This book was a bit of a dream come true for me. I always wished that Jo would have accepted Laurie’s marriage proposal in “Little Women”. I suppose its the hopeless romantic in me that says “Marry Your Best Friend”. So I already was going into this book with happy expectations.

I was surprised by some of the negative notions that other readers were giving without having read the book. I suppose they found the prospect of Jo and Laurie being together diabolical...possibly a destruction of character and disrespectful to the original work, but I find this not to be the case. 

I loved that this was not “Jo & Laurie” in the Little Women novel but more of the “real” Jo and Laurie who inspired it. Jo March had written the successful first half of the well known novel and is now given the task to write the sequel and she has reservations of marrying off her beloved characters (all of which are based on her real life family and friends). She doesn’t see her book counterpart getting married to anyone, let alone her best friend. Yet the real Laurie is hopelessly in love, and can’t understand why he and Jo can’t be together.

I feel this did the original writing justice, it felt like I was reading a work of the 19th century (and I mean that in the best way possible!) The writing was beautifully descriptive and classically romantic. If you are a Jo & Laurie shipper like myself, this is a sweet book you’ll likely enjoy!

Little Women is one of my most-loved classics, and I’ve staunchly been among those who’ve loved the original ending. That being said, I couldn’t help but be infinitely intrigued by Margaret Stohl and Melissa de la Cruz’s YA reimagining: Jo & Laurie. The story picks up as an alternate ending to Little Women, where Laurie and (Jo’s youngest sister) Amy don’t end up together. Instead it’s delicious romantic tension between Jo and Laurie as the story unfolds and culminates in… the happily ever after so many in the fandom have been wishing for?

Well, you’ll have to read to find out. And whether you’re a purist Little Women fan (like me), have been wishing for that alternate (Jo hearts Laurie) ending, or just need a bit of romance in your life, Jo & Laurie is one of those rare crowd-pleasers. The love story of two of literature’s most beloved characters: fiercely independent Jo and boy-next-door Laurie. But just to reiterate, I’m forever team Amy and Laurie. Ha.

What’s more to love? Jo & Laurie (told from Jo’s point of view) is set between the publication of her first-ever book, Little Women, and its sequel, Good Wives. Jo is now a successful author; Little Women is out in the world and selling like hot cakes. Her publisher (like Louisa May Alcott’s publisher in real life) wants another book. But not just any book, a happy (societally appropriate) ending for the Little Women of Orchard House. And thus, the story of Jo & Laurie also affords us a glimpse of Jo’s (at times, dark) struggle to write Good Wives. For Jo (as it was for Louisa May Alcott), it’s a balancing act of writing while navigating public wishes and publisher’s expectations while remaining true to her characters and herself.

4.5/5 stars!

This was a leisurely and fun read overall. However, I can't say I was a huge fan of how these authors sorted and moved around the original Little Women story to make it more romantic. I liked the concept, but with a well-known piece of literature, it's hard not to compare it to the original story.

I loved how creative this story gets. The whole premise starts with the fact Little Women was written in two parts. The story starts off with Jo's trip to New York, but it's under much different circumstances than what was portrayed in the book. For the most part, the story holds the essence of Little Women in its hands, but rearranges the events of the novel to make it more this creatively specific one. You can see the parts of the book played out, but with the changes Margaret Stohl and Melissa de la Cruz put into it. For example, Behr is a character created by Jo rather than being the man she meets in New York. 

It also changes the dynamic relationships between the characters. Marmie feels like a different character who's husband prefers to be away than to come home after the Civil War. Meg would prefer to marry for money before finally agreeing to marry John Brook. Amy gets as sick as Beth, but doesn't succumb to the same reality. Even Jo and Laurie's relationship changes. These little changes made the story more interesting and different, but also messed with my head a lot.

I definitely felt a bit obstinate about seeing these changes, but once I got used to them then it read like a fun little historical fiction based off of Little Women. It took me a while to stop comparing the two books to each other and once I did, I actually liked it. I would say go into reading this book with the expectation that it will be different. I know there are some die hard Little Women fans out there who may not like this book because of the changes. But if you're willing to keep your mind open, I think you'll find a fun little story that feels like an offshoot of the original.

3.5 stars!!

I loved Little Women, so I was excited to find that Jo & Laurie was a retelling of the story, beginning right where Little Women last ended.

While there were definitely some choices that varied from the original storylines, I still enjoyed this book. 

*many thanks to Penguin Teen and Netgalley for the gifted copy for review. All opinions are my own

I think this would be a fun book for a Little Women fan. The style is reminiscent of the original and it features Jo as the author of the story after she has written the first part, but before she finishes the second. It was fun to see the differences in what was her "real" life as opposed to what she'd written into the book.

Little Women has always had a sacred place in my heart. I was lucky enough to enjoy Little Women young through the Portraits of Little Women Series by Susan Beth Pfeffer. Although forever disappointed by Jo's antics with Laurie in Little Women by Alcott, I was ecstatic to hear that Stohl and de la Cruz were teaming together to write Jo & Laurie. Unfortunately, I was let down. The content of the story was great, I appreciated, even loved, the city scenes, but I just could not get over the fact that it sounded like Jo was written by two different authors. Stohl and de la Cruz are not the first authors in the world who have collaborated on a novel and found themselves writing two of the same, but different characters, but knowing they've both worked on collaborative pieces before with other authors set an expectation that was not met. It also seemed very rush at the end of the novel. It was as if they were eager to share their version of Jo and Laurie's relationship, but forgot that a story was necessary to accomplish that. I was glad I read Jo & Laurie, and I think that a 10 year old self would find this to be one of her favorite reads of all time, but for this 25 year old self, it just didn't do the trick.

To begin I recommend this book to any Little  Women fans.
It’s a love story, it’s a story about family and friendship and most of all being true to your self.
Whether you are a fan of these characters  or not this is a well written story that you will enjoy..

I am a forty-year-old English teacher, and I somehow missed the novel and the dozens of film and television adaptations of Louisa May Alcott’s classic, Little Women. The novel Jo & Laurie was my first experience with the March and Laurence families. I am in love! You do not have to be a fan of Little Women to read this book, but you will be after you finish it.

Celebrated young adult fiction authors, Margaret Stohl and Melissa de la Cruz’s novel reimagines Jo March’s struggle to create Good Wives, the sequel to Little Women. This skillful retelling blends elements from Little Women and Louisa May Alcott’s life. The narrative explores the pressure Jo March felt to satisfy her readers’ hunger for a sequel. More importantly, the story explores Jo’s struggle to support her family and assert her independence without pushing away the people she loves the most.

This intense love story is a gateway for new readers into a celebrated classic. The authors seamlessly integrate key plot points and effortlessly develop characters from the original work, which allows readers to slide into the world of Orchard House. While this novel reveals many of the key events in Alcott’s original work, this retelling feels so complete that Little Women will serve as a must-read prequel for readers who meet Jo and her sisters through the eyes of Stohl and de La Cruz. As the Marches struggle with poverty, illness, separation, and boredom, their ability to love deeply transcends their pain.

I recommend this novel to any teen or adult searching for a way to navigate the claustrophobic, yet essential nature of love and family.

Jo & Laurie
By Margaret Stohl and Melissa de la Cruz

I have read Little Women a handful of times and how I have imagined Jo March and Theodore "Laurie" Laurence and what might have been. This book had been waiting to be written at least by me for many, many years and now the wait is over. 

It's 1869 and the story begins where Little Women ended right when Jo March becomes a best selling author and spends time in New York with Laurie, as they spend time together and live up their life in the city. Stohl and de la Cruz wrote a beautiful story one that Louisa May Alcott would be proud to read. The story kept the story line with a few twists that makes this beautiful historical fiction romance YA worth the read. The romance in the story was so well written that gave a swoon worthy story that I absolutely loved. 

I highly recommend this book for Little Women fans and anyone that enjoys a wonderful well written story.

Jo & Laurie is a fun, quick read that ultimately doesn't serve as a sequel to Little Women, but more of a what if extension. There is insight into the characters that felt a bit more in depth, but not always true to the original. The writing style didn't always work for me and felt a little off for the story, but it was still an easy read.

I wish I could say I loved this book because I was a huge fan of Little Women growing up and I always wanted Jo and Laurie to be together, but there was something about this book that I didn't love. I ended up not finishing this book and I DNFed (Did Not Finish) it around  40% through the book.  I had a lot of trouble connecting with the writing and I felt like I was reading fan fiction instead of a published book. For me, the story just fell flat. 

Thanks for reading! 
Caden

Jo & Laurie é um livro bem diferente do que eu costumo trazer de resenhar por aqui, mas foi uma leitura tão gostosa que eu resolvi escrever para vocês sobre ele.

Esse romance é baseado na história da autora de Mulherzinhas, as autoras se inspiraram em relatos,entrevistas e cartas de Louisa May Alcott para escrever e sim, o livro da trama tem o mesmo título e assim como Mulherzinhas, ele também foi escrito em duas partes.
Se você curte romances estilo Dawnton Abbey, Anne With an E, Jane Austen e até o próprio Mulherzinhas com certeza vai se encantar com essa narrativa. Apesar de ser um pouco parada, a trama segue os costumes de uma cidade no interior pós guerra.



Jo é uma personagem aos moldes de Austen, com um desejo de independência incomum para a época, que não foi criada dentro dos padrões das classes altas e que tem contato e acaba sendo alvo do amor de um mocinho rico. O que me irritou um pouco nela foi exatamente o fato que ela esperou o rapaz voltar noivo pra perceber que gostava dele.
Laurie foi outro personagem que me irritou um pouco, realmente quando um mocinho se diz apaixonado eu espero dele no mínimo choro e ranger de dentes quando é rejeitado e não um noivado que não levou nem um mês para se concretizar.

This was a fun and interesting read. I really enjoyed getting to read more about the characters of Little Women. I have always adored Jo and her relationship with Laurie was hard not to root for.
It’s nice to get a kind of what if story. The original will always be there but there is always room for more. I like getting to see what would happen to the characters if the ending was different. This book really allows you to see more of the characters and to explore a different ending.
This book for full of sweet moments as well as plenty of fun. If you are looking for a sweet and fun read than look no further.Also perfect for fans of the classic Little Women! It’s always nice to get more of the characters we love

Thanks to Penguin teen! 
This book had me running through fields and rubbing ink off my fingers *in my mind, of course* 
I have never read Little Women but after reading this, I want to! I came, I saw I conquered, only...instead I read, I laughed, I cried. The only reason this didn't get four stars was the odd acknowledgement at the end with Christopher Columbus..I didn't get it. 
Other than that, this was a fun adventure of love.

Since this is a retelling of the classics and with the title of the book being what it is, I think it’s safe to say that we know Jo and Laurie will get together. I mean isn’t that why the authors wrote the story? And I’m so glad because I felt the execution of the story was wonderfully done.

LANGUAGE
I had two concerns before reading the book and I can confidently say that I had no reason for concern as the authors did a fabulous job. My first concern was that the language used would be too modern. While it is certainly more modern than the original language used in Little Women by Louisa May Alcott, it still reads very much like historical fiction. The narration and dialogue both had a great balance of feeling classic but also just modern enough that it made for a quick fun read.

AMY
My second concern was that Amy would be portrayed in a negative light. No issues there. The authors really captured how much Jo loves her family and how much she wants the very best for her sisters both in their fictional and real lives.

JO THE AUTHOR, JO THE PERSON
I loved that the authors chose to tell Jo’s story between the publication of Little Women and Good Wives (or Little Women Pt. 2). It created the perfect space to explore what Jo (and Louisa May Alcott) was going through in trying to create a satisfying conclusion for all the characters in her book that feels true to herself, her character’s journeys while also fulfilling her editor’s (and by extension the public readers) wishes. This was especially clear when she struggled with how to conclude fictional Jo and fictional Beth’s stories. We see why Jo made the decisions she did for Good Wives.

CW: Depression, Suicide Ideation
Another aspect I appreciated about the story was the references to Jo’s “dark moods,” which I attribute to depression. There is a moment where she talks about feeling like the darkness was taking over and how she even thought about letting it swallow her. As the primary breadwinner, she has a lot of pressure on her shoulders. She is also still grieving heavily over the death of Beth. Grief over a loved one can still hit so strong even if years pass so I related to the descriptions the authors used for Jo’s grief and depression.

ROMANCE
As far as the romance between Jo and Laurie. It was everything I wished it to be. I loved Laurie’s angst and longing, and Jo’s slow realization of how much she does love Laurie. The romance is drawn out a little, but I think it makes sense considering Jo’s personality. I also just adored all the fun moments between them. Their witty banter and teasing just made me smile. Along with Jo and Laurie’s romance, we get to see a lot of Meg and John’s romantic development, which was a delight to read.

Overall, this was a fantastic book if you are a fan of the original. Obviously, if you were shipping Jo and Laurie you will love this. I think if you were happy with the original ending and you are a fan of Little Women, you may still enjoy this as I felt the authors captured the spirit of the original and portrayed the characters’ personalities and motivations well.

I have never read Little Women and I've never seen the movie. As I read this book, I couldn't dismiss the feeling that I just don't have enough backstory about these characters. The story was decent enough, but nothing about the story of the characters themselves really thrilled me. It's one of those books where I immediately forgot what I read after finishing the book.

Any fan of Little Women will love this book! I needed this book after seeing the new movie! I can’t get enough of Jo and Laurie!

This was a super cute reimagination of one of my favorite stories. I really loved how the authors pulled inspiration from Louisa May Alcott's personal life as well! It was so interesting to experience Jo with her struggles trying to pen the perfect book about her family. I will point out that I know there is a lot of controversy behind this novel because it contradicts the actual ending of Little Women. A lot of reviewers shared that they don't agree with this book and while I totally understand their reasonings, I am a Jo & Laurie fan girl so this story hit my heart. I really enjoyed this!

I enjoyed this story to see what could have happened to Jo after she wrote Little Women.  This was an amazing step back into time and I loved the bickering of the March sisters.  If you loved Little Women, this is a perfect companion piece and I enjoyed every minute of this.  Great story from two amazing writers.

This was a nice retelling, but I never could really appreciate or understand how people wanted Jo and Laurie together. While I'm not an Amy fan, I do think that Jo belonged with no one, but Alcott had to write her with a husband in order for her to be published and for Jo to fit those stereotypical, hetero-normative roles. I would have  liked to see a book where Jo ends up with no one, since that's what she wanted all along. Hmm... there's a thought!