what I’m reading: beth is dead by katie bernet.

When Beth March is found dead in the woods on New Year’s Day, her sisters vow to track down her killer.

This book is a contemporary reimagining of Little Women. I confess that I have never actually read Little Women, though I have seen several adaptations (and Winona Ryder will always be the best Jo). Based on what I know from the movies, I thought the author did a great job reimagining the characters in a modern setting while including many of the familiar faces from the original story.

One thing this book does exceptionally well is create suspects. It felt like almost every character had a motive, and I didn’t figure out who the killer was until the answer was practically staring me in the face. The author carefully lays out each suspect and their possible reasons for wanting Beth dead. That said, I refused to believe any of the sisters could be the killer. That would have been a little too far-fetched for me.

I wasn’t a huge fan of Jo, which surprised me because she seems to be the character everyone wants to be. I found her incredibly naive when it came to their father, and she was often quick to judge other people. She wasn’t the character I connected with the most.

One thing I struggled with throughout the book was the characters’ ages. Many of the sisters acted older than their supposed ages, especially Amy, who rarely felt like a high school student. I also had trouble remembering whether Jo was meant to be in high school or college. Of course, it’s been almost 30 years since I was in high school, so maybe things have changed more than I realize.

The book itself was very easy to read. The chapters are short and alternate between the sisters’ perspectives, as well as between the present and the events leading up to Beth’s death. The rotating viewpoints and timeline kept me hooked and made it difficult to put the book down.

Overall, this was a fun YA murder mystery with plenty of suspects, twists, and family drama. Even though I had a few issues with some of the characters, I enjoyed following the mystery and trying to figure out who killed Beth.