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kaileyjarvis's review
hopeful
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
clubuntu's review
2.0
I’m not rating this 2 stars because it’s a little women retelling, I’m doing it because I didn’t like it, it was a little boring to me.
I was expecting to like it as I’m not against the idea of Laurie and Jo together, it just wasn’t for me.
I was expecting to like it as I’m not against the idea of Laurie and Jo together, it just wasn’t for me.
bargainsleuth's review
4.0
For this and other book reviews, visit www.bargain-sleuth.com
When Jo & Laurie was recommended to me because I had like others works by Melissa de la Cruz, I thought, “Why not?” It’s Little Women, it’s Jo and Laurie, what’s not to like? I had no idea that writing a YA novel about beloved characters could get so vitriolic if based on the reviews on Goodreads. There are people who didn’t read the book but rated it one star. Who does that? Rates a book they haven’t even read? “Let’s just completely ignore the intentions of Alcott with this glorified fan fiction” reads one fan review.
I get it. Louisa May Alcott was a century ahead of her time with her feminist prose. Little Women was an instant classic when it was first published in the 1860’s. I haven’t studied Alcott nor read her other works (although during the pandemic, I collected a bunch of them), so I was surprised to learn that Little Women was actually two books. The first book was written and was such a success that the publisher wanted Alcott to “finish” Jo’s story, so she did, and that second book was also a success. Subsequent editions combine both books into one, making the Little Women we know and love today. Joe & Laurie takes place between books one and two, when Jo doesn’t know how to make her characters go forward. She’s also dealing with losing her sister Beth.
The first time I read the book as a girl, I wanted Joe & Laurie together and was so disappointed when it didn’t happen. As I got older, I realized my folly, but that was after 30 years of living in the 20th century (and like Jo, married an older, wiser man who would not make me “settle down” in a conventional way). But even as an adult with a wider view on female/male relationships, what’s so wrong about wanting a first love to work out?
Stohl and de la Cruz have fashioned a world that seems much like the original, with dialogue that fits. Jo is a young woman who’s simultaneously a sweetheart and yet strange for the times in which they are living for all her feminist ways, fragile in psyche and yet tough, too. She’s also joyous, but can be very angry in any given situation. Laurie is still the clever, kind and passionate young man who is unflinchingly in love with someone who does not love him back in the same way. Or does she? That’s the heart of the novel.
Either the thought of Jo & Laurie makes your feminist soul want to vomit, or you can take this book for what it is meant to be: an alternate history of some beloved characters. I myself enjoyed visiting with these old friends again and exploring what could have been.
When Jo & Laurie was recommended to me because I had like others works by Melissa de la Cruz, I thought, “Why not?” It’s Little Women, it’s Jo and Laurie, what’s not to like? I had no idea that writing a YA novel about beloved characters could get so vitriolic if based on the reviews on Goodreads. There are people who didn’t read the book but rated it one star. Who does that? Rates a book they haven’t even read? “Let’s just completely ignore the intentions of Alcott with this glorified fan fiction” reads one fan review.
I get it. Louisa May Alcott was a century ahead of her time with her feminist prose. Little Women was an instant classic when it was first published in the 1860’s. I haven’t studied Alcott nor read her other works (although during the pandemic, I collected a bunch of them), so I was surprised to learn that Little Women was actually two books. The first book was written and was such a success that the publisher wanted Alcott to “finish” Jo’s story, so she did, and that second book was also a success. Subsequent editions combine both books into one, making the Little Women we know and love today. Joe & Laurie takes place between books one and two, when Jo doesn’t know how to make her characters go forward. She’s also dealing with losing her sister Beth.
The first time I read the book as a girl, I wanted Joe & Laurie together and was so disappointed when it didn’t happen. As I got older, I realized my folly, but that was after 30 years of living in the 20th century (and like Jo, married an older, wiser man who would not make me “settle down” in a conventional way). But even as an adult with a wider view on female/male relationships, what’s so wrong about wanting a first love to work out?
Stohl and de la Cruz have fashioned a world that seems much like the original, with dialogue that fits. Jo is a young woman who’s simultaneously a sweetheart and yet strange for the times in which they are living for all her feminist ways, fragile in psyche and yet tough, too. She’s also joyous, but can be very angry in any given situation. Laurie is still the clever, kind and passionate young man who is unflinchingly in love with someone who does not love him back in the same way. Or does she? That’s the heart of the novel.
Either the thought of Jo & Laurie makes your feminist soul want to vomit, or you can take this book for what it is meant to be: an alternate history of some beloved characters. I myself enjoyed visiting with these old friends again and exploring what could have been.
izzys_internet_bookshelf's review
3.0
3.5/5
I have always loved Little Women. I love the story, setting, characters. But I can never seem to understand the story as a whole. Saying this, it has been a while since I have seen any movie and this book was the first book I have read on the subject. I thought it was ok, seeing how the characters can never be ruined I enjoyed them. The writing to me was just a little slow.
I have always loved Little Women. I love the story, setting, characters. But I can never seem to understand the story as a whole. Saying this, it has been a while since I have seen any movie and this book was the first book I have read on the subject. I thought it was ok, seeing how the characters can never be ruined I enjoyed them. The writing to me was just a little slow.
olivekmc's review against another edition
4.0
"Love was madness, was foolish, senseless. Love was a problem, and yet somehow the loss of it was a worse one. Love made normal things, sensible things, make no sense at all.
I truly wasn't expecting to enjoy this book. I'm a firm believer in Jo's independence in marriage as Jo is essentially the fictional version of Louisa May Alcott, who never married herself. I do believe Jo and Laurie shouldn't be married, I still immensely loved this book. Whether you love or hate Jo and Laurie as a couple, you can't deny the chemistry the two characters share. [b:Jo & Laurie|48895207|Jo & Laurie|Margaret Stohl|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1579830463l/48895207._SY75_.jpg|74288126] is a beautifully written romance novel that many [b:Little Women|1934|Little Women|Louisa May Alcott|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1562690475l/1934._SY75_.jpg|3244642] fans would love.
The story follows Jo March after the success of her novel, Little Women, based on the lives of her and her sisters at the Orchard House at Concord. Now Jo must write a sequel to this novel, which she struggles with immensely as she can't possibly think of a satisfying fate to her characters, and to her sisters. As she contemplates her story, Jo questions much of love and Laurie and what it means to love one another.
It has everything we love from [b:Little Women|1934|Little Women|Louisa May Alcott|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1562690475l/1934._SY75_.jpg|3244642], the lovable cast of characters, and the wonderful relationship they share with each other. The emphasis on the family's and the sister's love and the chemistry between Jo and Laurie still stay true in this version. The heartbreaking scene of Jo denying Laurie's confession of love and marriage still destroyed me just like the original novel we all love so much.
I love all the discussion Jo has to herself as she feels her sisters are leaving Jo and her childhood ending. So many of us could definitely relate to this frightening feeling of seeing our childhood leaving as those who were a part of it are leaving you for their future. The writing for those discussions was beautifully written and touched me very much.
I truly recommend this to any Little Women fan, whether or not you ship Jo and Laurie. Though I still do believe Jo should have stayed unmarried, I really loved this interpretation of the characters and was so emotionally invested in Jo and Laurie's relationship.
I truly wasn't expecting to enjoy this book. I'm a firm believer in Jo's independence in marriage as Jo is essentially the fictional version of Louisa May Alcott, who never married herself. I do believe Jo and Laurie shouldn't be married, I still immensely loved this book. Whether you love or hate Jo and Laurie as a couple, you can't deny the chemistry the two characters share. [b:Jo & Laurie|48895207|Jo & Laurie|Margaret Stohl|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1579830463l/48895207._SY75_.jpg|74288126] is a beautifully written romance novel that many [b:Little Women|1934|Little Women|Louisa May Alcott|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1562690475l/1934._SY75_.jpg|3244642] fans would love.
The story follows Jo March after the success of her novel, Little Women, based on the lives of her and her sisters at the Orchard House at Concord. Now Jo must write a sequel to this novel, which she struggles with immensely as she can't possibly think of a satisfying fate to her characters, and to her sisters. As she contemplates her story, Jo questions much of love and Laurie and what it means to love one another.
It has everything we love from [b:Little Women|1934|Little Women|Louisa May Alcott|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1562690475l/1934._SY75_.jpg|3244642], the lovable cast of characters, and the wonderful relationship they share with each other. The emphasis on the family's and the sister's love and the chemistry between Jo and Laurie still stay true in this version. The heartbreaking scene of Jo denying Laurie's confession of love and marriage still destroyed me just like the original novel we all love so much.
Spoiler
When Laurie said "If you cannot even imagine a marriage between us, then you are not as much of a writer as I'd thought" still haunts and breaks me oh my god. Why must you give me so much pain!!I love all the discussion Jo has to herself as she feels her sisters are leaving Jo and her childhood ending. So many of us could definitely relate to this frightening feeling of seeing our childhood leaving as those who were a part of it are leaving you for their future. The writing for those discussions was beautifully written and touched me very much.
I truly recommend this to any Little Women fan, whether or not you ship Jo and Laurie. Though I still do believe Jo should have stayed unmarried, I really loved this interpretation of the characters and was so emotionally invested in Jo and Laurie's relationship.
maraemilyv's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
kailey_luminouslibro's review
slow-paced
2.0
In this alternate reality of Little Women, Jo March has just published her first novel and the publishers are clamoring for more stories about Jo and her sisters. They want Jo to write about the sisters meeting young men and getting married. But Jo isn't even sure how her real life is going or what she wants from life, so how can she write about the fates of all her sisters? Jo and Laurie have always been best friends, but writing her next book brings up some emotional questions between the two of them and their relationship starts to change.
This was like reading about an alternate reality inside a pocket universe inside another dimension. The original Little Women is already kind of an alternate fictional reality, because L.M. Alcott based her characters on herself and her sisters. So there is the real world Louisa May, and the fictional Jo. And this book has a fictional Jo and a book Jo, but the book isn't the same as the other book that Louisa May wrote because Beth didn't die in that other other book, and Meg never even met Mr. Brooke in the other other fictional reality. Yeah. It takes some mental calisthenics to keep track of four different storylines.
I have always loved the original Little Women, so I came into this already loving the characters. I tried to keep an open mind about this retelling, not expecting every little thing to remain true to the original, but just wanting a fun time to reimagine a beloved story. However, I was disappointed.
The dialogue is boring. I mean, mind-numbingly boring! In one scene, Laurie literally repeats the exact same phrase THREE times. If he said it twice, that would be fine. I get it. He's repeating himself to make a point. But three times is just too much. Every scene was just so boring. And there is some cursing in the dialogue that was completely out of place.
I did not care for the way the characters were reimagined. Meg was too meek. Amy was bratty, but not in a cute way. Beth is already dead in this reality, but Jo has kept her memory alive in her writing. And Jo is sort of lackluster. Her passion and mischievousness are there, but it lacks the charm of the original. Laurie is an idiot. I'm just not impressed with these characters.
The plot is super slow. In the first several chapters, nothing happens whatsoever. The whole first 100 pages could have been condensed to 30 pages.
I made it to page 79 and gave up. I DNF'd it. The main idea sounds like fun, but the writing did not live up to my expectations.
mirkwoodmaiden421's review
5.0
This book gave me everything I wanted and more, I can't even describe how amazing it is, so I'll just say go read it and find out! If you ever read/watched Little Women and were disappointed about Jo and Laurie, this book is for you!
p_wong's review against another edition
hopeful
lighthearted
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0