Reviews
This book is imagined to be in the middle of writing Little Women. It was a lovely “what if” story. Part of me loves that Louisa never married, being my feminist heroine, but another silly side of my loves “what if” romance.
I don’t care if it is fanfiction; I liked it!
THIS BOOK WAS AMAZING!!! If you are a fan of Little Women or romance in general at all, you need you read this book ASAP! The writing style was absolutely amazing, and I appreciated how much it matched that of Little Women. If I hadn't known better, I would have thought that Louisa May Alcott had written it herself! It was the kind of book that had me crying one minute and laughing the next. I fell in love with these characters even more than I had before, and I can't wait until I read it again!
This is a quick, adorable read. If you're like me, and Little Women is one of your hyper fixations, then you understand how difficult it is to get your hands on anything March girls related that isn't watching the Greta Gerwig adaptation a million times in a row (not that there is absolutely anything wrong with that because #LittleWomen2019 till I die). Plus it makes sense: Little Women was published in 1868, so of course beyond the source material we can only daydream more adventures for our favorite characters, reading Alcott biographies and letters until we know her inside and out (that is, as well as you can know any historical figure through artifacts, but that's a discussion for another time, or perhaps my review of the Susan Cheever's Louisa May Alcott biography found here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... ) Jo & Laurie gives classics fans everything they could ever want- good, solid, wholesome fanfiction. Don't get me wrong, I am fiercely supportive of Alcott's choices in Little Women; Marrying a redeemed and grown Amy to Laurie, Jo to her intellectual equal Professor Baher. It makes sense to the story because it so closely examines life and the ways in which it is difficult and beautiful and chaotic. It doesn't wrap itself neatly into a bow giving readers exactly what they want because that is not the way the world works. That being said... Fancying myself a Jo and always being enamored by Laurie, this book was music to my soul. Just because I support the original telling doesn't mean my romantic heart wasn't dying for these two best friends to fall madly in love with one another. Not just that, but I felt the retelling was done beautifully, borrowing from source material when appropriate and keeping true to the characters when not. Stohl and De La Cruz did a wonderful job making sure the March family was still the March family even when their lives went a different direction. I wholeheartedly recommend this to anyone who loves Little Women just as much as I do, and who is looking to get their hands on something new.
This book was a wonderful spin-off from Little Women which paid tribute to the wonderful world Louisa Alcott created while breathing new life into the characters. I am the first to admit that I was upset that Jo and Laurie did not get the love story that I desired, so it was nice for the authors to create an alternate universe where their love story could play out. Everything that you love about Little Women is still present. Meg is still dependable and loyal, Amy is still spoiled (I was never a fan of her) and the heartache over the loss of Beth is present in the character's actions. I loved getting to experience more of a build-up between Meg and Mr. Brooks, and of course Jo and Laurie had more shenanigans and wonderful back-and-forth dialogue. This is a perfect book for any fan of Little Women. This story pays homage to the story we all know and love while taking the liberty to write out a different possibility for our characters.
Don't go. Not so far away. Not where I can't reach you. Characters: 4/5 Plot Concept: 4/5 Plot Execution: 4/5 Pacing: 5/5 Writing: 5/5 Romance: 5/5 Overall Enjoyability: 4.5/5 This was a sweet retelling and I am admittedly a sucker for best friends to lovers. I really enjoyed reading about Jo trying to figure out how her story would end, wondering how she would eventually come to write the Little Women the world knows. The sisters relationships were, as imagined, lovely to read as well. I adore good sibling dynamics. Overall, a very fun and swift read. I'd highly recommend the book for fans of historical romance. As a side note, I feel bad for the author that there's poor reviews & ratings being left on the book because of original story purists. :/ Grow up, maybe? Nobody is forcing you to read it.
I don't understand why Melissa de la Cruz (co)writes "re-imaginings" when she could write them as completely original ideas. This one and Alex and Eliza would have been much better if they hadn't been fanfiction.
Before I start, I would like to mention that I didn’t read Little Women before I read this book. I received this book from MB Communications. I may say that I’m glad I read this one first because I don’t know if I would like it as much as I did after reading the original story. I’m kind of person who always reads the book before watching any movie adaptation, and most of the time I hate the movie. I think I might have the same with this book. I need to say that Margaret Stohl and Melissa de la Cruz did a great job by bringing this story to life and twist it a little bit. After the success of Jo’s first book, she is fighting her will to write a book her editor will love. It’s not as easy as she thought it will be as they have different ideas about how the story of Little Women will continue. Jo is a very stubborn person, so she was fighting her way to publishing a book about independent women who don’t need men to change their lives into a dream. However, her publisher wants a book about good wives. Her best friend Laurie tries to inspire her and takes her to New York. He organizes a week of visiting museums, operas, and many more. This visitation seems like a dream for Jo. However, the plans change, when they meet a longtime friend of Laurie, Miss Harriet. Harriet is a person I still don’t know if I like or not. On one side, I see her as a character that no one understands. She dreams about love but every person she puts her eyes on falls in love with someone else. On the other side, she’s very manipulative and looks down at people that aren’t upper class. When the week comes to an end, Laurie does something that changes the relation between him and Jo. He reveals his feelings to her and proposes. Well, it doesn’t turn up well. Jo turned him down with the dream of being an independent woman. I felt bad for Laurie but at the same time, he was a little bit too straight forward. He should prepare her more for this, instead of throwing his emotions on her. I think that’s the moment when the story slows down a little and shows the consequences of this major question. Jo is a mix of tomboy and feminist. Her goal is to become an independent woman. She loves to read and cares about her sisters more than anything else. She’s a very talented writer and uses her abilities to provide for her family, while her father is fighting in the civil war. Laurie comes from a rich family. He’s pressured by his grandfather to go to the university and inherit the family business. However, Laurie’s wish is to become a musician, the same as his mother was. As much as he cries about his lost dreams, he doesn’t want to disappoint his grandfather, since he’s the only family he has. Jo and Laurie are amazing friends. You can see how close they are just by reading their conversations. They don’t need to pretend when they are with each other. That’s why I was so disappointed when the proposal ruined their friendship. I didn’t know who I should be mad at. Jo & Laurie convinced me how much I was missing for all these years I was postponing reading Little Women for many years. Obviously, this book is only a retelling and it differentiates from the original. However, the authors made a very good job with research since they implemented the essence of the original book into it. I’m very happy that I received this book to review because it finally pushes me to read the classic story. I would like to thank MB Communications, Stephanie Elliot, Margaret Stohl, and Melissa de la Cruz for providing me with this copy and starting my new obsession with Little Women.
4.5⭐️ this is the retelling we all needed😩😩😩 Obviously Little Women is a masterpiece and Alcott a genius! She wraps up everything in a way you just cannot argue with BUT you’re lying if you say you didn’t want Jo and Teddy together (even if only for a second!!) and gosh this book really just satisfies that craving! Excellently written for everyone to read, clever re-imagining, and romances that really just hit you in the heart! i cried very hard and very frequently lollll highly recommend!! :)
I do not care what other people think. I knew this book would be amazing and it was. I loved it. It’s Little Women but it’s not. Jo is the girl we love and our occasionally frustrated with. Laurie is the wonderful boy that we all know and adore. There’s still conflict between them. Jo still is stubborn with her feelings. But in the end we have the ending I know I wanted. Because they are meant to be together. If Ms. Alcott were still alive I would tell her so. I’m glad for the ones that were heartbroken over the ending, they got to see the happily ever after we have been waiting for.
First Impressions Review from BookishFirst Jo & Laurie takes place in between the two parts that make up the entire Little Women story while also adding this huge original twist to it. We get to step back and meet Jo March, the real Jo March, who wrote the story Little Women Part One and is now dealing with the fame and success of it. Little Women is meant to be the fictionalized story of her life, while Jo & Laurie is her real life. There is no rich Aunt March, Beth does not survive her first and only round of Scarlett fever and Meg has never even exchanged words with Laurie’s tutor. All of it was made up for her novel. It’s like pulling the curtain back and meeting the wizard. Jo & Laurie is not meant to replace or add to the Little Women story, but to take a step sideways and pretend that Alcott did not write Little Women but Jo herself as the real author. So for everyone royally pissed on goodreads and rating it one star without even reading it, shame on you and a plague on your houses!
If everyone can rate this one star without reading it, I will rate it 5 stars. Why is this wrong? It's just fiction, really. I read about books with Romeo ending up with Roselina, The prince ending up with a reedemed Stepsister, Christine ending up with the Phantom of the Opera... REALLY NOW. This book is not saying THIS IS HOW THE STORY SHOULD HAVE ENDED, just explores the possibility of what if.
I loved this. I know not everyone has been super crazy about this retelling, and I certainly hope this book prompts more authors to rewrite LITTLE WOMEN in inclusive and diverse ways, but JO & LAURIE so perfectly captures the spirit of Alcott's classic story that I couldn't stay mad at it. Granted, I did not grow up with the story of LITTLE WOMEN, having only just recently read it for the first time in my 20s, so perhaps if I had a greater attachment to the story I would feel stronger about its revision. JO & LAURIE, however, is essentially fanfiction (which as someone who unabashedly loves and reads fanfic regularly, I see nothing wrong with this). It's clear that Margaret Stohl and Melissa de la Cruz took the time to study not only Alcott's writing, but her life as well (in an author's note they mention having blended details from LITTLE WOMEN with Alcott's life in their rewrite). I genuinely felt like I was reading another installment of LITTLE WOMEN -- it was that spot on. And while I will always prefer to believe that Jo is an independent and self-sufficient woman who never settles down, there is a part of me that longed to see her happy with Laurie as well, and this book certainly fulfilled that wish (I'm a sucker for romantic endings, don't come at me). Thank you to the publisher & NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!
Thank you to Penguin Teen and Netgalley for the review copy! It's 1869, and Jo March has just published her first novel. She's shocked that its become a best seller and that her fans and publisher are now pushing for a sequel. While trying to come up with a story, Jo goes on a trip to New York with her dear friend Laurie in a hunt for inspiration. The week is filled with museums, operas, and even a live reading from Charles Dickens himself! Inspiration may be what Jo is searching for, but Laurie has romance on his mind. Despite her growing feelings for him, Jo's fierce desire for independence leads her to turn down Laurie's passionate proposal. Heartbroken, Laurie leaves Jo and heads to college. But when he comes back to Concord with a sophisticated new girlfriend, will Jo have the courage to tell him how she really feels? Or will she miss out on the love of her life? This Little Women retelling (or really more of an alternate ending) was a really cute and fun read. Confession time- I still haven't read the original Little Women... but I've seen the movies and know the story, and I love it. I've seen a lot of negative reviews surrounding this book because it does change the way the original story ended. But like. This is fiction and that's okay. We can still love the original and enjoy a new twist. I think this was fun, and I loved the characters. It reflects the original without copying it, which I like in a retelling. Laurie is supportive and kind, and Jo is trying to navigate everyone's expectations while trying to do what she wants. I was able to finish this one really quickly, and you don't need to be a Little Women superfan to read this. It's sweet and I loved the romance. I know there's a lot of Jo and Laurie shippers out there who will enjoy this one!
