Book Review: Great or Nothing (arc)

Great or Nothing (2022) by Joy McCullough; Caroline Tung Richmond; Tess Sharpe; Jessica Spotswood

YA | Fiction | Historical Fiction | Classic Re-Telling

Disclaimer: In every review that I complete, I try my best to avoid spoilers of any kind and include spoiler warnings when necessary.

About the book (from Goodreads)

A reimagining of Little Women set in the spring of 1942, when the United States is suddenly embroiled in the Second World War, this story, told from each March sister's point of view, is one of grief, love, and self-discovery.

In the spring of 1942, the United States is reeling from the attack on Pearl Harbor. While the US starts sending troops to the front, the March family of Concord, Massachusetts grieves their own enormous loss: the death of their daughter, Beth.

Under the strain of their grief, Beth's remaining sisters fracture, each going their own way with Jo nursing her wounds and building planes in Boston, Meg holding down the home front with Marmee, and Amy living a secret life as a Red Cross volunteer in London--the same city where one Mr. Theodore Laurence is stationed as an army pilot.

Each March sister's point of view is written by a separate author, three in prose and Beth's in verse, still holding the family together from beyond the grave. Woven together, these threads tell a story of finding one's way in a world undergoing catastrophic change.

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Note: Thank you to Netgalley & the publishers for allowing me access to this arc!

My Review

The second I read "Little Women re-imagined," I was 100% on board! And let me tell you, this book DID NOT disappoint! Little Women is a timeless classic that I have read many times, and I adore re-imaginings that are written well. The only thing that I was a tad afraid of was that reading multiple authors would affect the story. However, since each of the sister's perspectives is by a different author, I think it enhanced the story instead.

Overall, Great or Nothing is a fantastic story of sisterhood and grief during a time of war. By the end of the book, I had to force myself to slow down so that I could savor the story.

Highly recommend.

The Good Things

1. Beth's Perspective. I didn't think I was READY for Beth from beyond the grave, but this book changed my mind. Although each of the sister's perspectives (Jo, Amy, and Meg's in prose, Beth's through poetry) were interesting and well-written, Beth's stood out from the rest. Her poems are deep and heartfelt, and I read each one multiple times because I adore them. The poems also seem to act as the glue that holds the entire story together. I'm in love!

2. The story follows the period of WWII well!

3. This comment might be far-fetched to some, but I honestly don't think an individual needs to read Little Women to enjoy this book.

The Bad Things

1. Jo's character felt slightly off to me. However, this is a reimagining, so it's only fair to the author to acknowledge that everyone interprets things differently, so this may be merely my personal opinion.

2. I keep asking myself if this book felt too short, or I'm just stuck in a book hangover.

My Final Rating:

☆☆☆☆☆ (Goodreads)

☆☆☆☆☆ (Blog)

☆☆☆☆☆ (Amazon - will post as soon as the book is released)

Pre-order this from Amazon by clicking here!

If you have access to this ARC, please feel free to leave comments concerning how you liked -or didn't like, no judgment here- it! If you don't have access, let me know if this is on your tbr! I would love to hear your thoughts!