Book Review: By the Book by Jasmine Guillory

For the fans of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, Disney is releasing a fun take on the classic cartoon in the second book of the Meant to Be series! Read on for a review of the book By the Book by Jasmine Guillory.

In By the Book, Isabelle Marlowe (Izzy) is several years into her job as a publishing editor and feels stuck.  Despite her hard work, a promotion seems just out of reach and she muses on whether to look for a different job until, her boss Marta gives her a nearly impossible assignment.  Izzy has to reach out to the elusive Beau Towers and figure out how to encourage him to deliver his long awaited novel.  Izzy flies out to Southern California and despite her best efforts, breaking through Beau’s shell of anger and moodiness proves to be very tough.  

By the Book is Jasmine Guillory’s latest novel is part of the Meant to Be series from Disney publishing and follows the popular If the Shoe Fits.  This book is inspired by Beauty and the Beast, and there are subtle hints like Izzy staying in Beau’s mansion and them bonding in the most luxuriant library Izzy has ever seen.  Guillory takes her time with their romance, and similar to the cartoon movie the two characters really discover each other’s personality despite a bit of distrust.

I liked that the novel really feels like a standalone book, however I do wish that it had a bit more detail of Beau’s history, after all Beau is really a difficult character to like until almost the end of the novel. It’s only then that it’s revealed why he is so morose and difficult to deal with to begin with.  I do appreciate the diverse characters and some of the subtle nods to Disney’s classic movie.  

Rating: 3.5/5 stars

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