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Jo & Laurie
Jo & Laurie | Margaret Stohl, Melissa de la Cruz
22 posts | 17 read | 12 to read
Righting the wrongs of fictional history, two bestselling YA authors Melissa de la Cruz and Margaret Stohl bring us the story generations of Little Women fans have always wanted--a romance starring Jo March and her best friend Laurie. After the publication of Little Women, Jo March is shocked to discover her book of scribbles has become a bestseller, and her publisher demands a sequel. While pressured into coming up with a story, she goes to New York with her dear friend Laurie. But despite her growing feelings, her desire to remain independent leads her to turn down his heartfelt marriage proposal and sends the boy off to college heartbroken. But when Laurie returns to Concord with a sophisticated new girlfriend, will Jo finally communicate her true heart's desire or lose the love of her life forever?
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Whollybologna
Jo & Laurie | Margaret Stohl, Melissa de la Cruz
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Jo & Laurie was such a magnificent book that I could only follow it with a book by the same author! #thingsincommon

Clwojick Great job! 2y
3 likes1 comment
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Kimberlone
Jo & Laurie | Margaret Stohl, Melissa de la Cruz
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Mehso-so

I *really* wanted to love this book, but it just didn‘t do it for me, even though it wasn‘t horrible. Little Women has been one of my favorite books since I first read it around 8 years, and of course I shipped Jo and Laurie together. So I thought I would at least like this for the romance, but I was really underwhelmed. Very chaste YA romance that did not provide the Jo/Laurie relationship I would have loved to see in a more interesting take.

Kimberlone The ending having them engaged as teenagers was SO LAME. If you‘re going to do an alternate version of Little Women, why not let them be together but not married? This book makes SUCH a big deal out of the fact that Jo doesn‘t want to marry and that‘s the main thing that complicates her relationship with Laurie, so I can‘t understand why the book couldn‘t let her be a professional woman with Laurie as her lover without getting married. Ugh 😡 2y
44 likes1 comment
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Shamzi
Jo & Laurie | Margaret Stohl, Melissa de la Cruz
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Mehso-so

I have mixed feelings about this book.It was a nice read but was a drag at times. I enjoyed Jo's turmoil between love and never getting married, apart from it felt like any other romantic novel. I have not read Little Women, which this book is an extension of, so can't really say how it fares with the source material. I don't read romantic books so maybe that's why i didn't enjoy it as much.

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Shamzi
Jo & Laurie | Margaret Stohl, Melissa de la Cruz
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Back cover!!!

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Shamzi
Jo & Laurie | Margaret Stohl, Melissa de la Cruz
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Shamzi
Jo & Laurie | Margaret Stohl, Melissa de la Cruz
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A little context: this is a conversation between two kids, a boy and a girl. The setting is 1868.
I believe that such Thinking has changed but we still have a long way to go!!!

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Shamzi
Jo & Laurie | Margaret Stohl, Melissa de la Cruz
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Just going to leave this here!!

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EdnaC
Jo & Laurie | Margaret Stohl, Melissa de la Cruz
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Pickpick

As the mom of four kids I really enjoyed the relationship between the sisters in Little Women. I wish there was a Mrs. Marsh book on how to raise children who get along so well. Sort of makes me wonder if our modern world does more to separate us than bring us together. Sigh Jo & Laurie was so sweet. I cried but I loved it. It hit in all the feels. #classics #littlewomen #sisters #siblings

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EdnaC
Jo & Laurie | Margaret Stohl, Melissa de la Cruz
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I should go to bed. But I really just want to keep reading #justonemorepage #justonemorechapter #whoamikidding #untilifallasleep

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Shamzi
Jo & Laurie | Margaret Stohl, Melissa de la Cruz
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I got this special edition book with alternate cover, book based bookmark and this is my first ever signed book 🎉🎉🎊🎉

29 likes1 stack add
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Addison_Reads
Jo & Laurie | Margaret Stohl, Melissa de la Cruz
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Pickpick

I'm a fan of Little Women, and although I didn't love this book, I still enjoyed it. This look into Jo as she struggles to finish her sequel, but also feels pressure to protect and care for her family was a great blend of Alcott's fictional world and her real life.

It was a perfect read to escape for a day. 💙

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ralexist
Jo & Laurie | Margaret Stohl, Melissa de la Cruz
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Pickpick

Many many moons ago, long before the term of "shipping" was applied to characters millions of young girls fell in love with Jo and Laurie from Louisa May Alcott's beloved Little Women. And millions of us were devastated when Jo ended up with Professor Bhaer. As I grew older I begrudgingly began to admit that Bhaer wasn't a bad choice but he just wasn't my choice, just as Laurie wasn't Alcott's. This book is the ending that never was.

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booksaremyfavorite
Jo & Laurie | Margaret Stohl, Melissa de la Cruz
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Pickpick

I really liked this book. I only read Little Women last year and I loved the characters of Jo & Laurie. This was a great story!

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Sharpeipup
Jo & Laurie | Margaret Stohl, Melissa de la Cruz
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"Just Because My Dreams Are Different Than Yours, It Doesn‘t Mean They‘re Unimportant." - Little Women (2020 movie)

36 likes1 stack add
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Nitpickyabouttrains
Jo & Laurie | Margaret Stohl, Melissa de la Cruz
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Pickpick

I loved loved loved this book. Set between the first and second half of little women. It suggests a world where jo is trying to write the second half of the book before it happens to her. Meanwhile, she changed some thing in her real life in the first half.

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Charityann
Jo & Laurie | Margaret Stohl, Melissa de la Cruz
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Just got this in the mail today! Can‘t wait to read it.😁📖📚 #littlewomen #louisamayalcott

MrsGagnonreads2024 I loved the ARC of it 4y
LiteraryinPA I‘m curious to hear more opinions about this! I‘m on the fence about wanting to read it. 4y
55 likes2 stack adds2 comments
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sprainedbrain
Jo & Laurie | Margaret Stohl, Melissa de la Cruz
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Pickpick

If you need more toxic internet drama in your life, pop over to Goodreads for the nasty reviews of this book by people who never read it, but are self-appointed defenders of the canon and Alcott.

I‘m in the minority: I didn‘t like the way things shook out in LW (I read it as an adult).

This is well-written and feels very Alcott. To the point that I was annoyed by some of the same stuff. The difference? This has the ending I wanted.

⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

sprainedbrain Also, my review brought this book from 0% to 33% here on Litsy. I feel like I actually had an impact today. 😂 (edited) 4y
KatieDid927 I seriously hate that Goodreads allows people to post reviews of books they obviously haven‘t read. I was especially irritated when wanting to find reviews of the new Suzanne Collins and had to dig through dozens of, “Omg I‘m so excited!!!!” Um. Not a review. 4y
sprainedbrain @KatieDid927 yes, that‘s another one that ‘reviews‘ made me crazy. This one is just nasty stuff though... people shelving it as ‘never going to read‘ and ‘nope‘ and writing paragraphs about how disrespectful it is that some retold this story. 🙄 4y
See All 19 Comments
KatieDid927 @sprainedbrain Yeah. I‘m not surprised. There was similar stuff happening in the reviews for the novelization of Broadway‘s The Prom where people were canceling the book and calling it lesbian erasure because of a tweet where the author said she might make one of them pansexual? The ARCs and final published version had them both as lesbians, but people tried to cancel the book anyway. It was so toxic and gross. People are so entitled. 4y
KatieDid927 @sprainedbrain I honestly see these type of reviews as not only dishonest but an attempt at censorship, which I‘m never on board with. 4y
KatieDid927 Omg why did I go look at these. They‘re insane. Some even arguing that Jo is canonically a lesbian?! WHAT?! I mean, I totally support people choosing to interpret the character that way, but then, WHY CAN‘T THIS AUTHOR INTERPRET HER A DIFFERENT WAY?! Frankly, I always thought Jo should‘ve ended up with Laurie and that is a hill I‘m willing to die on. 4y
sprainedbrain @KatieDid927 it most definitely is a form of censorship. Before a book is even available, making proclamations about how the fact that it exists is disrespectful to the character and to the authors sexuality, and implying that no one should read the book. It‘s ridiculous and mean. 4y
sprainedbrain @KatieDid927 ha! Sorry to raise your blood pressure! They are infuriating! 4y
KatieDid927 @sprainedbrain It‘s all good. Hazards of being stuck at home and still unemployed. I got really mad about The Prom sitch too so it brought all that back. In the play the character in question never identifies herself as a lesbian or bi or pan, but she falls for another girl. I felt like, if people, including an author, wanted to interpret her as bi or pan, how does that “erase” lesbians when her girlfriend is still one? 4y
KatieDid927 And boycotting a book that might have maybe made one of them pansexual instead of a lesbian when the story still features another lesbian and a lesbian relationship ... IS THE ACTUAL ERASURE. People just like to find reasons to get mad, and I see the irony of me getting mad at them getting mad . 4y
ravenlee I never thought Jo and Laurie should get together, but I lost absolutely all respect for him when he ended up with Amy. I always wanted him to find someone completely different. Amy should have run away with someone in Europe. 4y
TheAromaofBooks I never wanted Jo & Laurie to end up together, but I also don't have a problem with someone writing a book to make it work that way - I'm not sure how it's different from the bajillion P&P variations out there... although maybe people wouldn't like P&P variations as well if they had Elizabeth end up with Bingley?? Either way, it drives me BATTY when GR “reviewers“ trash a book, sometimes before it's even been published! SO aggravating. 4y
sprainedbrain @KatieDid927 I disappeared to host a watch party, but I‘m back to say that I‘ve now stacked The Prom novel (I had never heard of it, but it looks good) and also that I agree (obviously) about Jo and Laurie. I really would have been fine with her not marrying at all, and living an independent life writing and doing what she wants instead. But then she married Bhaer and had children? If she was going to marry, clearly should have been Laurie. 😂 4y
sprainedbrain @KatieDid927 The thing is, I don‘t go forcing my opinions on that down the throats of people who loved the way the book ended, and I sure as hell don‘t go write crappy reviews that could decrease circulation of a book that was clearly important to 2 writers. The authors note makes it clear they very much respect Alcott and love her story, and I can appreciate a different take on... even if it hadn‘t turned out my way. Ok. I‘m done. 😂 4y
sprainedbrain @ravenlee I agree with you there...that was dumb. I would have been fine with Jo not marrying anyone, but her marrying Bhaer and having kids didn‘t sit well with me either. 🤷🏻‍♀️ 4y
sprainedbrain @TheAromaofBooks It‘s not different at all... and a lot of people do have issues with all of the JA variations. That‘s perfectly fine—to each their own—but why take the time to be so nasty about it! Clearly the GR crap got to me today. 😂 4y
KatieDid927 @sprainedbrain With you on all that. People are very much entitled to their opinions and don‘t have to read books they aren‘t interested in. I respect that. I don‘t respect people that aren‘t able to respect that other people have opinions and that‘s okay. (edited) 4y
Clare-Dragonfly Wow… if people can‘t handle a straightforward alternate ending fanfic like this, never show them AO3. 🤔🤨 4y
sprainedbrain @Clare-Dragonfly Right? It‘s as if this is brand new information to them. 4y
86 likes5 stack adds19 comments
review
CaitlinSiem
Jo & Laurie | Margaret Stohl, Melissa de la Cruz
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Mehso-so

I feel bad for this book: it has unfortunate ratings. It was an “I didn‘t love it but I enjoyed it decently enough” book for me.

It‘s a blend between the book Little Women and the author‘s life. It takes place after LW was published and about the pressures of Jo writing the second book (which is combined with LW as one in modern times). It was interesting. I wish I connected more with the characters, but I liked the storyline.

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Sara_Planz
Jo & Laurie | Margaret Stohl, Melissa de la Cruz
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Mehso-so

Honestly the ending felt very rushed. I wish the authors had spent more time on Jo and Laurie building a true partnership with each other as opposed to everything just conveniently falling into place. As two characters I adore, I felt they deserved that.

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LibrarianRyan
Jo & Laurie | Margaret Stohl, Melissa de la Cruz
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I have no desire to read this book, but I know it's on a lot of people's TBR.

June 2, 2020

#CoverLove #YAedition

rubyslippersreads I‘m curious about this, though I don‘t think it‘s a romance meant to happen. 5y
SaturnDoo Yep, another stack add. I do like this cover. Maybe the simplicity of it. ❤ 5y
Kelly_the_Bookish_Sidekick It's cute as it easily portrays the time period. I am reading through Little Women now since it's been at least 25 years since I last read it and don't remember much about it. As someone who always was one of the boys, I liked that their friendship stayed a friendship. I would maybe read this if I could for free (or cheap) since I like Melissa de la Cruz but I'm not running out for this. 5y
LibrarianRyan @Kelly_the_Bookish_Sidekick I listened to Little Women this winter and I wanted to plug my ears. So not my type of book. So I wont be checking this out, but I too liked that they remained friends and not a love interest. 5y
Kelly_the_Bookish_Sidekick I'm not loving the "girls place" business but I do like the aspect that encourages the girls to better themselves as they recognize their faults. Also, the parts about appreciating what they have & selflessness. I think some of this is a lesson many still need, but also, be yourself! Far from perfect, but not bad. 5y
52 likes2 stack adds5 comments
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abookishbutterfly
Jo & Laurie | Margaret Stohl, Melissa de la Cruz
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Mondays can make you blue - I know - but I always find them a bit more bearable these days because the new BookishFirst giveaways go live! I look forward to checking them out every Monday!

I know I mention this site a lot but it truly baffles me that more people aren‘t a part of it. It‘s free and you can win books. There is nothing to lose!

This week there is only one giveaway and it‘s perfect

Continued ⬇️

abookishbutterfly for fans of Little Women! Even if you don‘t want this book, if you write a short review on your “first look” impression, you‘ll earn points that you can use toward books you DO want!

If you sign up because of this post, please let them know that I sent you by entering my referral code: d9c86cb41f080f1fc

https://www.bookishfirst.com/
5y
abookishbutterfly Follow up comment: Since I am not interested in this book or Little Women, I was unaware of the fact that this book has sparked outrage so perhaps it isn‘t perfect for fans of Little Women!😂 5y
70 likes2 comments
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TracyReadsBooks
Jo & Laurie | Margaret Stohl, Melissa de la Cruz
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And in other bookish news today...

Will Jo and Laurie end up together, says the blurb, or is it just not meant to be?!?

Book is out this June.

I don‘t love Little Women (shhh, don‘t tell anyone) but I might read this. After all, doesn‘t everyone want to know the answer to that question?

More information, plus a brief except I believe, in Bustle.

umbrellagirl I‘m ok with Jo not ending up with Laurie but he definitely does not belong with Amy. I have nothing nice to say about Amy. 5y
20 likes1 comment