hannahreadslotsofbooks's review against another edition
4.0
It’s a two for one day! I either finish all of the books in one day or it’s a book desert for me. Luckily today I am rolling in the books!
I have loved this series so much. I love how a side character in one book becomes the prominent one in another and the main character in one is made into a side character then the stories all join together. I just love how clever it is! Also, I love how the author modernizes a fairy tale like Beauty and the Beast and brings in real issues like consent and “no means no” as well as self-confidence issues, topics in LGBTQ, and modern media and privacy. Everything about this series is brilliant and I’m so sad that I’m all finished. Does anyone know if this author has more books coming out??
I have loved this series so much. I love how a side character in one book becomes the prominent one in another and the main character in one is made into a side character then the stories all join together. I just love how clever it is! Also, I love how the author modernizes a fairy tale like Beauty and the Beast and brings in real issues like consent and “no means no” as well as self-confidence issues, topics in LGBTQ, and modern media and privacy. Everything about this series is brilliant and I’m so sad that I’m all finished. Does anyone know if this author has more books coming out??
lau_vansunshine's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
happi_mess's review against another edition
2.0
Here's the author putting all the bottles of cliche in this story:
Cliche? You name it, it's here!
In this Beauty and the Beast retelling, we have Vance and Rosie who were stuck into rearranging a library after one of the books got destroyed in some sort of "things that never happen in real life" scenario. While this was a pleasure to Rosie, who loves books more than anything, it's a pain to Vance who doesn't like to read at all. During this time, truths about themselves are going to be revealed.
Okay, that's a shitty summary from my part. But I honestly don't know what to say in the description. It is a retelling and it did its job. However for my part it's a little bit messy? It was like, "oh we need this character from TBATB so I'm going to throw this person in this story and mix. Hopefully it comes up well". I felt this specifically for the Gaston character. I have to say that this retelling did not really work out for me. It's like TBATB was adapated into a Nerdy Version.
Short note, when I first saw this book I was totally in love with the cover and little did my stupid ass know that this was a retelling. Yup, I was that oblivious.
I think the problem was it didn't really go deep enough to touch my soul. LOL. IMO, it's a little bit surface-level.
On the plus side, the book is short. I honestly think that it did not drag as much although their first good encounter happened around the middle of the book. It heavily leaned on the basics and pretty much the story line of TBATB, in that order. HAHA. Another thing is that it has LGBT representation, which I think is really adorable.
I really loved the character of Rosie's dad and Vance's guardian. But I can't say the same for the other characters. It was very... typical.
The ending felt kind of forced because as I've said it was like following a strict story order to fit the TBATB line.
Overall, it was not that bad. It did its job. There's a gazillion cliche scenes here that it actually makes me laugh like... oh God, I can't take this anymore. But of course, I just keep on ingesting these scenes.
Cliche? You name it, it's here!
In this Beauty and the Beast retelling, we have Vance and Rosie who were stuck into rearranging a library after one of the books got destroyed in some sort of "things that never happen in real life" scenario. While this was a pleasure to Rosie, who loves books more than anything, it's a pain to Vance who doesn't like to read at all. During this time, truths about themselves are going to be revealed.
Okay, that's a shitty summary from my part. But I honestly don't know what to say in the description. It is a retelling and it did its job. However for my part it's a little bit messy? It was like, "oh we need this character from TBATB so I'm going to throw this person in this story and mix. Hopefully it comes up well". I felt this specifically for the Gaston character. I have to say that this retelling did not really work out for me. It's like TBATB was adapated into a Nerdy Version.
Short note, when I first saw this book I was totally in love with the cover and little did my stupid ass know that this was a retelling. Yup, I was that oblivious.
I think the problem was it didn't really go deep enough to touch my soul. LOL. IMO, it's a little bit surface-level.
On the plus side, the book is short. I honestly think that it did not drag as much although their first good encounter happened around the middle of the book. It heavily leaned on the basics and pretty much the story line of TBATB, in that order. HAHA. Another thing is that it has LGBT representation, which I think is really adorable.
I really loved the character of Rosie's dad and Vance's guardian. But I can't say the same for the other characters. It was very... typical.
The ending felt kind of forced because as I've said it was like following a strict story order to fit the TBATB line.
Overall, it was not that bad. It did its job. There's a gazillion cliche scenes here that it actually makes me laugh like... oh God, I can't take this anymore. But of course, I just keep on ingesting these scenes.
katirose13's review against another edition
4.0
Of the three books in the "Once Upon a Con" series, this is probably my least favorite, but only by a little. Overall, it was just as enjoyable as it's predecessors. I think the biggest downfall was I missed the geeky-ness of the whole con experience from the first two books. That was always presented in such a fun and unique way that isn't seen in most novels.
I loved all the random and off-hand nerd and fandom references sprinkled in.
The pacing of the relationship between Rosie and Vance felt sudden. I adore enemies to lovers more than most people, but it went from hate to head over heels with only a few words? It didn't sit right. It also didn't give Vance a decent redemption arc to explain why he acts the way he does. I know we get some of it, but I didn't feel it was enough. That, or I'm slightly over the whole asshole with a soft interior trope.
It was great to see a wide variety of sexualities and gender identities represented in the cast of characters. The way it was handled was so nice. It never was treated as "other" but simply normal life and how people are. Even when a certain character is shown to be bi-sexual and attracted to another character, it's not a *big thing* and I appreciated that element.
After reading so many tiny and intricate details about Starfield, I wish this fandom and experience was real! I want to watch General Sond, Nebula, and Carmindor in action.
I loved all the random and off-hand nerd and fandom references sprinkled in.
The pacing of the relationship between Rosie and Vance felt sudden. I adore enemies to lovers more than most people, but it went from hate to head over heels with only a few words? It didn't sit right. It also didn't give Vance a decent redemption arc to explain why he acts the way he does. I know we get some of it, but I didn't feel it was enough. That, or I'm slightly over the whole asshole with a soft interior trope.
It was great to see a wide variety of sexualities and gender identities represented in the cast of characters. The way it was handled was so nice. It never was treated as "other" but simply normal life and how people are. Even when a certain character is shown to be bi-sexual and attracted to another character, it's not a *big thing* and I appreciated that element.
After reading so many tiny and intricate details about Starfield, I wish this fandom and experience was real! I want to watch General Sond, Nebula, and Carmindor in action.
thumanybooks's review against another edition
4.0
This book is downright adorable. I have read Poston's first two in this series, and I like this one best. In a good way, I forgot that this was based on Beauty and the Beast. The female protagonist is smart, she takes care of herself, and doesn't immediately swoon over the boy. He is not a great guy at first, so she is right in staying clear of him. The first time they actually do kiss is pretty hilarious. Poston does an excellent job of writing romance in a refreshing and funny way. The boy "villain" in this book seems over the top annoying (and a bit of a stalker), but with the context of the fairytale as inspiration, it makes a bit more sense. I do wish we got to see the main characters more as a couple--the go from fighting to a lot of kissing to fighting again without much in between. It's a testament to how much I enjoyed their banter that I want more of it. Overall, I recommend this book.
rebeccalovesreading's review against another edition
4.0
So stinking cute! This most recent installment in the series was great. Sure it was predictable- but in the most wonderful reassuring warm hug kind of way. A great retelling of Beauty and the Beast with just enough added details to keep the story fresh.
eleanorhawkins's review against another edition
4.0
i reread this like 2 weeks ago and i just remembered to put it on goodreads.
anna7777's review against another edition
3.0
I had high hopes for the book but it was just really meh.
_mayaa's review against another edition
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
shanaal's review against another edition
5.0
I'm willing to read just about any remake of Beauty and the Beast and this is now one of my favorites. You can see Disney shining through, but it definitely stands on its own merit. So lighthearted! Minimal angst, and one of the funniest books I've read this year. The book owns its tropes and is smattered with nerd culture references. It's definitely a fun read.