Reviews with content warning for Suicidal thoughts - Anna K: A Love Story

trigger warnings: sexual content (characters are under 18), drug and alcohol abuse, addiction, overdosing, rehabilitation, depression, suicide ideation, suicide attempt, self harm mention, vehicle accident, death by train, animal harm/death, emotionally abusive parents, infidelity, sexual harassment and cyber bullying, vomit, fatphobia, racism, classism, slut shaming, emotional incest

Idk who or what have me the idea but this book is not sapphic? There is one sapphic character who is like basically background. No wlw here in the main cast.

Other than that disappointment this book was phenomenal. A very xoxo Gossip Girl touch to Anna Karenina which seems apt from what I know about the original text.

The wealth disparity and lack of relatability of thee wealthy ass kids made the trauma a but more distant so I could read the book without internalising too much.

It’s beautifully written and I loved the chaos that third person omniscient pov provided to the narrative.

Excited for the next one!

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gabbygarcia's review against another edition

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lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Fun audiobook! Though I don't think I would have enjoyed it so much if I hadn't listened to it...
Jenna Ushkowitz is perfect.

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samchase112's review against another edition

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dark hopeful reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

Every happy teenage girl is the same, while every unhappy teenage girl is miserable in her own special way.

This was a solid read. If you're not familiar, this book is a retelling of Anna Karenina (the classic Russian epic) which takes place in the rich upper society of New York. And when I say retelling, I mean pretty much to the T. The plot is followed fairly religiously, the characters are just as unbearably terrible (but in a good way?), and very similar questions are explored. Seriously, the lifestyle these characters lead is pretty terrible to read about, because yes, their lives are insane and filled with extreme expectations and extreme downfalls, but at the same time every single one of them (besides Dustin/Levin and Kitty, the real mvps) takes their life and wealth for granted. I will say that I enjoyed Anna more here than in the original, probably because she was a teenager and thus more forgiven for her mistakes than, say, a grown woman with children who she neglects for a young hot Vronsky. There were some great twists to the story, especially at the end, and everything tied together well. When I think back to Anna Karenina, however, I will remember my experience with the original and likely forget about this (well done, perfectly fine) retelling.

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sfbookgirl's review against another edition

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emotional funny lighthearted reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Perfect for fans of Gossip Girl, Anna K is a juicy story that revolves around young New York City socialite Anna K and her friends. Anna’s oh-so-perfect life is filled with parties, elegance, and her perfect boyfriend Alexander, but when Anna K meets Alexia “Count” Vronsky for the first time, she can’t help but fall in love. Based on Leo Tolstoy's, Anna Karenina, Anna K is one not to miss. I have never read Anna Karenina, but I looked up the book’s Wikipedia page after finishing Anna K and marveled at the similarities.

Jenny Lee provides her relatable (despite how dang rich they are) characters with depth and incorporates Asian and Jewish representation that I found to be well-researched. I did think the book was a little too long and some elements lost my full attention, but I can safely say that I definitely don’t need to read Anna Karenina as Jenny Lee’s version is a lot juicer. I am currently reading the sequel, Anna K Away and I’m loving every second of it.

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colbsbookshelf's review against another edition

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emotional funny lighthearted sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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marbelousreads's review against another edition

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emotional funny lighthearted sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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girlonbooks's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful lighthearted sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

💔💔💔💔💔 (five stars, as rated in broken hearts because, oh, Anna Karenina... )

I first read and review this book in December of 2020. But with the release of the sequel, Anna K: Away roughly two months away I decided it more than deserved a revisit.

Anna K has it all. And with the perfect reputation, the perfect boyfriend and the perfect life at an elite school in Greenwich, Anna is envied by many. When her brother, Steven, enlists Anna's help to smooth over a rift with his girlfriend, Lolly, Anna drops everything and rushes to aid him in Manhattan. When the storm clouds have cleared, Anna opts to stay awhile with her friends in the city. After all, it's so rarely that she gets to socialize and really cut loose away from the expectant eyes of her peers in Greenwich. It is then that Anna meets Dustin (Steven's life-long friend and tutor), Kimmie (Lolly's vivacious -if a bit naive- younger sister and the object of Dustin's unrequited affection) and Alexia "Count" Vronsky (a dashing and irresistible playboy who seems to have his eye on her). Anna knows the wisest move would be to return to Greenwich, leaving her entanglement with Alexia in the past. Choosing to pursue this torrid dalliance further could devastate more than just her sterling reputation...

"Every happy teenage girl is the same, while every unhappy teenage girl is miserable in her own special way."

Wow. Just… wow. I had a hunch I was going to love this book. But, people I REALLY loved this book. Let me start out by saying that if you have not read Anna Karenina (or at least watched the movie) this book may be a challenge. There are loads of references and veiled allegory to Anna K’s 19th century inspo. And yes, I just unironically employed the word “inspo” And yes, you too may find yourself adopting all the hippest-hoppitiest slang after reading this absolute treasure. It really is par for the course in a time and space where Vronsky has a tiktok account.

Per any and all negative reviews: I am frankly baffled by anyone whose chief complaint against this book is that the content is superficial. Sure, it’s annoying to hear about the “problems” of a group of super privileged (mostly white) group of teenagers with outrageous sums of money at their disposal. Honestly, though, a primary theme of the original story was that these people are out of touch. That is literally THE parallel that’s being made with the modern setting. I mean, who was more out of touch than the Russian Aristocracy? Like, move aside, France. In my opinion, it was brilliant of Jenny Lee to translate that into present day Manhattan.

Also, it's easy to forget how young Tolstoy’s characters are in Anna Karenina since most of them were married and having kids. I think watching 16 and 17 year-olds make the same, ill-advised decisions as their infamous predecessors gives a glorious dose of truth and perspective to the maturity level of the group as a whole. Please consider that before holding it against the story. This story is best described, in my opinion as Gossip Girl with diversity and quality representation. In that regard, it was just about everything I wanted it to be.

I appreciate how much of Anna K: A Love Story remains true to Tolstoy's original work. The themes, names and character traits are all genuinely respected. That being said, I equally admire the creative license taken by Jenny Lee in contextualizing things that wouldn’t easily translate into a 21st century novel. And, being now wholly invested in everyone’s plots and subplots, I am beyond excited to read the sequel when it’s released next year in April! I have so much more to say on that front, but am hesitant to do so for fear of giving things away!

✨ Rep in this book: Korean protagonist, Black supporting character, own voices

✨ Content warnings for this book: thoughts of self harm, drug addiction and drug use, revenge porn.

Content Warnings

pinkberryoasis's review against another edition

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dark emotional slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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