Such a heartwarming book. Absolutely love Jo and Meg and will always love them. Love the writer's twist on their character.

"Meg and Jo: by Virginia Kantra is a fresh retelling of Louisa May Alcott's Little Women that stays true to the spirit of the original while bringing its own unique flair. The novel is upbeat and positive, with relatable and strong-willed characters that bring the story to life.

Protagonist Meg is a successful businesswoman who returns to her hometown to care for her sick father. She reunites with her sisters and their childhood friend Jo, who is now a famous writer. The novel explores the relationships between the sisters, and between Meg and Jo, as they navigate the challenges of life and love.

Kantra's writing is engaging, and the characters are well-developed. The themes of family, love, and self-discovery are woven into the story, making it a touching and heartwarming read. The novel is full of humor and hope, making it the perfect pick-me-up for those seeking a feel-good read.

"Meg and Jo" by Virginia Kantra is a standout in the crowded field of retellings, with its positive tone, relatable characters, and touching themes. It's a must-read for fans of Little Women and contemporary fiction and is sure to bring a smile to your face.

Inspired by Little Women, Virginia Kantra’s Meg & Jo is a modern take on the classic novel many of us grew up loving. Charming, nostalgic, and fun!

Given the large differences in daily life and gender dynamics that 150 years will bring, Meg & Jo feels fresh and different. If you haven’t read Little Women, you’ll still enjoy this book. It works as a standalone. In fact if it weren’t for the names of the sisters being so iconic to the original book, I’m not sure I would have picked up on this being a reimagining of Little Women, in part due to the way Kantra splits up the stories into a focus on Meg and Jo in this book, and a focus on Beth and Amy in the sequel.

In this retelling, Meg is a stay-at-home mom to toddler twins, and let’s just say she has her hands full. Meg married her love John and gave up her career to be a full-time mom, but she’s not sure she’s happy. Meanwhile Jo sought independence, moving to New York City and working as a prep cook at a fancy NYC restaurant and running her own food blog. Jo’s life may sound like it is going well, but an affair with her tattooed boss at the restaurant threatens to topple her life. Is there a future for Jo and her Michelin-star chef boyfriend? Especially when Jo is keeping a few secrets from him.

When Meg & Jo’s mother falls ill, Meg and Jo set their troubles aside to return home and care for their mother, younger sisters Amy and Beth, and keep the family farm running. And their North Carolina farm isn’t just a return to family, it also means a return to a few other troubles they thought were long left behind.

I personally liked that this was a reimagining of these characters in modern times with modern issues, rather than a straight retelling of the original story. I felt that the characters were true to their inspiration, but we saw them facing the same sorts of challenges that women today face. Jo struggles with balancing love, career ambitions, and concerns over her chosen career paths, while Meg struggles with how to support her husband and family and be true to herself. I went into the book most interested in Jo as a character, but found I really enjoyed the reimagined, modern Meg. Her story really shines and felt relatable.

Full of laughs and great moments, this book delivered on it’s promises!

An interesting premise, but it ultimately fell short for me- and I love retellings! The characters didn't ring true to the original Little Women text.

**review provided timely on Goodreads"

I confess, I went in to Meg & Jo with very little need for it to "match up" with the classic novel on which it is based because--don't thrash me--I was never a Little Women superfan (read it eons ago and honestly only recall the basics). Therefore, my comments are not at all based upon a comparison of the two. That said, Virginia Kantra works her magic in this wonderfully warm story of family--more specifically of sisterly bonds and expectations, of love and duty, and of forgiveness (of others and ourselves and our own flaws), and of following one's own path. The beauty of her attention to detail shines through in each scene, and I was very happily ensconced in North Carolina at the farm while there, as well as fascinated by the New York restaurant world with Jo. I absolutely loved the way Meg and John's marriage was depicted--so realistic and such a reminder of how easy it is to misread and misunderstand the different ways that people show their love and commitment. If you are looking for a heartwarming story in which you will likely see yourself and those closest to you reflected in the characters, look no further. This book is for you! (less)

I love Little Women modern adaptations and this version gave me everything I wanted. Virginia Kantra kept the integrity of the story but made it her own.

Meg & Jo is a modern retelling of Little Women. As the title suggests, it focuses on the oldest two March sisters, who are now all grown up. Meg, the wife of reliable John and mother of mischievous twins Daisy and DJ, lives in the North Carolina town in which the March sisters grew up. Jo, meanwhile, is living in New York City, trying to pursue her dreams of being a writer. Having lost her job at a newspaper, she starts a food blog and works at a restaurant to support herself. The story alternates between Meg and Jo and their respective points of view.

I had somewhat mixed feelings about this book. On the one hand, some of the ways in which the story was modernized were very creative. For instance, I thought Jo writing a food blog was very clever. However, there were also a lot of aspects that felt strangely antiquated. It was almost as though the story couldn't decide what year it was supposed to be in. In addition, I found many of the characters to be mildly to moderately annoying. Some of the sections with Meg seemed to drag on, and I was tempted to reach through the pages and give her a gentle shaking. That said, I did enjoy all of the nods to the original. There was also a bit of a steamy romance (if that is your thing). All in all, I found Meg & Jo to be an entertaining read and will definitely check out the next book in the series, when it comes out.

Thank you to @berkleypub for my eARC.

Thank you Netgalley for providing a copy of the book!

I think there is a line that separates a reader from a book that they might truly enjoy. Although I find this book intriguing and it's perspective interesting, I think it would have gone better if I first started reading the original story of the March sisters. It would have given me a stronger perspective on who the women are and a foundation to which I can plant myself in.

Overall, I don't think that this book was bad, but I did find it less enthralling to read the more I push through with it.

I never read Little Women, but I feel like I would really like it after reading this book! There's so many things that happen to this family that happens in real life, so it's very relatable.

I thoroughly enjoyed this one! Little Women became one of my all-time favorite reads when I was around fifteen. I spent three days holed up in my bedroom devouring it after my first real breakup. I cried, I laughed, and ultimately left my bedroom in a much better place than I was in when I started reading the book. Since then, I’ve read it countless times, and it never ceases to amaze me the things I pick up during the rereads. Meg and Jo by Virginia Kantra doesn’t just live up to the original, but creates a new timeless classic for readers of all ages to enjoy. Told in dual POV from the two eldest March sisters, Meg and Jo is a contemporary retelling of the classic and, like the classic, follows the girls through life’s joys and hardships.

Jo March has hit rock bottom, or she believes she has, after losing her job as a journalist at a New York newspaper. Living a double life as a food blogger and prep cook in one of NYC’s top restaurants, Jo gets to enjoy two of her biggest loves: writing and food. However, her jobs are barely paying the bills. Something has to give because she refuses to give up on her dream and move home.

Meg is struggling to maintain her dream life. She has everything she could ever ask for: a loving husband, adorable twin toddlers, and a home. When her mother becomes sick, Meg quickly realizes that while everything looks good from the outside, she is crumbling on the inside. Her marriage isn’t what she thought it would be. She’s barely keeping up with the house chores and keeping up with the kids, now she’s trying to take care of her mom and the family farm.

I loved the dynamic of this story. Seeing the girls grown up gave a different perspective to the story and modernizing it makes it relevant to today’s problems. Adding in Marmie’s illness creates conflict for the sisters, forcing them out of their comfort zones and to fight for what they want in life. I absolutely adore Meg and John. They are a sweet couple who have hit a rough patch in their marriage. Not because they don’t love each other, but because that is life as parents, a constant adjustment to the age your kids are in. It’s hard, and I love how Kantra makes them a team. Jo’s Chef is amazing. I liked this twist. In the original, Chef is a professor, but here he is still her mentor, someone she looks up to and easily falls for, even if she resists it.

Overall, I loved Meg and Jo and cannot wait to dive into the sequel featuring the younger March sisters. Kantra did a fantastic job of staying true to the original story while also bringing her own style and narrative to the sisters. If you enjoy contemporary romance, family drama, and a heartfelt story, Meg and Jo is sure to please.

As an avid lover of Little Women, this book was a delightful variation set in the modern world but with our familiar March sisters. The writing was fluid and fun, but serious when the plot needed it to be. I found myself identifying with both Meg and Jo.

A fun, modern take on Little Women. While the author clearly, elaborates to make the story a bit more of her own, it still has enough of the correct feel to the classic story.

The March sisters get a contemporary update in Virginia Kantra's Meg and Jo. The two oldest girls are supposedly living their dreams--Meg in their hometown, with twin toddlers and a devoted husband; Jo having big adventures in New York City, writing a food blog and working at a busy restaurant. But things aren't always what they seem. When matriarch Abby needs surgery over the holidays, the March sisters have to rely on their greatest strength--each other.

I loved this modern interpretation of Little Women. Kantra takes some artistic license, of course, but stays true to the characters. In alternating chapters by Meg and Jo, she explores the vulnerabilities of the women, as they each do some growing up and reevaluation of what they want from life. For Jo, is it boy-next-door Trey and the comfort of her hometown, or the possibilities of New York City and intriguing Chef Baer? For Meg, can she find some independence and identity outside her life as a wife and mother? There is something sweetly old-fashioned in this modern tale.

Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for the ARC to review. All opinions are my own.

Little Women is one of my favorite classics. When I saw that Virginia Kantra, whom I’ve read before and enjoyed her books, was releasing a contemporary retelling of it, I was all over it! This story as the title suggests is about two sisters, Meg and Jo. Meg is feeling stuck in a rut in her marriage and looking for something different that gives more meaning to her life. Jo is an aspiring chef who is also unsettled in her life.

Now, this is a loose retelling but I think the author did a really good job at taking some key points from the original and adapting them into this contemporary story. I’ve always been a big fan of Jo and actually in this story I couldn’t help but gravitate towards Meg instead. Her character and her issues were compelling as was her growth through the story.

I think this is also a perfect holiday book as it got plenty of celebration and family, going from Thanksgiving through Christmas. A heartwarming tale of family with just the right touch of romance. I am now anxiously awaiting the next book about Beth and Amy!

A fun contemporary retelling of a classic story that lots of people love!

Would definitely recommend this to anyone who is a fan of Little Women and looking for something to take them to a familiar-ish setting.

As a huge fan of Little Women and Louisa May Alcott, I am always looking for homages to the work. I had heard a bit about this going, but was pretty much blind.

Jo March is a failed writer working as a kitchen hand in a renowned restaurant. Trying to come to terms with her writing failures while writing a food review blog, she doesn't expect to find chemistry with the head chef of her kitchen, Eric. But Jo doesn't find many things while she's constantly running from connection. Meg, the oldest, is still at home in Bunyon, North Carolina, being the mother and wife she always longed to be. She's struggling though, to keep her marriage together, to be the mother she feels she should be and to watch her parent's marriage slowly destruct in front of her eyes.

I upfront have to say, this was really difficult to disconnect from the source material. I think that's the point?

Meg's storyline I feel is the truest. You get that sense of Meg being home and family and trying to struggle to juggle all of that in the modern world. That act of always being perfect and doing the right thing is at the core of Meg's being and I could feel this so tangibly through her whole narrative, between her actions and her voice. I was a little thrown with the slight allusions to her maybe cheating? Because I just can't see someone with Meg's steadfastness of character doing that, so I am very glad that did not come to fruition.

Jo is the harder egg to crack so I understand why it may have been difficult to bring her forward. I think really what I had to tell myself is she was breaking down her normative barriers for Eric because he was her person. I didn't like the fact that she kept doing things she didn't want to to make people happy when it came to relationships and sex. Jo has one of the most obstinate personalities you will ever meet in literature and I just don't see her wavering in that way. I do understand that she has the sensibility to want to console, but this felt wrong.

I think the one part of this story that I just couldn't get behind was the modernization of Marmie and Father's relationship. There's never been anything I've picked up from the story in Little Women that screamed Father was 'negligent' or unfeeling to his children or to his wife. That's what he was in this story. I could understand Marmie's resolve to not live with him mistreating her when she was sick, because that was in character. Father fought for rights, he did in the good in the world, yes, absolutely. But I never have gotten the feeling that he forced his family to dramatically suffer for it. Which is what this story wants you to believe. I know this is the author's interpretation, but I just can't agree.

I might read Beth and Amy after this, but I'm not sure. It was interesting to read the retelling but I had some plot issues for sure.

Thank you!

The Smart One, the Pretty One, the Talented One, the Responsible One. That’s how the four sisters in the March family have been categorized their whole life. In this modern tale of the classic novel Little Women, each March girl has taken their own path: Meg married John and had babies young, Beth is pursuing her talents in music, Amy is living her best life in Paris as a talented artist and creator, and Jo is, well, being Jo as an independent food blogger trying to make it in New York working at one of the top restaurants, Gusto. Told through the perspectives of Jo and Meg, the four women all come together when their mother falls ill and realize how much things and they have changed.

This novel hit me in all the feels because it reminded me of where my family and I are at right now as we have transitioned from childhood to adulthood. Being that I am around the same age as Jo and I also grew up with sisters (as much as I wanted a brother), I could easily relate to her, however I have always been a Meg fan. My sisters and I could not be more different but we have always been close and I know that no matter what happens they’ll be there for me as I will be for them. This novel touches on the hardships of families growing up as well as exploring different versions and complications of love and family. If you are a big Little Women fan you will enjoy this one!

This is a modern retelling of Louisa May Alcott’s "Little Women"and tells the story of Jo and Meg. The second book in the series will tell the story of Beth and Amy. "Meg and Jo" is told in alternating POVs of the two older March sisters. Kantra has supposedly thrown in many literary references to Alcott's other works, but I am not familiar with her other stories. Kantra has reset the nineteenth-century New England classic story in modern-day North Carolina. While "Little Women" was a coming of age story of girls in their late teens, this story is about young adults in their twenties.

Meg has given up her career to be a stay-at-home mom to her twin toddlers and Jo is trying to make it as a food blogger and a prep cook in a professional kitchen in New York City. Kantra has retained Jo's impulsivity and edginess, just as, she has retained Meg's people-pleasing personality. Meg is struggling through the challenges of mommy-dom and wondering if her life is what she had planned it to be or if she has given her personhood away. She is trying to retain a sense of herself as she juggles the needs of her children, husband, and aging parents. Kantra has done an excellent job adapting the classic to the modern world, while also retaining a semblance of the same sorts of inner struggles of the two women in their emotions, responsibilities, and relationships. Ultimately, they come to recognize and treasure the importance of love and family. If you are a fan of "Little Women" or Alcott's work in general, this will be a fascinating read.

The March sisters—reliable Meg, independent Jo, stylish Amy, and shy Beth—have grown up to pursue their separate dreams. When Jo followed her ambitions to New York City, she never thought her career in journalism would come crashing down, leaving her struggling to stay afloat in a gig economy as a prep cook and secret food blogger.

I really enjoyed this modern spin on Little Women. The relationship between the sisters' parents was real and the story line wasn't just all happy endings.