This book is a beautifully written escapism piece for any age.
We are truly traveled into the life of the March sisters.
The sections in verse were so beautifully put, and a hard hitting piece for anyone who has went through grief.
I like how we are shown each sister in such a deep light to see their true selves.
As someone who recommends young adults books everyday, I think this will be my new top recommendation.
It’s has deep meanings that sticks with you long after putting this book down.
I believe everyone should give it a try, even if you haven’t read little women.

It is remarkable how little imagination it takes to transport the much-beloved March family from the Civil War to World War II. Except for the fact that Marmee can listen to the radio while she bakes pies, the family is very much the same. Father is off being a chaplain on a battleship in the Pacific, Meg is teaching, Jo is working in an airplane factory as a Rosie the Riveter, and Amy is pretending to study art in Montreal while actually volunteering as a Red Cross Donut Dolly in London. Sweet Beth, however, has just died, and the family is reeling with grief.

Cleverly written with four excellent YA authors each taking the voice of a March girl, this story moves along in a way that will not displease long-time Alcott fans but which may inspire new generations of admirers. Beth's chapters are written in verse as she seems to be looking on and loving her sisters from Beyond. Jo is living in a boarding house in Connecticut and working to build airplanes with an interesting bunch of girls, and her story arc is one that should not surprise anyone but feels very natural for her.

Amy has stolen someone's identity to get into the Red Cross, but she gets busted when she runs into Laurie, an RAF pilot, while she is carrying a tray full of hot coffee at the donut wagon. Just as in the original, her feelings for him blossom abroad.

Meg is teaching at the local high school, where John Brooke also taught until he got called up. Meg's story is more one of internal, home-front conflict, but she still goes to that awful party where that awful Sallie Gardiner loans her a dress.

The sisters spend a lot of time in the story not communicating. Jo doesn't answer phone calls and Amy can't think of what other lies to tell in her letters that are supposed to be from Montreal. Meg is angry and lonely and feels guilty that she had a date with another guy who wasn't John (she had a rotten time, though). And they all carefully don't mention Beth because it is too painful. One wishes they would have cleared the air a little sooner and had some good old family time. Still, they each have their journeys to understanding themselves and each other.

Like the original, Great or Nothing is a story of growing up, learning to be honest, finding strength, and loving family. It is a fine companion to the original, and it is recommended for teens -- or Alcott fans of any age, really.

I absolutely love the original Little Women - it is one of my favorite books to reread. I was immediately intrigued by this "update" and was delighted to be able to review an ARC of it.

Great or Nothing was delightful. I went in with high expectations (that I honestly didn't think would be met) and was pleasantly surprised the whole read. The four authors did a great job keeping the heart of Louisa May Alcott's original story alive while providing it with an update (although not a current times!). Tying the storyline in around WWII was perfect because it allowed a similar story to the original to be told but also allows the authors to blend in fresh material and experiences for the March sisters.

I felt the authors did a great job writing each sister's story and keeping true to their characters and personalities. For the most part, they blended nicely. (I am not a lover of prose so Beth's story was not my favorite - but in fairness, it isn't in the original story either.) I really enjoyed the development of the different relationships each sister had and how their relationships with each other were portrayed.

Overall, I loved this update and highly recommend to to fans of Little Women.

Reading this was an absolute joy. There are plenty of Little Women re-imaginings lately, but this one really manages to capture the spirit of the original while still feeling fresh and exciting and full of emotion. I loved that each March sister was written by a different author, which made every character's voice feel so distinct. And having Beth's portions written is verse was an inspired choice! Getting to explore a queer Jo also felt like an absolute gift (though I would have loved to see her story go on longer--her ending felt more rushed than the other POVs). I think this book has something for readers who are fans of the original and will even serve as a great introduction for readers who haven't encountered Little Women before. I would recommend this to readers who enjoy re-imaginings of classics, historical fiction, and strong casts of female characters.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of this title in exchange for an honest review.

For fans of historical romance or fans of Little Women, this book takes a look at the lives of women during a rancorous time in the world. Women who worked, who stayed home, or worked as nurses in World War II and everything that that entailed.
I did wish that some of the side stories would have been fleshed out a bit more - tell me more about these pilots and the dangers they faced - but those were brushed aside. Understandably so, because the story was already rushed at the end to bring the sisters back to Marmie's home.

One of the best Little Women retellings I’ve read. It’s heartbreaking but beautiful. I love how each sister has her own unique voice, and own story of importance. I’m also grateful to have loved them equally because it’s sometimes hard to enjoy all characters and plots alike. This is a book I’d love to put on my shelf, and an author I’d check out more!

Some of my fondest childhood memories involved curling up with Little Women. When I read the description for Joy McCullough's re-imagining of this literary classic, set amidst the backdrop of World War II, I immediately, and excitedly, requested a copy.
I was not disappointed. While I know there are other versions, or retellings of Little Women out there, I've resisted reading them, sure they would never live up to the original. While nothing can hold a candle to Louisa May Alcott's version, I do think this is a valiant attempt. It has all the drama, the emotion, and the heart of the original with a more modern flare. Similar to the original, my heart broke with grief, right along with those of the remaining March sisters, as they navigate a new normal without their darling Beth. To make matters worse, Beth's passing happens right before the bombing of Pearl Harbor, and Mr. March, Teddy Laurence, and John Brooks are swept away to go fight at the front.
This iteration also brings a modern flare by having Jo evaluate her life, her personal desires and ultimately realizes she is queer which will resonate with today's readers.
While I did love this book, I felt like it just ended, without a good conclusion. It sort of just ended, everything kind of tied up in a nice pretty bow as I was completely invested in the story. I would've enjoyed a bit more of an ending.
Thank you NetGalley, Joy McCullough and the publisher for this ARC.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and the publishing team for sharing this ARC!

As a fan of Little Women, I was excited to read a retelling of the sister story. You follow each sister go through their journey during WWII and I think having different authors for each sister definitely gave it a fresh feeling. While each other gave each sister their own voice, they blended well together.

The story was easy to follow and though it felt like a calm, quiet retelling, you had enough going on to keep you interested enough to see how the tale will unfold. I thought it was a fine read!

Note: Thank you to Netgalley & the publishers for allowing me access to this arc!

My Review
The second I read "Little Women re-imagined," I was 100% on board! And let me tell you, this book DID NOT disappoint! Little Women is a timeless classic that I have read many times, and I adore re-imaginings that are written well. The only thing that I was a tad afraid of was that reading multiple authors would affect the story. However, since each of the sister's perspectives is by a different author, I think it enhanced the story instead.
Overall, Great or Nothing is a fantastic story of sisterhood and grief during a time of war. By the end of the book, I had to force myself to slow down so that I could savor the story. Highly recommend.

The Good Things
1. Beth's Perspective. I didn't think I was READY for Beth from beyond the grave, but this book changed my mind. Although each of the sister's perspectives (Jo, Amy, and Meg's in prose, Beth's through poetry) were interesting and well-written, Beth's stood out from the rest. Her poems are deep and heartfelt, and I read each one multiple times because I adore them. The poems also seem to act as the glue that holds the entire story together. I'm in love!
2. The story follows the period of WWII well!
3. This comment might be far-fetched to some, but I honestly don't think an individual needs to read Little Women to enjoy this book.


The Bad Things
1. Jo's character felt slightly off to me. However, this is a reimagining, so it's only fair to the author to acknowledge that everyone interprets things differently, so this may be merely my personal opinion.
2. I keep asking myself if this book felt too short, or I'm just stuck in a book hangover. 


My Final Rating:
☆☆☆☆☆ (Goodreads)
☆☆☆☆☆ (Blog)
☆☆☆☆☆ (Amazon - will post as soon as the book is released)

This is the perfect steaming mug of tea (or coffee, hot chocolate, etc) with a perfect chocolate chocolate chip cookie (etc.) in cozy book form.

Every time I read a good YA novel, I wonder why I don't read YA novels more often; and really, why don’t I read YA novels more often?

This was a cute & fun update to the original story & I enjoyed it very much! I would recommend it to fans of the original works by Louisa May Alcott.

4.5/5 stars

I've read quite a few Little Women retellings at this point, but this has been my favorite so far.

One of the reasons Little Women is so well-loved is because it's timeless; even though the circumstances of the March sisters don't necessarily match the modern day, they're still relatable, lovable characters. Putting this retelling in the 1940s WWII era was a great call. One reason is because it makes the story fresh again. The retellings I've read so far have been set in the same time period as the original, or they've been modern retellings set in the modern day, but having this one set in a different historical time period brought new life too it and further proves its timelessness. It just makes sense, and it allows the March sisters to experience different circumstances; Meg as a school-teacher, waiting for John overseas, Jo wanting to fight but instead working in a factory to do her part, and Amy living in London as she works for the Red Cross.

It was really fun to see the girls in these new environments, coming into their own. I also liked how each sister's point of view was written by a different author. It definitely allowed for each of their separate voices to come through, although there was still unity in the language, plot, and themes. I didn't love all of the writing though, especially toward the beginning, I thought it had a little too much exposition and there was more tell than there was show. The writing did get better over the course of the book, however, and I thought the authors of Jo and Beth's points of view were the bright points of the novel for me.

I really liked what they did with Jo, considering she's characterized slightly differently than normal. She's still obviously Jo, but I was really able to feel Jo's grief and confusion in this version, following the death of Beth. I was also SO GLAD that Jo gets to be queer in this version. Her love interest was not my favorite, but it was still really fun to read and at this point I basically see queer Jo as canon.

Now, this was a surprise to me, but I think the most genius part of this book is Beth's point of view. I am very picky when it comes to poetry. Most of the time I don't care for it and I rarely choose to read it myself for fun. But making Beth's voice shine through her poetry as she watches her sisters from the afterlife was the best thing about this book. By itself, I don't think the individual poems were particularly amazing, but within the context of the story it was really the emotional backbone of the novel and it made me cry multiple times. Beth's death will never fail to make me emotional, but adding poetry on top of it was the icing on the cake apparently.

Anyway, if you like Little Women, you'll probably like this book. Thank you, NetGalley, for a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I think it this book was simply the story of 4 sisters during WWII, I would have really enjoyed it. Anytime I pick up a reimagining of Little Women my expectations are just too high. I enjoyed the writing, appreciated the sister dynamic, but overall felt that the story did not live up to the majesty of the original. I will not hesitate to recommend this to the teen patrons in my public library, and I do think it is a great beginner historical fiction. It wasn't exactly what I wanted as a reader, but it is a title I will gladly add to my shelves as a librarian.

I have never read Little Women (I know, shocking!), so once I found out this was a reimagination of sorts of the book, I was afraid I would be lost. I am so happy to say that I did not feel lost in any shape, form, or fashion. The book takes place during 1942/43. We get to see the girls that are able, doing what they can to help out in the war effort. The romance/courting is very similar to what might have taken place in a Civil War novel, but the situations are all unique to WWII with a little modern twist. I am hesitant to give you any specifics on any of the characters because it might spoil something for you, but I do think anyone that is interested in a women's fiction set in WWII would enjoy this.

As a Little Women fan, I was intrigued to check out this retelling of it, and it did not disappoint. I enjoyed all of the points of view. Oddly enough, I think I enjoyed Amy’s POV the most, which is the opposite experience I had reading the source material. I loved being able to see these characters in a different time setting and struggling with issues of that time. The reason I could not give this 5 stars is because it felt that something was missing in each story line. I know that if it were any longer, it would have been too long, but I wanted more. The relationship building needed slightly more attention, especially Jo and Charlie. I would have also liked to see more of the reconciliation between the sisters. However, overall, this was an pleasant reading experience, especially for Little Women fans.

Great or Nothing is a gripping reimaging of Little Women, set in World War II, and after Beth's death. I really enjoyed how the characters were lifted up and reimagined in these roles, and we got the chance to see them explore/grow more, as well as how grief was discussed. I thought the characterization of Amy and Jo were the strongest, and particularly loved queer Jo, but struggled to feel connected with Beth. I was left wanting more, and would've been happy with a longer story. Major thanks to Netgalley, and Delacorte for the ARC.

Love love LOVE this take on Little Women! The resetting in World War II was magical and each character, written by a different author, was just fascinating to read. Cannot recommend enough!

LOVED loved loved this book.

The writing had me captivated from the start to finish, and I found myself reading it almost straight through one sitting. I look forward to reading more by this author.

As a life-long fan of Louisa May Alcott, I was excited to read this re-telling of the classic Little Women. I loved the idea of locating the story in the tumultuous years of World War II, and the setting allows each of Alcott’s characters to exercise their personalities and grow into themselves.

In Great or Nothing, a team of talented writers tells the story of the March Girls in four parallel storylines. While Meg remains in Concord with Marmee, teaching high school and maintaining the home, Jo leaves home to work in a factory and Amy uses false papers to join the Red Cross and serves in London. Separated by distance, the girls are also driven apart by the fierce argument they had before they scattered. As angry as they are, they all know the real problem: the gaping hole left in their lives when Beth died. As the war progresses, Meg must decide whether she wants to be who everyone else wants or whether she wants the gentle things that bring her peace. Jo must wrestle with her refusal to marry Theodore Lawrence and the reasons that made his proposal an impossibility. Amy, indulged and self-absorbed, must step out of her petted position to become the strong woman Beth would have been proud of.

The writing of Great or Nothing is beautiful, especially the stylistic differences between each storyline that create a true sense of character and tone. Beth’s simple, stark poetry acts as a moral and narration combined, giving readers more insight into the sisters she loved.

While this is a gentle story, a quiet story, the plot has stakes enough to keep readers interested. Meg’s questionable choices, Jo’s adventures in the boarding house, and Amy’s madcap escape to Europe under an assumed name all give the plot interest and tension. While the story honors the original storyline in most ways, I was disappointed, however, that the authors chose to change Alcott’s story in a significant way through Jo’s romantic interest in a woman reporter. I love retellings and reimaginings because they engage modern readers and ignite interest in the classics. I always hope retold classics will draw readers to read the originals and perhaps learn to love the classic authors’ other works. Alcott gave Jo a clear future — marriage to a professor and a life filled with rambunctious boys. When these authors made Jo pursue a queer relationship, they altered the original in a significant way that clashes with the original and its sequels.

Great or Nothing is a pleasant read that brings Alcott’s characters to life. It also celebrates the work of women in a traumatic era. Readers who enjoyed the original, however, will be sorry to see that Jo’s storyline has been altered so significantly.

I don't read a lot of historical fiction. Its not my cup of tea, but Little Women is my cup of tea, queer lit is my cup of tea and I knew my students might find some value in this story. I really loved this. I've read a lot of retellings and a lot of World War 2 stories that get it wrong, but this does both justice.

It takes place after Beth has passed, and the three remaining sisters are scattered to the winds, not talking. I think it was the perfect starting point for these characters and their arcs. I was most impressed by Amy's story, who I think is an extremely underrated character. I also like the voice that was given to Meg in this. I feel like I gained a much deeper understanding of the character. I also love that Jo is queer, it makes sense with her character and makes other story aspects hurt less. Lastly, I loved Beth's poetry. It fit her character well and moved me to tears several times. I was unsure of it at first but slowly realized it was the best way to hear from her. I think this was a super cohesive collaboration that also allowed each author to show their strengths. I will definitely get this for our library and read a sequel, if one comes out.