By the Book is fantastic modern retelling of Beauty and the Beast set in the publishing world. Beau is a jaded and withdrawn author who's hiding away and having a hard time finding himself--much like Izzy.

There were times the where you would forget that Izzy and Beau were in-fact older than they seemed with some of the arguments/banter that took place. I did enjoy the book more and more with each chapter and the character development for Izzy and Beau both as individuals and together was delightful.

It's hard not to hum the Disney songs while you're reading with descriptive lines like, " Izzy and Beau begin to realize there may be something there that wasn't there before."

3.5/5

A super cute and fun romance book about books! It was incredibly refreshing to see a black woman in a “princess” role so to speak. This book gave all the warm and fuzzies and the romance was incredibly cute and wholesome. The time the two main characters spent together was sweet and I loved the banter! Definitely a 4.5/5 for me!

After reading this authors other books, I already knew before reading this that I would love it. I absolutely loved the characters and how their relationship grew throughout the book. I think that both main characters had so much growth throughout the book, both professionally and personally. I will definitely be recommending this book to all of my friends when this comes out!

3.8 Stars
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I liked the pacing, the PG romance, the bookish vibes, the fun nods to Disney’s Beauty and The Beast, and the storyline. It was a fast, entertaining bookish read and it’s perfect for romance fans who don’t like a lot of steam in their books.
However, there were some red flag moments in the relationship that through me off. (It is a Beauty and the Beast retelling so red flags might be a necessity but they never sat right with me).
Thank you to the publishers and Netgalley for providing me an eARC to review in exchange for an honest review!

𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐄: Book two in Disney's 𝘔𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘉𝘦 𝘚𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 was not meant for me.

I have read all six titles in Jasmine Guillory's Wedding Date series and enjoyed them all, some more than others. BY THE BOOK felt very different from her other books. I missed the palpable energy, smart dialogue and banter I'd come to expect from Guillroy's previous work. I enjoyed it, but it didn't give me "hearts in my eyes" like I'd hoped.

WHAT TO KNOW:
- Modern day reimagined Beauty and the Beast
- Izzy (Belle) is a publishing assistant at Tale As Old As Time and is tasked with helping Beau (Beast) write his memoir
- Felt more New Adult/YA in tone.
- It read like a Disney movie.
- Slow burn to a closed door romance
- Set in Santa Barbara
- Plenty of B&B nods including a character nicknamed Kettle
- Cute and breezy. Relaxing, easy reading.
- Lots and lots of snacks.
- Loads and loads of all things books- reading, writing and rule-breaking smooching in the library.

So- if any of the descriptions above are your cup of tea - Be My Guest. It might be meant to be.

I absolutely loved, By the Book. Isabelle is a young professional working for an editor in NYC. She finds herself in California trying to convince Beau, the temperamental famous young man to finish (or even start) his memoir that he promised her company. Izzy works hard to shape the writing, but she also finds something else in California. Promise and new beginnings.

Thank you, NetGalley, for an advanced copy of this novel.

A strong woman can make things happen without intending to and Izzy is that woman. This was a quick read that keeps you turning pages.

Isabelle is fresh in the publishing industry. She is the only Black employee at the publishing house. Izzy is what her friends call her and she is in need of a break. She gets just that in an attempt to impress her boss when she inserts herself into a conversation.

Issable arrives at Beau Towers' home in Santa Barbara, only to regret checking on someone who hadn’t responded to her emails. Not once in almost a year! Upon meeting Beau she believes all of what the tabloids write about him. An unexpected event happens and she is able to engage with Beau; as well is challenged to see if her “pep talks” could motivate him to write the memoir. One extra day in California is extended. They create a bond while breaking down emotional barriers limiting his ability to tell his story.

By the Book is a classic old tale written to relate with our current generation's perspective on life and relationships. Izzy and Beau’s connection with one another strengthens over time; a nice reminder that one person can change the course of your life. Together, they work on their own healing and goals by encouraging one another. Are they a match? Will Beau finish his book? This is a light and romantic read to enjoy during the spring and summer months.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book. This was my first time reading Guillory and now Im kicking myself that I havent read her before. This wasnt your typical romance; i dont know what i was expecting actually, maybe steamy but this was so much better than I expected. Her writing is amazing and I loved every minute of the story. Especially as a book reader, this hit the soft spot. It will definitely be a hit.

It seemed as if I was going to get annoyed by how positive and peppy Isabelle was at the beginning of this story, however she quickly became a much more relatable character after two years at her job. The nods to Beauty and the Beast were just the right amount of obvious but modern. While the story was predictable, of course, I loved to see how the relationship between Isabelle and Beau developed over the weeks.

BY THE BOOK is a modern take on Beauty and the Beast. I loved trying to find all of the little nods to the original - from the wifi password to the TV show that Izzy and Beau watch together to the company Izzy works for.

Izzy loves books. She’s actually an editor at Tale As Old As Time publishing (TAOAT throughout the book for brevity). When she volunteers to help the elusive and reportedly aggressive Beau Towers write his memoir, she never expected to be essential stuck in a (albeit very large and beautiful) house with him for nearly two months. Let alone fall in love in the process.

(Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!)

I found this to be a joy of a book! Isabelle has been an editorial assistant for 2 years and is feeling stuck and unhappy. She has been told there is not room for her to grow at her publishing company and she is tired of living with her parents. When she overhears her supervisor complaining about a "cancelled" celebrity, Beau Towers, that they had signed for a memoir who was unresponsive to all communications, Isabelle volunteers to show up at his house to see if she can get him to start working on his book. She winds up moving into his mansion for almost 2 months to work with him on his memoir and their relationship grows. It's a Beauty and the Beast inspired tale and I enjoyed it immensely. Isabelle, or Izzy, is a strong and likeable character and her relationship with Beau, though contentious at first, grows in a sweet and believable way. Also, food! One of my favorite traits of Izzy's is that she loves food and isn't not afraid to talk about it and show it. (Previous to this book I had read one that was filled with a lot of body shame and calorie restricting under the guise of body positivity and it was the worst which is maybe partly why I found this one so refreshing.) Very briefly Izzy considered not wearing a bikini, but then she did and she felt great.
Also, this is a book about loving books and those are always a treat!

Guillory had me waking up at 3am thinking about this book and wanting to read it. I would almost always rather be reading than anything else, but I so very much enjoyed this book. By the Book is a Beauty and the Beast retelling. I didn’t realize this at first, but even if you’ve only seen the movie once, the reader will pick up on the theme. I felt so much hope for our main characters, Izzy and Beau. Both of them have struggles and learn to open up to each other. I would love to see an adaptation like this in the movies, I don’t need a CGI beast, I want a retelling. One of the things I kept thinking about was when these characters had conflict, they almost immediately dealt with it and explained themselves to each other. I kept thinking, why don’t we do this in real life? I want to be more like these characters and face my conflicts head on and lead with kindness like Beau learns to do. Overall, yes, I would recommend this book. It is beyond cute!

Netgalley provided an electronic ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I struggled to finish this title because the main character was so naive, and she repeatedly talked to her bathtub and about her bathtub. Izzy is a twenty-something who works at a publishing company called Tale As Old As Time. Her boss is a nightmare and Izzy is being gaslit by a conniving coworker. When Beau, a spoiled beast of a celebrity, is struggling to write his memoir, Izzy volunteers to pay him a visit. Beau has a tragic past which doesn't feel all that tragic when the secret behind his pain is revealed. There are cute moments of romance and way too much talk about food (I got hungry!), but the central relationship is toxic and I didn't want it to last.

From the cover, description and the fact that this was a modern day retelling of my favorite fairy tale (Beauty and the Beast), I was immediately drawn to this book. I had really high hopes, but unfortunately the story didn’t quite click for me.

The pacing early on was a bit slow to the start and so I had trouble really falling into the world of the story and getting swept away. I wished to feel more investment in the characters – though again, I think this could also be attributed to my inability to get swept up in the story world. I also wished I felt a bit more connection between the characters, for a romance I didn’t get a strong romance vibe. It took awhile for the romance element to begin to build, and then I didn’t really ‘feel’ that chemistry between the leads.

Overall, this one wasn’t for me personally, but I do think there are a number of individuals and fans of Beauty and the Beast that would enjoy this one.

"By the Book"
Hmmm. I had a little difficulty expressing my feelings with this story. She is a retelling of "Beauty and the Beast", which is one of my favorite fairy tales, but it is the most common to be retold and for that the book needs to be VERY good to stand out among so many others that exist and will exist. . That's not a criticism, it's just that it's not such an original story, but the writing style is nice, the plot is fun and the story is captivating even with the various imperfections, it's just not, you know, unpredictable. 3.5 or 4.0 stars, I don't know, but other than that it's still a great story. :)
Thank you to netgalley for providing me with an eArc.

I love books about people who love books and I guess now people who are writing books! I also love Jasmine Guillory so I just knew I was fall in love with this book and these characters and I was not wrong! From the moment I meet this grumpy/sunshine pair I was hooked! Who doesn’t love a slow burn romance filled with books? If you also love books, people who love books, grumpy/sunshine, and slow-burn definitely check out this book when it comes out May 3rd, 2022!

Such a cute good read! I am in love with Beau Towers! This is such a feel good retelling! I couldn't put it down! Definetly recommend!

The summary of this book offered a cute, quirky romance and I was really excited for it, but the writing felt off, and didn’t bring me into the story through showing as much as just tell the story.

4 slow-burning, atmospheric, serendipitous stars!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me a digital copy for review!

I was SO excited for this one - hand me literally ANY romance that has some sort of "bookish" aspect to it, and I am IN.

So, getting right into it, Isabelle ["Izzy"] Marlowe landed an amazing job working for a publishing company - however several years later she has yet to be promoted and feeling a little "stuck" at her job. She gets a kick out of writing funny e-mails to one of their clients whom basically refuses to write/work on their memoir at ALL. It's not like he would ever reply, right? Might as well make it fun! Her boss incessantly complains that the memoir will never be written at that rate.

Later, at an event, Izzy volunteers herself to go visit Beau Towers in California, to see if by some chance he might budge a little - or at least prove he's real? Turns out Beau is kind of a LOT... and rumors have it that he's got quite the mean streak. It would take a lot to break down the barriers between them.

Without spoilers, this may be a new favorite "trope' of mine, if you could call it that.

One of my biggest complaints about this one is that I wanted MORE - the romance that develops is SUCH a slow burn that it is infuriating!

Overall, a solid romance for 2022 with a refreshing relationship development and atmosphere.