A very sweet, easy-to-read and get into teen romance. Although the main characters come from completely different worlds, the initial "meet-cute" and then follow-up scenario are presented in such a way as to be almost plausible! Although some suspension of disbelief is definitely required. Although I guess that this is a sequel to other titles written by the same author set in the same fandom (?) I was able to pick up the who, what, where, when pretty quickly and easily followed the world of Starfield. I loved the allusion to the Beauty and the Beast tale, although the beast here was an alleged ugly personality and teen resentment, not a physical disfigurement. It was obvious from the start what was going to happen with regards to the two main characters, all the way down to the final chapters and the mad rush to prom to declare their love. However, it was an enjoyable if forgettable and predictable read.

Oof. I know in her author's note Ashley Piston says she wrote this for herself and it's all the tropes she loves so I feel bad saying it wasn't good but this was really just so far off the mark for me. None of the characters feel particularly deep or three dimensional, not even the leads, and as a result the romantic chemistry between Vance and Rosie really suffers. Having both of them be the two narrative POVs is not a substitution for actual character development and good dialogue on the page. On top of that, it's a bit hard to see the story forest for the fandom reference trees - the prose is dripping with geeky and internet culture references even more so than the other two books in the series, and that's gonna age this one fast. I can tell what the author was trying to go for with her modern updates to the fairy tale but it never came together for me. Two stars for the Beauty and the Beast references that did land and for Space Dad, the only actually interesting character in the book.

Great modern retelling of Beauty and the Beast. It hits the nail on the head for previous modern retellings and more negative/abusive behavior. Big fan of Poston's Con series- Geekerella is still top dog but this was a fun addition and will be a great addition to the collection.

If you're looking for a light-hearted teenage romance fairy tale story, look no further. Vance Reigns is an insufferable English actor who finds himself exiled from Hollywood for the Summer due to his wild behavior. Rosie Thorne is a an average senior high school struggling to come to terms with the loss of her mom and figuring out how to navigate her final year in high school. Their chance meeting and developing relationship was a very fun read reminiscent of all of the typical high school drama. However, we also get a good taste of how teenagers go thru the transition from adult to child and the innocence surrounding first love. I was given an early copy in exchange for an honest review from the publisher. 3 out of 5 stars!

I really enjoyed this cute lil book! It was light-hearted, nerdy and adorable! I really loved the main characters and all the side characters. The relationship was SUPER CUTE and it just really cheered me up.

I haven't read the other two books in the once upon a con series and I found this book easy enough to read as a standalone. It's definitely made me want to go back and read the other two though because this one was a lot of fun.

I would recommend this book to anyone wanting to read a light-hearted romance filled with loveable characters. I loved it<3

This YA book is delightful... all of my favorite tropes and based on Beauty and the Beast?! Yes!!! This is the third book in Poston's Once Upon A Con series of books (which can be read alone but revisit old characters) and it was my favorite of all so far! I loved Rosie and Vance's story and I cannot wait to read what she writes next. Thank you netgalley for this arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

Bookish & the Beast was a very fun and enjoyable installment in the Once Upon a Con series, that to me sadly couldn't live up to its predecessors.

I truly loved both Geekerella and The Princess & the Fangirl a lot and feel very invested in the Starfield world and storyline. I think where this book mostly fell flat for me was the element of fandom and especially spending time at a convention that I love so much about the other two books.
While this definitely tried a little bit of a new take on bringing the Starfield universe into this series, by talking about the book series and partly taking place in a library with special Collector's Editions, it just didn't give me enough of an emotional connection to the Starfield universe itself that I became so very attached to. I immensely enjoyed some of the snippets that we would get at the beginning of chapters but sadly there were only so few of them.

While I enjoyed the characters, the one character that stood out the most to me was probably the female main character's dad. I just found none of the characters to be very interesting or compelling. I didn't dislike reading from their perspective or about them but I felt like they just weren't all that exciting to read about either.
And again, Poston definitely tried to offer us a different take to the books before too, by introducing Vance, who is an actor for the Starfield series but currently taking a break from Hollywood. And while his character and journey was very different than anything we had seen before in this series, I just can't say I found his journey to be very believable OR captivating. I just simply didn't care. And the same goes for the female main character too. I feel like she put such emphasis on not just being “the girl with the dead mom” that she did end up being exactly that because I can't point out many traits about her.
Again, none of these characters were unlikeable or not pleasant to read about, I just found them almost replaceable.
As for representation, both main characters read as queer (stating multiple gender attraction) but they don't ever use labels. There is a non-binary side character that uses they/them pronouns and queer (one who is definitely bi) side characters. It seems like there is a Latinx side character too.. but that was never explicitly stated.

Just as the characters didn't really stand out to me, the romance very much did not either and this was another really disappointing aspect for me with how much I squealed for the previous romances. Not only did I not really think the hate-to-love trope was well done but I also just found their entire development not very convincing just because I feel like we got too little of it. I barely felt chemistry, barely felt like they truly got to know about each other. We know they spend a lot of time with each other but I feel like we just didn't really get to see that at all. Where was this entire process? There just wasn't enough there for me personally.

When it comes to the retelling element of Beauty & the Beast, you could definitely see the elements but they didn't stand out immensely. Some people might enjoy that, others not so much. As someone who is not a big fan of Beauty & the Beast I can't say if that maybe affected my enjoyment of this story too? I normally never pick up retellings of the story cause I am just not interested in them or the original story but for me this was different, as I already felt invested in this universe.
At the end of the day I just don't really think it worked all that well as the basis for a fluffy Contemporary story like this. But I also know that this was really the project of Poston's heart and that does make me happy to know.

So all in all, while I enjoyed reading another installment in this series, it also just didn't have the same magic as the other two for me personally. Nothing about this book set it apart from any other YA Contemporary, sadly, and that was a very different experience for me with the first two books. If you're a fan of the series, it's a fun reading experience, especially with other character's cameos too, but it is really not a must-read at all.

2.5 Stars
While I think this series may be losing its steam, especially compared to the success of the preceding novels. - fans of "Geekerella" and "The Princess and the Fangirl" can still enjoy being reunited with some of their favorite characters.

Thank you so much for the advanced copy of Bookish and The Beast! I thoroughly enjoyed it; word by word. I love how Rosie looks up to Amara in so many ways, making my favourite line of the book "Amara up, Rosebud." I also love how Rosie has a strong connection with her deceased mother through the love of the Starship series; it is nice to read about a powerful mother-daughter connection. Also, a romance between a hated actor and an ordinary girl is a story uncalled for. It makes the story one of a kind, because I have never witnessed a romance like this before. Written very passionately, and I will definitely recommend this to all my bookworms.

I have a difficult relationship with retellings.

Usually, I love them. If there is a book about a mythological retelling I am getting my hands on it, and I always fall head over heels in love, but when the retellings focus of fairytales that’s when my love for them diminish. And Beauty and the Beast is one retelling I have many issues with.

For one, it’s so well known and so well loved that any deviation from the source material can dramatically change the story. Beauty and the Beast is perfect as it is. You can’t top it. You can try, but it will be a mammoth task, but nothing will live up to it.

However, again, it just didn’t work with Bookish and the Beast, either.

Ashley Poston has written two other fairytale retellings, which I haven’t read, but are very well loved, and this is the third in the collection. They are modern retellings, with teen characters. I can see why people would like them. They’re short, fluffy little reads you don’t take too seriously. I’m a little older than the target audience, but I do enjoy YA fiction.

If I had to describe this book, it would have to be distracting.

It’s distracted by the Beauty and the Beast plot points it has to meet, but worse of all I was distracted by the pop culture references.

So. Many. Pop. Culture. References.

I couldn’t get past a sentence or two that didn’t mention Star Wars, or Star Trek, or any other pop culture things — it even mentioned Tom Holland’s lip sync challenge. The book seemed to focus more referencing things teens might recognise, then writing an interesting story. The romance wasn’t compelling, neither were the characters themselves, and this is when I feel like the fact it’s a Beauty and the Beast retelling saves it from being forgettable. I’ve already forgotten most of the plot already.

Also, I’m not a fan of pop culture references in YA in general. It feels like a lazy shorthand to connect with teenagers, which feels very hollow, but they age very quickly. If someone read this in two years time some of the references are going to go straight over their heads and spend more time wondering what the reference is even referring to.

In the end, I didn’t enjoy this. If you’re looking for an easy but shallow read, then this is for you, but if you can’t stand an over abundance of pop culture then avoid this one.

I was mostly bored in this book. I didn't really get attached to the character and not as much as her last 2 books. I felt like there is nothing that meet my exceptation. I was about to DNF the book but I keep continuing and even if I'm a trash for beauty and the beast retelling this one wasn't for me.

Thank you again for the chance that I got to read the book before the publishing date.

It's a twist on Beauty and the Beast but set in the author's traditional geeky realm of high school, cosplay, and cons. The back and forth perspectives do make it a bit difficult to invest in each character's journey because it bounces between the two so suddenly, at the end of each short chapter. That being said, it is a very very very cute and predictable YA romance, and it was absolutely adorable. It reads very quickly, and was a cute, fast read.

An adorable third entry with several of my favorite things, plus small updates to previous protagonists of the series. I'm a sucker for a good Beauty and the Beast retelling, and this one hit all the right notes and continued the series beautifully.

I love fairytale re-tellings, and Ashley Poston does a great job of them, Geekerella, the first book in this series, was one of my favourites. This is the third book in her Once Upon a Con series, and the fairytale she uses is Beauty and the Beast, told through the characters of Vance and Rosie.

I've seen a couple people mention that the fandom/pop cultural references threw them off, but I've really enjoyed the nerdy "con" world that Poston has created, and her Starfield references remind me a lot of the HP universe & reading fanfiction in middle school.

I love a good enemies to lovers trope, (and the "stuck in the rain scene" too!) and Vance's growth as the "beast" of the story really made the book.

This plus the library setting made it the perfect YA love story for me.

Thanks to NetGalley and Quirk Books for the opportunity to review this book!

I have read Ashley Poston's other two books in this series. After reading, Bookish and the Beast. Geekerella was a stand-out as my favorite. I think it is the only one of the books in this series that makes sense as a stand=alone book. If I had not read the other two in the series, I would not have understood what was going on in Bookish and the Beast. There is a lot of dependence on the other two novels for comprehension to be full while reading this one.

It’s generally not fun to do this - write a list just tearing into a book. I get that this is someone’s art. Their creation. And how easy for me to sit here and critique. But it isn’t easy. Sometimes I don’t mind writing a review about how terrible a book is. (On rare occasions I’m gleeful at the prospect.) But this isn’t that.

I thought for a moment about being glib. Entire review “at least it was short.” Or “you know what sucks? This book.” And that kind of felt like a shitty moment for me.

So let me tell you I saw the heart in this one. I saw the try. I didn’t see what the characters saw in one another. (I don’t think a dude being tall and handing me a book I can’t reach is a basis for admiration. But I’m almost 6’0 tall. So “reaching things” isn’t on my love list.) I didn’t see the characters staying together Bc I didn’t see them as a couple. I saw too many weird space show references and barely any dialogue (what was there was weirdly cliched.) I saw a messy, disorganized book that needs badly to be weeded through and restructured to let the heart and sweetness shine.

Oh to be seventeen again and naive enough to believe that any of this foolishness comes close to equaling love.

*as always thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity to offer my unbiased review*


<a href="http://alleskelle.com"><img src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/hostedimages/1531392914r/25962167.jpg?v=1531392917324"width="400"></a>

I couldn't have loved this edition of fairy tale/ modern fandom mishmash more. Between the easter eggs hinting at Disney's cartoon version of Beauty and The Beast and the fact that this is an entirely stand-alone title within a series- it is the perfect package. Rosie and Vance are Beauty and The Beast. They clash so much that you aren't sure if they will get together or not. My geeky heart loves this series.

Plot

This is by far the best instalment in this series. I think it might be the last, but I’m hoping there will be more. There’s always Calvin to pair up with a love interest, right? RIGHT? 

I absolutely love the interpretation of the Beauty and the Beast story to fit the romance between Rosie and Vance.  

There are a few parts that require a suspension of disbelief, but these are easily forgiven, because if it’s destined to happen, maybe these aren’t eyeball-rolling coincidences and are actually the fates working their magic.  After reading the first two in this series, I’d already jumped on the bandwagon of believing that ExcelsiCon has some sort of sorcery that makes the cast of Starfield fall in love with mere commoners. I guess I just took each of these silly little “coincidences” in stride.

Characters

Vance is my favourite of the love interests in the Once Upon a Con series. He's a ladies' man, a child actor born into the business, and he has a lot of well-concealed self-loathing.  We met him in The Princess and the Fangirl, albeit briefly, and he was presented as quite the a**hat.  I was surprised to learn that he would be in the third book in the series, based on the way he was presented.  But then I realized that this was incredibly exciting, allowing for the opportunity for an compelling redemption arc, just like his character General Sond in the Starfield universe.

Rosie is my favourite type of protagonist. I love that she's the bookworm type who also sometimes gets attention from boys - which is evident in the case that Garrett (essentially Gaston from Beauty and the Beast) won't take no for an answer when he repeatedly asks her to Homecoming. In books like these, I like to see that the protagonist has seen some interest from boys but turns them down, because then when Vance falls for her, we don't think that she's falling for him back because she's never had someone interested in her before.  If that makes sense?  She loves him for him, not because of the attention he's giving her (despite the fact that the attention he gives her is a lot sweeter and more romantic than that douche Garrett--but that really adds to the humour of the entire situation).

Worldbuilding

The parallels between the world of Starfield and what is happening in the novel are just as pronounced in this book as they are in the previous instalments. However, as mentioned in my review of The Princess and the Fangirl, if you haven't read Geekerella, the world of Starfield might be somewhat confusing and harder to appreciate in this book.  We don't learn as much about the original television series, but this novel focuses more on the series/ book adaptations, which allows for General Sond to have a redemption arc and far more screentime than the original series.

I recommend this book to any nerd at heart who is looking for a sweet and funny romantic retelling of Beauty and the Beast.

*This review will be posted to https://powerlibrarian.wordpress.com/ on June 5, 2020*

Usually, I don’t like writing reviews for books I absolutely loved. Mostly because I can’t think of the right words because my mind goes „you loved it! You loved everything! I don’t know what you loved, but it definitely was everything.“

With this book, though, I might find the right words. Because it was like coming home. The whole series makes me feel that way. And with this third book, it was no different. I didn’t even need time to get into it, I read the first words and it just happened. The thing about coming home is that you instantly know where to find what, how to get comfortable. You’re in a space that feels like yourself. That’s exactly what Bookish and the Beast did to me. It transported me to a happy place immediately.

Contrary to the second book, this one does not take place at ExcelsiCon, but in a town in the middle of nowhere. None of the stress and the bustling and constant spotlight. It was a quieter atmosphere, hot late-summer days but wonderfully mixed with bright characters and the kind of good rush you get from being in a fandom.

One of my favourite things about the series is how absolutely and unapologetically geeky it is. I love having pop culture references in books and there are so many in this one! Star Wars, Star Trek, Harry Potter, Twilight,… to name the geeky ones. „yeet“ to name something entirely different. I never thought I’d read that word in a book and I actually cackled. And most importantly, there’s Starfield. Which is not even a real thing, but it sure feels real. It feel like I personally watched Starfield even though I know I haven’t. It’s coming alive through the characters and the story. I wish it was real though, because you can bet anything I’d watch and read the hell out of it.

And the characters? God, I loved them. Especially Rosie and her two best friends, Quinn and Annie. There’s so much love between them. The jokes, the laughter, how they help each other out. I loved each of them, but also the three of them together are a force and I loved them so much! Generally, the relationships in this book were beautiful. Rosie and her dad are both parent-and-daughter as well as friends and I enjoyed that so much. They have each others‘ backs at any time, and there wasn’t a single moment where they had any kind of drama between them. They are wholesome and I loved reading about them!

Rosie herself was wonderful as well. She felt so real, her feelings having ups and downs. She mourns her mother, but also tries to focus on the here and now and the future. She’s a generally happy, upbeat person but she also doesn’t take shit from anyone and will give a good piece of her mind if necessary. Rosie especially doesn’t take shit from Vance.
Vance was an idiot. Don’t get me wrong. I love him, but he did have to go through some things and develop quite a bit. But he definitely grew on me, all angry and brooding exterior but soft and a bit anxious inside.

I’m a sucker for Beauty and the Beast retellings and this one is probably one of my favourites. It was such a happy book for me, upbeat and full of things I liked. It felt very 2019 internet, so basically it felt like my life. This was exactly the book I needed in my life and I loved every second of it.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This is the third book in the Once Upon a Con series. A science fiction convention makes an apt setting for a fairy tale retelling. However, while the initial meeting of this couple takes place at the convention, the main story does not. I mean, how could you re-tell Beauty and the Beast without a library? The author does a good job with her fictional sci-fi show within which these convention couples act. While it may not exist, it has the earmarks of what could believably draw (especially YA) fans--doomed romance, empowered female characters and misunderstood villains with a heart of gold. Rainbow Rowell does something similar with the Simon series, and I could see a possible spin-off from Poston of a Starfield book. I also like how the author takes the fairy tale elements and transforms them into relatable, real-world situations. They are handled in a way that fulfills the conventions of the fairy tale genre without feeling slavish or forced.