Postcard For Reader

Little Women and Me

Little Women and Me
Author: Lauren Baratz-Logsted
Series: ---
Publisher: Bloomsbury
How Received: ARC

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 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.
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I love Lauren Baratz-Logsted. I love her writing style, and I love her plots, and the same goes for this book: I loved Little Women and Me's writing. I loved the plot. (Hell, I was NOT expecting the plot twist at the end.)

However, I will warn you now: If you cannot stand boy obsessed characters, this is NOT the book for you.

Don't get me wrong; on every other level, I liked Emily a lot. I liked that she has to discover herself and learn things and I like her sass and I like that she loves to write.

But the thing that made me struggle so much through this book was her constant obsession with boys. I have a few friends who are like this and they make me want to strangle them when they find a new object for their affections; in a book character, I can't stand the trait at all.

It's not like Emily doesn't redeem herself. [SPOILERS] In the last few chapters, she does stand up for herself and grow up and realize that she doesn't need a guy. (Though, I have to admit, the change is rather sudden.) But until that happens, she's absolutely insufferable. EVERYTHING is about changing the story so she can get Laurie, even as she is telling herself that Jo and Laurie should be together. [/SPOILERS] When that's all a character can think about, I just - gah.

But besides that - and this a HUGE besides that, as I kept having to put this down for long periods of time to go strangle pillows - I did enjoy it. The plot was interesting and the other characters were portrayed wonderfully.

Overall Rating & Final Comments: 6/10. I liked the plot and the writing and it was all very interesting. But I was going to strangle Emily if she didn't get over her obsessive tendencies.