If you are a reader, you know Louisa May Alcott's classic Little Women. I distinctly remember I was ten years old when I received a copy for Christmas and I devoured the story of Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy (I, too, am one of four girls). Reading Little Women remains, to this day, one of my most favorite childhood memories. I am always excited to revisit the March family and when I saw The Other March Sisters I jumped at the chance to fall back under the spell of this family. While I appreciated that the authors had a different perspective, I was confused by the changes. The March family (to me) was a family that was supportive of each other and loved each other unconditionally. The divisiveness between Marmee and Meg, Beth's anger, Amy's sense that her parents expected her to "marry well" ... was I reading about the same March family? This is just my perspective, I am sure there are readers out there who will enjoy this story, but I felt like this story tainted my childhood memories.

I thought this book was a great idea - the stories of Meg, Amy, and Beth being brought out from behind the overpowering force of Jo. The writing felt very similar to me to Louisa May Alcott’s, so if that worked for you the first time, I think you will really like this. To me, it doesn’t work very well. I felt like the story dragged more than it should and it is just hard for me to connect well with this type of language. I thought the back stories were creative and respectful of Little Women. Overall, well done but just not my type of book.

The audiobook was beautifully done.

What I enjoyed most about this book is how each of the sisters are so different and unique. But all three are loyal and dedicated to what they want. For Amy it was art. Meg, a different life than what her mother planned for her and for Beth, realizing her future with her health. This extra glimpse into their lives from these authors was enlightening. I appreciated the liberties each took with for Amy, Meg, and Beth.

I highlighted many quotes while reading and many lines stood out to me that resonated the sister’s strengths and purpose for making their own decisions for themselves. While some of the interpretations surprised me but I felt the stories were told in a way that had a more detailed reimagining from the original story.

The audio narrators were well done! I enjoyed each variety of voices used. There was a different narrator for each sister and I was glad for that. Each narrator fit their characters well. Each voice was easy to listen to.

I received a NetGalley link from Uplift Reads for tour purposes and a NetGalley link for the audio from the publisher. All views are my own.

I love the idea of this - bringing us the perspectives of the different March sisters. Of course when one tells the tale of all, it makes sense the others would have their own story. Considering how well loved Marmie seemed in the original, it felt like her vilification here was pretty... unlikely? Perhaps a softer touch here would be been more believable - certainly changing relationships with parents is normal with young adults, but this felt like a lot more than that.
Also, perhaps a bit overstepping on sexuality. Fair that there would be some question here, but with the amount in the book, it felt intended to shock instead of question. Overall, enjoyed the book.

I love the novel Little Women and have often thought about how the other March girls might have lived their lives, so it was such fun to hear these imagined stories. I absolutely loved the story of Meg - learning about her garden and how she supported women during this time was enlightening. And it was also fascinating to see another side to her relationship with her mother. Additionally, the story of Amy and in parallel the story of Laurie and how their relationship was not so easy and "tied in a bow", as Little Women makes it seem, was wonderful to hear. I also enjoyed the story of Beth, this was the most difficult for me to connect with, but I think that may have been the narrator for Beth; I found her inflections and tone to be off-putting so it made it difficult at times to listen to her and I did not connect as well with her character. But overall, I loved listening to this book and I highly recommend it.

“The Other March Sisters” offers a fresh take on “Little Women, Part 2.” It’s a bit more quirky and probably more relatable to women in Massachusetts during that time. You don’t need to have read or know much about Alcott’s classic before diving in. I didn’t, and this story stands on its own. We learn about these characters through a different lens. We still have the same four sisters: Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy. Jo’s story takes a backseat, and we only get to know her through her sisters’ stories.

The story starts with Meg, who’s married to John and has twins. She transforms her garden into an herbalist’s paradise and starts making potions for her friends. At first, Meg isn’t thrilled with her life. She’s not happy being a wife and can easily see how her mother’s influence is too strong in her life and the choices she’s made completely influenced by her mother. She sees the limitations in her mom’s version of suffragette activism compared to her own and fears that her “medicinal treatments” with herbs, for women, could land her in jail. As her story unfolds, Meg discovers her independence in her marriage and realizes she can be an herbalist, a wife, and a mom without her mom’s approval.

Beth is a lovely, gentle, and shy girl who’s been dealing with the long-term effects of scarlet fever (probably rheumatic fever), which Meg dreams of curing with her magical herbs. Beth stays in childhood home with her parents and acts and lives just like a small child with her pets, dolls, and music. But then, a new friend named Florida comes into her life. Florida’s parents, and Beth’s parents, are involved in the Suffrage for African Americans. Beth’s family opens their home to Florida’s family, and soon, Florida is asking Beth to teach her piano. We see how chronic illness can affect a person like Beth, with depression and PTSD which are starting to show up. Having Florida in her life brings a whole new world to her, and she doesn’t know how to handle it. She writes to her sister, Amy, all about Florida and how she feels about girls versus boys. But those letters she never actually sends, they stay hidden among her stuffed animals.

Meanwhile, Amy is off in Europe with her aunt and uncle, learning all about art. She’s frustrated that female artists aren’t treated the same as men. Lawrence (Laurie), who’s from back home, is also touring Europe. Laurie comes from a wealthy family, and Amy’s mom wanted her to marry Laurie to save the March family from financial trouble. But as much as Amy and Laurie’s relationship grows, Laurie starts to pull away. Later, Amy finds out from Fred that Laurie is romantically involved with another man. Fred is also wealthy, and Amy starts to think she’ll have to marry Fred to please her mom, but she’ll "feel like she’s dying inside" if she does. She’ll have to choose between art and marriage.

Throughout the story, we hear how Jo considers herself a “brother sister” and how Jo is lovingly considered when Amy thinks about Laurie and how Beth deals with her feelings for Florida.

This story is told by three ladies: Laura Knight Keating, Taylor Meskimen, and Rachel Botchan. I thought the narration was mostly good, but it could’ve been a bit shorter. I never put my narrators above 1x speed, because it feels like an insult. But this time, I might’ve had to DNF if I didn’t. Maybe it’s because of the nature of the story, but it felt more like storytelling than a performance. Not that one is better than the other, but I’m used to more of a performance. From that perspective, I thought it was beautifully executed, even though it was a bit long.

I received a copy of this Advanced Listeners Copy from the publisher via Netgalley, and am leaving a voluntary review

A fresh and feminist reimagining of Little Women, The Other March Sisters finally gives Meg, Beth, and Amy the voice and depth they always deserved. This novel challenges the idea that only Jo was the rebellious one, showing how each sister fought against societal constraints in her own way—Meg’s struggle for independence beyond marriage, Amy’s defiance of expectations to pursue art, and Beth’s quiet but profound journey of self-worth. The audiobook brings their stories to life even more vividly, making their triumphs and struggles feel intimate and deeply moving.

This reimagining of the March sisters from Little Women is such an interesting idea. I liked some parts more than others. I fully support giving some background stories to Amy, Meg and Beth and I loved their strong personalities. Yet it almost seems the authors tried too hard to include every possible change and maybe it strayed a bit too far from Louisa May Alcott’s classic story. I enjoyed listening to the audiobook and thought the narrators did a good job.

The Other March Sisters is a fantastic companion to Little Women that focuses on Meg, Beth, and Amy while leaving Jo largely off the page. Jo has always been a favorite of mine, so I wasn't sure how much I would love this one, but they do a great job!

I really enjoyed that it delved into Meg and Amy's characters much more deeply. Beth also got some redemption, but I felt like her story could have been explored a little bit more. Meg had a fascinating story with her garden and its medicinal properties that I was all about.

Thanks to NetGalley, Linda Epstein, Ally Malinenko, Liz Parker, and RB Media for the chance to read and review. My opinions are my own.

The narrators did a fantastic job giving each girl voice, and I moved through this book SO quickly!

4⭐️

First, thank you to RB Media, Linda Epstein, NetGalley for a chance to preview this title.

I have always loved Little Women and so I jumped at the chance to read about "what went on behind the scenes." This book tells of the stories of each sister, Amy, Meg, and Beth, during the time where Jo had run off to New York. I will admit that there were several sections that surprised me, and the stories were made all the more surprising as this author took liberties with interpretations from the original book (never changing the story but making it mean something else). I truly believe that one needs to have read Little Women (several times if I am being honest) in order to fully understand the complexity of this book.

I would whole-heartedly recommend this book to anyone who loves Little Women. I did take off 1 star bc the book circles back around to Amy's story but leaves Meg and Beth hanging.

Thank you @netgalley and RBmedia for this audiobook! In this retelling of Little Women from Amy, Beth and Meg's point of of view, some things are similar but the girls' feelings are independent.

I enjoyed this book immensely. The only thing I question is the over sprinkling of questioning sexuality. It wasn't done like some sort of family mystery but almost everyone has the feelings and in their tight knit group it seems like a bit much. I wish there was more of Beth.

This was an interesting take on 'Little Women'. I enjoyed the different perspectives from the 3 sisters, but sadly missed Jo. Since the book was giving the sisters perspectives, I thought she should have been included. Overall I enjoyed the book from a fresh perspective.
3.5

I love Little Women, but this was not the read for me. It didn't feel true to the original heart and story of Little Women, and seemed to just want to tackle as many "hot button" issues as possible.

I did okay reading through Amy's parts, but was incredibly disappointed in Meg's story, and didn't make it through to Beth's.

Just lovely!
Being acquainted with Louisa M. Alcott’s ‘Little Women’ from my childhood days, I was immediately drawn to this book. Little Women tells us the story of the four sisters through Jo, but here in The Other March Sisters, Jo is purposely not given a voice so that we gain insight into the thoughts and feelings of Meg, Beth and Amy.

This book strongly portrays how much ambition these young ladies had, beyond what society and their own family expected of them. I really enjoyed seeing each of them flourish and find purpose in their lives. The easy option would have been to sit back and be what society and their parents expected them to be, but they strived to be true to themselves; finding fulfilment in both love and personal ambition. My favourite character in this book was Meg - I think as a wife and a mother I could relate to her story but I also found her work and achievements quite fascinating.

The audio narration felt rather monotone and lacking in expression at times, but I was engaged with the story and am glad to have experienced more of Meg, Beth and Amy.

I received a complimentary audio copy of this book from the publisher, RBmedia. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Little Women is my favorite book of all time (I even named my daughter Meg) so I was thrilled to get the opportunity to read this. I wouldn’t classify this as a retelling, instead I’d say that it’s an expansion to the world of LW.
The exploration of “what could’ve” happened along side Jo’s version of events is a fabulous concept. It adds new light and depth to Meg, Beth, and Amy. I always came away from LW feeling sad for Beth, of course, neutral on Meg, and kind of negatively of Amy. Seeing these expansions of their lives added so much to Alcott’s original. I loved the strength that Meg gained from finding usefulness within her life as a wife and mother. It made me so happy to see Beth have a tender relationship in her time, and Amy was completely redeemed as a person seeking inspiration and love, not just money. Amy’s letters (to and from) throughout the book helped to see their relationships entwined.

The trio of narrators was *chef’s kiss*. Each woman had their own district story and needed different voices to share them.

This has earned a spot on my Little Women shelf!

Audiobook feedback: The narrator for Amy made me want to dnf several times. I struggled to get into the book because of that narrator. She would insert pauses into the middle of sentences, making it difficult to understand what is going on. The other narrators, especially Beth's, we're very good.

As a lover of all things Little Women I was excited for this retelling. I am not such a purist that I wasn't ready for some other dialogue and possibilities among the March sisters, but I feel like the author (as have many before her) got a checklist of all the hot button topics of society in 2025 and checked them off one by one for this book. I was definitely expecting some women's liberation thinking and talk...and this truly was becoming somewhat of an issue in the day Little Women was written since we know Marmee was a proponent of women's suffrage. But scoffing at a mother in those days seeking marriage for her daughters is ridiculous. It was a necessary pursuit for most whether good or bad. Just a bit of accurate historical context would be good...or else just write a contemporary novel. Does every character in the story really face the issues of abortion or homosexuality or interracial relationships or ___ (insert item from social checklist)...and equally approve of all of them without realizing the repercussions of the time period?
Rather than being pleased at the possibility of some alternative choices for relationships, it was kind of just sad to see that what Alcott started wasn't embellished upon, but rather muddied, in my opinion. Jo's absence was palpable in the story, but even ones you might have hoped to hear more about (Amy and Laurie, for example) fell apart.
The multiple narrators for this audio version did do a nice job, however.
I really do enjoy classic lit retellings but would recommend instead going with Caroline, Marilla of Green Gables, Mr. Rochester, Death Comes to Pemberley and Marmee to name a few.
Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington for this ARC. All opinions are mine.

I modern extension of a classic. I love Little Women and the March Sisters. I was so excited for this ARC and went into this story with an open mind (which one really has to do with retellings).

The good: Meg’s story had me by my heart, and while this is not Alcott’s books, it had me really thinking back to who Meg was in Little Women and her relationship with John.

I believe the authors really did Beth justice. Sometimes she can get lost and feel like SHE is the baby of the family, and not Amy. I felt the authors did great in rounding her out as a whole person.

The not so good: Where. Is. Jo. I know this js the OTHER March sisters, but no Jo at all? I am not here for the Jo Erasure.

Amy’s story fell flat for me. While Meg and Beth felt as if they became real or an extension of who they were, Amy felt like she just stayed Amy. Maybe that is a good thing?

3 authors for a single novel is a lot. While I don’t have any direct criticism to give, it is something that is noticeable. Some people enjoy novels written by multiple authors, but every time I give it another go I realize why it is just not for me. As much as it can lend to giving each character her own voice, it can equally take away from the fluency of the product as a whole.

The Other March Sisters invites readers to a world familiar and yet new. The characters you may remember have fresh depth and motivation.
With a modern twist, the author gives you something new to love about this classic.

Conceptually, The Other March sisters was a story I was so excited about, sadly it wasn't executed in a manner that felt fresh or engaging for my tastes.

I think this particular approach of tackling the other sisters through the eyes of various authors is genius in theory but I did feel that it led to the book feeling disjointed and tonally off kilter. I felt engaged with some of the perspectives and confounded with others. Rounding out the lives of such beloved characters is a daunting task and while I do commend the authors for attempting it, I think many of the choices, Marmee's in particular, veered to far away from the bones of who the characters are.

I think folks who feel akin to the original story might find this to detract from the beloved lore.

I did feel that the narration was done well and added to the story throughout.