Review: By the Book (Meant to Be #2)

Title: By the Book (Meant to Be #2)
Author: Jasmine Guillory
Genre: Romance, Contemporary
Publisher: Hyperion Avenue
Source: Purchased
Format: Paperback
Release Date: May 3, 2022
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

A tale as old as time—for a new generation… 

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 He is jaded and withdrawn and—it turns out—just as lost as Izzy.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. 

Best-selling author Jasmine Guillory’s reimagining of a beloved fairy tale is a romantic triumph of love and acceptance and learning that sometimes to truly know a person you have to read between the lines.

Review:

Izzy is a twenty-five year-old, who works in publishing, and still lives at home with her parents. She’s overworked and finds it hard to speak up for herself, as the only Black employee at the publishing company. When she hears her boss complaining about the high-profile celebrity who is late with his manuscript, Izzy gets an idea. Izzy goes to Santa Barbara to give the author, Beau Towers, a pep talk. However, when she meets him, she discovers that he is so withdrawn that he will need more than one pep talk. Izzy stays with him and encourages him to tell his story. As Beau writes his memoir and gets closer to the end, Izzy discovers they have more in common than she expected, and she doesn’t want to leave him when they’re finished. 

Beauty and the Beast is my favourite fairytale, so I was excited to finally read this retelling. This was a fun twist on the story with a publishing spin. It’s not realistic that a publishing assistant would be sent to live with and help a celebrity write their memoir, but it was a fun fantasy to read about. 

By the Book is a cute Beauty and the Beast retelling!

What to read next:

Other books in the series:

• If the Shoe Fits (Meant to Be #1)
• Kiss the Girl (Meant to Be #2)

Have you read By the Book? What did you think of it?