Reviews with content warning for Cursing - By the Book

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By the Book by Jasmine Guillory

10 reviews

kimib79's review against another edition

funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.25

Cute, but there was no chemistry between Beau and Izzy even though the book says there is. All tell, no show. I would just chalk it up to the book being closed door, but they drop the "F" bomb enough that it seems unlikely that the author was trying to keep it clean.

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xandra_lyn's review against another edition

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funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This was SUCH a good book! It was light and sweet, but also did a great job of developing character arcs. I really loved all the little nods to the Disney movie!!

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amberinpieces's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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cady_sass's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Books about books are my love language. This is perfection. I’m not even upset that there’s no spice, it’s so good. Brought tears to my eyes! Grumpy/sunshine done right

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anielabooks's review against another edition

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funny hopeful lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

I wasn’t blown away by this book. I really enjoyed the previous book in this series, but this one didn’t do it for me. I liked the characters but I didn’t love them. It was entertaining but I wouldn’t pick it up again.

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natashaleighton_'s review against another edition

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emotional funny lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

A delightfully compelling and utterly uplifting tale of love,acceptance and reading between the lines, set within the competitive world of publishing. Jasmine Guillory’s contemporary reimagining of Beauty and The Beast (one of my all time favourite fairytales) was such a fun, and addictive romance that I thoroughly enjoyed.

It follows 25 year old Isabelle, an editorial assistant who works tirelessly for a promotion it looks increasingly likely she won’t get. To prove herself, Izzy decides to visit the beastly, high profile author who has failed to deliver his long awaited manuscript—and give him a pep talk (or three) to help him along. How hard could it be?

But Izzy finds herself in over her head. Beau Towers isn’t just some celebrity lightweight writing a tell all memoir—he’s jaded, withdrawn and just as lost as Izzy. And thanks to Izzy’s encouragement, Beau’s story begins to take shape on the page.

The pair soon discover that they have more in common than either of them ever expected, and as their deadline nears, Izzy and Beau realise that there may be something there that wasn’t there before…

When I first saw the premise I knew I was going to enjoy this one and I’m glad to report that it definitely lived up to my expectations when it came to the modern rom-com take on Beauty and The Beast.

There’s plenty for romance lovers to delve into with enemies to lovers, forced proximity and sunshine x grump tropes used to perfection. And the chemistry between our optimistic, editorial assistant Izzy and the seemingly anti-social Beau was absolutely swoon-worthy. It is a closed door, slow-burn Romance, but the development (both in the relationship and the emotional journey of the characters themselves) is definitely worth the sizzling,tension filled wait.

I really enjoyed the realistic glimpse into the publishing world that we get through Izzy, which highlights how overworked and underpaid soo many people in publishing actually are —and how these struggles are almost always even harder for people of colour working in the industry.

I also loved how Guillory handles the forced imprisonment aspect of the source material and gives her protagonist a choice—a choice she handles with aplomb. Likewise the other modern tweaks to the original were all really interesting to discover—I loved all the references such as the publisher Izzy works for being Called A Tale As Old As Time,as well as the little quips Izzy throws out, such as being soo lonely/ bored she talks to the candlesticks or imagining the cupboard talking back.

At just over 300 pages it’s a fairly quick read, but the pacing did start a little slow and took a little longer to get into than I had hoped—the pace does pick up once Beau and Izzy meet and that’s when things really get interesting.

Overall a fun and lighthearted read that rom-com lovers and fans of modern, fairytale retellings are bound to enjoy.

Also, a massive thank you to Bonnier Books for the wonderful PB copy

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kdailyreads's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

I knew I would enjoy this book, because Jasmine Guillory is one of my favorite authors, but I was surprised at exactly how much I enjoyed a contemporary retelling of Beauty and the Beast. This was excellent!

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