Beauty and the Beast is one of my favorites and this was a really great update that stuck enough to the story that it was a retelling but not so true that it felt forced or hemmed in. I loved the two main characters so much. This just made me happy.

A very loose adaptation of Beauty and the Beast, this title is the least spicy Jasmine Guillory to date, which was a big disappointment. I was very curious as to how Guillory would incorporate the talking/magical furniture and household items, and she did it without a flair of magical realism or dream state, which I appreciated.

If you’re a Guillory fan, skip this one. But if you like fairy tale re-tellings, you’ll probably enjoy this.

Thank you to the author and publisher for providing me with a digital ARC of this title via Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

I enjoyed this chick-lit read. It is predictable, but enjoyable. Nice little romance story with likable, funny characters.

I am absolutely 1000% late to the Jasmine Guillory club, but I am so glad I've made it here! Last summer, I went on a Guillory Binge and read all of her books in the span of two weeks and then of course was left wanting more. So I've been obsessive with trying to get my hands on her next book each time. When By the Book popped up, I clicked request, before realizing this is part of the Meant to Be series where authors reinvent traditional fairytales in modern times. Now, this one is a spin on Beauty and the Beast, and if I'm being honest, this is the one Disney movie that absolutely terrified me as a kid. Those villagers are awful, no?! So I went from elated for her next book to a bit dissuaded. I finally picked it up this past week and read it overnight. This book fits right in with her other books. The story is well written and the romantic sizzle is there! I liked the subtle nods to the classic fairytale. It felt more like the fairytale provided the inspiration and Guillory took it and made it her own. I highly recommend it. From start to finish, I found myself wishing I could be joining them in the beautiful villa.

A fun Beauty and the Beast themed romp that fans of Book Lovers will adore. Loved the overt references and definitely can't wait to reread during my annual B&TB rewatch!

This was an absolutely wonderful read. What happens when you’re life isn’t even close to what you thought it would be, you’re career has stalled, you’re love life is non existent and you’re still living in your parents home? You request the job in the office that no one else wants to prove your worth to everyone, including yourself. This is a wonderful retelling of Beauty and the Beast. Izzy and Beau surely are the odd couple. They have absolutely nothing in common or so they think. She is quiet and unassuming and just wants to get to be noticed at work for her years of hard work and dedication, whereas Beau is angry, frustrated, and well, surly at best. And so begins their journey of working together, getting his book written and truly getting to know, respect and trust each other. It wraps up beautifully as well. I’d expect nothing less from this truly wonderful author. I always anxiously await any new books from her. Read this and you will too.

I am such a fan of both Jasmine Guillory and Beauty and the Beast retellings so when I read the description of this book I was so ecstatic.

Izzy has so much optimism when she begins her journey working in publishing. Honestly, I wasn’t sure how much I was going to be able to connect with Izzy’s character initially. However, after being in the same job for some time she begins to feel jaded by the publishing world and I found myself immediately feeling for Izzy and what she was going through. I was cheering her on as she took initiative with her boss by trying to get Beau to deliver on his manuscript that is way past its deadline.

Then she meets Beau and realizes things aren’t going to be as easy as she hoped, particularly given his less than hospitable reception. I loved the relationship between Izzy and Beau. They were well matched and gave each other a bit of a challenge, which I adored. I also couldn’t get enough of the friendship between Izzy and Priya. The pacing of the book was great and it was one that I didn’t want to put down.

What a fun addition to Jasmine Guillory's romance collection! This is a perfect romance for anyone who self identifies as a Disney adult. The will they won't they force proximity of Beau and Izzy's relationship was tantalizing and had me wanting to read further faster! Make sure to add this fun Beauty and the Beast retelling to your must read list.

This is supposed to be a Beauty and the Beast retelling, sign me up! I will say, that a lot of the ties to Beauty and the Beast were lame. Like calling the hired help “Kettle,” the yellow sundress coming down the stairs (sounds more like a danger with it trailing behind her), the feeling of the furniture being magical and giving you hugs. Lame. Anyways. This was a little slow for me. I didn’t quite feel the chemistry between the characters. If I am being completely honest, Izzy got on my nerves a little. I feel like she didn’t grow in the book near as much as Beau did. I did enjoy the general plot, with her helping Beau write his book. Overall, I liked the book and I am glad I read it. It just wasn’t my favorite from Jasmine Guillory.

Bottom Line: If you are a Guillory fan or a fairytale retelling fan, read it. I did enjoy it, it just wasn’t my favorite from this author.

**I received a copy of By the Book from NETGALLEY in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are of my own.**

Jamine Guillory never disappoints! I was utterly charmed by this installment of the Meant to Be series, and especially loved that it was set in the world of publishing.

First of all, I love how expertly Guillory weaves in the racial dynamics of the publishing industry, which unfortunately is an industry where people of color are incredibly under represented. While the love story is certainly the main focus of this book, I just loved that this was an aspect of the book because it's really something that the publishing world needs to work on.

Ok, not on to the love story between Izzy and Beau. Whew! Hot hot hot. Even though this book lacks the steaminess of Guillory's other works, the chemistry between these two just leapt off the page. Sometimes I felt the dialogue was a little unrealistic or forced but those moments were rare. For the most part, I just wanted all good things for Izzy and Beau (and Priya, my best friend. All of our best friend).

This one also has a great audiobook, which I definitely recommend.

As a retelling of Beauty and the Beast, this wonderful story combined some of my favourite things. Fairytales and books.

Izzy works as an editorial assitant and is getting tired of her day-to-day life. With luck on her side, she managed to end up working with a handsome Beau, a potential author for her boss. Cue the cute scenes of them getting to know each other and falling in love over writing a book.

This book was so relatable - from understanding the feeling Izzy has with burnout to just finding happiness in the strangest of places. I enjoyed each second I was able to read this book and it just makes me love Jasmine Guillory more

<i>Thanks to NetGalley and Hyperion Avenue, I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Guillory does it again! Izzy (our Belle protagonist) is both herself and easily recognizable as her literary counterpart. I always love Guillory's novels for balancing the sweet with the real, and for dealing with difficult emotions while also being just a joy to read. I would have loved just a smidge more chemistry between Izzy and Beau, but that starts to come together towards the end.

As a bookish person and a lover of the original BatB, I highly recommend this adaptation!

A fun modern take on Beauty and the Beast, with lots of fun details tucked into small moments. It’s easy to cheer for our heroine as she works her magic on Beau the beast.

This was the first modern day Beauty and the Beast retelling that I've read about in the romance genre with no fantasy elements. I was hoping there would be more romance and less focus on the actual "publishing world". I did however like the main female character Izzy. She would be someone I feel like I could sit down and have a great conversation with about all the bookish things. Thank you for allowing me to read and review an early copy.

This was my first Jasmine Guillory book and it will not be the last. This rom-com is so fun you'll want to read and reread again. I know I will!!!

Modern day beauty and the beast.

I will say this started off slow for me. The writing was very YA, the character of Isabelle came off very young and immature and the writing style reflected that. The writing, and the character, got better for me throughout the book. Both characters had weird flaws, like how they dealt with arguments, that was just silly, but overall the modern day twist worked for me. Overtly cheesy and just the right kind of fairy tale story.

By the Book was very cute, but didn’t quite meet my expectations. I’m a huge fan of Jasmine Guillory and loved the first book in the Meant to Be series (If the Shoe Fits by Julie Murphy), so I had high hopes for this book. My biggest critique would be that the pacing felt too slow and drawn out. There were several times where I thought I was nearly the end of the book, but checked my progress on my Kindle and saw that I was less than 50% done. Similarly, while the “will they, won’t they” aspects of Izzy and Beau’s budding relationship were cute, it got a little tedious and repetitive over time.

Overall, I’d recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a light, tween-friendly romance. This book is a lot less steamy than some of Guillory’s others, which could be a bonus for younger readers.

Isabelle is an editor’s assistant in NYC who travels to Santa Barbara, CA, to nudge a celebrity, Beau, to finish his memoir. The two develop a cozy but predictable working relationship that evolves into a romance. I enjoyed the first two-thirds better than the ending. This is a light beach read. I thank NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC.

I wanted to love this one, but I didn't. It was an okay read for me. I was first intrigued by the title, and I am a huge Guillory fan, so I just had to read it, but when I saw it was a retelling... I was so happy. Unfortunately, that's the part of the book that was most disappointing for me. I didn't feel like this was a retelling. It was a good story, and I would still recommend it, but if you only want to read it because you think it's a retelling, I would skip it.

By the Book is a modern-day reimaging of Beauty and the Beast following Isabelle, who works at a publishing company that has always been her dream. Several years later and no farther in her career she is thinking of making a big change when the opportunity strikes but she has her work cut out for her trying to get Beau Towers to make good on his promise and book deal, but she might be over her head.
This story was cute, I liked the book and publishing setting. It was definitely a slow-paced development between the characters, it did not have the tension, longing, or missed glance in this story that I was looking for in the build-up of a romantic relationship. It was getting to the point of mutual friendship feeling more than anything. That being said I liked that slow build-up for them, however, I wanted more implications of a love relationship happening. You could see the elements in this story similar to Beauty and the Beast, but not overdone. The character that was representing the villain was pushed off to the side a bit and was really only a small part, I wanted them more in the forefront, adding dramatic and heart-racing moments then it had. That being said, I still found it cute. I liked the writing style. Both characters were likable, and I enjoyed their story, but I did not find this book memorable or attention-grabbing, it was ok for me.
I received this advanced ebook, via Netgalley. This review is my own honest opinion.