..she captures that cozy feeling of LITTLE WOMEN and represents it so well. ~ Under the Covers

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Let’s be real: if you have Strong Feelings about Little Women couples, this is not going to be a chill reading experience. Beth & Amy by Virginia Kantra is the kind of retelling that nails the cozy March-family atmosphere, then immediately dares you to confront every opinion you’ve been carrying since you first read the classic.

If you’re starting your Virginia Kantra reading journey, make sure you stop by the Virginia Kantra author guide for her complete works and the March Sisters series guide. so you have the books in order. Plus some extra fun stuff from the author.

What is Beth & Amy about?

Amy is chasing a fashion career in New York and trying not to live in Jo’s shadow, but a trip home for Jo’s wedding forces her to face a life-shifting mistake. Beth, now a singer-songwriter on tour, is struggling with her health and what she actually needs. The March sisters reunite and everything gets real.

Beth & Amy by Virginia Kantra Book Review

This review is a hard one to write because my feelings about the original LITTLE WOMEN impact my feelings on this book. So you’ve been warned.

I really enjoyed reading MEG & JO and I was looking forward to reading BETH & AMY with anticipation and a bit of trepidation. Why, you may ask? Because I’m still salty about Laurie and Amy being a couple. I wasn’t on board then and I’m not on board now. And honestly, I couldn’t give this book a fair chance when it comes to that part because I never liked Amy and I didn’t think this was a good couple.  What I do think is that Ms. Kantra did a great job at bringing a lot of what the original characters were like into today’s modern world setting. But every time these two were on the page, I just got a bit ragey and it definitely impacted my enjoyment of this book.

That being said, the rest was so good!  I loved the glimpses we get into the girls parent’s love life, Beth’s struggle with an eating disorder which was handled well I thought, and the subject of addiction. I wanted more and more of all of this even when it felt like Amy was consuming so much of the pages. 

I think one of my favorite things about the way Virginia Kantra did these retellings is that she captures that cozy feeling of LITTLE WOMEN and represents it so well. Family is still central and essential part and I loved seeing the March sisters rally together against anything that’s thrown their way.

These two books are the retellings you didn’t know you needed and I loved seeing this version of their world.

About the March Sisters series by Virginia Kantra

Virginia Kantra’s March Sisters books are contemporary stories inspired by Little Women, following the March sisters as adults with modern careers, relationships, and messy life pivots. Book one focuses on Meg and Jo, and Beth & Amy by Virginia Kantra shifts the spotlight to the other two sisters while keeping family and sisterhood as the emotional center. Deep dive the March sisters series.

Final Thoughts

If you’re coming into Beth & Amy by Virginia Kantra with Little Women baggage, your experience is probably going to be extra personal. This book is basically a mirror held up to your original allegiances: who you rooted for, which choices made you furious, and which characters you always wished you understood better. The fun part is that this retelling gives you more adult context and modern pressure points, so even when you’re side-eyeing a pairing, you can still appreciate how the sisters’ bond keeps pulling the story back to what actually matters.

I also love when a retelling lets the “cozy” feeling coexist with heavier themes without turning the whole book into misery. This one keeps family central, gives the March women room to be flawed, and still delivers that warm energy.

Now I have to ask: are you the kind of reader who can separate retelling choices from your original classics loyalty, or do you stay salty forever?

Want to see some of Virginia Kantra book recommendations? Check out the perfect books to read if you love Anne of Green Gables.

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