User Reviews
Rating: really liked it
The wholesomeness really jumped on the page with this one! This was a lot of fun! Albeit, I wish it would have been more focused on the con scene like the last two and it definitely felt like it had a bit of a disney channel original movie style going for it, but it still maxed me out with happiness. I reaaaally want Ashley Poston to keep creating stories in this little fandom verse she's created, because they're just such feel good books.
Rating: really liked it
***The Best in the series so far***
**Didn't like the second book
*Left the first book after a few pages
π«This book made me so freaking happy!π
I don't care about the other books in this series but this one is just meant to be mine π
With all that nerdiness and book talk.
With all that friendship vibes.
With all that homecoming vibes.
With all that things can go horribly wrong.
With all that the story is just beginning at the end!
I just love the characters so much!
Rosie is so level headed even if she sounds like a romantic (I mean who doesn't when you're someone who's obsessed with a book series and it's movie adaptations; more so because they were her mom's favorites!).
And Vance. Damn this guy. Hahahahah! He's just terribly clueless and just so cute the way he is!
And the best friends?! Annie and Quinn alongwith Rosie's dad! They're a riot! βΊοΈβΊοΈ
And yes, author. I want more of that thing between Rosie's dad and Elais. I thought their story was going to start. Not fair π€¦
And that guy Garrett. Hahahahhah!!!! The ways he tries to ask out Rosie. Damn! ππ€£π€£π€£
And whoa! So many book references!
I totally love this book!
Surprised!
Rating: really liked it
Books, beasts, and german shepherds, oh my!
Rating: really liked it
Thank you to the publishers for providing me with a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
This series has been a bit of a frustrating one to me. It's cute and lighthearted so reading it always sounds appealing, but at the same time it has so many pop culture references that it overpowers everything else and doesn't give any room for the actual fictional universe created in this story to shine. Think of Galaxy Quest, it created its own universe and has nods to other science fiction (without outright naming them) but it is also very much its own thing. This series should have aimed to be more like Galaxy Quest. At that point why even create your own universe? Other than to make all of the love interests stars of the world, of course.
I am also iffy on Beauty and the Beast retellings. I have read some really good ones (Heart's Blood is absolutely lovely) but so many retellings come off as lazy. It's also usually hard for people to make the Beast Beast-like without making him such a major tool that romance seems unlikely. This guy (Vance) is complaining about how he's missing out on life because he can't fly in coach and buy cheap sneakers. He's in exile because of a car accident he caused and he needs to hide out from everyone, but he's planning that as soon as he's 18 he's going to be out of his stepfather's life and out of "exile." In this super nice house in North Carolina that his stepfather's friend is letting him stay in, not caring that his dog is ruining the rose bushes. He also plays the "hot villain" in the new movies.
So "Belle" (in this book her name is Rosie) sees his dog and chases him into the house which she thinks is abandoned because it looks rundown on the outside but is super nice inside it, sees a bookshelf with a huge collection of fandom books (think those Star Wars and Star Trek novels, the main character even mentions Timothy Zahn's Thrawn books), picks up the most expensive one from the author created universe that she is super excited and touched to see because of the sentiment behind it. She gets chased, jumps in the pool with it, and it gets destroyed.
Oops, turns out the book is worth a little over a grand. Which, I have a hard time believing to begin with. Fandom books CAN be worth that much but that's unusual (a super rare Star Trek book is currently being sold for $60), and I have seen special edition books from authors worth less. Hard to believe that she'd treasure it that much, know that it's rare and special, and then just be all nonchalant and casual about ruining it. This is even funnier later on because the two characters mention that the new fandom created universe movie can't be as good as The Last Jedi but still pretty awesome. So the author sees her universe as "not as good" as a terrible movie and basically a universally hated movie that destroyed Disney's Star Wars legacy and hurt the success of future projects, but definitely good enough to have a fandom tie-in book worth a ton of money. Cool, makes sense!
Moving on, in order to make up for the cost (because who cares about the roses, but not the book!!), Rosie agrees to volunteer to organize the library and create a spreadsheet of which books are damaged, etc, and the guy watching the house and Vance, says that Vance will help out and also will pay to replace the book. Because who cares about everything the dog destroys in the garden, but not the fandom book!! Well, turns out that Vance had met Rosie before when he was in a costume at a convention and was honest about his life, so uh-uh! He wants her gone. I will end my description there since that was the basic set up and I don't want to ruin it for everyone, but let's just say that it doesn't improve.
This book was trying too hard to fit into the Beauty and the Beast story, but it just fell flat and felt so forced. I shouldn't be surprised, to many people all characters need to be are a sexy villain and everything will just magically fall into place with readers finding them sympathetic and the backstory being rich even if there isn't one. That shit doesn't work on me.
With the exception of the godfather and Rosie's dad, every character was insufferable, and the references were worse than ever. Rosie has no sense of self preservation in the most infuriating and immature way possible. She gets fired from a job early on in the book for using her phone immediately after getting warned to not use her phone, and one of the reasons listed that she was in trouble was for using TikTok and filming videos at work. This is a job she's supposed to keep because she needs it to help pay for college. The godfather is supposed to be Latino, but there were just a few forced "mijos." The diversity in general just felt incredibly forced. While the other books had their flaws, this one was just unbearable.
Rating: really liked it
PLEASE TELL ME ASHLEY POSTON WILL KEEP MAKING THESE BOOKS BECAUSE I NEED THEM FOREVER!
Rating: really liked it
"With him, a little of her heart leaves, but it leaves room, too.
For new people.
For new loves.
For new impossibilities."
Awww why did reading this have to go by so fast?π₯ΊπAshley Poston creates the most beautiful contemporary retellings
EVERπ₯°
Well......maybe I can't really say that considering how I've only read two of her books.π
π But it really does feel like that.
I thought
Geekerella was amazing and one of the most adorable contemporaries I've ever read, but this.........
Bookish and the Beast completely surpasses its predecessors!π (I can't really judge the 2nd book though, since I haven't read it xD) It was such a cute and fun read!π₯°
Vance Reigns is the actor for
General Sond—the villain of
Starfield —and now is considered a true villain in real life after a certain......incident resulting in the breakup of Hollywood's cutest couple. His stepfather decides for Vance that he should lay low for awhile and sends him off to a tiny remote town. And of course,
he absolutely hates it there.Rosie Thorne recently lost her mother and continues dealing with that grief by finding comfort in reading her books—that is until she damages a priceless edition of a book and is tasked with trying to repay it with the help of
Vance. You can guess how that goes.π
They absolutely despise each other. But eventually,
something changes all that.π
Ahhh
Vance's character development was amazing.π₯° He went from not trusting anyone and being a total jerk to everyone
to learning to believe in himself & others more and understanding his mistakes & fixing them.
So sweetπ
Of course, I automatically loved
Rosie the moment I learned that she was a bookworm. Her obsession with books is
so me and everyone else here (or at least I'm pretty sure).
"I love how books are not really just books at all, but doorways.
They are portals into places I’ve never been and people I’ll never be, and in them I have lived a thousand lives and seen a thousand different worlds."
That's so trueπ₯Ίπ And she even got
Vance to get into
reading books!!! That is such an accomplishment.π€― I always try getting my friends into reading & GR, but it never works for me.π’
'Tis the sad reality.Oh and then there's.......
Garrett.π Seeing how this is a
Beauty and the Beast Retelling, Garrett just reminded me of Gaston.π€
OMG and looking at the GIF, I can even see the resemblance between the two!π They both look the same
AND act the same. Garrett kept trying to get Rosie to agree to be his date even when she said 'no' and believed himself to be the most beautiful person ever xD.
Just like Gaston.π€’Hehe and I was trying to come up with some ship names for Vance & Rosie. Like Rance? Or Vosie? xD they're so bad.π¬π€£ I don't even know why I tried after my first attempt at coming up with ship names in
The Upside of Falling .
Never let me come up with new ship names xD. Aghhhh and how did
Ashely Poston manage to make me fall in love with her side characters so much???π₯Ίπ
Annie & Quinn were such awesome best friends for
Rosie. I loved how their friendship was never compromised throughout the story and it stayed true the whole way.π₯° Nothing got between the trio.π
AND NEVER FORGET
SPACE DADπ₯π₯π₯
Space Dad was such an amazing figure in this book. Rosie's Dad was also dealing with the grief of losing his wife but he always acted cheerful and even though he made mistakes in front of a lot people (like burning down the kitchenπ) he still was amazing.π
This can be read as a standalone, but there are a lot of references from the previous books which makes me wish I read the 2nd book before this.π
BUT I did manage to read some reviews of the
The Princess and the Fangirl and get some of the references in this book xD.
Now my only complaint of
Bookish and the Beast is that
IT WAS TOO SHORT.πππ I really wish there was more to read.
I WANT MORE ROSANCE okay, okay, that was bad.π. BUT STILL. MORE
ROSIE x VANCE.π₯Ί 288 PAGES WAS NOT ENOUGH FOR MEπ
Ahhh well there's always re-reads.
Still. I'm just gonna be over here hoping that the author will decide to make more contemporaries in this series.π€ | Blog |
Rating: really liked it
UPDATE 2/25/20: ((screams in geek))I didn't know we had a cover for this as well!
Behold its beauty, behold its grace. I love it, there's a puppy...and bookshelves!!!
BEAUTY AND THE BEAST RETELLING!!!
Commence stalking internet until cover reveal.
That is all.
Wake me up in June.
Rating: really liked it
Expectations:
Reality:
YA/Nerd/Sci-Fi-Fan-retelling of Beauty and the Beast with a Library as one of the "main characters".This sounded really exciting in theory. However, it just did not work in practice.
I mean, the Belle / Beast / Gaston / Poor Dad counterparts are obvious and the story follows the original path while trying to translate it into "Nerdy", but honestly? I found it drawn-out and boring.
Rosie (Belle) - Vance (Beast) are both characters with valid issues, who are in serious limbo because of these, but so is the book. It's dragging its feet at a snail's pace. I already reached 50% in the story, where the only interaction between them (apart from quick meetings that ended in .. yes, nothing) was Rosie spraining her ankle because of her super-clumsiness and at their next encounter turning Vance's hair into orange colour by mistake, which I guess is supposed to be hilarious, but it's just not?! Also, chemistry between the pair is practically non-existent.
Obviously, I am too old to be the target-group of this book, but I don't think it's the only reason I could not connect to the characters at all.
ARC by Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
Rating: really liked it
This is a YA Contemporary Retelling, and this is the third book in the Once Upon a Con series. I love the cover of this book, and I love that this book is a Beauty and the Beast retelling. I love Beauty and the Beast, and this book did a good job with the retelling parts. I really enjoyed this book, and the characters where fun. I love that this book took place in a library a lot of time. I won an ARC copy of this book from a goodreads giveaway, but this review is 100% my own opinion.
Rating: really liked it
more like 'bookish and the biggest dork in the universe.
Rating: really liked it
Beauty and the Beast but make it shitty [insert 1492348 pop culture references here] This is so hard to review because this was seriously so bad it feels like a parody but no. This is a real book that a publisher spent real money on to publish. The author got paid cash money for this book and I got paid nothing to read this?? This is the worst trade deal in the history of trade deals. (Sick meme but also fuck tr*mp.)
Maybe we should make this our last once upon a con book yeah? Besides one (1) flashback, none of this takes place at a con anyway. (Not that I wanted a con but it's literally in the series name so I expect what I expect.)
Bookish and the Beast is about a girl named Rosie Thorne (why tho) who mistakenly ruins an expensive book and then has to organize the expensive library she took it from to pay back her debt. Vance is Hollywood royalty but to hide from a scandal and paparazzi, he flees to Rosie's town and ends up living in the very house that has the expensive library Rosie must organize. Quickly Rosie discovers that Vance is a jerk and the feeling is mutual. That is until they spend more time together.
The connection to making this a Beauty and the Beast retelling is so weak oh my god. None of this makes ANY sense. Rosie literally BREAKS into this guy's fucking house for no reason, looks at a book and then ??? runs away with it when he's like who tf is in my house!! and then she ??? drops it in a lake and it's ruined so to pay back the price of the book she has to *checks notes* clean up the library with him for a couple of weeks. Even her father is like lol that sounds reasonable have fun with these people bye. Bruh whAT? Make any of this make sense!!
Maybe this is an issue because of the arc but there were so many continuity errors and then just writing that was so lazy. One big one was Vance and Rosie made eyes at each other at the con in a flashback and then they see each other when she ruins the book but he doesn't recognize her? They were literally sitting across from each other and staring at each other?? After that meeting he's still moping about the mysterious girl then the next time he sees Rosie, he's like omg she's the girl from the con!! Maybe fix that though.
It literally feels like the author didn't try at ALL with this one and was just forced to do it because of a contract. I'm not bullshitting- she really gave us nothing. The queer rep this time was such a joke. Rosie's father is maybe bisexual and then Rosie has a non-binary friend who seriously talks once. That's it??
All of these characters were so annoying and Rosie is the dumbest girl in the world. In the beginning of the book she gets fired from her job that she apparently needed so much for using her phone literally 3 seconds after she was told not to use her phone. She is a complete brat, so obnoxious, and if she came within 5 feet of me I would dropkick her. She literally runs into a dark house after a random dog and for what? She did any of this for what? Also Rosie lost her mother and is still grieving and it was handled so badly. I just want to cringe and laugh at Rosie trying to have a deeper emotion that wasn't just "lol i'm a nerd rawr xD".
There was so much dumb drama about the couple from Geekerella breaking up and it was SUCH bullshit. (view spoiler)
[There is news they broke up, we never see them until the end then they are back together and we literally get nothing from that. What was the POINT then. (hide spoiler)] Leave them alone, thanks. Geekerella is the only book by this author that I loved but I highly doubt I would even like it on a reread so I will keep that in the past with the good memories I had of it.
Really, the rest of the book is just dumb drama that doesn't make any sense as well. There is no plot. The epic climax is Vance has a video get leaked of him and he thinks Rosie did it and it was just ??? so ??? stupid?? The video was so unimportant and minor like why would he care. Why would anyone care PLEASE. Sex tape or fucking bust my dude. He was so edgy and emo about the sHoCkInG leaked video and it was the weakest way to make them have discourse. I almost cried because they took this so seriously.
I'm sorry did you want SO MANY FUCKING POP CULTURE REFERENCES??? Well you got them friend!! This has even more than the last book, I don't know how that was possible. Ashley has zero chill and every page is littered with meaningless references that are already dated. Characters speak in random references to communicate and there was no reason for any of this besides trying to hit a word count and to try to relate to the kids these days. (I could go into it on how all of these so called "nerd" things really aren't because those very nerd things are super mainstream and popular and have been for a long time but alas.)
Literally no one speaks like this in real life, ever. Some of the references were just complete bullshit too- like she saw them on tumblr and just threw it in without actually knowing what she's talking about. Endless pop culture references are terrible but using them wrong is even worse.
Also when books have bookish characters that just go on a tirade about how reading is beautiful and magical and shaped their very core and blah blah- I've heard this so many times and the exact same thing too. Where do you think we are right now? Who do you think you are talking to? I'm never going to see a character that likes books and references random fandom shit that I may or may not like and go "omg I love this character so muCH". It's such a cheap way to try to get the reader to relate to your basic character that has nothing else and I don't want it. Liking books and "nerd" things is not a personality trait, send tweet.
But I'm not the targeted audience and I've ranted enough, good night.
Rating: really liked it
4.5* It’s got a library. It’s got beauty and the beast references. It’s got epic friendships. It’s got the cutest crush to enemies to lovers. It’s got so. many. books. It’s got a dog. It’s got a brooding beast and a bookish beauty. It’s got just the right amount of pop culture references. It’s got a small town romance. It’s got ‘oh no, we’re caught in the rain’ scene. It’s got an epic homecoming scene. It’s got a space dad. It’s got reading aloud to each other.
basically...
SOMEONE MAKE THIS INTO A DISNEY CHANNEL ORIGINAL MOVIE STAT.
Rating: really liked it
I received a copy of this book for free from the publisher (Quirk Books) in exchange for an honest review.
I am such a huge fan of this series so I was excited to read this, especially since Beauty and the Beast is my favorite fairy tale. I ended up enjoying this a lot!
So first off, there are a lot of references to Disney’s Beauty and the Beast. Like on page 37 there is a reference to “the great wide somewhere” and on page 224 there is talk of “Magic spells. Daring sword fights. A prince in disguise.” As a Beauty and the Beast super fan I had a ton of fun picking up all these little Easter eggs.
As for the characters, the author always writes the most interesting and dynamic ones. Both the main and supporting characters were so lovable and fleshed out. My favorite was Rosie’s dad, aka Space Dad. He seemed like the coolest dad ever.
The writing style as usual was perfect for the genre. It was a good amount of geeky mixed in with an easy to read prose.
This books also had amazing descriptions dedicated to the love of books. For example, Rosie states, “But there is so much more in those words than just loving books. I love the smell of them. I love the way their bindings look pressed together on a shelf…They are portals into places I’ve never been and people I’ll never be, and in them I have lived a thousand lives and seen a thousand different worlds” (pg. 39). I couldn’t agree more.
I also would like to point out something the author put in the acknowledgments that I absolutely loved. She writes, “I wrote this book for me. So, if you didn’t really enjoy this book, that’s okay! You’ll find one that you love” (pg. 284). I thought this was a great reminder to readers that it is okay if you didn’t like a book and that authors can write what they want to write (on the assumption for course that it is not offensive, problematic etc.)
Lastly, I did feel like there was something missing in this book compared to the other ones in the series. I can’t quite put my finger on what it was. It could be that this book is significantly shorter than the other two and I wanted a bit more.
Overall, if you are a fan of this series (or books or Beauty and the Beast), you’ll probably like this one!
Rating: really liked it
Confession: I love β€β€β€ fairytale retellings, especially Beauty and the Beast. So Ashley Poston combining her cosplay/sci-fi nerdy awesome world with one of my favorite genres? Yes, please! Rosie Thorne is struggling. Daughter of the town librarian, she’s still grieving over having lost her mom, who was a huge sci-fi fan like Rosie. When she meets a masked stranger at a ball and they hit it off, she thinks it was one magical night that will never mean anything. Vance is a Hollywood star, the latest villain cast in Starfield. When Rosie wanders into the house he’s staying in months later, searching for a lost dog, she doesn’t recognize him. The romance between these two is the perfect slow burn π₯ and I loved the storyline involving their friends as well. The writing voice is fun and quirky, like all the books in this series. Can’t wait to see whose book will be next.
Please excuse typos/name misspellings. Entered on screen reader.
Rating: really liked it
Thank u to Ashley and her publishing team for sending me this e-novella of the once upon a con series! This was so cute and I really can't wait to read book 3 now!(:
Merged review:
This was such a cute book and I'm sad that this is the last one in this series.... RTC
1) Geekerella 5/5 stars
2) The princess and the fangirl 5/5 stars
2.5) Once a princess 3/5 stars
3) Bookish and the beast 5/5 stars
