I fell in love with Little Women by watching the 1994 movie featuring Winona Ryder, Kirsten Dunst and Christian Bale, just to name a few. It holds a special place in my heart, because I have fond memories of watching it on repeat on VHS with my sister, secretly dreaming that I lived on a large farm in the middle of the Civil War.
The March Sisters series is the perfect contemporary pairing to the Little Women book. More than a retelling, Meg & Jo and Beth & Amy follows the March sisters as they are trying to navigate adulthood and grappling with the realization that life hasn't turned out like they pictured it in their childhoods. While the story keeps true to the original book with the girls' personalities, their paths are modernized and extremely relatable. The series offers the perfect mix of nostalgic feels paired with contemporary flair.
MEG & JO
Jo is a struggling food blogger living in NYC. Laid off from the newspaper, Jo is lost with what to do next, especially as she always saw herself as a famous writer. To complicate matters, her ex Trey won't let their failed relationship die out. Back home in Bunyon, North Carolina, Meg is a stay at home mom to twins. She's quit her job at the bank to care for her family, but seems to be drifting farther away from her husband John. Always wanting to be a mom, Meg is realizing that the fairytale vision of marriage and motherhood aren't always what meets the eye. When the girls' mother falls ill, the sisters reunite to help save the farm, but more importantly, it brings the sisters closer together to figuring out their true paths in life.
I absolutely loved this book and I tore through it. Meg and Jo deals with self doubt, complicated family dynamics and grappling with the unrealistic expectations we place on ourselves. I found both Meg and Jo incredibly relatable. Both of their struggles to figure out what they want for themselves and their families truly spoke to me. I was deeply invested in both of their journeys, rooting for their happily ever after, however messy it might turn out.
There were so many twists and surprises I did not see coming. If you are a fan of Little Women, Meg and Jo is a must read!
BETH & AMY
Beth and Amy picks up three years after Meg and Jo leaves off. The March sisters are living out their dreams, even if they look a little differently than they had previously imagined. Amy is the proud owner of Baggage, an up and coming handbag company based in NYC. Beth is on the road with Colt Henderson, touring as she writes songs. On the outside they have it all, but deep down, both Amy and Beth are struggling. Amy still pines for the love of an unavailable man and Beth is struggling with in the limelight, closely guarding a secret that could put her in danger. But when Jo's wedding brings the entire family back to Bunyon, Beth and Amy are forced to make decisions regarding their individual futures, plus the future of their family.
Beth and Amy offers three perspectives, this time with their mom's perspective dabbled in. I loved that we got to see things from Abby's eyes, especially as the story continues to unfold. It offers insight not only into the girls' childhood, but also into the struggling marriage of the March patriarchs.
Both Beth and Amy are incredibly vulnerable and raw in their struggles. The younger pair of sisters have always lived in the March family shadow and both are struggling with this in very different ways. Throughout the book, they are trying to break out of the pigeonholes they've had for years - the responsible one, the smart one, the good one, the pretty one - to find where they truly fit in and where their path should be. While I did not connect quite as much with Beth and Amy's stories, I adored both of their journeys and wanted them both to find their way.
Beth and Amy is the perfect conclusion to the contemporary reimagining of Little Women and I cannot recommend the series enough. While this book is a sequel, it can also be read as a standalone book. I was invested from the first page and could not put the book down. The common thread of the March family bond and their unshakable commitment to each other, even when disagreeing, is so beautiful. The March sisters know they can always come back home to Sisters Farm. I cried reading the author's note, because I did not want the story to end. This book gave me all the feels and I loved it!