Book Review: Beth is Dead by Katie Bernet

In this retelling of the classic, Little Women, Jo and her sisters navigate the complexities of family in the modern day while trying to solve Beth's murder on a snowy New Year's Eve.

5/5 Stars

While I have tried multiple times to read Little Women itself (to no avail, sigh), I absolutely adore the adaptations. Whether they are movies, graphic novels, etc., I have found them and probably read/watched/listened to them multiple times. When Libro suggested this ARC to me at the beginning of the year, I leapt at the chance to read it, and it did not disappoint.

Jo's author father is taking a break, her nurse mother is overworked, and her sisters are no where to be found. Meg is off at college, dodging her on-again-off -again boyfriend and slaving away trying to keep up with the Joneses. Amy is hanging out with a shady art mentor in a quest to study abroad while also doggedly avoiding her and her best friend, Laurie. And Meg, usually playing piano, is found dead in a snow bank. Jo is barely keeping it together herself, but can she set aside her own problems in time to solve her sister's murder without tearing her family apart?

I am usually not one for murder mysteries, especially of the YA variety, but this one kept me guessing. All of the characters, main and side, were masterfully written to both embody their namesake characters but also bring their best and their worst characteristics into the modern era. The usual themes of grief, unrequited love, and sisterhood were unsurprisingly heavy but surprisingly well-handled. In addition, Bernet layered in new, more contemporary themes with nods to feminism in the Me Too era, family bloggers, situationships, and addiction. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I genuinely enjoyed the ride that was this book, and if you have ever liked the book or movies, you’ll love seeing the characters in this!