It was a lot better than I thought it would be. Definitely the best Beauty and the Beast retelling that I’ve read. I was not expecting that ending but I really liked it.

Usually standalone books feel either really rushed or with a lot of plot holes, but the pacing of this was so perfect. While the heart of Beauty and the Beast is very present, the book stands so well on its own.

The characters were fun but I didn’t feel any emotional attachment to them. The plot and the setting were definitely the best parts of this book.

This book is so beautiful. The maps and artwork are stunning. I love all of the poems and excerpts from books within the story. Since I first read a study in drowning I have wanted Angharad to be a real book so it was nice to read a little bit more of it. The diary entries had to be my favorite part, I loved getting a bit more of Preston’s pov of the first book. The little novela at the end wrapped up their story perfectly.

I was so excited to read this and it was so disappointing. Not much happened for most of the book until the end. The characters are boring and I couldn’t have cared less about any of them. The love interests were annoying, I can’t believe we’re expected to root for either of them at any point. Their motivations for helping the protagonist literally makes no sense. I still have no idea why either of these men felt connected to her so quickly, it was weird and I had a really hard time believing their feelings.

The ending set up the next book so there are a lot of unanswered questions but I also don’t care about any of it. If the rest of the book had spent more time focused on the plot than the romance then maybe I would care, but everything that was even remotely interesting happened at the end. This book was kind of just a mess all around.

It was entertaining I guess and I appreciate the message the book conveys. Nick is annoying, hypocritical, and self-righteous though. It’s interesting that he’s able to criticize everyone around him but unable to recognize any mirroring qualities in himself. I’m not sure why so many people relate to Daisy, I definitely gravitated more towards Jordan. However nothing really stood out to me and I probably won’t think about this book again.

I love the dark academia setting and revisiting this world and characters but the plot was nonexistent. Nothing really happened at all. There were so many conflicts that seemed like they were building up to something only for them to end suddenly and easily. The stakes felt very low and again nothing even happened. I felt like there should have been more external conflict with Effy attending the literature college, I guess Preston’s conflict was relatively interesting although I’m still not really sure what was happening or why. He reminded me a lot of Anakin Skywalker. I love the representation of mental health in Effy’s character though. Other than that, there isn’t much to say. It ended the way I thought it would but it was very slow, I was still entertained but I felt like I was waiting for the plot to start the whole book

This was cute for the most part, it’s exactly what I expected it to be. It was quick and easy to read and lighthearted. The characters were enjoyable to read, although definitely cringey at most times. That’s not surprising though since the majority of romance writers are millennials and therefore most romance books are aggressively millennial. Also we get it, she’s so skinny and tiny and he’s so strong and big, please stop it’s enough!! Omg I thought I was going to lose my mind if this was mentioned another time. Like there would genuinely be paragraphs about how small she is compared to him, it was mentioned almost every chapter. The plot and the characters motivations were very flimsy but I wasn’t really expecting much depth to this so I didn’t really care. I only read the book because I want to watch the movie purely because I’m a fan of Lili Reinhart. I got exactly what I wanted out of this book so I don’t have many complaints but there also isn’t anything that stood out to me.

3.75 ⭐️

This one was definitely the best of the series. It’s the most similar to the corresponding season of the show, so I really like that aspect. It ended in a satisfying way as well.

Conrad finally pulled through and felt like he did in the show. I loved having Belly’s perspective, I found it really interesting and amusing the way she reacted to things Jeremiah did in her head but then acted in a different way outwardly. Jeremiah wasn’t as bad but he was still awful in this one.

Although I definitely like the show better, I am really happy that I read these books. They fill in the gaps of the show, I feel like reading these and watching the show is the best way to get the whole story. There were a few things in here that I really hope will be in the movie. It ended in the way I knew it would and I’m so glad, but there needed to be more resolution. It felt a little rushed and definitely needed an epilogue or something. Overall, it was a cute series and I enjoyed it.

This one was better than the first, but the show is still better than the books. I love Lola’s narration and it was great to have Gavin narrate as well. This one was of course a lot sadder than the last, as was the second season of the show. The plot was more coherent I think, it was clear what direction it was going in.

I’m team Conrad, but Conrad is a lot meaner in the books, even in this one. It might be because it’s from Belly’s pov and she’s obviously not a reliable source when it comes to anything to do with Conrad. I still think he has so much room for growth but it is a little disappointing to not like him as much. And in a horrible turn of events, I actually like Jeremiah in the books. To be fair, I never hated him in season one and I started to dislike him in season two, it wasn’t until season three when I could not stand him at all. He’s definitely better in the books, but I’m still not team Jeremiah because it’s very obvious he’s not in love with Belly and he’s more focused on competing with Conrad, but he has shown a lot more maturity than he does in the show. Belly was super messy in this one too. I love Belly, but she was very self-centered this whole book, it was really frustrating to read.

I was really upset when I realized that Belly and Conrad’s relationship isn’t as well developed or even defined in this. There weren’t as many flashbacks of their relationship. If I hadn’t watched the show, I think it would be harder for me to root for them and to understand Conrad’s motivations and reasons for why he behaves the way he does. I’m getting just a little tired of viewing everything through the lens of Belly’s insecurities. However, I loved the flashbacks of Susannah. It was so sweet to hear about all of these moments with her and Belly, I feel like we don’t get that as much in the show. And Laurel stays the best character, I love her.

Overall, I had a better time with this one than the last one but I don’t love these books like I love the show. It might be because I watched the show first but I also feel like if I hadn’t, then I wouldn’t really care about the books at all. I probably wouldn’t have read past the first one. I am excited to read the next one though, I still have hope that Conrad will pull through.

Now that the show is over, of course I had to read the books. Listening to this with Lola narrating felt like watching the show. Her voice is genuinely so great for narrating, you can tell she feels everything she is saying.

I enjoyed this book. It focused way more on how belly feels and her relationships with other people than the show. The show was a lot more interesting and dramatic, the plot was better. They really didn’t do much at all in the book, there wasn’t even that much drama at least not compared to the show.

I actually liked Jeremiah, but I also liked him in season one. Belly was pretty much the same although I feel like she was a little more immature but that might also be because it’s from her pov. I’ve always been team Conrad, but I don’t miss season one Conrad. I feel like he was meaner in the book and barely in it. Also belly is so delusional when it comes to him. She keeps saying that he sucks her back in and leads her on but he really doesn’t. She really is an unreliable narrator, but that’s what I like about her. It feels realistic. It was interesting to read about all of the flashbacks and it makes sense why belly has always claimed she and Jeremiah are best friends. I didn’t get it when I watched the show, but they really are good friends in the book. Conrad is a lot nicer to her in the show, so that was interesting to read, hopefully he comes through in the next one.

It was weird that Steven wasn’t there. I also did not like Taylor at all and she’s my second favorite character in the show. Cam Cameron was way more prevalent in this so I loved that. I love Susannah and laurel of course. All of the changes that they made for the show were perfect and made the story better. Overall, I really liked it. It was really interesting to read belly’s thoughts and feelings but I think I like the show more because belly and Conrad are cuter and the plot is a lot better.