Bestselling authors Margaret Stohl and Melissa de la Cruz bring us a romantic retelling of Little Women starring Jo March and her best friend, the boy next door, Theodore “Laurie” Laurence.1869, Concord, Massachusetts: After the publication of her first novel, Jo March is shocked to discover her book of scribbles has become a bestseller, and her publisher and fans demand a sequel. While pressured … publisher and fans demand a sequel. While pressured into coming up with a story, she goes to New York with her dear friend Laurie for a week of inspiration–museums, operas, and even a once-in-a-lifetime reading by Charles Dickens himself!
But Laurie has romance on his mind, and despite her growing feelings, Jo’s desire to remain independent leads her to turn down his heartfelt marriage proposal and sends the poor boy off to college heartbroken. When Laurie returns to Concord with a sophisticated new girlfriend, will Jo finally communicate her true heart’s desire or lose the love of her life forever?
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I love retellings of my favorite fairy tales and Austen stories, but this is the first one I’ve read about Little Women. I had no idea what to expect, and it was an interesting read. Jo is much younger than I expected her to be at this point in the story- they have her at seventeen, and the timeline seems a bit off from the original story. Beth has died, and Jo is a successfully published author of Little Women, but is struggling with the sequel she is contracted to write. The authors did a good job of capturing her unrest during this time of her life. It’s difficult for Jo to discern what the future holds for her and her sisters, wanting things to stay as they have been, but recognizing that marriage, travel, and career will change everything. She seems scared of her growing feelings for Laurie, and that fear prevents her from embracing the progression of their relationship into something more than friendship. I found her voice to be slightly immature, especially when whining and fighting with her editor. Some chapters were told from other characters’ perspectives, such as Meg (which I found myself skimming), but I appreciated being able to get inside Laurie’s head. Overall it was an entertaining take on the classic, especially for readers who wished for the childhood friendship to turn to romance.
(I received a complimentary copy of the book; all opinions in this review are my own)
(3.5 / 5)
If you’ve ever read Little Women and wondered what could have been between Jo and Laurie, if the author had allowed it, this book might be for you (or even if you haven’t). It’s a bit meta and can be difficult to fully understand, but the authors are not so much rewriting the second half of Little Women as they are imagining that the book that we know was itself written by another fictional Jo March (and it was, within the context of the book), and that the second half (originally published as a sequel novel titled Good Wives) was more of a departure from her real life than the first half was.
I’d say the primary audience for this book is those who really wish Jo and Laurie had ended up together. However, I think there’s still a place for the rest of us to read it, out of curiosity if nothing else. Or for die-hard fans of Little Women who want to revisit that world in a way. (Though those seem to be the strongest opponents to this retelling.) As for myself, I only really read this book to see if it’s something I’m okay with my 10-year-old daughter reading. We read the Great Illustrated Classic version of Little Women together just over a year ago, and the little romantic that she is, she was quite unhappy that Jo and Laurie both married other people. I’ve since read the original book, and personally have no problems with the way the whole thing worked out.
My rating on this book, however, is wholly unrelated to the re-imagining of fictional-author Jo’s life and love, but based on the book itself. I think the authors did a pretty good job with the historical fiction feel to the book, and even with making it feel similar to the source material (though understand I’ve only read it once, so I’m not exactly an expert). However, to me, it seemed repetitive and a bit slow through most of it. Jo rehashed her confusion about how she felt about Laurie so many times. And for being a feminist and bucking against the way women are treated in her time, Jo doesn’t have the slightest problem seeing a woman she doesn’t care for only as a pair of bosoms. That really bugged me.
In the end, I did like the culmination of the romance, which itself was fairly unromantic most of the time (though even that is true to who Jo is). I think that Laurie himself reflects the reaction a lot of readers would have, especially those that I mentioned above, who read Little Women and really wished Jo and Laurie had married each other. The book is listed as young adult, though I do think it’s good for readers of all ages.
I won a copy of Jo & Laurie through Bookish First and with everything going on in 2020, it took awhile to receive it and read it but I am so glad that I did! Little Women is a classic to many and because of that there are many who do not want to see anything changed. But there are many of us who have always wondered “What if?” What if Jo and Laurie made different choices? Would the family dynamic between Jo and her sisters remain? Would Jo still pursue her hopes to be a published author so diligently? What would happen in Laurie’s future? Should the plans we make in our youth define our future? I really enjoyed this book and it didn’t take away any of my love from Little Women. I am amazed that this book was written by two authors because the writing is seamless. I will definitely be recommending it to all my book club friends. Bravo!
Jo & Laurie
By Margaret Stohl and Melissa de la Cruz
I have read Little Women a handful of times and how I have imagined Jo March and Theodore “Laurie” Laurence and what might have been. This book had been waiting to be written at least by me for many, many years and now the wait is over.
It’s 1869 and the story begins where Little Women ended right when Jo March becomes a best selling author and spends time in New York with Laurie, as they spend time together and live up their life in the city. Stohl and de la Cruz wrote a beautiful story one that Louisa May Alcott would be proud to read. The story kept the story line with a few twists that makes this beautiful historical fiction romance YA worth the read. The romance in the story was so well written that gave a swoon worthy story that I absolutely loved.
I highly recommend this book for Little Women fans and anyone that enjoys a wonderful well written story.
Jo & Laurie is a wonderful book. I truly enjoyed this story from beginning to end. It kept me enthralled, interested, and invested throughout.
Being that Little Women is my all-time favorite novel in existence, I was hesitant at first if this alternative ending would do LMA justice, and I have to say after finishing, that it most certainly did.
I was impressed with the authors’ abilities to create a story that weaved together historical fact, fiction, fictional fiction, and the new details. It all came together effortlessly and seamlessly. It was romantic, wistful, sad, funny, and everything I could have asked for. I am so glad I have a copy of this on my shelf to read again and again.
5/5 stars enthusiastically
Thank you G.P. Putnams’ Sons/Penguin Publishing for this copy and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.
I am posting this review to my GR, Bookbub, Instagram, Amazon, and B&N accounts immediately.
Jo & Laurie: A Romantic Retelling was a fun, escapist read that I looked forward to picking up every evening.
I don’t read many YA books–this is rated for 7-9 grades–but I had a chance to read the beginning of the novel on BookishFirst and liked it enough to trade in my ‘points’ and claim a copy.
A good knowledge of Little Women and Louisa May Alcott was a must for this reader, and the authors passed the test. Nothing felt improbable, the characters were not twisted into someone unrecognizable.
The authors take up Alcott’s characters, loosely based on her real family, and melds Alcott’s family story onto the March family. It can get slightly confusing if you try to keep fact and fiction separate. You just have to trust the story, which is not fictionalized biography or wholly the fictional March characters of Alcott’s books.
The novel begins after Jo’s Little Women has been published to great success and her publisher has contracted her for a second book. She is to conclude the March sisters’ stories with marriages. Unable to reconcile herself to such an end, Jo can’t give her fictionalized self and sisters romance and a ring.
Jo & Laurie have been best friends but Laurie’s feelings are deepening, driving Jo away. Meg finds John Brooke is interested in her, but she feels the need to marry money or to at least allow John to marry well. Beth has died, but not in Jo’s story, and Amy is the pig-tailed child dreamer.
The foursome friends of Jo, Laurie, Meg, and John have a week in New York City, with Jo smashing all Laurie’s dreams. He moves on to college while Jo struggles to write her sequel. And struggles. And struggles.
But Jo can’t finish her ficitonalized story until she comes to grips with her real story. Can she be a writer and a wife? Can she trust to love someone who might leave her, as her beloved sister Beth did?
I found the book charming, easy to read, and a great escape.
I received a free book through BookishFirst in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.
I was sent a copy of this book from Megan Beatie Communications through Net Galley for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
I feel the need to state that this review is coming from someone that has not read Little Women nor have I watched the movie. I feel this is important to point out because I think that if you have read Little Women or even watched the movie you would already have some connection with these characters from the beginning.
I am a fan of Melissa de la Cruz’s books and this one did not disappoint.
This story takes place between the publication of Little Women and Good Wives. This book is first and foremost a love story between Joe and Laurie. But another bonus is that this book shows how a whole everyone in a family can deal with grief differently. I do not think this was meant to be a main plot point but I think it was displayed well.
This book took me about 100 pages to really get into it but I really think its because I did not know the original story.
I loved watching Joe and Laurie’s relationship. Everyone in the story knew that those two were meant to be together except Joe. She had a lot to work through to discover that she is allowed to be happy too. I liked the portrayal of grief and depression in this story and seeing how it was worked through. I felt so many feelings while reading this book that I did not expect to feel.
I recommend this book to anyone that thinks that the story sounds interesting. Just note if you have not read Little Women it will take a little bit to connect with these characters.
Okay, I want to start this review with just mentioning that this book is getting an unnecessary amount of hate because of what it’s about. The Goodreads rating has been going down because people who haven’t read it are rating it! If this isn’t your cup of tea, no problem, but I’m here to judge the book on the content, not just on the idea. Personally, I thought this book was cute. Margaret Stohl and Melissa de la Cruz both know how to write a solid book, so I didn’t think there were any glaring issues with it. I think that’s it’s an interesting reimagining of the ending (and beyond) of Little Women. Stohl and de la Cruz, in my opinion, make the characters their own enough that people who haven’t read Little Women will be able to enjoy this. While I liked Laurie and Amy getting together in the source material, I didn’t mind the changes made here. However, this book did drag a little bit. It wasn’t anything groundbreaking or lifechanging, but I didn’t think it was supposed to be. Overall, I think that this was a light, fun, and cute read that a lot of YA readers will be extremely happy with!
3.5 stars
I truly enjoyed reading this blurb of the book. The writer was able to bring us into the world of Jo and her sisters. The dialogue flowed effortlessly. There was no struggle for conversations between the characters.The description of the surroundings helped the reader enjoy the book and wanting more. The explanation about Jo and her struggles and why it is important that she write. It was for her families survival and for hers as well. I enjoyed how Jo’s character was written to show that she is a strong independent, intellectual young woman. Sticking to the time period and giving a description of how life was at that time was great. It was another way for the reader to be drawn into the book. I voluntary reviewed this ARC after receiving a free gifted copy.