Beth is Dead by Katie Bernet

The quick cut: A contemporary reimagining of classic book "Little Women", with Beth being murdered and the remaining sisters searching for her killer.

A real review:

Thank you to Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers for providing the arc for an honest review.

If your sister was found dead unexpectedly, what would you do to find her killer? What would your response be if it looked like a fellow sibling did it? This is the case for the March sisters.

The March sisters are all so different, but the one that gets overlooked is Beth. Being quiet and uncertain of what she wants, she's the one viciously killed off when their father publishes a fictionalized book about their lives. So when Beth appears actually dead one morning, everyone is shocked that she's actually gone. Did her life end as unremarkably as her character did in dad's book? Or is something more sinister going on?

Full disclosure: I'm not a fan of the classic book "Little Women". In fact, I'm pretty confident I barely remember what happens in it. So if you're not a fan of the classic story, don't be put off by this reimagining! Even without a love for it, the new tale is still very intriguing and well worth the read.

The story flips between the present and the past, with the chapters narrator changing between each of the sisters: Jo, Beth, Amy, and Meg. Each one has their flaws and each one has a very unique personality. My favorite of the bunch is Beth because she's flawed and unsure and seemingly getting handed a dream that she doesn't necessarily want. Her story appears to be one of privilege, but that's not what really happened.

The killer reveal really did surprise me and I didn't see it coming until a few chapters prior. There are so many leads and different possibilities that the ending does make you feel like you've been on a journey well closed.

A fun twist on a classic novel.

My rating: 5 out of 5