"Beth and Amy" by Virginia Kantra is a heartwarming and relatable read perfect for fans of contemporary romance and women's fiction who appreciate stories about strong sisterly bonds, self-discovery, and the power of embracing one's true identity, as it masterfully weaves together themes of self-acceptance, family, and coming of age in a modern retelling of the beloved classic "Little Women".

For starters, I am a DIE-HARD Little Women fan. Short of Anne of Green Gables, it is my all time favorite book. With that being said, I of course will snatch up any and all adaptations of this novel that are sent my way. Meg and Jo, and the sequel, Beth and Amy, were no exception to this.

Meg and Jo was a book that I immediately launched myself at, and walked away feeling instantaneously disappointed (don’t get me started on Laurie/Teddy going by ‘Trey’). However, upon receiving the ARC for Beth and Amy, I still wanted to give it a chance. I walked away feeling similarly to how I did about Meg and Jo.

The premise of these stories is great, and I truly think that there is so much that can be done with a modern-day adaptation of Little Women. However, this ultimately fell flat for me and seemed to lack a lot of the heart that other adaptations, and the characters in the original novel themselves, had. It didn’t feel like Little Women to me, and some of the decisions that were made within the story were questionable.

This was almost a DNF for me. This book was just too depressing and didn't match the vibes of the original. Once I let go of trying to make it fit the Little Women mold it was marginally better.

Amy, the baby of the family has always felt she lives in the shadow of her older sisters. Determined to make a name for herself, she moved to NYC and has built a successful business making custom handbags. She's been avoiding her family due to a mistake she made several years earlier. But now she's back in North Carolina for her sister Jo's wedding and must confront her mistake and the guy she's crushed on since she was a teen.
Beth, a talented singer/songwriter is taking a break from her music tour with her superstar boyfriend. Painfully shy and suffering from anxiety, Beth carries the weight of a destructive secret and feels like a fraud on stage.
As the March sisters reunite, they strengthen the bonds they have always shared, and help one another to become their best selves.
A heartwarming re-telling of "Little Women".

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me a free advanced copy of this book to read and review.

Retellings of beloved classics can be so difficult. This was hard for me to read because I didn’t connect with the characters as much as I hoped to, which as a lover of Little Women was strange. This may just be one classic I don’t want redone.

I loved the novel Jo and Laurie, so I was eager to read Beth and Amy! This novel was a very charming retelling that was mostly faithful to the original! I recommend this for fans of Little Women!

I really enjoyed Meg and Jo, the first in the March sisters series, but I think I loved this one even more!

BETH AND AMY made me laugh, and cry, and had all the moments I crave in a good story. Retelling scan be hit or miss, but this take on Little Women was so heartmwarming,

I’m excited to read the next installment or see where the author takes her readers next.

*many thanks to Berkley and Netgalley for the gifted copy for review

I really liked this book! I was excited to read it because I loved the first one. This was did not disappoint. Highly recommended for fan of Little Women.

Audiobook

I've always been hesitant to read retellings of Little Women, but I really enjoyed this one! There were so many similarities, but told in a modern way. I liked the alternating POV between Beth and Amy. I liked how the ending wrapped up! I would definitely recommend this to readers that like retellings of old classics.

I really enjoyed the first in the March Sisters series, but I absolutely loved this one. Who would have thought, when Amy was never my favorite character from the original Little Women book. This book is about both Amy and Beth, and they're living very different lives since leaving home.

Amy is hustling her way to make it as a designer in New York, and doesn't relish the idea of going back home to North Carolina. There are several reasons why Amy has been staying away, and one of them has the potential to blow up her relationship with her sisters as well as with a certain handsome neighbor. Alas, her sister Jo is getting married so that means a big family reunion.

Beth is a talented singer-songwriter, and she's been on tour with country superstar Cold Henderson. But her mental and physical health have really been suffering, and Colt seems to not actually care about Beth's wellbeing at all. Maybe a break for Jo's wedding is just what she needs.

The March sisters seem very different from the outside, but they're actually more alike than any of them would probably care to admit.

This was a challenging read at times because the sisters are going through some seriously tough situations, and I'll admit I shed more than just a tear or two. But it's also so heartwarming and a book I'll definitely be reading again in the not-too-distant future. The relationships between the sisters (and their mother) is quite complex and the author created such a beautiful and real-feeling world in this book. Very well done.

Beth and Amy is the follow up to Meg and Jo, a modern retelling of Little Women and the March sisters. In this installment, we hear from the perspective of the two younger girls.

Beth has followed her family's big dreams for her right into a country music tour. She has written a Grammy winning song and is onstage each night with her boyfriend, country-up and-comer Colt, but something is off. Beth can't seem to stop throwing up before and onstage, and it is wearing on her relationship and her strength.

Amy has a custom handbag business in NYC, and she is definitely over her one-night-stand with Trey (or Laurie from Alcott's version) three years ago. She heads back to Bunyan, NC, for Jo's wedding, not exactly excited to be in his presence or the presence of her judgy sisters.

While I love Little Women retellings and re-imaginings, I still and always will take issue with the Laurie/ Amy of it all. Trey comes across as selfish and like he uses Amy to get into the March family. Amy is not the firecracker we thought, but a deeply insecure person who is constantly wanting to distance herself from being anything like Jo. Beth's arc in this book is the most compelling and a big twist on what we expect. Overall, I would recommend this book to those who started the series and those who want to see and know more of the March sisters.

I liked this one much more than the first, but I am an Amy March so that could be the reason why. I think it had greater potential and held my attention more than Meg and Jo. I put off reading it because I was nervous I wouldn't like it but it definitely surprised me in a good way!

Kantra has done it again! The second book in The March Sisters books brings our favorite LITTLE WOMEN characters into contemporary life. I love how the author breathes new life into her stories while still being able to keep the core bonds of the sisters from the beloved original. BETH AND AMY is written in a way that almost seems effortless as the title characters navigate their lives.

I enjoyed this modern retelling of LITTLE WOMEN, including the first book about Meg and Jo. It's a shame that there are no more sisters left to continue the series.

I loved Meg & Jo, so couldn’t wait to read Beth and Amy’s story. I am one of the people that has never read Little Women 🙈 so these were just normal characters with no history attached.

Amy has grown up to be a fashion designer— one that is up and coming with so much promise. But the secret she’s been keeping is on the brink of exposure.

Beth, on a tour with country superstar Colt Henderson, battles her anxiety and copes in a not-so-healthy way. Hopefully a trip home will help her heal.

The stories of the sisters are both interesting, although I found myself more drawn to Amy’s story. I absolutely loved both of the books and I am glad I got to read them in quick succession. Maybe I’ll actually try to read Little Women now. 🤷🏻‍♀️

Beth and Amy is a great look into what might have been with two of our favorite March sisters! A great read!

Not gonna lie, after reading Jo and Meg, I wasn't sure I wanted to read this one. But, I am a huge Little Women fan, so I thought I'd give it a shot.

Amy is a fashion designer who has worked hard to get out of her sister Jo's shadow. But when her sister Jo's wedding forces her to come, she also is forced to deal with some other situations she's been avoiding. Beth, the second youngest, has been trying to advance her music career as singer but has been cracking under the pressure. Coming home, she gets some much needed rest, but most also face some demons she's been hiding from.

I'm going to make a supposition here-- and I might be entirely wrong. I almost feel like Greta Gerwig's film influenced this book. The first book got under my skin because it made Meg so stereotypically weak and Jo strong. That didn't happen here with Beth and Amy. Both women had their failings, but they had their strengths where they needed them and as they were as individuals. This is true in the original text too.

I felt like Amy had a lot more strength than you've seen in other versions of the story before. She stood up for herself against Laurie--as she has in the past, but she also made sure that she made the decisions for her, not because others wanted her to. Beth was the real surprise of the story. Honestly, I'm on the fence about her whole story. I get having her survive in a modern world. Because having her die erases her. I don't know if I can get behind the eating disorder though. I could have seen a vicious anxiety disorder or something else that was mental health related. I just don't see Beth hurting herself like this. I understand that I'm putting my own perceptions on the disorder, but I never got the sense that Beth felt less of herself in this way.

Overall, I liked the modernization for what it is. Thank you!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for sharing this title. All opinions are my own.

Retellings of beloved stories can lend a fresh perspective to the characters and plot lines. The March sisters are grown women, living in a modern time. Follow up to Meg and Jo's stories told in a previous book. Also recommend Katherine Reay for similar retellings of Daddy Long Legs and others.

Let me say first that I am just not a fan of Little Women. BUT this book is so good. It has me changing my mind and being willing to go back and actually read the classic, instead of the CliffsNotes flashbacks and the heart palpitations I felt from being called in having not read it when I was supposed to. Maybe reimagined classics are the way to go!?