I LOVED THIS SO MUCH.

Bookish & the Beast is officially my favorite Once Upon A Con book. I cannot WAIT to buy it, and add it to my collection, and pour over it again when it gets published in June!

Ashley does a fantastic job of taking the Beauty and the Beast plot we all know and reinventing it in smart ways that work, including character origins. I especially think that using Vance's status as a Hollywood heir works perfectly to match the original tale of a prince cursed and cast away! Bookish is also full of references to make any media consumer smile - from fandom to books to dating sims and a particularly wonderful Howl's Moving Castle reference.

Also, this book - and all the books in the series! - feature a diverse and wonderful cast of characters. Come for the fairy tale retelling, but stay for the hijinks and laughter and swoon-worthy romance! I can't wait to see this published and to get my hands on her next book! 🥰

Also, thanks to Netgalley and Quirk Books for providing me access to an e-ARC of this for consumption and review!