Publication
Hyperion, c2022
Status
Available
Description
Isabelle is completely lost. When she first began her career in publishing right out of college, she did not expect to be twenty-five, living at home, still an editorial assistant, and the only Black employee at her publishing house. Overworked and underpaid, constantly torn between speaking up or stifling herself, Izzy thinks there must be more to this publishing life. So when she overhears her boss complaining about a beastly high-profile author who has failed to deliver his long-awaited manuscript, Isabelle sees an opportunity to finally get the promotion she deserves. All she has to do is go to the author's Santa Barbara mansion and give him a quick pep talk or three. How hard could it be? But Izzy quickly finds out she is in over her head. Beau Towers is not some celebrity lightweight writing a tell-all memoir. He is jaded and withdrawn and--it turns out--just as lost as Izzy. But despite his standoffishness, Izzy needs Beau to deliver, and with her encouragement, his story begins to spill onto the page. They soon discover they have more in common than either of them expected, and as their deadline nears, Izzy and Beau begin to realize there may be something there that wasn't there before.… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member arlenadean
Title: By The Book [A Meant To Be Novel]
Author: Jasmine Guillory
Publisher: Hyperion Avenue
Series: Meant to Be #2
Reviewed By: Arlena Dean
Rating: Five
Review:
"By the Book [A Meant To Be Novel]" by Jasmine Guillory
My Assessment:
'By the Book' was a lovely and cute story about Beau Towers from California
The reader will get one fantastic read by the end, and yes, I would recommend this novel to any romantic reader.
Thank you to NetGalley and Hyperion Avenue for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Author: Jasmine Guillory
Publisher: Hyperion Avenue
Series: Meant to Be #2
Reviewed By: Arlena Dean
Rating: Five
Review:
"By the Book [A Meant To Be Novel]" by Jasmine Guillory
My Assessment:
'By the Book' was a lovely and cute story about Beau Towers from California
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and Isabelle Marlowe [Izzy] from New York. This author works her magic as she gives the reader a beautiful story of how two adults fell in love while working together. Will Izzy, an editor at TAOAT, be able to convince Beau, who was quite a temperamental person, to finish his memoir that he'd promised to her company? It was pretty interesting to see how both Beau and Izzy showed how they grow so wholesome together throughout the read, both personally and professionally.The reader will get one fantastic read by the end, and yes, I would recommend this novel to any romantic reader.
Thank you to NetGalley and Hyperion Avenue for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.
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LibraryThing member reader1009
adult fiction - modern (and much improved, without the whole "holding a person captive against her will and trying to force her to like you") retelling of Beauty and the Beast.
a bookish romance (Izzy is an aspiring writer/editor diligently working her way up in the publishing industry), generally
a bookish romance (Izzy is an aspiring writer/editor diligently working her way up in the publishing industry), generally
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"clean" but with plenty of sexual tension and lots of references to Disney's animated version of the story. Show Less
LibraryThing member Narshkite
A delightful reimagining of Beauty and the Beast. I was honestly getting frustrated with Guillory's Wedding Date series, I liked the last but had very much not loved the two preceding it, so I was pleased to see her try something new. This book charmed me. The first few pages I thought I was going
I listened to the audio, and overall I liked the narration except for one thing. People laugh a lot in Jasmine's books, and every time the text said someone laughed the narrator let out these horrifying fake creepy laughs. Beau's was the worst by far. This made things sound contrived and salacious rather then silly and sweet.
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to hate it, but I went in not knowing it was a Beauty and the Beast retelling (the Disney not the Cocteau version) and once I realized that the opening was actually rather funny. This is all mushy romance, zero sex (well closed door sex is here, but the only thing described is true love's kiss.) Izzy was a fun character and Jasmine did a good job making Beau a very sympathetic and sexy beast. Who doesn't like a good fairy tale?I listened to the audio, and overall I liked the narration except for one thing. People laugh a lot in Jasmine's books, and every time the text said someone laughed the narrator let out these horrifying fake creepy laughs. Beau's was the worst by far. This made things sound contrived and salacious rather then silly and sweet.
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LibraryThing member rmarcin
This story is a re-imagining of the fairy tale Beauty and the Beast. When Isabelle is assigned to get reluctant author, Beau Towers, to work on his overdue manuscript, she is surprised to find a gruff and withdrawn man who isn't interested. Fortunately, his assistant knows how he is and she
Jasmine Guillory's books are always fun to read, and nice easy romances to read. It is nice to read a Guillory book every once in a while.
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encourages Izzy to push him to write. Beau then asks Izzy to move in and encourage him with daily pep talks. This, of course, leads to a deep friendship and to a love between Izzy and Beau, because of course, it is a fairy tale!Jasmine Guillory's books are always fun to read, and nice easy romances to read. It is nice to read a Guillory book every once in a while.
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LibraryThing member bell7
Isabelle has been working at A Tale as Old as Time for a couple of years, but she's already burnt out from often being the only person of color in the room and having to put on a happy face in a job where she's overworked and underappreciated. One of her duties is emailing Beau Towers, a
What a fun ride! I am picky about my romances, but this Beauty and the Beast retelling hit all of what I enjoy: enemies (well, almost) to friends to lovers, complex characters, and a few nods to the original while standing very much on its own if you're unfamiliar with the source material. A couple of times Izzy's assumptions of what Beau must be thinking and consequent hurt feelings annoyed me a little, but overall it was such a joy to read that I'd pick it up again.
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notoriously spoiled celebrity who promised a memoir and then ghosted the publisher. Then she suggests to her boss she show up in person to give him a pep talk and offer some advice getting his memoir off the ground. They get off on the wrong foot, but soon Izzy is attracted to a man who turns out to be much nicer than his reputation.What a fun ride! I am picky about my romances, but this Beauty and the Beast retelling hit all of what I enjoy: enemies (well, almost) to friends to lovers, complex characters, and a few nods to the original while standing very much on its own if you're unfamiliar with the source material. A couple of times Izzy's assumptions of what Beau must be thinking and consequent hurt feelings annoyed me a little, but overall it was such a joy to read that I'd pick it up again.
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LibraryThing member nbmars
Apparently this is a retelling of “Beauty and the Beast” although I didn’t really see that as being a dominant theme.
As the story begins, Isabelle Marlowe, or Izzy, has just gotten a job at Tale as Old as Time Publishing, or TAOAT. She has a stereotypically intimidating boss, Marta Wallace,
Over a year ago, Marta had given Beau Towers, a former child star, son of two celebrities, and notorious “bad boy,” a splashy book deal for his memoir. But then Beau had pretty much disappeared from view, with no book in sight. When Izzy and her BFF at work, Priya Gupta, go to California with others from TAOAT for a book conference (mostly to serve as go-fers), Izzy impulsively offered to go see Beau Towers in Santa Barbara and check in on his progress. Improbably, Marta agreed.
Izzy, 25, is almost blindsided by how handsome the slightly older Beau is, but he is also “beastly” and that helps Izzy to focus on her goal, which is to get him to write.
Izzy talks her way into staying on at Beau’s mansion to help him produce a book, and pretty soon, the plot moves predictably into romance territory, with only a few minor snags to somewhat unsuccessfully add “interest” to the story.
Mostly what Izzy and Beau do, besides writing exercises and occasional forays to the beach, is share snacks. The author is apparently into food, and apparently so is Izzy, who eats high caloric food all the time, although she remains tiny and gorgeous in Beau’s eyes. Of course.
It all ends pretty much as you would expect, with a slight deviation from the usual fairy tale arc to let Izzy be a successful woman as well as starring in a Cinderella story.
Evaluation:: The book wan’t terrible, but only barely held my interest. It was far too predictable and unrealistic, even for a “fairy tale.”
As the story begins, Isabelle Marlowe, or Izzy, has just gotten a job at Tale as Old as Time Publishing, or TAOAT. She has a stereotypically intimidating boss, Marta Wallace,
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and a stereotypically cut-throat coworker pretending to be her friend, Gavin Ridley. In fact, much of the plot could fall under the category of “predictable.”Over a year ago, Marta had given Beau Towers, a former child star, son of two celebrities, and notorious “bad boy,” a splashy book deal for his memoir. But then Beau had pretty much disappeared from view, with no book in sight. When Izzy and her BFF at work, Priya Gupta, go to California with others from TAOAT for a book conference (mostly to serve as go-fers), Izzy impulsively offered to go see Beau Towers in Santa Barbara and check in on his progress. Improbably, Marta agreed.
Izzy, 25, is almost blindsided by how handsome the slightly older Beau is, but he is also “beastly” and that helps Izzy to focus on her goal, which is to get him to write.
Izzy talks her way into staying on at Beau’s mansion to help him produce a book, and pretty soon, the plot moves predictably into romance territory, with only a few minor snags to somewhat unsuccessfully add “interest” to the story.
Mostly what Izzy and Beau do, besides writing exercises and occasional forays to the beach, is share snacks. The author is apparently into food, and apparently so is Izzy, who eats high caloric food all the time, although she remains tiny and gorgeous in Beau’s eyes. Of course.
It all ends pretty much as you would expect, with a slight deviation from the usual fairy tale arc to let Izzy be a successful woman as well as starring in a Cinderella story.
Evaluation:: The book wan’t terrible, but only barely held my interest. It was far too predictable and unrealistic, even for a “fairy tale.”
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LibraryThing member jjmcgaffey
Oh my. I _love_ this story. There were predictable bits - I knew who was sabotaging her long before she figured it out, and I knew Beau's secret as soon as he told the Oscar story - and Michaela's, too. But the how and why, and the richness of the characterization, made even the predictable bits
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fascinating. The way they worked together, the way both of them pushed through hard and scary choices, and again, the rich characters - I dove in and didn't surface except when I had to. I can see the Beauty and the Beast bits - so could they, both Beau and Izzy made references to the story - but like the first book in this series, the story wasn't confined to those limits. I loved the sneaky bits, like the titles of the other books. And I only wanted to shake them once, near the end, for failing to communicate. So now I have _another_ new author to look for... Oh, there's lots of kissing and spending the night, but no details at all. Very non-explicit. That was part of what I loved - that they had lots better reasons for their relationship than simple physical attraction. Show Less
LibraryThing member msoul13
NOTE: I am a librarian and I received a free paperback ARC of this book from the publisher.
A contemporary re-telling of Disney's "Beauty & the Beast?" Yes, please!! I loved the way Guillory adapted the fairy tale to a modern setting, turning Belle into a stressed-out publisher's assistant and The
A contemporary re-telling of Disney's "Beauty & the Beast?" Yes, please!! I loved the way Guillory adapted the fairy tale to a modern setting, turning Belle into a stressed-out publisher's assistant and The
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Beast into a reclusive starlet who is trying to pen his memoir. Anyone who has ever worked as an office assistant, or attempted to write a lengthy piece of prose (or both!), will find the main characters and their struggles relatable. To my delight, much of the plot development and character building actually took place in the "The Beast's" Library. This made for a very intimate sort of retelling of "Beauty & The Beast," in which most of the conflict plays out in the form of getting-to-know-you struggles and bouts of writers' block. The cast of characters was small enough to create some background tension, but most of the book's focus was on Isabelle and Beau (the protagonists and romantic leads). I found myself missing some of the magic of the Disney version (namely, the enchanted furniture and housewares). I also thought that Guillory could have turned Gavin (the Gaston-like character) into a bigger villian than the book made him out to be. Nevertheless, this was a fun retelling of a Disney classic. Show Less
LibraryThing member Herenya
Isabelle, an editor’s assistant, is sent to visit the reclusive Beau Towers, whose memoir is long overdue.
This is book-ish, sunny and low-key. I prefer a little more intensity in Beauty and the Beast retellings -- and stories which grapple with, rather than side-step, some of the problematic
This is book-ish, sunny and low-key. I prefer a little more intensity in Beauty and the Beast retellings -- and stories which grapple with, rather than side-step, some of the problematic
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aspects of the tale. But I’ve also had the privilege of multiple versions of this story about people who look like me. As a fluffy retelling with Black characters, By the Book is absolutely bringing something new to the table, something that’s arguably long overdue. Film version please? Show Less
LibraryThing member tornadox
Smoldering romance between a junior editor (Izzy) and a reclusive writer (Beau.) Contains lots of practical advice for (aspiring) writers. It’s definitely inspired me.
ETA Facepalming for not realizing it is a retelling of Beauty and the Beast. Which explains why many pieces of furniture are
Yes, I would like that bathtub and that snack cabinet in my life.
ETA Facepalming for not realizing it is a retelling of Beauty and the Beast. Which explains why many pieces of furniture are
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considered magical. I thought it was a quirk showing how ideas of the fantastical have been mainstreamed in real life.Yes, I would like that bathtub and that snack cabinet in my life.
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LibraryThing member ahef1963
By the Book was the novel I needed today. Things are tough. I'm almost completely out of money. I don't feel well and I'm worried that I'm not physically capable of doing my new job. I haven't been able to concentrate on reading, or even audiobooks, and that's left me feeling totally without
So it was a good thing today that I stumbled over Jasmine Guillory's By the Book. It's an easy book to read, the time goes past so quickly. The story focuses on books, my favourite milieu. The characters are three-dimensional and likeable, and there's a secret bad guy who messes things up for the main character. All of these made the book just what I needed. Thank you to Ms. Guillory for writing another great romance.
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support. Books are my go-to way to calm my ruffled nerves, and if I can't do that I will actually lose my mind and end up in an insane asylum!So it was a good thing today that I stumbled over Jasmine Guillory's By the Book. It's an easy book to read, the time goes past so quickly. The story focuses on books, my favourite milieu. The characters are three-dimensional and likeable, and there's a secret bad guy who messes things up for the main character. All of these made the book just what I needed. Thank you to Ms. Guillory for writing another great romance.
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LibraryThing member GeauxGetLit
I enjoyed the initial Meant to Be book and once I saw Jasmine Guillory writing the second of the series, I knew this would be a must read for me.
The MC is a 25yo black female who has been dreaming of working in the book business for as long as she could remember. However, the publishing company
Things can heat up quick when you are in close proximity to each other, especially when you need to be vulnerable to write.
The MC is a 25yo black female who has been dreaming of working in the book business for as long as she could remember. However, the publishing company
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she works for,is becoming worse for wear and she is struggling with paying her bills with no potential growth in her future. That is until she winds offering to babysit a celebrity who was supposed to write his memoir two years ago. Things can heat up quick when you are in close proximity to each other, especially when you need to be vulnerable to write.
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LibraryThing member LibrarianRyan
I was not expecting it to be a type of retelling. Had no idea it was part of a series, but you didn't need to read the other books in the series. Overall, I liked it. It was fun and i eager await the next.
LibraryThing member mktoronto
As delightful as I hoped it would be! I loved the location, the adaptation, the characters. Was a fun few hours!
LibraryThing member Okies
Oh dear, I listened to the audiobook, quite recently, but I don't remember it. I promise to revisit my score once I've borrowed it again, as I appreciate that most people really did seem to enjoy it.
Language
Original language
English
ISBN
9781368070157
Original publication date
2022-05-03