Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC to review!
Rating (on a scale of 1 to 5, 5 being excellent)
Quality of writing: 5
Pace: 4
Narrators: 5
Plot development: 4
Characters: 5
Enjoyability: 5
Ease of Reading: 5

Overall rating: 5 out of 5

The premise of this book is that the original was written by a Jo and Marmie apologist. This book follows the other sisters' perspectives during the middle of the book. It starts with Amy when she is in Europe, connecting with artists and reconnecting with Laurie. (I found this to be the weakest section, very lacking in nuance in the writing, so keep going if you're irritated by the writing in this part.) Then we see Meg figuring out marriage and motherhood, then Beth making connections outside of the sick room and then back to Amy in Europe. I don't want to spoil anything so I won't share more specifics but there are interesting plot lines relating to women's health, and homosexuality as well.

This book was very fun to read, gave me lots to think about and felt closely aligned with the spirit of the original book. I found myself wanting a friend to read it so that we could talk about it together, which is a great sign.

With that said, it's not a perfect book. I've already mentioned the writing in the Amy section, and I felt that the negativity toward Jo and Marmie in both sections lacked nuance. I'd be interested to know the way that the three authors divided work--did they each write one sister? Did they collaborate on all sections? I'm wondering if this contributed to the unevenness.

Still, after Laurie shows up in Amy's section I was hooked and basically read it in one sitting.

Overall. recommended, please read and talk to me about it!

Thank you to RB Media for giving me this ARC for unbiased review.

The Other March Sisters holds up to its description by painting a detailed, wholesome, and interesting portrait of the "other" three March sisters. Epstein brings us into the lives of Amy, Beth, and Meg in a way that the original (and also many of the film adaptations) are not able to. My favorite focus was on Beth, who I believe is the most overlooked sister and who is largely considered to be "babied" sometimes in the original Alcott text. In Epstein's book, Beth is courageous and thoughtful, and refreshingly, is not a "back row" character.

This serves as a companion/retelling to the beloved Little Women (which heavily focused on Jo), instead telling the stories of Meg, Amy, & Beth near the end of the events of the original Little Women. While Jo is away in New York, the other sisters are forging their own paths: Amy exploring art in Europe, Meg navigating motherhood and married life with a growing gardening business, & Beth, who feeling left behind, forges new friendships as she teaches piano. Together and apart, each March sister has a story to tell, and now, we’re hearing what each one could’ve been.
I really love that each sister got her own author and own narrator. It helped bring a personality and authentic story to each one of the March women. I was a little surprised in the direction some stories went (like a dark, unlikable side to Marmee) but otherwise enjoyed this retelling of one of my favorite classics. Each narrator brought Meg, Beth, & Amy to life.
Thank you to RBmedia for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

As a lifelong admirer of Little Women, I was intrigued by the premise of The Other March Sisters and its attempt to revisit Alcott’s beloved world through a new lens. However, while the idea had potential, the execution left much to be desired.

Unfortunately, The Other March Sisters struggles to recapture the kind of magic present in Little Women. Rather than enhancing the original, it often feels as though it diminishes what made Little Women so enduring.

While reimagining classics can be a worthwhile endeavor, it must be done with care, respect, and a clear purpose. In this case, the novel feels less like a tribute and more like an unnecessary revision of something that was already beautifully crafted. For readers hoping to revisit the warmth of Little Women, this book may ultimately be more frustrating than fulfilling.

I really did love this story. It was very sweet but also sad. It had beautiful LGBT+ representation which I feel is really important right now. The different points of view and the way certain characters regard other characters was really interesting and addeyd a lot of nuance to the story that I hadn’t considered before. I think it’s really beautiful that a story that was considered progressive in its day was able to have an even more progressive makeover in this tale. I think Louisa May Alcott would have been proud.

Unlike Little Women, this novel focuses on the three other sisters. Meg, Amy, and Beth. I’d argue Amy is the feature character in this story although she doesn’t endeavor to tell her fellow sister’s stories.

Amy is on a European tour with family and feeling the pressure to make a good match but wanting to focus more on art. Along the way she makes some surprising discoveries about a dear friend.

Meg is unhappy in her marriage and has lost herself in motherhood until she finds a way to help others and rediscover herself in new ways. And maybe actually fall in love with her husband.

Beth is tired of being seen as an ailment. She wants to be a whole person. This desire is lit with the spark that flies when she meets the daughter of an associate of her parents and strives to figure out how to live while she can.

This story does include some more progressive ideas that the original novel would’ve balked at including, but they fit in seamlessly with the characters and the story. Overall if you’re a fan of the original you may just enjoy getting to meet these characters in a new way.

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.

I adored how each sister had their own narrator to bring their stories to life and take us readers into confidence by sharing their deepest desires and secrets. I would have loved even reading only a physical copy, but there was something incredibly special about getting to hear the March sisters and it felt like an intimate conversation with friends.

📖 +🎧: 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.

Thanks to Recorded Books for the gifted ALC!

Okay. I am neither a lover of classics nor a regular historical fiction reader... BUT I do love Liz Parker, so I read this... in two sittings! I absolutely loved it, and would've read it in one sitting, but kids. I loved following the stories of Amy, Meg, and Beth. They had such distinct voices and I was truly engaged all the way through the book - the storyline was cohesive, familiar to the classic, and flowed very well. While this is a fresh take, the authors really took the time to do their research and make these characters representative of their times, struggles, and desires. While I haven't read the books listed as comparative reads in the synopsis (Hamnet, March, Caroline), this did remind me a bit of Weyward, and I think readers of that would appreciate this book!

I really enjoyed listening to this on audio, as narrated by Laura Knight Keating, Taylor Meskimen, & Rachel Botchan. It was nice to have a voice for each perspective! 

Trigger warning: herbal abortion

First of all 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!

I loved little women so this was truly felt like a reunion for all these characters! I really love the narrator! If you loved little women you will love this book I enjoyed every second!

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 Netgalley for the ALC

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of The Other March Sisters (audio version)
by Linda Epstein, Ally Malinenko, Liz Parker

While I do not typically care for historical reads I make the exception at The Little Woman, I have always loved the Little Woman, Starting with the Tales of the Little Woman in the 80's as a child to many different retelling of the original version.
This one however is about the other sisters Meg, Beth, and Amy and how they follow their own paths. I absolutely love this book, a very rare 5 star I devoured it in just a day I couldn't put it down. I loved the flow of the book giving each sister there own time to shine, then circling back. I think of all this might be my favorite yet. Must read

The Other March Sisters by authors Linda Epstein, Ally Malinenko, Liz Parker feels like a compellation of novellas that allow us to reimagine the characters of Amy, Meg, and Beth. It dares us to imagine alternate narratives for these characters. In addition, it provides more realistic interpretations of these characters with motivations that modern readers can understand and relate with.

The narrators, Laura Knight Keating, Taylor Meskimen & Rachel Botchan bring these characters to life and keep the listener engaged with this well paced story. If you like creative reimaginings of our classics that remain anchored with original tales, then this is the book for you.

Thank you RBmedia | Recorded Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook. All Opinions are my own.

We all know that I will love any iteration of Little Women, and this book felt like a heartfelt reunion with those characters.

The Other March Sisters allows Jo to be a supportive character from afar and focuses on Meg, Amy, and Beth. Meg is running her home and caring for her twin infants while realizing that she doesn't feel fulfilled in her daily life or her marriage, that a marriage of convenient may not fulfill her the way that she needs. Amy is exploring Europe as an artist and trying to balance the expectations of her family with her desire to live authentically and Beth, sweet Beth is finds joy and a small burst of love. The queer representation in this book was incredible to see and felt natural and honest to the characters that I know and love.

I love that this book addresses love, ambition, family life, queer longings, and so much more in a way that was authentic to the time but applicable to today.

I agree that the ending came quite quickly, and I would have liked just a bit more, but I'm thrilled to have gotten an advanced copy from Netgalley and to be able to spend some more time with the March sisters.

Are you a Little Women fan? Check out The Other March Sisters . It’s a wonderful companion to the original.

This was such a wonderful book! I really enjoyed the narrator. It was so nice to visit the March sisters again. Brought back many memories of the first Little Women books.

The Other March Sisters by Linda Epstein, Ally Malinenko, and Liz Parker is a fresh, modern take on Little Women, reimagining the beloved March sisters—Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy—through four interconnected novellas. Each author takes on a different sister, exploring her struggles, dreams, and relationships in a contemporary setting while staying true to the core themes of Louisa May Alcott’s classic novel.

One of the book’s strengths is how it updates the March sisters for today’s world, making their experiences more relatable to a modern audience. Meg wrestles with the pressures of responsibility, Jo fights for her creative independence, Beth’s story takes an emotional and introspective turn, and Amy, ever ambitious, navigates her desire for success. The authors manage to capture the heart of each sister’s personality while giving them new challenges and opportunities, making the book an engaging read for both fans of Little Women and newcomers alike.

That said, while the stories are well-written and the characters feel familiar yet refreshed, some sections were stronger than others. Depending on the sister, certain parts of the book felt more engaging, while others dragged slightly or felt predictable. There were moments of emotional depth that resonated, but at times, I wished for more complexity in the storytelling.

Overall, The Other March Sisters is a solid, enjoyable read that successfully honors the spirit of Little Women while carving out its own identity. While it’s not my usual genre and not something I would actively seek out again, I can appreciate the creativity and heart behind the project. Fans of retellings or modern adaptations of classics will likely enjoy it, but for me, it landed as a good but not outstanding read.

More of a 3.5 star review for me, I enjoyed it well enough but I don't know that I would reach for something similar again.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and RB Media for my copy of The Other March Sisters by Linda Epstein, Ally Malinenko, Liz Parker Narrated by Laura Knight Keating, Taylor Meskimen, Rachel Botchan in exchange for an honest review. It publishes February 25, 2025.
First off, I thought the narration was top-notch!
I have to say, I am very protective of the March family, and of the story of Little Women as a whole. I came into this based off of the recommendation for fans of Hamnet, (I am currently rereading it), and of Marmee, (I adored that one). However, I just found this one to feel a little too modern-meets-history for me, and maybe that’s because it’s also considered YA.
So ultimately, this one was not for me, and I think if you have a strong love of Little Women, and being true to the story, you might want to read some more reviews of it.