Reviews tagging 'Sexual content'

Anna K by Jenny Lee

29 reviews

ashleysager's review

challenging hopeful slow-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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Death, Mental illness, Drug use, Drug abuse, Addiction, and Sexual content

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts

lilybear3's review against another edition

challenging emotional funny lighthearted relaxing tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.25

This book is a modern-day YA retelling of Anna Karenina.  I haven't read the original, but I feel like Jenny Lee included important and pivotal moments in her version and adapted them.  Leo Tolstoy's novel is 800+ pages and Anna K is 400ish pages.  I listened to the audiobook, which is read by Glee's Jenna Ushkowitz.  I couldn't have picked a better narrator, I think she was great and consistent throughout the novel.  She gave some characters different voices, but it didn't sound strained or like she was trying too hard.

The story is truly Crazy Rich Asians meets Gossip Girl in the best way.   While this is a longer book than I normally read, I was interested the whole time and was captivated by what would happen next.  It's the kind of fluffy romance that I love, full of over-the-top romance.  There's Drama with a capital D!  I love that we follow a large cast of characters with their own love stories and how they intertwine with one another.  There are many pop culture references and has all the things young adults are dealing with (even if most aren't super rich).  There are lots of CW/TWs so be sure to look at those!  The bulk of them are related to alcohol, drugs, and sex.

I have a print copy and my version has discussion questions in the back! How fun! One of the first questions in the back of the print version is about how race plays a part in the book.  I must have missed it, because I only knew Anna K's family was Korean.  It was mentioned about halfway through that Dustin is Black and adopted.  I presume the rest of the characters are white but I'm not sure.  It think there are conversations that could be had speculating.  But I think the book could've explored this question further and overtly. 

I definitely recommend this book if you want a rich people drama-filled story.  But there's also wholesome romance!  It's over-the-top at times, but that's what I love.

Thoughts on certain parts of the book, a.k.a. many spoilers:

Throughout the book, I felt misogyny was upheld, even though the three main teens grew as characters.  Like the characters see that women and teenage girls are held to a higher and double standard in their rich people world, but there isn't action taken to make it better.  It ends up being upheld by the rest of their society (Bea for example).  Anna and Steven's dad (and other parents) were the worst.  Towards the end I was very upset because everyone blamed Anna for what happened instead of seeing her as the victim.  Then, even though he apologizes, her dad still makes Anna live abroad for a "fresh start" (plot for book 2).  Eleanor is written like she is autistic but it's never explicitly stated.  She is made fun of for her OCD in having things clean and having things go a certain way.  Vronsky also mentions that she doesn't get sarcasm.  I didn't love that she was the "villain" and hated by most.  Especially that she was the one who filmed/released the sex tape.  But maybe the Eleanor character in Anna Karenina was also the "villain."  The ending was a little ridiculous for me when they were trying to save the dog on the tracks AGAIN.  It was just Anna INSISTING that they could save the dog and Vronsky DIES.  That whole scuffle was a mess.  But in Anna Karenina, Anna dies, so I was waiting for that ending.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Toxic friendship, Misogyny, Drug use, Alcohol, Animal death, Bullying, Cursing, Forced institutionalization, Death, and Drug abuse

Moderate: Blood, Panic attacks/disorders, Addiction, Rape, Vomit, Eating disorder, Self harm, Classism, and Abortion

kimveach's review

adventurous emotional reflective medium-paced

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

4.0

Sex, drugs, and other misbehavior from the young, rich, and vapid.  It was a little dull at first since I knew the story of Anna Karenina, but it ended up being better than I expected as I grew to know the characters.  I enjoyed the difference in the ending from the classic.  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Car accident, Child death, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Racism, Self harm, Alcoholism, Sexism, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Addiction, Classism, Death, Drug use, Infidelity, Medical trauma, Medical content, Racial slurs, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Bullying, Cursing, Drug abuse, and Grief

trishmarie17's review

emotional funny lighthearted slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Car accident, Death, Drug use, and Sexual content

Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Sexual harassment, Animal death, Drug use, and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Drug abuse, and Panic attacks/disorders

amandalorianxo's review

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

2.5

I read Anna Karenina when I was in college. That was a heavy book, both metaphorically and physically. So I had always been hesitant when I see books catered towards the modern audience with inspo or bare bones plot devices from the classics. Granted, this was a lot, not as heavy as the Russian novel but imagine a lot of rich kids doing… rich kid things. Sex, drugs let’s rock n roll type of vibe. The surprise twist at the end was definitely a surprise since it’s not quite how the inspo ended. Is this a little too much? At times it can be a little eye roll inducing and unnecessary but I did like the diversity that was in this. It’s not a deeply profound book but if you are looking to unplug your brain, this might fit. Note there are some weird quotes from certain characters that are a little cringey. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Drug abuse, Drug use, and Abandonment

Minor: Sexual content, Death, and Xenophobia

1004indeyo's review against another edition

dark emotional sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Death, Cursing, Car accident, Blood, Addiction, Alcohol, Animal death, Sexual content, Self harm, Panic attacks/disorders, Mental illness, Grief, Drug use, Bullying, Vomit, Violence, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Suicide attempt, and Suicidal thoughts

sierranorgan's review against another edition

dark emotional funny relaxing sad medium-paced

• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

This book was wild in many different ways. It had such a gossip girl vibe to it that I enjoyed, and the audiobook narrator was really playing that up! But sometimes the characters and situations were so absolutely ridiculous that I wasn’t to smash my head into something 😂 maybe it’s things that I’m missing from it’s source material? I’m not sure. But overall I enjoyed being brought back to that gossip girl feeling that I’ve missed! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Suicide attempt, Death, Drug abuse, Addiction, Alcohol, Animal death, Mental illness, Cursing, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Grief, Infidelity, and Racial slurs

carlyhearts's review

dark emotional funny 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Drug abuse, Drug use, and Infidelity

Moderate: Animal death, Death, Racism, and Cursing

thebookishkatie's review

dark emotional sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Child death, Drug use, and Sexual content

Moderate: Mental illness and Toxic relationship

Minor: Abortion

CW: death, drug use, adultery, toxic parents, depression, anxiety, alcohol, reference to abortion, child sex tape

decklededgess's review

dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

4.0

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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Alcohol, Animal death, Bullying, Car accident, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Grief, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Sexual harassment, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Body shaming, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Infidelity, Racism, Sexism, and Vomit

Minor: Abortion