My goodness, what a heartbreaking joy this one is! Since Greta Gerwig’s movie adaptation of Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women is present in everyone’s minds, it’s a joy to read this! In this little retelling titled Jo & Laurie, two bestselling authors Margaret Stohl and Melissa de la Cruz, give those who want to see Jo March and Theodore Laurence together, the pairing we always wanted!
Jo & Laurie takes place between the two books, Little Women and Good Wives, in which Jo has successfully published her first book and struggles to write her second. Laurie, the best friend every woman is dreaming of, surprises her with a week long trip to New York to give her genius mind a little break. Little did she know that this week will bring her not only museums and opera, but an unforgettable moment with the one and only Charles Dickens. Unfortunately, Jo did not see that Laurie had more on his mind that could change both of their lives forever. If only Jo would finally be honest to herself.
Since I watched the anime Jo and Her Sisters, I longed for more about Jo and Laurie. I do not need romance, instead, give me a genuine friendship and I will be in tears in no time. Jo and Laurie have a unique bond on an intellectual level, which can only be described as a soul broken in half and made whole again by finding each other.
Nowadays, we understand Jo’s decision ( or more Alcott’s decision) for not getting married, and pursuing her career and feeling fulfilled by it. Our society evolved and accepts that not every woman wants to get married and start a family and there is nothing bad about it. Alcott was ahead of her time with giving us such an independent female character. But as we all know, Jo ended up in family life eventually when she married her German professor and started running a school. She found a way to combine family and work, something that was unique for her time. But let us be honest, for me, there is only one true pairing and in my mind Jo and Laurie has to end up together. Thanks to Stohl and Cruz, we got the alternative ending and it is beautiful.
Laurie takes Jo to New York under the impression that he only wants to keep her mind off her work, when he secretly plans to ask her to marry him. Jo, being her lovely stubborn self, refuses over and over again. At some point, I felt my heart break into dozens of little pieces thinking “this cannot happen again”. I have to admit, that I was close to throwing the book against the wall in frustration. Driven by hope, I continued reading and witnessed how Meg and Brooke got engaged, seeing Laurie start college and returns with a fiancé approved by his uncle. At that point, I saw the scene of Jo and Laurie standing on the hill in Gerwig’s adaption confessing their love to each other but Jo ruining it, again so I panicked!
But when his fiancé breaks off the engagement after she sees how the best friends are around each other, there is hope for a little reader’s heart. Jo, finally starting to realise that she made the biggest mistake of her life, wants to confess her love while telling Laurie that he accepts his decision because she asked him to look for another girl to become his wife. The beautiful moment when they both are finally on the same page and there is nothing stopping them to get engaged, it lead me to sob over getting the ending for two of my all time beloved characters which, in my opinion, they deserve.
Margaret Stohl and Melissa de la Cruz did a fantastic job capturing the atmosphere that Alcott created. It truly feels like an official in-between volume, which only got lost for the longest time. The language, the surrounding, and everything is in a perfect symbiosis.
Jo & Laurie will give you a cosy feeling and will make those happy who cannot get enough of this famous story and of these beloved characters.
Jo & Laurie is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore.
Will you be picking up Jo & Laurie? Tell us in the comments below!
Synopsis | Goodreads
Bestselling authors Margaret Stohl and Melissa de la Cruz bring us a romantic retelling of Little Women starring Jo March and her best friend, the boy next door, Theodore “Laurie” Laurence.
1869, Concord, Massachusetts: After the publication of her first novel, Jo March is shocked to discover her book of scribbles has become a bestseller, and her publisher and fans demand a sequel. While pressured into coming up with a story, she goes to New York with her dear friend Laurie for a week of inspiration—museums, operas, and even a once-in-a-lifetime reading by Charles Dickens himself!
But Laurie has romance on his mind, and despite her growing feelings, Jo’s desire to remain independent leads her to turn down his heartfelt marriage proposal and sends the poor boy off to college heartbroken. 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?
