Bookish and the Beast by Ashley Poston

Book Review Sep 17, 2025

Format: Audiobook

Publication Date: 4 August 2020

💭 My thoughts...

4/5 stars

This is the third book in a series; I haven't read the other two but that didn't seem to matter - you can read this as a standalone.

Obviously, given the clues in the name, this is a YA romance based on Beauty and the Beast. The nods to the source material were very much appreciated, particularly the fact that most of the story took place in a massive home library.

The romance between the two lead characters was cute, and made for a very easy reading experience. This was aided by the dual narration of the audiobook, which did a wonderful job of making the miscommunication between the two characters feel more bearable. I also enjoyed the friendships that both characters had surrounding them - they were very affirming and non-judgmental.

A nice little foray into something a bit different (the sci-fi focus came as a surprise), but I'm not itching to read the other two books in the series.

📖 Synopsis...

Rosie has just lost her job and is down on her luck, when she gets offered a chance to catalog the library of a local manor house. She has to work with celebrity, Vance Reigns, who is currently hiding out in her small town after being at the centre of a tabloid scandal. They initially can't stand each other, but as they are forced to work together, they get the strange sensation that they may have actually met before.