played out on paper.

Guillory’s reference to the habits that we form when a person has a people pleaser type personality with the tendency to put others opinions above their own really resonated with me. Saying no is soo hard, and putting others needs and wants before my own is a bad habit I share with Izzy.

Another fabulous happily ever after from Jasmine.

Thank you to @netgalley and Hyperion Ave for my gifted copy in return for an honest review. Opinions are my own.

✨Book Review✨
By the Book my Jasmine Guillroy
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
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Jasmine Guillroy does it again. She has definitely solidified herself as an auto-buy author for me. This book, loosely based on Beauty and the Beast, has me really questioning my previous statement that I don't love retellings. This retelling was just as subtle and enjoyable as the first in this series (If the Shoe Fits). I can't wait for book three!
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I really had no idea how someone could pull off a Beauty and the Beast retelling without the problematic falling-in-love-with-your-captor troupe, but Guillroy has done it! This was lovely, and contained all of the consent. :)
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Isabelle and Beau were delightful, and I loved the bookish content. It actually reminded me a lot of Must Love Books. I know I haven't said much about the story, but go read this one for yourself! I listened to the audio for most of this book, and while the narrator took me a little getting used to, I ended up loving her.

Isabelle is an editorial assistant as Tale as Old as Time Publishing but the job is nothing like she thought it would be. She sees an opportunity to finally get a promotion and all she has to do is find Beau Towers, aspiring author, to get a copy of his manuscript. When she gets to his house in Santa Barbara, she finds out he is lost just like her.

This is the second book in the Meant to Be series – modern retellings of classic fairytales. Beauty and the Beast is my favorite Disney movie so I thoroughly enjoyed reading Guillory’s take on their story. Beau and Izzy expressed very real and raw emotions and showed tremendous self-development. It was such a fun read. I cant wait to see what the concept will be for the rest of the series.

I love Jasmine Guillory and I love fairytale retellings, so I was super excited to read this! It didn’t quite live up to my expectations—the writing felt a bit more simplistic than Guillory’s previous novels, and things wrapped up a little too quickly/neatly/almost abruptly for my taste. But the interaction between the characters (and particularly their mutual appreciation of a good snack, which is always one of my favorite parts of Guillory’s books!) was still fun, and all the little nods to Beauty and the Beast were charming. Overall, I don’t know that I loved it as much as I’d hoped I would, but it was still a nice, quick read that put a smile on my face.

I love Jasmine Guillory, so I had high hopes for 𝗕𝗬 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗕𝗢𝗢𝗞. But what this book turned out to be was Jasmine Guillory LIGHT.

𝗕𝗬 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗕𝗢𝗢𝗞 is like weak tea: it's got the essence of something really good that was then significantly watered down.

The characters are watered down.
The conflict is watered down.
The dialog is watered down.
The enemies-to-lovers trope is watered down.
The humor is watered down.
The steam-level is watered down.

In the end, 𝗕𝗬 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗕𝗢𝗢𝗞 is not a bad read, it's just a bland read. It's not quite comedic enough to be a rom-com, not quite engaging enough to be a beach read, and not quite frothy enough to be a Hallmark movie.

I believe these issues are a result of Disney being behind this writing project. It may be exactly what some readers are looking for, but I'll stick with OG Jasmine Guillory from here on out.

𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
𝗦𝗧𝗘𝗔𝗠 𝗟𝗘𝗩𝗘𝗟: Rated PG / Kissing and awareness that characters sleep together. Closed Door.
𝗧𝗥𝗜𝗚𝗚𝗘𝗥𝗦: parent estrangement
𝗙𝗘𝗘𝗟𝗦: 2/5 - A bit of drama, but still a pretty light read.

I received an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Read/Listen If You Like:
❤️ Fairytales & Disney Princesses
❤️Reading Diversely
❤️ Beauty and the Beast
❤️ Grumpy/Sunshine Trope
❤️ Forced Proximity Trope
❤️ Slow-Burn Clean Romance

Book Review:
“To all the Black girls who loved books and wanted to be princesses. This one’s for you.”

To start… the dedication for this one… it is absolutely perfect and another reason why I love Jasmine Guillory and her books so much!

I also love that none of her MC’s are the stick thin beauty queens, but they all have curves and are average size woman so the characters always feel more relatable that they aren’t being described as tiny.

The heart of this story is based on forced proximity when Izzy stays at Beau’s home in a work capacity to get him to write the memoir that he is over a year behind on as he has been ditching her and her bosses emails. This is a last ditch effort to get the book from him, and though time, Izzy is able to get him to start writing and through that build her confidence to go after her goals as well. As they keep working together they begin to fall for each other as they spend time together outside of writing exercises. After nearly two months Izzy needs to return to her job and life across the country and interview for a promotion she has been wishing for. That’s when she gets it, his notebook with all his little notes about Izzy and his time together he would start with during their writing exercises and you see his distain turn to lust and love.

This one is much different than Jasmine’s other books as it was written for the Disney series so it doesn’t have her normal spice I’ve come to expect, but still such a cute Beauty and the Beast inspired romance!

Thank you NetGalley and Hyperion & Buena Vista Books for the ARC of this book! I am so thankful to obtain a copy to read in advance of its release!

I have always been a sucker for fairy tale retellings and this one doesn't disappoint. I know that Beauty and the Beast is one of the most popular fairy tales to try to retell or modernize so you would think that by now I would be sick of it but I am not (and at this point I don't think I ever will). By the Book still managed to take a story that everyone knows and turn it into something new and exciting. Putting Izzy (our Belle character) in the publishing world was absolutely genius. I can forgive some changes when it comes to retellings but not having books be a large part of our Belle/Beauty's life I don't think I could move past so I am glad that I didn't even have to try. Beau, the recluse and tortured author was *chef's kiss*. I could not get enough of these two together. Obviously, it is a romance and a fairy tale retelling so I knew how it was going to end (to some extent) but that didn't stop me from enjoying the ride. I can't wait to see what author and fairy tale this series tackles next!

Side note, this was my first Jasmine Guillory work and I have to say I really enjoyed her writing style. It had great flow and pacing. Never once did I feel like something was missing. She gave me enough to keep me interested and engaged the whole time. I look forward to checking out some of her other works in the future.

*arc received on NetGalley

By the Book was such a wonderful read. I truthfully sat down and read it in 4.5 hours. This enemies to lovers romance is beautiful. Beau & Izzy are such normal characters. By normal I mean like you & me. Jasmine has this way with her words that truly makes you feel the emotions the characters are feeling. Hate, love, heartbreak, sadness, & frustration are just some of the feelings I had alongside our character Izzy.

If you need a quick romance book to read this is definitely one you should pick up when it releases in May!

Thank you NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read the second book in the meant to be series. I was thrilled to see that this book was written by one of my favorite authors Jasmine Guillory. Alright let's talk book. I'm going to be honest, I'm probably in the minority here but beauty and the beast is my least favorite Disney movie. I mean I love books but that is all the positivity I can say about the original Disney movie. So when I found out By the Book was a retelling of beauty and the beast I was not sure how it would go. This book takes a lovely spin on a tale that is not quite as old as time, and let's our protagonist Isabelle or Izzy work in publishing and want to be an author herself. She is tasked with helping a celebrity finish his long overdue memoir and winds up moving in with him in his mansion in Santa Barbara where sparks fly as these two figure out how to work together, and grow to like each other.

I enjoyed this book. It took me a bit longer to get into at times but there are a lot of punny references to Beauty and the Beast, which fans of the movie may enjoy more than I did. But as always the relationship building and overall story told by Jasmine Guillory was great. Do I wish it had a bit more steam? Yes, but I am willing to accept what it has because after all this is a Disney modern retelling. So if you like books, mansions, grumpy misunderstood celebrities hiding from the world, meddling assistants, and slow burn enemies ish to lovers and sure beauty and the beast read this book.

I *love* beauty and the beast retellings, and this one is basically if the animated movie took place in modern times. Belle (Izzy) is an intern for a book publishing company and beast (Beau) is a celebrity who signed a book deal to write a memoir for said publishing company. Although I was a tad put off by the many references to the movie in the first third of the book, I decided that when the romance started to develop into main focus of the book I was finally hooked. There’s nothing better in a romance than a slow burn grumpy/sunshine trope mixed in with some banter to keep the reader interested. Also the sweet moments of vulnerability and support made me MELT. It’s safe to say I enjoyed this book and am looking forward to picking up more books by Jasmine Guillroy in the future.

Beauty and the Beast is already my favorite fairy tale but make it a modern retelling by one of my favorite authors? Sold!

This book was adorable and funny with easily lovable characters. There was also the perfect amount of magical touches in this book 🥀💛

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this early copy!

Thank you to NetGalley and Hyperion Avenue for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A modern day Beauty and the Beast! I think Jasmine Guillory did a great job with this retelling. It was just fairy tale enough, but still had some "rom-com" tendencies (though with a PG rating, good for the fairy tale crowds?). I liked Izzy and Beau's friendship more than anything, but a dramatic declaration of love (even if I didn't fully see the romantic connection?) gets me every time.

This is just the most delightful, charming, enjoyable book in the world. Loosely inspired by "Beauty and the Beast," it's a lovely tale of a vivacious young woman and a reclusive movie star who are thrown together and forced to work on a very personal project. Book lovers and readers everywhere will absolutely swoon over this one. Guillory has done it again!