Reviews

Bookish and the Beast by Ashley Poston

marineb09's review

3.0

3.5 stars

I loved the Once upon a con series when it first started with Geekerella, the idea, the plot, the writing, the fun dialogues and the many many many geeky references... it was a perfect blend of awesomeness =)
The second book was equally great and I guess I wanted MORE and MORE with this one. Don't get me wrong I think the retelling is on point :) Nothing to say about that, but some part were too childish for my taste, I love the best friends but Garett was off as a "Gaston type of villain" like no substance whatsoever. Vance is a "bad guy" .. okay I think we all saw child actors gone bad who did worst than him ... i don't get the "bad boy" vibe he's dealing with.

I don't know, maybe it's just me and I need to read less YA romance ... ^^

It was still a sweet Beauty and the beast retelling and if a 4th book comes out you bet your a.. I will read it :)

silvarai's review

funny fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.5

ferslibrary's review

4.0

3.5⭐️

libertyreads789's review

emotional funny hopeful fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

I want to preface my review--for once with something serious--by saying that I do not believe in the idea that you outgrow any particular age range of books. I think your tastes change and maybe what you used to enjoy is no longer what you want to read in terms of plot or structure or whatever. But I think the reason that a lot of adults say that they've outgrown YA or Middle Grade has less to do with the age range not working for them and more to do with them not taking the time to figure out what things--other than what they used to read--the age range has to offer. Now, obviously, if I'm starting out my review this way, it's for a reason. I was looking back at what I rated the first book in this companion series and was somewhat shocked to learn that 5 years ago I gave it a 5 star rating. And I genuinely think it's just a me thing. If I had read the final book in this series as soon as it came out, I'm positive it would have gotten a higher rating from me. But my tastes have changed in the past 5 years. It happens. And let's not forget that a 3.25 star rating is not bad. It's well over average.

All of that to say that I had a fun time when I read this one. I didn't get to read it as quickly as I would have liked simply because real life got in the way. This is a fast paced and short book so I'm a little sad it took so long to read. I found the characters to be the absolute best part of the story. While I found some situations a little contrived, I felt like the characters were a breath of fresh air. Rosie and Vance in particular came off the page. They were both human and flawed and made mistakes but they also were people trying their best given their circumstances. I also liked that while Rosie made Vance want to be better, we also had Rosie giving him the grace to do so. She never held his past against him. She mentions at one point in the novel that there's no point to make the effort to be a better person if people still trying to hold on to the person you used to be. And this book does touch on some serious topics very briefly: bisexuality and not erasing it because someone got married to someone of the opposite sex, the ridiculously high costs of health care in America, guys not being able to understand someone not being interested in them, etc. Not to mention that this is inspired by one of my favorite Disney movies of all time: Beauty and the Beast. Book girls know, book girls get it: that movie is all about that library. Ha. Forget the prince and the castle. I wanted that library. And Rosie would too because she's just as big of a book nerd as I am.

Overall, I think I'm just not in a place to love a book so immersed in fandom. If I had read the full series as it was coming out, this would have been a higher rating for sure. I still had a good time and enjoyed the characters of this story so much. It just didn't hit as hard as it could have before my tastes changed.

geenamarie7's review

funny lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

beauty_and_the_rose's review

4.0

Ok so this is probably my least favorite out of the series, but I still absolutely LOVED this book. From the sneaky B&B quotes to the totally nerdiness of this world, I utterly enjoyed every minute of this read. I wish there was more of the Con involved in this, but that really was the only thing that could have made this better. Also kudos to the author for making me actually like Vance cause I low key hated him in the second book lol

syndi3's review

 DNF

I read Geekerela long time ago. I remember I shelved it under DNF. After so many years, I decided to give it another chance with Bookish and the Beast. 

Still... not working for me. Miss Poston put too many aspect of Starfield world into this book. The writing style is not working for me. I am just not into it. 

tig_'s review

lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

1.25

Really wanted to like this but it’s not as strong an offering as Geekerella despite being of the same ilk. 

ale_irigoyen's review against another edition

medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

Rosebud meets a stranger in a ball; a stranger that is dressed like her favorite sci-fi character, General Sond. They have an unforgettable night and then they both go back to their lives. The truth is, the General Sond she met is the real one! Well, the actor playing General Sond that is. Vance is Hollywood's bad-boy and he's punished after his latest endeavour to self-destruct. He is sent to a small town in hopes he'll reconsider his life and how he wants to live it.
This book, unlike Rose and Vance's night is forgettable. I guess I'm beign harsh, but that's because this was supposed to be a Beauty and the Beast retelling and I didn't get that vibe from this book. I did like some bits and pieces of this book but I was overall, unimpressed.

linngoss's review

4.0

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

Why is this book so wholesome and pure?!

If you're looking for a little slice of nerdy-adorableness- heaven: then Bookish and the Beast is for you!