"Little Women and Me" Review

"Little Women and Me"
by Lauren Baratz-Logsted

Publisher: Bloomsbury
Release Date: Nov 8, 2011 
Source: ARC sent by author

My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Summary from goodreads.com:  

Emily is sick and tired of being a middle sister. So when she gets an assignment to describe what she'd change about a classic novel, Emily pounces on Little Women. After all, if she can't change things in her own family, maybe she can bring a little justice to the March sisters. (Kill off Beth? Have cute Laurie wind up with Amy instead of Jo? What was Louisa May Alcott thinking?!) But when Emily gets mysteriously transported into the 1860s world of the book, she discovers that righting fictional wrongs won't be easy. And after being immersed in a time and place so different from her own, it may be Emily-not the four March sisters-who undergoes the most surprising change of all. Lauren Baratz-Logsted's winning confection will appeal to fans of Little Women as well as anyone who enjoys a modern twist on an old favorite.

My Review:

The idea for this book seemed really cute to me, and the writing is fun and sweet. I think we'd all love to be plopped down in the middle of our favorite book. However, I seem to find with most variations on classics, that they seem to be repetitive of the original book. I know that goes with the territory, but still, I feel like I already know the story.

Ah, Laurie and Jo, there's a controversial couple if ever there was one. When I read the original story, at first I was disappointed when they didn't get together, but then as I kept reading, I also liked Laurie with Amy too.  I guess I thought that Jo turned him down so that was her loss. I also liked Amy in the original, so I was a little disappointed to see how she was portrayed in this version. Of course, I definitely don't blame Emily for having her own crush on Laurie, though!

There was a twist ending that I thought was really cool and inventive. I really didn't see it coming, that's for sure.

I think if you're really a fan of the original book, you will like this variation. You will especially like it if you are fans of the 'classics variation' genre in general! I also think a tween might be interested in reading this, since it's modern, and maybe that would inspire her to read the original version. I'd recommend the book to a young YA audience or older MG/tween.



Main Characters: 4/5
Supporting Characters: 4/5
Setting: 5/5
Romance: 3/5
Uniqueness: 5/5
Cover: 3/5 (my boyfriend thought it was a little creepy)
Writing: 4/5


Bottom Line: This is a cute variation on a classic book, and you'll have to read it to see if you like the changes she made!