Love in the Library: Every booklover's dream

Writer: Karishma Mishra

BA Journalism Hons, 3rd Year

Edited & designed by: Ayushi Rani

Anyone who loves the story of Beauty and the Beast would definitely love “By the Book" by Jasmine Guillory. This novel beautifully turns this alluring fairy tale into a 21st century romance novel. The narrative follows the journey of a once-spoiled celebrity as he undergoes a remarkable transformation into a genuine gentleman while meeting the "Belle" of his life, mirroring the classic themes of inner beauty and redemption found in the original fairy tale.

As a bibliophile my dream job is the one that allows me to be mostly around books and read as many books as I want. And Isabelle (Izzy) is not different when it come to her love for reading books. She very happily and enthusiastically joins a publishing house with many hopes but soon she realizes that this job is not as she expected it to be. There are a lot of things that make her doubt her job choice including drafting an email every day to Beau Towers who is supposed to have his memoir published through her publishing house.

But there is no sign of Beau's interest or update on his memoir. He hasn't responded to any of her emails. So finally, Izzy is forced to go to his house and look what the issue is, which becomes the best decision of her life.

The cute incidents in the book bring humour and lightness to the story—a scene where Izzy accidentally breaks Beau’s favourite mug, moments of shared laughter as they bond over late-night talks, their shared love for books and snacks cabinet, times when Beau apologises whenever he hurt Izzy makes me gush over them.

The part of the plot that made my heart go aww was when Beau and Izzy worked together on his memoir in his library and Izzy trusted Beau even when he himself lost the hope in going on with his memoir. Their shared proximity brings them closer, and they reveal their deep secrets, intrusive feelings and fear such as writing blocks and family troubles without feeling judged and neither of them ever doubt the other of breaking their trust. 

The romance is beautifully expressed in a way that obviously made me a bit jealous of Izzy but absolutely it felt like a tight and big hug on a bad day. It felt like reading about how an imperfectly perfect love story looks like (though for me it was perfect).

So, if you want to read a light yet deep and heart touching romance this could be your perfect choice.