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3.77 AVERAGE
3.77 AVERAGE
I am a sucker for any Beauty and the Beast retellings. So a retelling with tons of geekiness, I'm all for it! The characters were fun, and I just thoroughly enjoyed myself. I kind of wish there was more, though. I wanted more time with the characters and more time with their relationship. So glad to have won a free copy of this in a giveaway since I got to read it sooner than I otherwise would have.
Honestly its cringey, BUT that’s exactly what i wanted, cringe teenage rom-com in book format. (Every time Vance said “I’ve been beastly” I lost a braincell but it was hilarious to read)
Its the perfect length but i skipped all the movie/book mini chapters because i did not care one bit.
Its the perfect length but i skipped all the movie/book mini chapters because i did not care one bit.
This was an enjoyable read. This was a nice retelling of Beauty and the Beast. In this version, we meet Rosie and Vance. I thought this was a nice installment to the series, and I really liked meeting Rosie and Vance. I thought this story was nice and I thought that it was not as good as Geekerella. I thought Vance and Rosie we're great characters. I really related to both of them and I really liked their romance. I thought there were some parts of crazy drama, which I enjoyed. The ending was great. I am happy to have read this series. It has been a series filled with self discovery, and other important life lessons. However, I believe the great thing about this series is that we can find love in times when we least expect it to show up and that we can do anything we put our minds to. Therefore, I think this series is a great. If there are more books to be added, I cannot wait to see what comes next, but if this is the end of this series. I HAD A LOT OF FUN READING IT. I cannot wait to read more Ashley Poston books. Overall, a great read.
lighthearted
medium-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:
No
*I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.*
Perhaps my favorite of the series??? I adored these characters and how they came together. I love misunderstood, broody heroes and Vance totally delivered. He is a sweetheart and him playing otome games and other visual novels just made me so happy. Then he'd act like Howl from Howl's Moving Castle and I DIED. Had I not already been in love with him I would have fallen right then. Rosie also spoke to my soul, I relate to her so, so much. I think my love for these characters and really understanding them helped me love this book even more. Seriously, this is one I will definitely re-read in the future.
This book is so dorky, so into fandom even though they aren't actually at a con and it still had that magical feel the rest of the series has.
I was a wee bit sad hearing about the original couple in the beginning and I think I must have missed a novella or something, but I'm glad all seems to have worked out.
This book is 100% fun and I am still sad about how fast I read through it. I recommend this one for people looking for a sweet, geeky romance that will have them falling in love with the characters and laughing throughout.
Perhaps my favorite of the series??? I adored these characters and how they came together. I love misunderstood, broody heroes and Vance totally delivered. He is a sweetheart and him playing otome games and other visual novels just made me so happy. Then he'd act like Howl from Howl's Moving Castle and I DIED. Had I not already been in love with him I would have fallen right then. Rosie also spoke to my soul, I relate to her so, so much. I think my love for these characters and really understanding them helped me love this book even more. Seriously, this is one I will definitely re-read in the future.
This book is so dorky, so into fandom even though they aren't actually at a con and it still had that magical feel the rest of the series has.
I was a wee bit sad hearing about the original couple in the beginning and I think I must have missed a novella or something, but I'm glad all seems to have worked out.
This book is 100% fun and I am still sad about how fast I read through it. I recommend this one for people looking for a sweet, geeky romance that will have them falling in love with the characters and laughing throughout.
I didn’t think I’d love Vance Reigns. I love Vance Reigns.
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Ja po prostu kocham to uniwersum i tak bardzo chcę więcej
Find this review and more on my blog at Worlds Unlike Our Own.
Thank you to the publisher, Quirk Books, and Edelweiss for providing me with an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
The third installment in the Once Upon A Con series brings us a geekish retelling of Beauty and the Beast following Vance Reigns, who plays the villainous General Sond in the Starfield movie, and small town girl Rosie Thorn, a high school senior and Starfield fan who is trying to work her way through the aftermath of her mother’s death. Vance has been basically Hollywood royalty since birth, but that also comes with a lot of scrutiny, and he isn’t exactly the golden boy, so when his latest misadventure hits the tabloids, he is shipped off to a small town in North Caroline where the director of Starfield has a secluded house to lay low until things settle down. When Vance and Rosie’s paths cross, resulting in a priceless book being damaged, Rosie agrees to work in the house’s library to pay off the debt. They take an instant dislike to each other, and things only get more complicated when they realize that they’ve met before while cosplaying at the last ExcelsiCon and have been thinking about it since.
Though this was a loose retelling of Beauty and the Beast, the allusions are pretty subtle. There is the library of course, full of rare books, and the descriptions made me want to be there. The modern mansion built in a castle style was also really cool. I was kind of disappointed that this story didn’t happen at ExcelsiCon like the first two and change of backdrop took a lot of the Geekerella magic away in my opinion, but more on that later. Vance and Rosie were great characters and really fun to follow throughout this story.
Vance was about the last character I expected to get his own book, but he turned out to be a pretty great central figure. This book gives us a glimpse into the life and people behind the glamour and how growing up in the spotlight isn’t all it is made out to be. Vance’s POV illustrates how celebrity life too, has its downsides, and how he feels the need to keep a mask up all the time. Rosie on the other hand – well, I always support a character who loves books, but she just felt really…generic? I liked the strong support group she had in her friends though and especially her dad who is also going through the same stuff but is doing his best to be supportive. What was really well portrayed though was the emotional turmoil both characters were going through, and it felt very real.
This is the most conflicted 4 star rating I’ve ever given. On one hand, this was such a cute read and I loved the cameos from familiar characters and seeing where they are in life now, but on the other, there’s only so much that can be squeezed out of the world of Geekerella, and I think that with Bookish and the Beast, the limit of adding new characters to the mix and expanding this world has really been reached. If there are any further books in the series, it just won’t feel right anymore – that original magic has been stretched to the extent that even if you take away the entire plot of Geekerella and the Starfield characters and fandom, this can be its own story. For me, the main draw about this series has been the representation of fandom, how different people see it and what it means to them. With this book, fandom seems to be a convenient backdrop for the story to get on track, but that’s about it.
Overall, Bookish and the Beast was another cute addition to this series, and fans of contemporary novels and rom-coms are sure to enjoy it. It was much shorter than I expected, but it was well-written and light-hearted, a perfect summer read.
Thank you to the publisher, Quirk Books, and Edelweiss for providing me with an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
The third installment in the Once Upon A Con series brings us a geekish retelling of Beauty and the Beast following Vance Reigns, who plays the villainous General Sond in the Starfield movie, and small town girl Rosie Thorn, a high school senior and Starfield fan who is trying to work her way through the aftermath of her mother’s death. Vance has been basically Hollywood royalty since birth, but that also comes with a lot of scrutiny, and he isn’t exactly the golden boy, so when his latest misadventure hits the tabloids, he is shipped off to a small town in North Caroline where the director of Starfield has a secluded house to lay low until things settle down. When Vance and Rosie’s paths cross, resulting in a priceless book being damaged, Rosie agrees to work in the house’s library to pay off the debt. They take an instant dislike to each other, and things only get more complicated when they realize that they’ve met before while cosplaying at the last ExcelsiCon and have been thinking about it since.
Though this was a loose retelling of Beauty and the Beast, the allusions are pretty subtle. There is the library of course, full of rare books, and the descriptions made me want to be there. The modern mansion built in a castle style was also really cool. I was kind of disappointed that this story didn’t happen at ExcelsiCon like the first two and change of backdrop took a lot of the Geekerella magic away in my opinion, but more on that later. Vance and Rosie were great characters and really fun to follow throughout this story.
Vance was about the last character I expected to get his own book, but he turned out to be a pretty great central figure. This book gives us a glimpse into the life and people behind the glamour and how growing up in the spotlight isn’t all it is made out to be. Vance’s POV illustrates how celebrity life too, has its downsides, and how he feels the need to keep a mask up all the time. Rosie on the other hand – well, I always support a character who loves books, but she just felt really…generic? I liked the strong support group she had in her friends though and especially her dad who is also going through the same stuff but is doing his best to be supportive. What was really well portrayed though was the emotional turmoil both characters were going through, and it felt very real.
This is the most conflicted 4 star rating I’ve ever given. On one hand, this was such a cute read and I loved the cameos from familiar characters and seeing where they are in life now, but on the other, there’s only so much that can be squeezed out of the world of Geekerella, and I think that with Bookish and the Beast, the limit of adding new characters to the mix and expanding this world has really been reached. If there are any further books in the series, it just won’t feel right anymore – that original magic has been stretched to the extent that even if you take away the entire plot of Geekerella and the Starfield characters and fandom, this can be its own story. For me, the main draw about this series has been the representation of fandom, how different people see it and what it means to them. With this book, fandom seems to be a convenient backdrop for the story to get on track, but that’s about it.
Overall, Bookish and the Beast was another cute addition to this series, and fans of contemporary novels and rom-coms are sure to enjoy it. It was much shorter than I expected, but it was well-written and light-hearted, a perfect summer read.