Beau and Bett

by Kathryn Berla

[Sam@WLABB]

While working off his family's debt, Beau was forced into proximity with Bett, aka The Beast, aka the spoiled rich girl. As they spent more and more time together, Beau began to see the real Bett underneath her beastly armor.

• Pro: Beau came from a wonderful family, whose motto was, "We don't got any luck but we gotta lot of love." And, the love among and between the members of this family radiated off the page and warmed my heart.

• Pro: Bett was a product of her environment. Between the grownups, who were supposed to protect and love her, letting her down, and the way her peers ostracized her for doing the right thing, it was understandable that she created this offsetting personality to repel others. But, it was amazing to see how far a little kindness went in tearing down those walls.

• Pro: The ranch setting was something different, and I really enjoyed it. I learned a little about grapes, avocados, and even snakes. It was also lovely to hear Bett talk about the ranch, because her love for it transformed it into a most magical place.

• Pro: When I first met Beau, he was crushing hard on his locker mate, but the more time he spent with Bett, the more he realized how superficial his infatuation with that other girl was. It was quite interesting being in his head as he came to these realizations, and it just made me like him more than I already did.

• Pro: I always get pretty excited to have a book told from the male protagonist's point of view, and Beau was the perfect character for the job. His voice pulled me in, right away, and it came across as wholly authentic.

• Pro: This was an enemies-to-friends-to-more stories, and I thought Berla allowed this relationship to develop and unfold so well. It was slow going, but along the way, we got to see Beau discover so many things about Bett and himself, and we got to see Bett transform, bit by bit.

Overall: A sweet, charming, and subtle Beauty and the Beast retelling, filled with family, warmth, and lots of love.

*ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

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