Beth Is Dead - Katie Bernet

It's New Year's Day and Beth has failed to return from Sallie Gardiner's annual party.  When Jo finds her bed empty, she assumes that Amy has led her elder sister astray and texts her in an attempt to spare their mum the anguish, but when Amy arrives home alone moments later, Jo begins to worry and takes Amy out to find Beth - after all, Amy is the party animal, not Beth.  They haven't gone far when they discover Beth's body lying dead in the snow.  Despite the police's quick arrival and intense investigation, the sisters determine to discover who killed Beth themselves, but will they like what they discover?

Oh my goodness, this book is amazing! I have to admit that I was curious: a reimagining of Little Women,  one of my favourite books from my childhood and the first book that made me cry; I wasn't certain that a modern day reimagining would do the book justice; however, any doubts I had were very quickly and thoroughly quashed.

The book is set in modern day America, Concord Massachusetts (the same setting as the original book) and is told through two timelines, now (after Beth's death) and before.  With chapters from all four sisters' perspectives, you quickly get to know them, including Beth, and begin to form your own theories about who killed her.  Although this is a modern day story, I liked that Katie used her knowledge of the original book: the sisters have the personalities and interests of their original counterparts; and there are many similarities in the general plot (Laurie lives next door, Aunt March is as fierce and bold as I remember her; their father is away ...) and I enjoyed picking up on these.  The characters were recognisable as their original counterparts but also felt refreshingly modern and relatable.  They are far from perfect and, as well as navigating their teenage years (high school, relationships, friendships, university...), they also have to contend with the fact that they have been thrown into the public eye by their father whose recently published novel about the girls' real lives has caused huge controversy and backlash.  

The book is utterly gripping and I promise you won't be able to put it down. It's twisty and thought-provoking, and just when you think you know who might have done it, something comes along to add an extra element that has you questioning everything again.  In her acknowledgements, Katie says that she hopes Louisa May Alcott approves of the book and I think she absolutely would. 

Beth Is Dead absolutely blew me away; it's clever, cunning and completely addictive. Publishing on the 15th January, this is a book that I will be shouting about to anybody who will listen and it's a YA that absolutely needs to be pre-ordered.