I want to preface this review by saying I went into this without any prior knowledge of these characters. I began to read Little Women many moons ago (in the 5th grade), and I never finished the book. With that said, I don't think you need to have read Little Women to enjoy this perfect retelling and to fall in love with Meg, Beth, and Amy's personal stories.

The Other March Sisters is relevant to today's political climate in terms of societal pressures on women, women's rights, pro choice, and queer people. It's an empowering book about finding oneself, overcoming fears and anxieties, learning to live life in the moment for yourself and no one else, sisterhood, and fierce female friendships.

Though I loved reading each of their stories, as an artist and wannabe herbalist, I personally found myself relating to Amy and Meg most. Reading about all the art Amy was encountering and making on her trip abroad was exciting, especially all of the references to art pieces I'm familiar with. Meg trying to find herself after having given birth is SO relatable as I feel most, if not all women, have struggled with this after becoming a mother. Once Meg honed in on her passion for plants and herbalism, I felt I was right there learning with her! The way the authors make each sister so passionate about their interests, it's easy to see while reading this book that they are very well versed in the topic of art, music, and herbalism.

This has easily become a new favorite book, and I can't recommend it enough!

Please check the TWs.

Read if you love:
🌸 Sisterhood
🌸 Strong female friendships
🌸 Queer representation
🌸 Women's rights/pro choice
🌸 Chronic illness representation
🌸 Art & music
🌸 Herbalism

Thank you so much to Liz Parker for gifting me an eARC and for including me in your acknowledgments. I am forever grateful for your inclusion and storytelling! And another thank you to Linda Epstein, Ally Malinenko, and Liz for this physical ARC I won from one of their giveaways.

Happy Release Day to The Other March Sisters! 🎉📖

For years, Meg, Beth, and Amy have lived in Jo March’s shadow. The Other March Sisters finally gives them their due, painting them as complex, passionate women with struggles, ambitions, and love stories all their own. Told through letters, conversations, and intimate moments, this reimagining brings fresh depth to these beloved characters.

🌿 Meg finds herself unfulfilled in marriage and motherhood, turning to her garden to cultivate not just plants, but a new sense of purpose.
🎶 Beth is more than just the fragile, angelic sister—here, she dares to reach for joy, even in the face of her mortality.
🎨 Amy shines in Europe, balancing artistic ambition, societal expectations, and a love story that challenges everything she thought she knew.

By leaving Jo off the page, the authors let Meg, Beth, and Amy step fully into the spotlight, crafting a story that will delight Little Women fans and historical fiction lovers alike. With echoes of March by Geraldine Brooks and Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell, this novel is a beautifully written exploration of love, art, independence, and self-discovery.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ A must-read for those who have ever wondered what was happening beyond Jo’s gaze!

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Publishing for the ARC.

This book was a lovely surprise. Like visiting an old friend that you haven't seen in a number of years and then as you catch up and learn more about what she's been up to, you are both a little surprised, but also realize it perfectly fits.

Through four parts, written by three authors, we get to know Amy, Meg and Beth in a new and wonderful way. As I first started the book, my previous bias against Amy slowed me down, so I jumped to Meg's section.

I had been drawn to the book after following Liz Parker, the author of the Meg portion, on Threads, so I figured I should at least give that part a read. I loved learning about this new Meg and through her letters to Amy, realized my bias toward the original, young Amy.

I am glad I read the entire book and overall I loved the concept of this book. Some might think it strays too much from the original, but I appreciate the modern spin on these three young women.

The Other March Sisters beautifully retells  the stories of the other "Little Women". These stories are about what these women wanted, their struggles and their hardships which would not have been possible to write about during the times when " Little Women" was published.  This magical retelling captures the essence of these sisters,  giving them their own voices and identity.

The Other March Sisters will have you captivated and invested in finding out what happens to these wonderful women and the stories they have to share.

Thank you Netgalley and Kensington Publishing for this amazing modern retelling.

Thanks to NetGalley and Kensington Publishing for the eARC!

I really enjoyed this book. While reading it, I was sometimes on the fence about whether I liked it or not, but the last scene with Amy really pushed this book into great territory!
I didn't always like the way it was written, but the stories themselves are so good. I loved how we watched each sister come into her own and try to create a happy life for herself.
I liked each of the sister's stories, even if it did sometimes seem like they blamed their mother for being overbearing and not letting them grow. But it was really interesting seeing how each of them struggled against that feeling.
I also really loved how the authors were able to evoke the sisterly feeling among the girls without there being much interaction between them actually on the page (and Amy is in Europe for the entirety of the book).

This novel is told in four parts, beginning (and ending) with Amy's trip to Europe with her aunt, uncle, and cousin. She knows that her parents are hoping that she will make a good (financial) match and Fred Vaughn is definitely giving it a good try.

Meg's story is next, and is far from the true love story that we saw in Little Women. Meg has given birth to twins and is tired of only taking care of house and home. When a friend gives her a copy of an herbal book, Meg sees the potential her overgrown garden has to give her a purpose of her own.

Beth's story is focused on her love of music and the piano, and her disenfranchisement with everyone treating her as if she'll break into a million pieces at any moment. When a friend of her father's brings his family to dinner, Beth becomes enamored with Florida, the outspoken daughter. Florida is a breath of fresh air and only sees Beth as a person, not a sick person, and Beth uses that to step out of her comfort zone and see what her future could hold.

We finish back with Amy, who has met up with Laurie after deciding that art is more important than what her parents want...and if you've read the original story, you know how this part ends.

All in all, this is a great, well-written novel giving a new perspective on the lives of the March sisters (even Jo, though she doesn't have her own section here - I mean, she got an entire book). If you love the original story, this won't deter from your love, it will only add to it.

Thank you to @KensingtonBooks and @NetGalley for a digital copy for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.

I’m sure my readers know that I’m totally put off my alternative history books (don’t try to sell me on a book where the Titanic makes it into New York harbor unscathed, thankyouverymuch). Yes, I know that historical fiction isn’t totally accurate, but most authors explain why they took certain liberties with the facts, which I find mostly acceptable. I’ve also never been a huge lover of what many people would call fan fiction. That being things like sequels to books by Jane Austen, where some new author thinks they know the continuation of the story after the original author has penned the words “the end.” My aversion to those is because they’ve mostly been disappointments for me, for many reasons. Now, part of this is probably because these authors carry on with the main characters and try to show us their lives that came afterwards.

That said, this book is a little bit different, which could be the reason why I felt this worked much better than some of the other attempts at similar types of stories. Firstly, we’re talking about minor characters, not the main ones. Most people know that Alcott’s “Little Women” was a semi-autobiographical story about herself, in the guise of the main character Jo. Alcott went on to write other novels where Jo was still front and center. Although Meg, Beth, and Amy appear in quite generously in that novel, they’re more like moons, reflecting the light from the sun that is Jo. This book, on the other hand, puts spotlights directly on these three women, and tries to make them far more three dimensional than they were portrayed in Alcott’s novel.

Now, you might have noticed that I noted in the categories above the LGBTQIA+ label. This might disturb some readers, but let me assure you that there have been gender diverse people on this planet since, well, forever. To insist that Alcott’s life was peopled by only 100%, straight as an arrow, heterosexuals would therefore be pretty naïve. Moreover, the chance that there were absolutely no people in Alcott’s family that didn’t fully align with that identity would be equally unbelievable. So, to suggest that maybe one of these girls might have been a lesbian or at least attracted to women, or that one of the other people in their lives might be a homosexual or bisexual seems totally normal to me. Furthermore, according to the authors’ notes, there were some pretty strong hints among these four women’s letters to each other that would suggest that our three writers had the evidence to crack open a door or two of the Alcott family’s closets. Mind you, I’m not sure that people back then would have been as accepting as these women were characterized as being, but Alcott’s family – both fictional, and in real life – were very progressive.

Now, as fascinating as all this sounds, I must admit that I have to complain about whoever wrote Meg’s part of this story regarding her children. These twin infant children were written to be far too precocious, nay, practically geniuses, since the age she gave them did not at all match their monumentally advanced ability to verbally communicate. Aside from this, I found the writing here – especially Beth’s section – to be just beautiful, and I truly enjoyed getting to see sides of these characters that Alcott didn’t portray in her original novel. So, overall, I did enjoy this book very much, and I’m recommending it with a health four out of five stars.

I honestly enjoyed this more than I expected to, and I think that is mostly because the characters felt so familiar and nostalgic. It was so nice to spend time with them again and learn more about them individually. I appreciated that each sister was featured in their own section of the book but we got to see their stories unfold side by side. Read when you want to revisit old friends through a new story.

'The Other March Sisters' is a great read - particularly for fans of 'Little Women.'
This novel reimagines the lives of Amy, Meg, and Beth in alternating sections. In every case, these women go in search of their 'true' selves, with some inspiring results.
This is not a 'be a good girl and marry the right person' - it's more a 'be brave, and discover what truly makes you happy' story.
Remember Marmee? She doesn't get the best press here. And Jo? Barely a mention. Laurie is in this book, with a twist!
I love that was a collaboration write among three different authors yet each section and character feels totally connected to the entire book.
What a delightful read!

To begin, I will mention that I do not usually read historical fiction or classics. In all honesty, if Liz hadn't reached out to me about being an early reader, I might have missed this book because of its genre. I am so thankful that she did!

The Other March Sisters pulled me in instantly. Emotional and character-driven, we get a reimagined story of 3 sisters. 

I liked the way each sister developed over the course of the story. Amy, Beth, and Meg each face their own struggles, whether socially and/or internally. Each of them eventually finds what makes them happy, and it is written in a way that can be relatable to so many readers.

The relationship between the sisters and other characters was fun to read with the addition of letters sent to one another to give more backstory along the way.

Liz, thank you again for allowing me to be a part of the early reader team for The Other March Sisters. It is truly a wonderful read and is so well done by each author involved! Being a huge fan of both her writing and her as a person, I was thrilled to be asked. Maybe this will also broaden my horizons in terms of reading genres!

This book touches on some tough subject matter, so be sure to check the content warnings (I've put them at the end of this review).
⚠️ content warnings: child death, chronic illness, abortion

Thank you to @lindaepsteinauthor @allymalinenko @lizparkerwrites @kensingtonbooks and @netgalley for the #gifted e-book!

As a child, Little Women held a special place in my heart, so I was eagerly anticipating this new release that delves into the lives of Beth, Meg, and Amy. Each sister's story is crafted by each one of the talented authors, drawing inspiration from the real life of Louisa May Alcott and her sisters.

In this captivating narrative, Jo embarks on an adventure in New York, while Amy fervently perfects her artistic skills and searches for the right husband in Europe. Meg, though married and a mother of twins, seeks a deeper purpose beyond her roles as wife and mother, and Beth confronts her illness at a tender age with remarkable strength.

The authors weave together each sister's story, creating a reading experience that truly brings the characters to life. The sisters individual journeys are distinct yet interconnected, allowing readers to witness their personal struggles and triumphant moments. Through the heartfelt letters exchanged between the sisters, we gain invaluable insight into their relationships and the depth of their shared hopes and fears. I found the negative portrayal of Marmee, especially her relationship with Meg, somewhat disappointing.

If you're longing for a exploration of the untold stories of the March sisters, look no further. This book is set to be published on February 25, 2025.

I have loved the March sisters since childhood and could not wait to dive into this novel which dives into Amy, Meg, and dear Beth’s lives and touches on the moments we know from Little Women. What makes this companion novel special is that the sisters share their own stories.

The Other March Sisters tells of Amy, Beth, and Meg’s joys, fears, struggles, and dreams in a way that cannot be achieved in Little Women since their lives and experiences are told by Jo and naturally shaded by her own feelings and judgment. While touching on the events we already know, Epstein, Malinenko, and Parker beautifully venture beyond the beloved classic and give each of these young women the opportune to take center stage.

My heart ached for these dear sisters as they grappled to find their place and purpose while also fighting to free themselves from the confines of Marmee’s expectations they be “good little pilgrims.” I found myself teary reading through each sister’s section, but I was especially moved by Beth’s story. Our perception of Beth has been that she is fragile from a childhood illness, not wanting for adventure, and simply content with a little life… but that is so limited because we’ve only known Beth through Jo’s eyes. These authors remove the lens of Jo’s perspective and give us a glimpse of Beth’s ambition, desires, and anger that simmers beneath the surface of her quiet, dutiful exterior. Our dear sweet Beth getting an adventure of her own brought me to tears.

Oh how I loved this book and dearly cherished the gift of spending time with these characters who have been bosom friends since childhood.

It’s no small task to tackle “Little Women” by Louisa May Alcott right as it enters the public domain. “The Other March Sisters” takes a much beloved novel and protagonist and expands this universe with reality, where reality may be very unwelcome. I struggled with the first big of this book and then grew to appreciate it more as I settled in. I particularly enjoyed the expansion on Meg’s story as I always found her marriage to John Brooke immensely dissatisfying.

I wish the authors’ note was at the beginning instead of the incendiary “dear reader” note. That sets the tone for the book better and provides the reader with context about how much care the authors put into this writing.

Wow, I loved this queer retelling of Little Women, exploring the lives of the other March sisters. I also loved the deep dive the authors did on the life of LMA and her sisters, and drew inspiration from their journals and letters!!

I read Little Women years ago, and also made my mum buy the other books written by LMA 🤭 I didn’t revisit these books before reading this one, and I don’t think it matters that I didn’t. Now that I’ve been made aware of all the queer references in LMA’s writing, I will have to be more intentional when revisiting the books!

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC!

DNF @ 10%

I have to admit, all I know about Little Women is from the Greta Gerwig movie, which I watched years ago and barely remember. I tried to read the original, but quickly put it down as the writing style was not to my taste. I found that to be the case for The Other March Sisters. If you enjoyed the writing style of the original book, you would probably like this as well. If I had more of an attachment to the characters, I might have tried to push on, but I don't, so I didn't. Anyway, this really just wasn't for me, but if you are a fan of Little Women, you might like this!

📖 +🎧: The Other March Sisters-a standalone

✍🏾 Authors: Linda Epstein, Ally Malinenko, and Liz Parker

📅Publication date: 2-25- 25 | Read 2-22-25

📃 Format: eBook 304 pgs.

🗣️Narrators: Laura Knight Keating, Taylor Meskimen, and Rachel Botchan voice all the characters with standouts from Amy, Fred, Meg, and Beth. The reading style brought the text to life, and the authors and narrators worked together perfectly. The pacing and flow allowed me to get lost in the story. The narrators paused and announced new chapters and there was a table of contents which helped me follow along.

🏃🏾‍♀️‍➡️Run Time: 12:15

Genre:
*Historical Fiction
*Women's Fic

Tropes:
*retelling- Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women
*feminism/women's suffrage/abolitionists
*societal restrictions/expectations
*chronic illness
*artistic ambition
*LGBTQIA+ rep

👆🏾POV: 3rd person, multiple

⚠️TW: abortion, meddling parent, grief, racism

Summary: The four March sisters have been written about with Jo at the forefront. Now Amy, Meg, and Beth tell their own stories of life and love.

👩🏾 Heroine: Amy March-18, a copyist painter studying in London and Paris. Looking to marry well to help support her family financially.

👩🏾 Heroine: Margaret "Meg" March- Brooke- 23, pretty and conventional; newly married with young twins, struggles with domesticity. Unhappy and unfulfilled, she turns to her garden, finding a calling that will allow her to help other women.

👩🏾 Heroine: Beth March-shy & kind; plays piano/loves music; contracted scarlet fever and never fully recovered. She knows she's dying but wants to break out of her comfort zone. A new acquaintance turns into something more, offering unexpected, quiet joy. Closest to sister Jo

🎭 Other Characters:
* Fred Vaughn-rich from a good family, courting Amy
* Theodore "Laurie" Laurence- 21, visits Amy in Europe
* Jo March-Amy's sister, a writer in NY; stubborn, tomboyish, and ambitious
* Sally Moffat-Meg's friend that helps her start her business
*Mr. Laurence-befriended Beth and gave her a piano.
*Florida Ronson- a black girl who meets Beth because her parents are abolitionists like Beth's parents

🤔 My Thoughts: I loved Little Women, and the re-imaging of their stories was great. Amy, Meg, and Beth got their own stories of love, ambition, and family. Meg's married life and motherhood was not what she hoped until she discovered her true purpose in healing. I enjoyed Beth's tale most because illness and death defined her character. Playing piano, loving music and meeting Florida gave such a better version of her.

Rating: 5/5 ✨

🙏🏾Thanks to NetGalley, Kensington Publishing, RB Media| Recorded Books, and Linda Epstein, Ally Malinenko, and Liz Parker for this ARC and ALC! I voluntarily give my honest review, and all opinions are my own.

Read this if you like:
•Little Women
•Queer love
•Strong female characters

Little Women is one of the only classics I’ve read and enjoyed. It has a special place in my heart. I loved getting to read a retelling inspired story with the background in the other sisters. Meg, Amy & Beth are such wonderful people and I’m glad their stories are being told. This story was beautiful! Thank you Kensington for the eARC!

Thanks to NetGalley and Kensington Publishing for access to this title. All opinions expressed are my own.

The authors, inspired by their admiration for Little Women tell us a little more about Meg, Beth, and Amy and the women that they wanted to be. Future readers, please know that the authors are drawing more from the real-life Alcott sisters than their fictional counterparts. I wholeheartedly recommend going right to the back and reading what the authors tell you about their writing process before reading.

What I liked:

✅Meg's story I re-read Little Women not too long ago and the marriage of Meg and John had me thinking differently about the way her character was written. Why did we as readers believe that Meg who enjoyed going to balls and wearing pretty things was so willing to marry a man of little income like John Brooke? I appreciated the exploration of that very question, Meg's relationship with her mother and finding her sort of happiness within her family.

✅ Marmee- I suppose thanks to Hollywood, Marmee, has become this beloved mother figure but the matriarch of the Alcott clan was very active in securing good marriages for her daughters and now I realize she was very instrumental in the books in steering all of her daughters this way.

✅ Beth- I always felt sorry for this character and I think the authors of this book do a good job of giving her a fuller storyline.


Things I didn't like
✅ Amy- her chapters open and close the book for us, but I didn't really "discover" anything I didn't know about Amy or Laurie for that matter. When reading her chapters, I almost dnf'd the book but as you can see, it was worth it to see how all the March women were portrayed. I just have never been an Amy fan. 🤷‍♀️
✅There were letters all through the book and I COULDN'T READ A SINGLE ONE. They were in 4 font or something and despite trying to enlarge the text, the fonts of the letters never increased. I do understand that I was reading an ARC but it still dampened my reading experience.
✅ There is no Jo March in the book and I know that Little Women is sort of her story BUT I missed her as much as Beth missed her.

The book as a whole just never rose above the 2-star rating for me as a reader. I have listed things that I enjoyed, but even they couldn't make my writing go higher.


#TheOtherMarchSisters #NetGalley.
Expected Publication Date 25/02/25
Goodreads Review Date 22/02/25

A provocative retelling for three of the beloved quartet of March sisters.
Each of the authors took a snippet of Amy, Meg, and Beth’s lives and reworked their stories to show a different angle.
I’ve read Little Women numerous times and have read a lot of retelling of their story.
No matter how she’s repackaged I still don’t like Amy, never have and never will.
I found Meg’s story to be the most compelling as she found her own groove. I enjoyed her telling the often insufferable and sanctimonious Marmee a few things.
Beth is always fragile bit it was good to see some spunk ignite in her.

A modern view of Little Women, The Other March Sisters shows the struggles that women go through life to open new paths, follow their hearts and fighting against prejudice to build a career. Even though the story takes place in the beginning of the 20th century most issues remain the same in some countries where women are still expected to be mothers and stay home supporting their husbands and quite often in arranged and loveless marriages. In other places life is easier but not as one would like. Beautifully written this book provides good entertainment for a few hours.
I thank the authors, their publisher, and NetGalley for this ARC.