I struggled through this book from the beginning. I couldn't quite put my finger but I finally figured it out. The writing was very one dimensional, everything is explained rather than allowing the reader to use their imagination to fill in the blanks. I do think it was an interesting to read about a character in publishing. I think readers romanticize the writing process but it sounds awful. Also this should not be marketed as a rom-com, this book is fiction with romantic elements. Though I'm not sure if the romance was believable they are colleagues and should have stayed that way 🤔

By the Book was a cute little take on Beauty and the Beast. I did not realize that this was part of a series but I didn't feel like I had missed out on important information by not reading the first book of the series. By the Book was at times predictable and a little cheesy, but overall, I enjoyed reading!

Thank you to NetGalley and Hyperion for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

CW: death of a parent (past), grief, family tensions

This was a soft, low-angst Beauty and the Beast retelling. Honestly a great beach read and soft rooommance.

Steam: 1

Another adorable slow burn, (kind of) enemies to lovers, (kind of) grumpy/sunshine trope from Jasmine Guillory!

In this close proximity romance, assistant editor, Izzy, is sent to convince Hollywood disgrace, Beau Towers, to complete his memoir.

A rocky start leads to an adorable, hilarious, at times frustrating, friendship and more.

When both Beaus and Izzy’s dreams and future plans are at odds, sending Izzy in a different direction, both literally and metaphorically, they must decide where their relationship fits. Was it just fun? Or is it love that’ll last a lifetime.

A story that will be nearly impossible to walk away without warm and fuzzy feelings, and a perma-smile that Jasmine Guillory books are known to leave.

I really struggled with this one. I’m no stranger to romance novels and I love a good reimagining of a fairy tale, but this fell flat for me and I struggled to get through it.

This was a very cute, very tame romance novel. Do not go into this book expecting any amount of spice (though, since it’s published through Disney, that’s something to be expected). Izzy was a very relatable protagonist for me: stuck in a job where she doesn’t feel appreciated, living at home with her parents to save money, size 12 and not afraid to eat some good food, and obsessed with books and reading. Beau was… an okay love interest. For some reason, I’m able to forgive the Beast for his outbursts while watching the Disney movie, but I would get so annoyed with Beau whenever he had any type of anger or annoyance towards Izzy. The plot wasn’t AMAZING (the main bit was good, but some of the minor points never felt fully fleshed out to me), but was still a fun ride to go on. My only major annoyance was the dedication to making this be like Beauty & the Beast in the sense that Izzy spoke to the furniture… that bit could have been left out, and we’d all have been better for it. Overall, cute read if you’re looking for something tame and quaint to read.

When I heard that Disney Publishing was launching the Meant to Be series that would reimagine Disney’s princess stories as modern, adult romance books, I was so excited. What a great idea.

Though after reading By the Book, I should have realized that with Disney as the backer, that this book would be a super clean romance and one that had this air of everything being sunshine and roses.

The book had a really great start.

I adored all the little references to Beauty and the Beast that Guillory threw in there from Izzy’s first stroll around New York, to the Michaela’s nickname Kettle and her young son, to the Wifi password and many other gems. These really solidified the whole “beauty and the beast” look-alike, with Beau’s first appearance being the strongest.

While Beau definitely had his “Beast” moments, once he and Izzy found their stride in working together, the book sort of got a bit….boring.

I found myself skimming because nothing really happened other than them writing and having a few fights but even those ended with profuse apologizing and them talking it through with perfect communication skills.

It was all just a bit too….nice. Almost a bit too fake and unrealistic but I guess that’s what fairytales are, right?

Izzy was a great female lead who learned to stand up for herself a bit more at work and in her own mind about her writing, but Beau just didn’t really grow on me though he was a very nice guy.

I actually really liked the idea behind Beau’s memoir but even that part of the story just kind of came and went.
Overall, I think it was well written and a sweet read that many will enjoy. It just didn’t capture my attention as the story unfolded.

Do I love the tie in with Beauty and the Beast, absolutely, but I think I was looking for something less sweet, maybe more romantic and just a bit…more.

I love this Beauty and the Beast modern day reimagining! Beau is our “beast” but really he’s just hiding out in his amazing house after some difficult situations in his life. Izzy is our “beauty/Belle” and she’s there to help Beau write his memoir. I loved the behind the scenes look at publishing and working with books. I also chuckled every time there was a reference to Izzy talking to inanimate objects in Beau’s house as compared to the movie. Overall, this was a sweet love story with a happily ever after! It was everything I hoped it would be!

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced copy.

Every book by Jasmine Guillory is a delight to read. "By the Book" is no exception. I ate this book up! I couldn't put it down and loved every page. The characters, the romance, the location were all written to perfection.

By The Book was a fun and sweet new retelling of Beauty and the Beast, Izzy is a strong character who learns her strength along the way and falls in love with Beau, it’s cute and fun. I liked the little nods to the original tale throughout, a sweet way to add some flavor into this story,

By the Book by Jasmine Guillory is a modern day retelling of Beauty and the Beast!

I love Jasmine Guillory, Beauty and the Beast, and the pub date is my birthday so all of my fairy tale dreams came true when I received the approval for this book.

This book starts out super cheesy. To be completely honest, I questioned whether or not I would enjoy the book but decided to go along with the ride. The premise is that Izzy, who works at a publishing house, is assigned to help hot tempered celebrity Beau on his super late memoir. Luckily the book gains some depth in the middle as Izzy helps Beau confront his past and their relationship develops.

If you're a Jasmine Guillory fan/reader, this book has some similarities. There are lot of food scenes and snacks are practically a main character in this book. Personally, I love Guillory's food descriptions. The romance is definitely toned down from what she usually writes and is very "closed door." The tension between the characters is still there and has a very very slow build. Think first kiss closer to the end than the beginning.

Overall this wasn't my favorite book of hers but I did find it an entertaining read in one day kind of book. I give it 3.5 stars but will upgrade to 4 for Goodreads. Thank you so much for the advanced eARC of this book!

Thanks to Hyperion Avenue and NetGalley for this eARC.

This was incredibly cute. I read it all in one evening around my yoga class, and it almost felt like a little vacation. Izzy and Beau are a good pair, the bathroom in Izzy's room is indeed PERFECT, and the callbacks to the Disney movie were (mostly) not too much. This is a fun series - I'm not sure who they're doing next, but I kinda hope Rapunzel.

3.5 stars

In this second installment of the 'Meant to Be' series, Jasmine Guillory takes a stab at a Beauty and the Beast inspired event featuring Izzy and Beau in respective iconic roles.

Izzy is an extremely likeable main character made even more appealing - as is the case with all parts of this novel - by the charming narration of Sarah Hollis, who expertly voices the whole audiobook. Hollis highlights what appear to be Izzy's essential qualities: down-to-earth but optimistic. Izzy finds herself in Santa Barbara (from New York) working with Beau. While she tries to get her own writing/editing career in order, Izzy takes up the task of helping the notoriously challenging Beau *finally* complete his memoir.

Like all good Guillory pairings, the most hilarious part of the relationship here is these characters' mutual appreciation for food. Unlike most Guillory pairings, these two are a bit more PG (at WILDEST PG-13) and are generally uncomplicated.

Though I'd have loved to see a bit more passion, challenge, and grit in this relationship, the simple and sweet nature of these two fits the profile of the series they inhabit. Having read every other Guillory book, I was a little bummed to feel like she was perhaps a bit hampered by those constraints, but this is an easy read nonetheless.

I enjoyed this loose retelling of Beauty and the Beast, but it was not my favorite book by Guillory (who is an autobuy author for me.)

I enjoyed the little moments that were based on Beauty and the Beast and enjoyed picking them out of the story. I liked the premise of Isabelle working in publishing and helping Beau to write his memoir. I liked seeing the other side of publishing and what it's like to work in that industry.

I'm not sure I fully bought the relationship/close bond that develops between Beau and Izzy, but I enjoyed their friendship as it turned into more. The ending wrapped up a little quickly, but overall I enjoyed this book and I will continue to read and buy whatever Guillory writes! 3.75 stars rounded up to 4

I thought this book was very cute! It was just what I needed to pick up my mood after a not so great read. Jasmine Guillory has a way of not letting me down! A modern day retelling of Beauty and the Beast with even more focus on books, what more could a JG and Disney fan want?

IsaBELLE goes to Santa Barbara to prove to her boss (and to herself) she's worthy of a promotion to assistant editor at TAOAT publishing; she finds herself in for a tough beginning working with jackass Beau, the beastly celebrity who is behind on his memoir deadline. Could a man with the name Beau really be so beastly?

I enjoyed so many things about this book:
-The writing and library sessions, and the simplicity and importance of food/SNACKS and nightly dinner and tv time for Izzy and Beau
-The honesty they were able to pull out of and the way they could inspire each other, as it related to both their work/writing, and their personal lives
-The surfing was a fun break from hard work and something really modern in the story that I loved
-The very noticeable hints but also subtleties of 'Beauty and the Beast-ness' - things like Izzy talking to her fabulous bathtub, and the publishing company names: Tale as Old as Time and Maurice
-Diversity as always from JG; maybe not as talked about as usual in her books, but still there and fabulous!

My FAVORITE part of the book though was reading snippets of what Beau had been writing during all the sessions towards the end of the book, talk about swoon worthy! I always enjoy when authors similarly write about what inspired their writing and their story at the end of books, so that was simply a pure and beautiful part that brought it all home and made it and Beau so loveable for me.

This was just a fun and mostly light romance suitable for any Disney fan; I would definitely recommend it for anyone looking for a mostly cheerful and quick, fun read!

Love love loved this book!! The Disney Easter eggs were *chef's kiss* and made me smile throughout the book. I thought the modern day/real-life adaptation was expertly done! The slow burn fit perfectly with the story - I don't think this would have worked any other way. The subtle Beauty and the Beast references were also my favorite - the enchanted house, talking to inanimate objects, joking about being a prisoner....all of it was so good!!

I love love loved If the Shoe Fits by Julie Murphy. And I love Jasmine Guillory's books a lot. When I requested this title, I did not even realize that this was the next book in the Meant to Be series.
And I have never been this excited to realize this.

This book was so great. I enjoyed the twist on the Beauty and the Beast tale - I even sometimes forgot it was a retelling.
I also just... really love the body positivity in these books. It makes me feel warm and fuzzy and seen.

Such a cute Beauty and the Beast retelling! Izzy (Huh! Just got the IsaBELLE part, wow, I'm slow sometimes) is struggling in her publishing job when she jumps at the opportunity to track down an author well past his deadline and hopefully get some answers from him. No surprise that he's in a fancy house and has a rather beastly attitude. I loved all the little nods to the disney movie, some I obviously didn't even notice until the end. It's a cute slow burn romance and I liked the growth of both of them as writers. And yes, I would like to spend a few weeks in that bathroom with a talking tub, thanks.

Think Beauty and the Beast with a modern day publishing twist. Isabelle feels like she’s lost in life and wanting more from her publishing job. She’s determined to get a promotion, so when she hears about a high-profile author with a reputation for bad behavior is behind on his manuscript, she sees this as the perfect opportunity to prove herself. She goes to his house and gives him a pep talk, and ends up staying as the story slowly comes out of him. But the more time they spend together, she realizes there might be something more between them.

Beauty and the Beast is one of my favorite Disney movies so I was very excited for this retelling, especially since I loved book 1 in the Meant to Be series AND this book is written by one of my favorite authors. I did enjoy this one, but was surprised how different the writing style felt from Jasmine’s other novels. I was hoping for more steam and banter that we see in Jasmine’s other works, but that was not the case in this one. But this is Disney so it makes sense it was less steamy.

Overall, I thought this was a fun retelling. I enjoyed the publishing world twist and how that felt so true to Belle’s character. The love story between Izzy and Beau was great and I loved all the subtle references to the Disney movie that were sprinkled throughout!

I look forward to see what retelling and what author are next in this series!

I have enjoyed this author's previous books but really struggled to connect with this one. I didn't feel the spark between the two main characters and the conflict fell flat for me. Maybe it's just me? Will continue to read this author!