Title: By The Book
Author: Jasmine Guillory
Genre: Contemporary Romance/ Rom-Com
Publisher: Bonnier Books
Pages: 320
Release Date: 21 July 2022
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Hello fellow book lovers,
today I'm sharing my review of Jasmine Guillory's delightfully compelling and utterly uplifting fairytale reimagining, By The Book. A Beauty and The Beast inspired tale of love and acceptance set within the competitive world of publishing. As a connoisseur of fairytale reimaginings, I can definitely say this is one you don't want to miss.
Synopsis
Sometimes to truly know a person, you have to read between the lines.
Isabelle is completely lost. When she first began her career in publishing after college, she did not expect to be twenty-five, still living at home, and one of the few Black employees 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 prove her worth and finally get the recognition 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 He is jaded and withdrawn and—it turns out—just as lost as Izzy.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.
Best-selling author Jasmine Guillory's reimagining of a beloved fairy tale is a tale as old as time . . . for a new generation.
Review
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.
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 too see the toll it takes on a fellow book lover was soo deeply emotional.
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 Tale As Old As Time publishing ,or the little quips Izzy throws out, like being soo lonely/ bored she talks to the candlesticks
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
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
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