Today I’m delighted to be reviewing Beth is Dead by Katie Bernet. I was instantly intrigued at this bold concept for a YA murder mystery and knew I had to get my hands on it. Thank you to Scholastic for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This review originally appeared on The Nerd Daily.
After a New Years Eve party, Beth is found dead.
All the March sisters see Beth’s body and wonder how – and who – could have killed their sweet little sister. And what was their motive?
The March sisters have always been close, but will Beth’s murder bring them closer together, or further apart? As each of the girls’ motives are uncovered, the March sisters might not be quite as sweet as they seem…
CW: murder, death, grief, blood, stalking, manipulation
My Thoughts:
Beth is Dead flips the script on a well-loved favourite and delivers something bold, brilliant and brand new.
This is not the Little Women you may recognise. Right out the gate, Katie Bernet delivers a bold reimagining with a twisty YA mystery that keeps you guessing. It is paced fantastically and so well-constructed as it keeps the pages turning. I absolutely adored it and found myself getting lost in the pages until the early hours. The mystery flows brilliantly and you move between different perspectives to uncover the pieces of the jigsaw. Bernet brilliantly leads you down the rabbit hole with a story that shines in both characterisation and plotting. It is a wonderful ode to the original delivered with clear love and respect, but it is also a blazing star in its own right. The twists and turns are devastating and serve to heighten that emotional core that remains at the forefront throughout. This is a book defined by grief and loss, causing every character to reevaluate their relationships with Beth and with one another. They are complicated people, flawed and messy in the way people often are. You can see the framework of the original characters but Bernet adds new touches that serve to deliver her interpretation and match the mystery unfolding before you. I loved the way she used the original story to set up certain reveals and also red herrings. Trust me, you do not know where this story may be going.
I really enjoyed the throughline here about using real-life events as inspiration for art. It has a very meta discussion around writing and the idea of the muse, particularly with the way Bernet uses the original story as a tool within this story. It is such a fun addition to the story and introduces new layers into the YA murder mystery. There is a great interplay between the expected depictions of the sisters and their realities, heightened by how they have been catapulted to stardom and the ensuing chaos from this. As a reader this wrongfoots you and makes you question your own complicity within the narrative. It also deepens all of their characters further and repositions them outside of the original, particularly when it comes to Jo’s dreams and relationship with her father. All of their familial relationships are tested by this new framing and it gives Bernet even more room to play, which she uses to its fullest capacity.
From a murder mystery standpoint, it gives all of them motive and the meta narrative ties into the central mystery in some twisted ways. It is sickeningly familiar when you consider the way the media can position people solely in one narrative and reduce them to a singular trait that then defines them. Bernet’s story is slick and explores these narratives well. There is a tragic beauty to it and a wonderful discussion around parasocial relationships, celebrity and obsession. We all have roles in life that we are expected to fulfil but they do not define us entirely. We are more and can work to be seen as more. Ultimately Bernet is delivering a nuanced and empowering message with this plotline, though the focus remains on their grief and the way Beth’s death has changed their world forever. They will treasure her memory and continue to tell her story in its full glory.
Beth is Dead ultimately pays deep respect to the original but also offers something new and exciting. It is a wonderful exploration of love, loss and legacy that thrives in its characterisation as well as its twisty plotting.
A Short Book Lover 