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akacya's review against another edition
4.0
2023 reads: 202/350
this is the sequel to anna k: a love story.
amidst her scandal and her grief, anna’s father takes her to the other side of the world. in south korea, anna has to decide if this is exile or a chance to start anew. back in the u.s., anna’s friends go through a series of relationship drama, including theatre camp flings, uncertainty around sex, and strangers becoming more.
the first book captivated me with all the drama and, of course, tragedy, so i just had to see how this one played out. i appreciated the various depictions of grief through the different characters. i highly recommend this to anyone who liked the first book and wants more from the characters.
this is the sequel to anna k: a love story.
amidst her scandal and her grief, anna’s father takes her to the other side of the world. in south korea, anna has to decide if this is exile or a chance to start anew. back in the u.s., anna’s friends go through a series of relationship drama, including theatre camp flings, uncertainty around sex, and strangers becoming more.
the first book captivated me with all the drama and, of course, tragedy, so i just had to see how this one played out. i appreciated the various depictions of grief through the different characters. i highly recommend this to anyone who liked the first book and wants more from the characters.
tranquilpetrichor's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
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? It's complicated
4.0
lukevirgo's review
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-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
4.0
i didn’t think i would comeback after feeling personally victimized by fucking tolstoy. i’m glad i did because both i and these characters needed to move on.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief
southernbellebooks's review against another edition
4.0
I love the Anna K series but I think I would've liked more of Anna. I seriously love the narrator. She needs to read all the audiobooks.
esther111111's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
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? It's complicated
4.5
bigdreamsandwildthings's review against another edition
3.0
I listened to the audiobook of this, and I cannot recall one memorable quote, so alas, my usual review format is out of my grasp. But that's pretty indicative of how I felt about this one overall. I liked it well enough while I was listening, but overall...it was pretty forgettable.
Anna K is recovering from the death of her lover, Alexia Vronsky. She is planning a summer in Seoul to get away from her hometown and try to move on with her life, but everything reminds her of him, and she wants to share her adventures only with him. Meanwhile, Bea is in LA, and she has found a new surfer girl beau, though she still blames Anna for Vronsky's death. Lolly, Stephen, Kimmie, Dustin, the gang is all back, and ready for the best summer ever - or at least the one filled with the most drama possible.
These books really are pure escapism. Like imagine being a spoiled rich person, and what you'd do if you had no conscience and access to all the money in the world. That's what these characters do. And there's absolutely a part of me that revels in imagining these things. The grand scale of everything in this world is mind-boggling and fun, and if you just lose yourself in that sense of wonder and incredulity, they are a lot of fun to read.
That said, this one just wasn't as engaging for me. I found Anna to be the best part of the first book, and here, she's grieving, but also, somehow, having like, the coolest summer ever? And she doesn't ever recognize it? She meets a K-pop star and gets famous in Korea and meets the coolest new friend and parties at the coolest nightclubs, and I know it's all just coping for her, but damn, I just wanted to shake her. She's so blah, and that makes it harder to read about her.
And everyone else is just on the same bullshit as book one. Lolly and Stephen are annoying and don't develop at all; Kimmie and Dustin take a major backseat, and it's like their storyline about sex is in there just to make up for them having absolutely no story otherwise. I liked Dean, and Lolly's time at the acting camp, but overall, nothing special happens with any of these guys. Bea's story is a bit more interesting, but I dislike her intensely as a character, so that made it harder to sympathize with her at all. She is every terrible spoiled rich girl stereotype rolled up into one.
And plot-wise...that ending. I thought maybe we'd get a kind of repeat of book one, but then, after almost no buildup...nothing. Very unsatisfying tbh.
I didn't hate this all the way through, though. I did like being swept up in the drama of it all, and like I said, it is nice to just escape into a world where your problems don't have anything to do with money. But this was just an inconsequential read for me at the end of it all.
Anna K is recovering from the death of her lover, Alexia Vronsky. She is planning a summer in Seoul to get away from her hometown and try to move on with her life, but everything reminds her of him, and she wants to share her adventures only with him. Meanwhile, Bea is in LA, and she has found a new surfer girl beau, though she still blames Anna for Vronsky's death. Lolly, Stephen, Kimmie, Dustin, the gang is all back, and ready for the best summer ever - or at least the one filled with the most drama possible.
These books really are pure escapism. Like imagine being a spoiled rich person, and what you'd do if you had no conscience and access to all the money in the world. That's what these characters do. And there's absolutely a part of me that revels in imagining these things. The grand scale of everything in this world is mind-boggling and fun, and if you just lose yourself in that sense of wonder and incredulity, they are a lot of fun to read.
That said, this one just wasn't as engaging for me. I found Anna to be the best part of the first book, and here, she's grieving, but also, somehow, having like, the coolest summer ever? And she doesn't ever recognize it? She meets a K-pop star and gets famous in Korea and meets the coolest new friend and parties at the coolest nightclubs, and I know it's all just coping for her, but damn, I just wanted to shake her. She's so blah, and that makes it harder to read about her.
And everyone else is just on the same bullshit as book one. Lolly and Stephen are annoying and don't develop at all; Kimmie and Dustin take a major backseat, and it's like their storyline about sex is in there just to make up for them having absolutely no story otherwise. I liked Dean, and Lolly's time at the acting camp, but overall, nothing special happens with any of these guys. Bea's story is a bit more interesting, but I dislike her intensely as a character, so that made it harder to sympathize with her at all. She is every terrible spoiled rich girl stereotype rolled up into one.
And plot-wise...that ending. I thought maybe we'd get a kind of repeat of book one, but then, after almost no buildup...nothing. Very unsatisfying tbh.
I didn't hate this all the way through, though. I did like being swept up in the drama of it all, and like I said, it is nice to just escape into a world where your problems don't have anything to do with money. But this was just an inconsequential read for me at the end of it all.
shaykay's review
3.0
This one follows the same set of main characters as they try to survive their summers. Anna had a very traumatic summer and was not only trying to recover from losing someone really close to her but she was also trying to figure out who she is while being grounded, or at least their version of grounded. I still loved Anna's story the most and struggled with Dustin and Kimmie's section. In this book, I even didn't really care for Steven and Lolly's story either. I think this book could've stood on just Anna's shoulders alone, but I really love Bea's story in this one. I think Bea was honestly my favorite and had the most fun with, in this book. I did go into this one kind of hesitantly because of how the last one ended and to be honest when I was entering the page count into Bookly I saw Anna's letter and I thought that maybe, just maybe, the death from the first book was fake and he was still alive but that's not happening. I just feel like that would be something that could be pulled off in this book. I think these books are just fast and for the most part fun reads. I really love watching Anna's story unfold and I don't know if there is going to be any more in this story or if I will pick them up going forward. I like Anna's story but I liked it more in the first book. I love that she is finally standing on her own in this one but it still had its issues and I miss her love interest from the first book but at the same time, I'm glad that she just didn't jump into a new love interest in this one. We'll see what I think if there is any more that comes out in this world.
readingindc's review against another edition
2.0
As someone who loved Anna K, I’m not sure a sequel was needed here. This book is really about grief and I found some parts so moving but others didn’t make me feel much at all. While I really love some of the characters, this story also didn’t feel complete
kirbyv22's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
sad
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? No
4.0