If living in a re-enactment amusement park has ever crossed your mind, this book might give you pause. While I enjoyed the premise and the Little Women references, this strays directly into some real campiness, which can be fun, but might be a smidge overdone in this. For the feminist HS student who wants something funny and can handle lots of Little Women references.

I read Little Women as a kid and absolutely adored it. Then, I was reintroduced to it when Greta Gerwig’s adaptation came out & fell in love all over again. That being said, when I saw this book on Netgalley I had to read it.

And as someone who loves the source material, I absolutely did not like this book. I couldn’t even make it the entire way through. I really disliked the bastardization of Little Women into a “theme park,” especially when the family itself gets the characters so wrong. I can’t imagine loving something so much despite the fact that you don’t really understand it at all.

The family dynamic in this book is rancid. The mom and Amy treat Jo like an object, like part of the set for their productions, not like an actual person with feelings. They dismiss every thing she says and does on her own time, actively ruining things she had planned for months in their desperate attempt to be famous. As someone who relates to the original Jo, it made me so incredibly angry to see this Jo act so demure when her family is treating her like that; she has no backbone whatsoever.

I was really hoping to like this one, and yet 2 stars seems generous. Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my review.

I was underwhelmed by this book. I found the characters one dimensional. Nothing happened for a huge portion of the book. Jo was also really whiny and annoyed me throughout.

I think I need to disclaimer this review by noting that I have not read (or watched) any version of Little Women. I know the story but just have never found myself with the need to pick it up, nor an assignment that called for it. That being said, you don't really need it in order to read and understand this book because the family helps you throughout, referencing scenes etc.

This was a weird read for me, I was torn between enjoying it, cringing a lot, and really just trying to push through to get it over with. The book is about a family that reenacts Little Women at their home. Three daughters and their mother put on the show with others from the community filling in for the other roles as needed, but it is very much a family business. However, not all the girls like their family obligation.

We follow Jo specifically throughout her want to leave this lifestyle behind but feeling the guilt of obligation. Jo is a runner for school and wants to focus on that aspect of her life, while her mother still wants her to focus on the show. Additionally, the business now has a reporter coming to do a story on them, so Jo needs to be there for her family.

The drama of this story is multifaceted. There is some romance around Jo, there is the family drama both of Jo not wanting to act but also sibling issues with all the girls, and then there is the conflict of the reporter being around and what she is actually reporting on.

I really liked this idea - a family reenacting a classic book, but I didn't really like the characters or how they handled themselves. I think that the mother was too self-centered and didn't realize that her family was imploding around her. The girls were all their own sorts of dramatic, Jo always complaining, Meg being the deviant or not there, and Amy being over the top into it all. While we followed Jo, she was annoying most of the time, complaining about her role in this whole thing and how horrible her family is, but she was just being horrible to them too. I liked her sarcasm, but it was thick and oftentimes too much. The romance elements were a little predictable, but they were ok. I found Hudson to be cringey from the beginning and was sad when she was interested in him.

The best parts of this book were the life-lessons but it too so much slogging to get to them and the pace was very slow through the middle then ran for the end. Overall, if you like family drama, this is a good book, but be prepared for some weirdness and some romance as well.

*3.5 stars*

WHEW. This is a book of extremes, one made up of a string of events that induces feelings of stress and frustration.

Amanda Sellet’s Belitted Women is about a modern day family that emulates Louisa May Alcott’s iconic novel Little Women — in name and also in spirit, at least when it comes to holding staged re-enactments of scenes from the book.

It doesn’t take long to realize that a good majority of the book is built around relatively distressing scenes where sisters argue and oftentimes say cruel things and quite fundamentally do not get along. As someone who grew up with a sister close in age, I know first-hand about sibling competition and the ways sisters can press each others buttons, but what transpires between these pages is some next-level stuff.

While the book’s MC Jo — who yes, was named after that Jo — isn’t faultless, the way her sisters Amy and Meg treat her isn’t awesome, and we never really get much insight into why. I mean, Jo is like their proverbial punching bag and it’s genuinely hard to read at several points throughout.

For one, the explanation Meg provides as to why she dated Jo’s best friend — who, mind you, Meg is fully aware has long been into her sister and who her sister might just like back — comes down to the fact that he has a car. That’s it. That’s the reason she has to justify her breaking an unspoken but cardinal rule between siblings. I really struggled to wrap my head around that plot point — also just generally not a fan of books where siblings date each others ex’s — and didn’t walk away feeling as if it was resolved or even properly addressed beyond that.

Other supporting characters also treated Jo poorly in different ways, but I will refrain from naming them in the interest of staying spoiler-free. (Justice for Jo.)

Moral of the story? While Belittled carries within it themes of family, self-discovery and the importance of writing your own story, I wouldn’t describe it as a feel-good read. In my humble opinion, it was more anxiety-inducing than satisfying. But the foundation of the story is well-built, and there’s certainly enough intrigue in it to keep readers engaged to the end.

I can see this appealing to readers who gravitate toward plot lines rooted around chaos, unfiltered adolescent drama and cutthroat familial tension, peppered with quirky puns. Sellet’s book is all of that, wrapped into an ode to Alcott herself.

*Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.*

I go into Little Women adaptations with an open mind because I like seeing what modern authors can bring to the story. Belittled Women was not it for me.

The character development was flat. So much of the story is spent watching Jo's mom and sisters treat her poorly. The characters feel more like caricatures than real, relatable people. The pacing was off.

I love Little Women and exploring retellings and modern adaptations, but this one just wasn't for me.

I, like many, loved Little Women growing up. I was obsessed with the 90's movie with Winona Ryder as Jo and since I grew up on a farm in the middle of nowhere, it wasn't embarrassing to be caught wearing a bonnet. Even with my love of all things Little Women, right down to publishing our own version of the Pickwick Papers and having no clue that was them copying Dickens, I would have been mortified to Jo Porter.

In Belittled Women, Jo Porter is reluctantly cast into the role of Jo March not by auditioning but by being born. Her mother is a Little Women enthusiast who named her children after the famous sisters, only she had three daughters: Meg, Jo, and Bethamy. If naming her children after the March Sisters was not enough, she moved them to a property in Kansas where they built the tourist attraction known as Little Women Live!

Jo Porter makes it quite clear that she does not want this life. She is tired of being constantly compared to Jo March. She is tired of the constant humiliation of performing in front of her peers all summer long. The tension builds during this particular summer because her mother invites a journalist to stay with them for a few weeks to really experience Little Women Live! and said journalist has a cute son Jo's age.

There were many things that I loved about this story: the banter was fabulous, the sarcasm was undeniable, there was a slow burn romance and a love triangle. On the other hand, there were things that I didn't love about this story. The Amy character was so over the top that Amy March is actually likeable in comparison. The family bickering, which was funny at the start, was tedious by the end. Overall, I thought it was a good read that I would be comfortable letting my teen read because it handled sensitive topics in a responsible way, but I don't know how she would enjoy it. If you do pick up this book, just remember that this is NOT Little Women and that is exactly the point.

Content info you may want to know about this book:
sexual content
mild language
straight and gay characters
underage drinking and partying

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
#BelittledWomen #NetGalley

A huge Thank You to The author, The publisher and NetGalley for providing the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.
Happy Publishing Day, to this glorious book!

In belittled women Joe cannot stand the sideshow attraction her mom runs. She would rather be running track I totally away from the small town and what she sees as the small life she lives. Over the summer however they get a favor photographer and her son who come to visit to document the summer show. This will open up Joe’s life and just maybe help her understand life is much bigger. I thought this book was cute for a YA romance this is however not a Little Women remix it is about a family who has a roadside attraction based on little women her and her sisters are named after the daughters from the book. I found this book to be a quick read an oboe the sisters seem to be quite annoying towards the end you will be rooting for Joe. I received this book from NetGalley and the publisher but I am leaving this review voluntarily please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

It seems like there’s been more focus lately on LITTLE WOMEN. At least, BELITTLED WOMEN is the second story inspired by the classic that I’ve read this year. Which is pretty cool. I enjoy seeing how authors reinterpret familiar tales.

My favorite part about this book is the banter. It pretty much never stops. Jo and Amy. Jo and Hudson. And my favorite, Jo and David. So much back and forth and hilarity. I laughed aloud more than once.

One thing I’ll say, though is I wish the author had chosen to include an author’s note in the book clarifying some of the story’s assertions about Louisa May Alcott’s life and the writing of LITTLE WOMEN. I poked around the internet for maybe half an hour, and stumbled onto an article in the ATLANTIC about LITTLE WOMEN and the evolving interpretation of it as we learn more about the author’s life. This article on Mental Floss might also be helpful if you aren’t familiar with the story. I also read the sample pages of the book MEG, JO, BETH, AND AMY: THE STORY OF LITTLE WOMEN AND WHY IT STILL MATTERS by Anne Boyd Rioux.

Admittedly, that’s a pretty scant amount of research. It did help clarify some of the things said in the book. The characters in BELITTLED WOMEN mention some information about Louisa May Alcott’s life and her other writing. One character states that Alcott referred to LITTLE WOMEN as “The Pathetic Family” but doesn’t clarify that is the nickname by which Alcott referred to her own family or really explore the context. It’s kind of meant to show her disdain for the story, and it’s stated by a character who has some ulterior motives, so it makes sense that she would avoid context.

Anyway. I found the story itself wildly entertaining and packed with fun. The Porter family dynamics reminded me a lot of the dynamics in the family of the movie LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE. It’s lots of fun and also has a sweet romantic subplot to boot. I think fans of Emma Mills or Emma Lord will enjoy this one.

Posted 11/28/22

I wouldn't recommend for middle school due to more mature YA themes (drinking, drugs, sex). I was expecting this to be more aligned to the original story, which it was not! That was on me, not on the book though. While I wouldn't recommend it for a middle school class, I did enjoy reading it myself and was definitely rooting for Jo. Had a hard time with the name "Bethamy" though.

Thank you to #NetGalley, Amanda Sellet, and the publisher of the book for the eARC copy in exchange for an honest review.

"Belittled Women" is slightly based off of Little Women. Jo Porter's mom is obsessed with "Little Women". So much so that her and her sisters are named after the sisters in the book (minus Beth). Jo is tired of it though and is ready to see what else life has to offer minus Little Women. That doesn't include another summer of acting in Little Women Live at their home/shop.
When a photojournalist comes to document their show and Jo lets her frustrations get in the way, will it ruin everything her and her family have worked for?

This was a fun and relaxing YA read. The middle was slow at times, but overall I enjoyed the book and will recommend it to others!

I was really looking forward to reading Belittled Women but unfortunately, it really fell short for me. At first, I wasn’t sure if it was because I’ve never read Little Women before so I’m not familiar with the characters it is inspired by, but honestly, that wasn’t it. This just wasn’t engaging, which is a real shame. There isn’t anything wrong with the writing, it’s well-written, but the story wasn’t as interesting as the synopsis promised.

The characters were somewhat insufferable and Jo in particular thought she was way better than everyone else. Funnily the sister I liked most was Amy, even though the story was told from Jo’s point of view and she really didn’t like her. At least Amy actually cared about the family business and wanted to help make it better.

I get that it’s probably quite an embarrassing thing to be part of when you’re a teenager, but when it comes to family I feel like you need to let that slide. If both of Jo’s sisters got on fine at school while being part of the show why did she seem to think she was suffering from it? That did not make sense to me.

The romance was a non-starter for me. It feel completely flat and I didn’t care about Jo enough to want her to have a romantic interest. Dating your sister’s ex just weeks after they broke up is weird, even if she was ok with it.

I’ll admit the turn the book took in the latter part with the article was good, but it didn’t really go anywhere. There was no fallout from it and it was all but forgotten by the end.

I’m actually so sad to be talking about this negatively as it was a highly anticipated read for me. Win some, lose some I suppose.

Right, I’m going to end this review on a positive note and say that I really love the cover. Apologies that this is one of the only positive things I had to say about Belitted Women, but unfortunately it was ok at best. It wasn’t completely terrible though so I will give it a generous three stars.

I was expecting to be charmed by this book, but the snarky tone just wasn't for me. DNF.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

I was so excited for this book, but found it fell short of my expectations. I’m a fan of Alcott’s original work, as well as some of the recent adaptations that have come out. Perhaps it is because this is a young adult book (though I firmly believe the original work is as well) but I couldn’t connect to characters and found them almost unrecognizable as the Little Women I know and love. The book is well written and has merit in its own but if you are looking for something to evoke the same feelings as Alcott’s Little Women, this book isn’t for you. I would say this book is geared towards the younger side of young adult, probably for 12-15year olds.

My request for this book had nothing to do with an affection for Little Women. I wanted to read this book because Sellet's debut was a gigantic hit for me, however, I found myself setting this book aside at the 37% mark. I kept waiting for this book to charm me, for the sweet romance to emerge, however, there was just a lot of barbs being exchanged and I found myself tired of it. It pains me to set this book aside, and I am still hopeful that future releases by Sellet will yield better results for me.

Was looking forward to this one, but was overall disappointed. While the author did a good job capturing the perspective of a teenaged girl, the pace of the story was slow, many pieces of the plot were thoroughly unrealistic.

Review scheduled for 11/28/22 on Forever Young Adult.

Cover Story: Adorable!
It’s in keeping with publishing’s current cartoony-cover trend, though I do think the black background and colorful oval cutout (evoking an old-timey portrait aesthetic) is cute, and gives off the energy that I think Jo’s mom hopes her Little Women Live! offers.

The Deal:
Three teenaged sisters—Meg, Jo, and Bethamy (just to cover all the bases) Porter—have spent their entire lives with Louisa May Alcott’s classic, Little Women. Their very own “Marmee” has even taken it upon herself to make her obsession her family’s livelihood, and so every year the girls must don their bonnets and plaid skirts and do live reenactments of key scenes from the book to groups on school field trips and the occasional Alcott-obsessed traveler. And Jo hates every moment of it.

Before the start of this year’s round of class visits, the Porter’s homespun tourist attraction has been chosen by a prominent journalist as her next article on small-town tourism, and suddenly Andrea and her adorable son, Hudson, are poking around behind the scenes of Jo’s personal nightmare. How honest is TOO honest when you’re talking to the press?

BFF Charm: Meh
I don’t dislike Jo. She’s prickly and saucy, and I like that in a person. But I’m not sure we have much in common for me to just hand out a BFF charm. I really don’t like running or sports as a hobby and even though she is tired of Little Women, she still references it way more than a person should (I don’t blame her; it’s a by-product of growing up brainwashed). She’s sour about her situation, and I totally sympathize, because I would also not want to be in her shoes either, but that also doesn’t make her a very fun BFF (maybe we can reconnect after she goes off to college).

Swoonworthy Scale: 4
For feeling like she’s a plain Jane, Jo certainly has a cadre of admirers running around her small Kansas town. Laurie plays, ah, Laurie in the production and they once had a casual thing (nothing to do when you’re bored backstage). There’s Hudson, whose nerd-chic, cosmopolitan vibe is so different from anything Jo has grown up with, and he makes her feel seen. There’s also next-door neighbor and childhood friend, David, with whom things are a bit awkward ever since he briefly dated Meg, Jo’s older sister. Jo and David’s moments are when the book comes the most alive, as they have adorable chemistry.

Talky Talk: Sophomore Slump
It pains me to say I didn’t really like this book, because I loved the author’s first novel and thought this was going to be an instant-win. Unfortunately, while the writing style was still easy to take in and there were some great lines and bits of humor, it came down to a slow, meandering pacing and a lack of self-awareness about its characters. I had an idea of where I thought this was going to go: Jo feels stifled and has out-grown her family’s livelihood; here comes this worldly journalist whom she accidentally opens up to too honestly, and then an unkind review makes her family’s lives harder and she feels regretful. It didn’t precisely go this way, but if it had…well, nothing Jo said was a lie. And with the way her mom and sisters acted, I would’ve said she has zero reasons to be regretful, because her family? They suck.

Marmee Porter? Sucks. The woman is narcissistic and living in her own dream world. Maybe it was passably cute to move to this farmhouse you inherited and make your elementary-aged children play-act scenes from your favorite book as a way to make money, but to keep it going once they’re teenagers, demand so much from them to keep running the family business that barely stays afloat, rarely parent them or ever listen to their wishes? That’s shitty parenting.

Amy Porter? Sucks. Jo’s overly dramatic and self-obsessed younger sister would butt her way into everything and rag on everyone, and frequently bust out with melodramatic, non-sequitur line readings. She is exhausting just to read about, and having to be around people like her in real life, to me, is the worst.

Meg Porter? Yep, also sucks! The oldest sister is a complete slacker who is allowed to slump off and shirk all of her responsibilities, facing no consequences, and then I’m supposed to feel sorry for her because she is also struggling because she feels too poor for her fancy skincare habits.

I think what made me angriest is that because we are in a YA novel and the way the tone of the book was going, I knew it wasn’t going to end with Jo realizing her family is toxic and working to get herself out of this mess. To make her nostalgic for what they had without every really having any of the characters confront their messy behaviors left me with a bad taste in my mouth.

Factor: Little Women
This book is positively peppered with characters tying back lines and moments to the book, whether or not they do it out of love for the work or because it’s just so ingrained into their lives they have no choice and it’s like a bad penny constantly popping up in their psyche. I have to confess: I’ve never been able to get through Little Women, and I’ve tried. I have seen the movie (at least part of the Susan Sarandon one, and the entirety of the more recent remake since everyone made such a fuss over it). But I actually don’t like the story or the characters that much, which made my choice to read this book either masochistic or completely brilliant. Though after looking at some other reviews, I don’t think your love or disinterest of Alcott’s work really makes Belittled Women’s issues any better or worse.

Relationship Status: Can I Get A Refund?
You sold your tourist attraction as a fun time had by all, Book, but that wasn’t really the case. I expected there to be a bit more to the plot, and instead the acting and the production design was lackluster. I may still give your distant relatives another shot in the future, but I won’t be back for an encore.

FTC Full Disclosure: I received my free review copy from Clarion Books. I received neither money nor peanut butter cups in exchange for this review. Belittled Women is available now.

Wow! As someone who adores Little Women, Belittled Women is the perfect modernization for fans of the classic!
The family dynamic is spot on, while the characters are spunky and funny as hell!
I laughed, I cringed, I cried, and I fell in love with Amanda Sellet’s retelling of a beloved classic. If you love the original, PICK THIS UP!!

As a big Little Women fan ever since childhood, I'm a sucker for a modern adaptation and Sellet's novel certainly lived up to the hype. It's a fun and cute YA novel that puts a modern spin on Louisa May Alcott's character but still pays homage to her characters and story. The language is easy to follow so that it reads quickly, but it definitely remains a self-aware adaptation. The ending is beyond adorable and completely perfect for any Alcott fangirls.