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Girls & Women

Book Buzz: Beth is Dead by Katie Bernet

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Katie Bernet, photo credit Justin Conway“I really enjoyed writing from Beth’s perspective. When I first read Little Women, I didn’t much like Beth. Honestly, she freaked me out. I couldn’t understand how she could accept her own untimely end with such ease. I wanted to shake her and say, “Aren’t you going to fight? Don’t you want to live?” Of course, she did. Writing Beth Is Dead helped me understand that Beth March never wanted to die, but she wasn’t given a choice, and she faced the unimaginable with bravery and strength..”
  ― Katie Bernet, Interview, Nerd Daily

Beth is Dead by Katie Bernet

What booksellers are saying about Beth is Dead

  • Fantastic update to the classic story of Little Women – with modern sisters searching for Beth’s killer (which definitely wasn’t natural causes this time around). Great debut, excited to see what Katie Bernet does next.
      ― Alissa, South Main Book Company in Salisbury, North Carolina | BUY

  • This is one of the most creative classic-book retellings I’ve read in a long time! It proves that these characters stand the test of time, because Jo, Beth, Meg, and Amy adapt perfectly to a contemporary setting that highlights the ups and downs of social media and sibling rivalries…But the real interest of this novel, and the topic I’m still thinking about, is the idea of storytelling, and who gets to tell a family’s story.  
      ― Lady, The Snail on the Wall in Huntsville, Alabama | BUY

  • Little Women is reimagined in a modern-day family and unfortunately, Beth is dead in chapter one. But who is responsible? Is it one of her famous sisters or someone else close to them? The answer unravels through twists and turns in this compelling novel.
      ― Rae Ann, Parnassus Books in Nashville, Tennessee | BUY

About Katie Bernet

Katie Bernet lives in Dallas, Texas. As one of three sisters, she’s a diehard fan of Little WomenBeth Is Dead is her debut novel.

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How Girls Are Made by Mindy McGinnis

At first, I thought that this book wasn’t McGinnis’s usual horror, but by the end, I realized it was horrific in a whole new way. A group of high school students tries to change the way sex ed is presented to kids in the district with an underground “class” and social media account. As these things tend to do, it all goes horribly wrong. We know from the start that someone doesn’t make it to the end, but we don’t know who until the end. Prepare to get your heart broken a few times before this one is over – I love it!

How Girls Are Made by Mindy McGinnis, (List Price: $19.99, HarperCollins, 9780063370692, November 2025)

Reviewed by Andrea Richardson, Fountain Bookstore in Richmond, Virginia

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A Spoonful of the Sea by Hyewon Yum

A quiet, warm tale of seaweed soup, of haenyeo divers, of birthdays, of mothers and daughters. Hyewon Yum’s story and illustrations are a celebration of motherhood and the deep connection between women and nature, all through the tradition of birthday miyeokguk. A Spoonful of the Sea is perfect to share on birthdays, between mothers and daughters, and amongst families for whom mealtime is the most important part of the day.

A Spoonful of the Sea by Hyewon Yum, (List Price: $18.99, Norton Young Readers, 9781324053699, September 2025)

Reviewed by Mikey LaFave, Avid Bookshop in Athens, Georgia

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Kill Creatures by Rory Power

Kill Creatures is the exact reason why I love teen thrillers. Impossible-to-put-down from the very first page with a twist that will leave readers of all ages reeling, Kill Creatures is a sun-soaked-fever-dream thriller that’s perfect for summer reading.

Kill Creatures by Rory Power, (List Price: $19.99, Delacorte Press, 9780593302316, June 2025)

Reviewed by Courtney Ulrich Smith, Underbrush Books in Rogers, Arkansas

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Iron Widow (Book 1) by Xiran Jay Zhao

In a world where the remains of civilization are menaced by enormous, spirit-powered monsters, boys with large spirit-force can become the pilots of the Chrysalises, giant machines that provide humanity’s only defense and the hope to retake the lost provinces. Girls with strong spirit-force can become concubine pilots: the second pilot necessary to power up the Chrysalises, but destined to be used up and die in battle. Wu Zetian’s older sister was sent to be a concubine pilot but when she died outside of battle no pay-out was given to the family. Now the family is sending Wu Zetian, but she’s not planning to go out by herself: she’s going to kill the pilot responsible for her sister’s death first. As Wu Zetian maneuvers through the machinations behind the scenes in both the military and the civilian media, she questions all the country’s received knowledge about the strength and value of women relative to men – and aims herself at a bigger opponent than one single pilot.

Iron Widow (Book 1) by Xiran Jay Zhao, (List Price: $11.99, Tundra Books, 9780735269958, February 2023)

Reviewed by Ginger Kautz, Quail Ridge Books in Raleigh, North Carolina

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Brown Girl, Brown Girl by Leslé Honoré

Cozbi Cabrera’s beautiful illustrations really make this poem by Leslé Honoré sing! This will be a book that all ages can enjoy; as a read aloud for littlest listeners, as a shared read for older kids who can also enjoy the details in the artwork, and as a lovely gift for adults.

Brown Girl, Brown Girl by Leslé Honoré, (List Price: $18.99, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 9780316314039, November 2024)

Reviewed by Johanna Hynes, McIntyre’s Books in Pittsboro, North Carolina

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Brown Girl, Brown Girl by Leslé Honoré

Brown Girl, Brown Girl deserves a permanent spot on every family’s bookshelf. A powerful message with beautiful illustrations.

Brown Girl, Brown Girl by Leslé Honoré, (List Price: $18.99, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 9780316314039, November 2024)

Reviewed by Jessica Nock, Main Street Books in Davidson, North Carolina

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Furyborn by Claire Legrand

This book is full of my favorite kind of character- strong, stubborn, and super-flawed. Told alternately, Furyborn is about two women separated by time but full of magic, fury and secrets and a connection that becomes clearer as the story unfolds. The wait for the next book in the series is going to be torture, but I’ll endure!

Furyborn by Claire Legrand, (List Price: $18.99, Sourcebooks Fire, 9781492656623, May 2018)

Reviewed by Kate Towery, Fountain Bookstore in Richmond, Virginia

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Not Like Other Girls by Meredith Adamo

Adamo’s Not Like Other Girls pairs the emotional power of Speak with a mystery full of plot twists a la A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder. This would be a great pick for teen book clubs.

Not Like Other Girls by Meredith Adamo, (List Price: $19.99, Bloomsbury YA, 9781547614004, April 2024)

Reviewed by Jill Hendrix, Fiction Addiction in Greenville, South Carolina

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Cinderella is Dead by Kalynn Bayron

I loved Cinderella is Dead! I love that Kalynn took a fairy tale we all know and turned it on its head, for the better. The whole time I am reading it I’m thinking this is a feminist fairy tale. I’m thinking this is the LGBTQ fairy tale I wish I could have read when growing up and I am so happy young people today will be able to read this story. We need more stories like this.

Cinderella is Dead by Kalynn Bayron, (List Price: 10.99, Bloomsbury YA, 9781547606641, June 2021)

Reviewed by Rayna Nielsen, Blue Cypress Books in New Orleans, Louisiana

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This One Summer by Jillian Tamaki

This poignant story paints those subtle shifts from childhood to adulthood for Rose as she spends time at a lake house with her parents, who are going through a rough patch, and her younger friend Windy, who suddenly seems immature. It’s a quiet story, full of melancholy and growing pains, but still so lovely and achingly honest.

This One Summer by Jillian Tamaki, (List Price: $18.99, First Second, 9781596437746, May 2014)

Reviewed by Julie Jarema, Avid Bookshop in Athens, Georgia

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Starlings by Amanda Linsmeier

After the death of her father, Kit discovers a grandmother she never knew she had. Invited to visit her grandmother in Rosemont, Kit’s father’s hometown, Kit quickly finds herself entangled in a mystery that her family has had a long involvement in. Eerie and engrossing, Starlings is a rosey-tinged gothic where monsters lurk and secrets can’t stay buried.

Starlings by Amanda Linsmeier, (List Price: 18.99, Delacorte Press, 9780593572337, June 2023)

Reviewed by Charlie Williams, Square Books in Oxford, Mississippi

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With You All the Way by Cynthia Hand

The night after Ada’s failed attempt to lose her virginity to her boyfriend, she catches him cheating on her. But their family is soon off for a 9day stay in Hawaii at a yearly medical conference, so she hopes that will take her mind off things. But she’s in a fight with her older sister and then her stepdad drops the bomb that he’s staying home from this trip and Ada just feels worse. This was a sweet story, full of high drama and I am here for it. I loved how flawed and real the characters were and this compulsively readable story kept me entertained from the start.

With You All the Way by Cynthia Hand (List Price: $17.99, HarperTeen, 9780062693198, 3/30/2021)

Reviewed by Jennifer Jones, Bookmiser, Inc. in Roswell, Georgia

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Outlawed by Anna North

A Winter 2021 Read This Next! Title

Outlawed by Anna North
Bloomsbury Publishing, January

Anna North has taken the traditional Western and flipped it on its head with a feminist twist for a very refreshing and timely novel about self worth. Taking place in an alternate past, Ada marries at 17, but after a year of trying, can’t conceive a child. She is kicked out by her husband’s family and accused of witchcraft by the town she grew up in, forcing her to flee. She ends up with an atypical group of outlaws by way of a convent and begins to learn to survive on the outside of traditional society. Intimate and exciting, this is a very fun book!

– Carl Kranz, Fountain Bookstore in Richmond, VA

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