Reviews

Meg and Jo by Virginia Kantra is a modern reimagining of Little Women by Louisa Mae Alcott. Little Women is my absolute favorite book which is why I was curious about Meg and Jo. I wanted to see how an author would modernize this treasured classic. Let me state that this was a mistake on my part. I wish I had looked up the author and noticed that she writes romance novels. This book focuses on Meg and Jo. It is told from their perspectives in alternating chapters. Jo still wishes to write, but newspapers are letting staff go. For some reason, Jo was hired at Gusto by Chef Eric Bhaer to work as a prep cook. I found this particularly odd since Jo disliked the domestic arts. Jo has a blog titled Hungry which provides an insider’s view of the city’s food scene. She does it anonymously which Jo is glad she did after hearing what Chef Bhaer thinks about food bloggers. There is an attraction between Jo and the chef which develops into something more until complications arise. Meg is married to John Brooke and they have very busy twins. Meg quit her job as a loan officer to be a stay at home mom at John’s urging because his mother worked two jobs and was never at home for him. While Meg loves John and the twins, she is dissatisfied with her life. Meg comes across as whiny (it is unattractive). She likes things done a certain way, so she does it all herself but then complains that she does not get help from hubby. Meg makes some poor choices. I did not like how Meg was portrayed at all. The story is set in Bunyan, North Carolina so there are stereotypical Southernisms in the story (“Bless her heart” was a repeated phrase). I especially disliked how Mr. March was portrayed in this book. It was unappealing and disappointing. Abby March, the mother, is one who does not like fuss (as we are told repeatedly). I missed the warm, loving Marmee from Little Women. Beth is a singer who performs in front of audiences at Branson (can anyone see the shy Beth doing this) and Amy is an intern at Louis Vuitton in Paris (I could see Amy doing this). Laurie is called Trey in this version and let me just say he is nothing like the kind boy next door from the original. Meg and Jo comes across as a typical romance novel. It lacks the warmth of family, sisterly bonding, love, and compassion that was present in the original Little Women. The author was brave to tackle such a difficult project, but I feel she missed the mark. There is a preview of Amy & Beth at the end.

issianne's review against another edition

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3.0

3.5. This was a solid retelling of "Little Women", in terms of Jo and Meg. Alright, I'm going to get a bit rambly...
At first, I was kinda bored by Meg's chapters, but she ended up being so endearing. She and John had some of the sweetest moments in the book, and I loved seeing their interactions and communications.
Jo can be a little bit insufferable in the original and in this one, but for the most part, her storyline was enjoyable and interesting. Though, I do feel like we lost some of the best bookworm and literature-snob moments from Jo. I don't *love* the plot device the author used at the end of Jo's story, but I'm trying to get over it (if you've read it or read some other adult romances, you know what I'm talking about).
Overall, this book was super easy to read and set up some nice intrigue for the next book. In the true spirit of being an Amy, I'm very excited to read from her perspective.
ALSO, I would like the author to apologize for not only giving Laurie a f***boy name like Trey but for truly translating 19th century f***boy into a current one. He better redeem himself in the next one; he had me cringing so hard in this one.
I loooooooved the inclusion of the dad being a crap dad. "Little Women" is female centric that Mr. March becomes obsolete during most of it, and Kantra really latched on to that and ran with it. She saw the opportunity to explore why Marmee was such a large part of the girls' lives instead of their father, and I really appreciated.

staceylynn's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

elizabethnicole's review against another edition

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I have such conflicting thoughts on this novel honestly. I decided to read it since I've been on such a Little Women kick lately but it's so different than I really expected. It sort of kept some of the heart of the novel that I love so much but ultimately, so much was changed that it didn't live up to what I was expecting. Which is a bad thing but also a good thing I guess. I'll figure out my rating later. Maybe 3 stars? maybe 2. I don't know.

thephdivabooks's review against another edition

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4.0

Inspired by Little Women, Virginia Kantra’s Meg & Jo is a modern take on the classic novel many of us grew up loving. Charming, nostalgic, and fun!

Given the large differences in daily life and gender dynamics that 150 years will bring, Meg & Jo feels fresh and different. If you haven’t read Little Women, you’ll still enjoy this book. It works as a standalone. In fact if it weren’t for the names of the sisters being so iconic to the original book, I’m not sure I would have picked up on this being a reimagining of Little Women, in part due to the way Kantra splits up the stories into a focus on Meg and Jo in this book, and a focus on Beth and Amy in the sequel.

In this retelling, Meg is a stay-at-home mom to toddler twins, and let’s just say she has her hands full. Meg married her love John and gave up her career to be a full-time mom, but she’s not sure she’s happy. Meanwhile Jo sought independence, moving to New York City and working as a prep cook at a fancy NYC restaurant and running her own food blog. Jo’s life may sound like it is going well, but an affair with her tattooed boss at the restaurant threatens to topple her life. Is there a future for Jo and her Michelin-star chef boyfriend? Especially when Jo is keeping a few secrets from him.

When Meg & Jo’s mother falls ill, Meg and Jo set their troubles aside to return home and care for their mother, younger sisters Amy and Beth, and keep the family farm running. And their North Carolina farm isn’t just a return to family, it also means a return to a few other troubles they thought were long left behind.

I personally liked that this was a reimagining of these characters in modern times with modern issues, rather than a straight retelling of the original story. I felt that the characters were true to their inspiration, but we saw them facing the same sorts of challenges that women today face. Jo struggles with balancing love, career ambitions, and concerns over her chosen career paths, while Meg struggles with how to support her husband and family and be true to herself. I went into the book most interested in Jo as a character, but found I really enjoyed the reimagined, modern Meg. Her story really shines and felt relatable.

Full of laughs and great moments, this book delivered on it’s promises!

almacd's review against another edition

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3.0

I have a love/hate relationship with this book. My favorite character from Little Women is Jo, but here... I couldn't stand her. I liked Meg's story more. And have to say I fell in love with John. My biggest issue is how disfunctional the family was, specially with the daddy issues. In the original they were really close, but in this book I didn't feel that (in my opinion) . Also the way some storylines where handled didn't make sense to me. It could work in the original setting of Little Women, but NOT in modern times.

networklvrs's review against another edition

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2.0

this book was cute! it’s not something that was mind blowing or life changing but it was something light and fluffy to set my mind straight :)

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