Two stories, two sides of love

Ugh, this book was wonderful! So nostalgic...Little Women was one such an influential book when I first read it and I loved this modern retelling. Meg is married, working through all the trials and reaffirming her love, while Jo deals with Trey (aka Laurie) and her handsome chef boss. I LOVED the things Eric said to Jo, and the tweak of the parents’ relationship. Such a lovely read.

Just adorable

Cute modern day adaptation of Little Women.... not really the same but I love the idea and will read the next one too.

Check out the full review at Kritters Ramblings

Have you ever wondered how the March sisters from Little Women would be in our current day? This book answers that question, but with the addition of great little nods to the original work.

Focusing on the two older March sisters, Meg and Jo, they take turns narrating the book as they deal with many of the ups and downs that a family goes through. Meg is the oldest and has always been the reliable one that stayed close to home and is raising a family while also being the one to pick up the pieces. Jo is in NYC and trying to write while also work in a kitchen and life isn't what she expected it to be.

3.5

I'm giving this four stars because I love Kantra's writing style so much and for the parts of the book that resonated so deeply. Tackling a much beloved classic is never easy. You are not going to be able to please everyone who loves the original. There were some things I loved about this. Some things that were just fine. And a couple things I didn't like at all. The things I'm not crazy about though are more of a concern for the next book and didn't stop my liking this one.

What I Loved:
Meg.
John.
Meg and John.
John and Meg

Color me surprised that Meg's story would be what kept me turning the pages. I felt her struggles on a deep, personal level though, and I feel Kantra did a fabulous job of depicting what a good marriage hitting the rough patch of new parenthood, bills, and family crisis looks like. Meg's struggles to ask for help or even take it when offered was highly relatable.

I also loved what Kantra did with the girls' father. Louisa May Alcott's father was like this, but she softened him for her book. Kantra did not feel the need to do that. Bravo.

Their mother is amazing.

Kantra maintained the heart of the sisterhood story and that is what is most important.

What I Also Enjoyed:
Jo and Eric.

I wish this had been developed a little more, but I do think Jo's quarter life crisis with her job landing her in this relationship made sense. I don't particularly love the way it resolved just because that is one of my least favorite tropes, yet it was a satisfying story to read.

What I Have A Problem With:

Laurie's name in this book is Trey. Trey. And this may just be me, but I hear that name and it automatically goes into the Brad/Kyle/Chad category. All my instincts scream, "RUN! DUDE BRO AHOY!" Trey is the name of the guy who plays Lacrosse while drunk and then tries to roofie some poor girl's drink at the frat party. WHYYY???? He runs his grandfather's car dealership guys. Ugh. I know that his character will be developed more in the second book, but from the glimpses we got here, I don't care. You cannot tell me that Louisa May Alcott's emo, angst-ridden musician Victorian boy would be an average run-of-the-mill small town player. There is so much potential for moving Alcott's creation to a guy who would have been a teen in the 2000s. You will never convince me that boy wasn't writing Jo's name in cursive in his room while listening to My Chemical Romance and shopping at Hot Topic to piss off his grandfather. There should be a scene in the next book where Trey (blech) turns on The Black Parade for old times sake and then has a crisis over his account books when Disenchanted comes on because he has become THAT GUY. His love and passion for music wasn't even mentioned as far as I can remember. Like what even. 2000's Laurie would have been so jealous of Brendan Urie. Fight me. I know I'm right. But heaven forbid a romantic hero be artsy. And I needed to get that off my chest, but I'm not really letting it affect my enjoyment of this book even if it's raising my concerns for the next.

Beth is apparently going to be involved in the country music business. (At least she won't be dead? Maybe? I don't know which is worse?) OH NO! It just occurred to me that Trey is a perfect dude-bro country music name. His musicality better not suddenly manifest itself in that direction too. My emo Victorian boy would NEVER.

Obviously I'm well aware my distaste for country music does not reflect on the quality of the storytelling. I'd just rather not have to deal with it, and I've lived in the south most of my life. I just can't with country music (especially the current trends in it).

I'm upset about Trey from a story telling aspect though. Like, there's a reason Timothee Chalamet and pre-Batman Christian Bale were chosen to play Laurie in the movies. He's a super soft art boy. And that can be HOT. Generations of girls have thought so.

Anyway, I do recommend Meg & Jo even if I'm wary of where Beth & Amy is going to take this.

I enjoyed the modernized version of these beloved characters! ... My favorites are Jo & Eric Bhaer. Jo is still a bold and literary-loving dreamer, who struggles to find her place in the world and always leads with her heart. Professor Bhaer is rendered as a big-hearted chef, who rules his kitchen staff with kindness, has super-pumped arms covered with clever tattoos, sees the heart of Jo (more so than even some of her family members), and simply loves her ... Meg and John go through the adjustments of young marrieds, continuing to grow in their knowledge of each other and commitment to their marriage ... In this version, the girls gather together at Christmas to support Marmee, who is experiencing a health crisis. And, sadly, Father is more like Louisa May Alcott's real-life father--distant, taking his wife for granted, more interested in his high-minded philosophy than any practical way of supporting the daughters who need him ... I was drawn to this author's voice and devoured her story pretty quickly. I look forward to checking out part 2 of the March sisters in future.

(language, intimate scenes

Cute! Looking forward to the sequel.

This was a digital ARC from NetGalley

The good: They made Mr. March a straight up asshole. Marmee told him to leave and never come back.
The bad: BETH DIDN'T DIE AND IS A COUNTRY SINGER IN BRANSON, MISSOURI. YEA, YOU READ THAT RIGHT.
The everything else/eh:
-The author changed to setting from Boston/NYC to NYC/North Carolina which I didn't like much. It leaned really hard on Southern stereotypes.
-Meg complained so much I wanted to smack her.
-Laurie (excuse, me TREY) was devoid of personality and uninteresting. He owned a car dealership?

The author is basically assuming this book will do so well she has already written a sequel called Amy and Beth which you know I will totally read.

I checked this out of the library for some seasonal reading, and I’m glad I did. The tone seemed a little fluffy at times, but it was underscored by an obvious love for the original text and clever allusions to the original book.