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By the Book: A Meant to Be Novel

by Jasmine Guillory

A publishing-house assignment becomes a story of mutual discovery

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Awards & Recognition

  • Author recognition

    Jasmine Guillory, described as a New York Times bestselling author

    The metadata describes Jasmine Guillory as a New York Times best-selling author.

AlbakiReads Editorial

A publishing-house assignment becomes a story of mutual discovery

Isabelle’s effort to secure a promotion sends her to Santa Barbara to encourage a celebrated author who has missed his manuscript deadline. The setup brings workplace pressures—especially Isabelle’s experience as one of the few Black employees at her publishing house—into a contemporary romance shaped by a recognizable fairy-tale framework. As Beau begins writing with Isabelle’s encouragement, both confront a sense of being lost and find unexpected common ground. The deadline gives their developing connection a practical stake, while the publishing-world setting keeps the story tied to questions of ambition, recognition, and whose experiences are heard.

Good fit for readers who enjoy

  • Readers interested in contemporary romance with a fairy-tale-inspired premise
  • Readers curious about publishing-house work and career ambition
  • Readers seeking a romance that includes questions of representation and belonging

Themes

Contemporary romanceFairy-tale reimaginingPublishing and career ambitionRepresentation and belonging

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Book overview

From New York Times best-selling author Jasmine Guillory comes the much-anticipated second book in the Meant to Be collection inspired by the classic fairy tale stories we all know and love, perfect for adult readers who crave contemporary, escapist rom-coms.

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.
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