By the Book is a Beauty and Beast modern-day retelling by Jasmine Guillory. When editorial assistant Isabelle is tasked with getting reclusive Beau to turn in his long-awaited memoir, she ends up moving into his Santa Barbara mansion and they begin to realize there may be something there that wasn’t there before.

This book was fine, but I expected more. This is a Jasmine Guillory book, and this didn’t feel like a Jasmine Guillory book. She is an auto-buy for me, but this is not her typical book. It was too cheesy, too Disney-movie sweet. I wanted to love it, but it felt too juvenile for the characters to be in their late twenties.

By the Book comes out on May 3, 2022. Thanks for Hyperion Avenue and NetGalley for my ARC.

Thank you to Netgalley for allowing me to read this advanced copy of By the Book (Meant to Be #2) by Jasmine Guillory.

In By the Book, Guillory weaves together a new retelling from Beauty and the Beast, and she does such a fantastic job of it, that I found myself, halfway through the novel, saying Man...this Beau character is such a beast. Hah! I didn't really care for his character at first, which surprised me because I always like Guillory's characters. But then I laughed out loud because, duh! of course I didn't like Beau, he isn't supposed to be likeable at first. :) He eventually won me over once he allowed Izzy to thaw his frozen heart.

This retelling was very innocent and clean, but followed the tale very closely. I loved all of the references to BATB, including the name of the publishing company, the nickname of Beau's assistant, even the name of another book that was being released had a reference to the main song of the fairy tale! It was a charming read, very quick to devour. I missed some of the spiciness that Guillory's other books contain, but I understand that this book was not the time or place for it.

I love Jasmine Guillory and Beauty and the Beast, and the modern premise of this book was intriguing but this fell a little flat for me. Although some conflict was introduced it didn’t feel like enough to make Izzy and Beau’s relationship real to me. I saw another review that said this book was “a little too Hallmarky” and I think that’s a perfect description. It was a cute and fun read but too much of a fairy tale when it didn’t need to be.

Izzy thought she had her dream job working with books in publishing but now she's not so sure, it feels like she is stuck and she's not even enjoying reading anymore. She takes the opportunity to visit an author to give him some motivation to finish his manuscript. But Beau needs more than a quick pep talk and Izzy finds herself staying in Santa Monica to help him write his manuscript. Will working with Beau help Izzy find herself and her love of books?

3.5 stars
By the Book is a really cute rom-com and Jasmine Guillory's writing style perfectly matches the tone of this modern fairytale, but unfortunately nothing about the story felt particularly original. Beauty and the Best is the most commonly retold fairy tale, so it's hard for B&tB retellings to stand out. This story was cute, the romance developed at a really great pace, and the final romantic gesture was really swoon-worthy, but I never felt like I was reading something I hadn't read before. Overall, I still think people will enjoy this novel and I wouldn't discourage anyone from picking it up, but I will say it is probably exactly what you imagine when you hear "modern Beauty and the Beast retelling."

*NetGalley Review*

In a modern re-telling of the classic, Beauty and the Beast, Isabelle “Izzy” Marlowe works at a publishing company called Tale as Old as Time, where she’s stressed, tired, and feeling as though she is losing sight of her passion. On a work trip to Santa Barbara, and in hopes of making a difference, she finds herself face-to-face with THE Beau Towers, the man formerly known as an LA bad boy… and also the man who’s a bit behind on his memoir at TAOAT publishing. I felt this novel was slow at times, but overall a solid read, especially if you’re a fellow lover of Beauty and the Beast.

I really loved this second book in the Meant to Be collection of romance books. This one was a modern version of beauty and the beast and I loved finding all the nods to the classic fairytale. Some were glaringly obvious, like the publishing company she works for - Tale as old as Time. Some were less so, like her yellow sundress. I loved how Izzy first didn't like Beau, then slowly he lets his guard down and they become friends, then he screws up and they take steps back, but then ultimately, they love each other which is what you know is going to happen all along. It's so fun to me to read a book where you know it's all going to end up ok. And every time her publishing company was mentioned, I found myself humming the song. Perfect closed door romance!

There is something about Izzy that captivated me right from the beginning.

It was her softness, in a world where Black women don't get to be soft, it was beautiful to watch her happiness and optimism and hope.

Then seeing her personal journey of finding a space was a soft space for someone who has issues in toxic spaces.

The romance though!! Grumpy and Sunshine troupe (which is one of my favorites) with all the great Beauty and the Beast references which gave me so much nostalgia for when I was a little girl seeing Belle in a magical world that I so much wanted to be a part of. Jasmine Guillory really did write it for us and I can't thank her enough.

*SPOILER*
One of my favorite things about the book was seeing her talk to furniture, it was awesome!

I love to read. I always have at least five books on my iPad. However, when I have a book by one of my favorite authors, I get sad when I’m reading their latest book because of the anticipation of the book, and that feeling when I start reading it has all felt so good. And I don’t want it to end! This feeling is precisely what happened with the latest by Jasmine Guillory and the second installment of the Meant to Be series.
It is a modern retelling of Beauty and the Beast set in Santa Barbara. Another reason why I enjoyed the book so much is because I went to college in Santa Barbara and lived there for a few years afterward. Our heroines, Isabelle, is an editorial assistant from New York tasked with helping a surly ill-tempered celebrity named Beau, and she hopes if she can get him to finish writing a long overdue memoir, then she’ll get promoted to an editor position
Well, you know how the story will end up. But, even so, it is a satisfying read. I love how the author writes about the dance that two people do wondering, “Does he/she like me or not?” Her writing is relatable, and oh, I can’t forget her beautiful descriptions of the food in the book either.
While I was a little disappointed that we didn’t get another glimpse and extend the story with characters from her previous books, I loved getting to know Izzy and Beau and would love to read more about them in the future. Maybe a story focusing on Michaela?

Let me start by saying that absolutely anything that Jasmine Guillory writes is a MUST read and this book is no different! A modern retelling of Beauty & The Beast that you will adore!

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for providing me with this ARC.

Isabelle, a bookworm and aspiring writer, lands her dream job in publishing right out of college. As the years go by without a promotion the excitement of the job wears thin. The passion she once had for writing and the job is gone and Isabel (Izzy) feels lost. Izzy agrees to help Beau Towers, a problem client and a celebrity with a not so stellar reputation work on his memoir. Beau doesn't believe she can help him and she doesn't like his attitude. Until one day she begins to see that he is just lost like her and they start a tentative friendship that begins to feel like it could be more.

I enjoyed the progression of Izzy and Beau's relationship. As they worked together Beau opened up and they were able to get to know each other and explore their attraction. I would have preferred just a bit more flirting or true tension a bit sooner. However,The book was cute and the growth of the characters was satisfying. Besides the romantic elements in the book I loved that this book was a how to of writing. I felt like a very popular Romance Author was giving us some free insight into the process. Overall, I enjoyed this story and felt nostalgic with all the nods to Beauty and The Beast throughout the text.

This is definitely a cute little romance, but it’s a little too Hallmark for me. It’s been a few years since I last read Guillory, and I was excited about the general premise of this one, but I never really fell in love with the characters like I hoped to.

Just like the first book in the series, this was a very sweet and modern retelling. I really liked the character of Izzy and all of the fun Beauty and the Beast references. For me, there were parts where the story dragged a little and I didn't find Beau "beastly" enough at the beginning of the book. Overall though, this was a fun and light fluffy romance that I will recommend.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book. I think it was my favorite from this author!

This is my first book by Jasmine Guillory that I could not finish and I am really very sad about it. I would consider Guillory to be an "auto-buy" author for me, so I was very upset to not finish this book. I did not feel invested in the characters in the slightest and the chemistry between them just was not there for me. I hope her next book is better, since I really have loved all of her other work!

Very enjoyable turn-pager romance!

Spoiled actor promises a publisher a memoir; Izzy decides to knock on his door and determine the status.

Thank you to NetGalley, Jasmine Guillory the author and Hyperion Avenue the publisher for the opportunity to review the advance read copy of By the Book in exchange for an honest review. Publication date is May 3, 2022. If you like/love Jasmine Guillory's prior books, I'm sure that you will enjoy this one just as much!

I enjoyed this book but it was not as good as Guillory's other novels. I missed the clever back and forth between the protagonists, and Izzy's interactions with her friends or family. The action was very interior. I still can't picture Beau's appearance and he seems like a cardboard cutout rather than a fully developed character. Still, I read the book very quickly since I wanted to make sure the conclusion was satisfactory.

Gives you that fairy tale feel throughout the whole story. Cute love story in an unexpected way. I love reading books with characters who work with books! Cheesy story at times, but kept me wanting to continue the story. Quick, light read that leaves you smiling!

A charming and delightful romance. Fun sparks. I am eager to read more by this author. Thanks to the publisher for providing a copy via NetGalley.

Thanks to NetGalley for my gifted copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion and review.
A modern reimagining of Beauty and the Beast, this is the story of Beau and Isabelle. He’s a grumpy prospective author who hasn’t written a word and she’s an editorial assistant who’s lost faith in herself and her own literary ambitions.
This book was a slow burn but did have a HEA. Cute but not magical. 3.25 stars.