By the Book
A Meant to be Novel
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4.1 • 316 Ratings
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- $9.99
Publisher Description
"By The Book is in my hands and I could not be any more excited to celebrate it! Jasmine is on a short list of my tried and true comfort-read authors. I don't know how she manages to weave such depth into her characters while still making the whole reading experience feel SO GOOD AND NICE but she does, every single time."
―Emily Henry, #1 New York Times bestselling author of People We Meet on Vacation and Beach Read/strong>/p>p>strong>Accolades
USA Today Bestseller
An Amazon Book of the Month
An Amazon Best Book of 2022
An Apple Best Book of 2022
The Root Books We Can't Wait to Read
Bustle Most Anticipated Book
Buzzfeed Best Book
Harper's Bazaar Best Romantic Books of 2022
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 finally get the promotion she deserves.
All she has to do is go to the author’s Santa Barbara mansion and give him a 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 He is jaded and withdrawn and―it turns out―just as lost as Izzy.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 achingly romantic reimagining of a classic is a tale as old as time . . . for a new generation.
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
Wrangling a rebellious writer becomes a labor of love in this delightful rom-com. Editorial assistant Isabelle Marlowe gets a chance to prove herself when she begins coaching the famous former-child-star-turned-bad-boy Beau Towers, who’s fallen behind on his memoir. Holed up in his gorgeous Santa Barbara mansion for a month, she works to lure the sullen former star out of his slump, and soon the two begin to bond over more than just words. Author Jasmine Guillory deftly builds the tension between Izzy and Beau, letting us giggle with anticipation as their collaborative writing sessions and lively conversations (not to mention a shared love of snack food) turn their animosity into desire. We loved seeing Beau slowly break through the wall he’s built around his heart. A brilliant take on “Beauty and the Beast,” By the Book is a dreamy romantic read that will have you yearning for a magical happily ever after.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Bestseller Guillory (the Wedding Date series) throws together an aspiring editor and a brooding author in this bland retelling of Beauty and the Beast, the second in the multi-author Meant to Be series. Editorial assistant Izzy Marlowe is ready for a promotion. To prove herself, she crashes former child star Beau Towers's home in hopes of getting him to finish a memoir he's years late in delivering, having ignored all of her emails. After earning a bad reputation for being plain old mean, Beau has been holed up like a hermit in his Santa Barbara home. Despite his not-so-warm welcome and grouchy demeanor, Izzy refuses to turn tail and run, and, with a little nudge from his cook, Beau agrees to start writing if Izzy moves in and gives him regular pep talks. Beau's bad temper hides a good heart, and Izzy's patience and understanding nature quickly endear her to him, but the pair's chemistry never quite comes through, partly due to the lack of Beau's point of view. Their relationship feels like a friendship more than a romance, even as Izzy develops self-confidence and Beau learns to forgive himself and make amends for past mistakes. This is lukewarm at best.
Customer Reviews
Slow burn, sweet but intense romance
To clarify, the book wasn’t intense—it was lovely and sweet and fun—but the romance was, probably because of the author’s style. I wasn’t expecting such a minimalist writing style for a romance, so it took a few chapters for me to adjust, but I knew it would be worth it. And it was.
Beauty in the words
3.5 ⭐️This modern day classic of Beauty and the Beast was cute and captivating. Beau and Izzy wrote and molded their story - literally - into the gem they found. Through heartfelt conversation, taking chances and refusing to hide who they to heal, gave them both the confidence to see the beauty in each other and themselves.
Great!
Such a fun romance!