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bookishjosh's review against another edition
1.0
A boy she loved with all her heart had loved her more. And she deserved it.
I feel a little bad about giving this book one star because I really wanted to enjoy it. Korean characters, rich-people drama, and a loose retelling of a beloved classic (that I haven't even read). What more could I have asked for? But sadly, I couldn't care less now. Just because I'm a K-pop fan doesn't mean that I'm going to enjoy every K-pop-related story. I guess I learned this the hard way. Hahahaha.
I really should've done my research on the source material because little did I know that Anna Karenina was actually about infidelity. The main characters practically had a deadly affair and ruined each other's lives just to soothe their loins. The same thing almost happened in this book. The protagonists in Anna K were shameless cheaters, but most of them still achieved a happy (if not hopeful) ending.
My first issue was Anna's hypocrisy. She criticized her brother Steven for cheating on Lolly. Weeks or months later, Anna finds herself betraying Alexander, her long-term but "very boring" boyfriend. Vronsky, Anna's paramour, was basically a hot bastard who was notorious for sleeping with almost every pretty girl in the city. For the life of me, I couldn't understand his obsession with Anna. It seemed to boil down to her good looks. As for Anna, she clung to Vronsky simply because she was tired of being prim and proper, her daddy's little good girl.
My second gripe was the writing, which had an abundance of unnecessary descriptions to make readers believe that the characters were really, really rich. Luxury brands were mentioned here and there as if I cared about their fancy clothes, cars, and furniture. Being part of the middle class, I couldn't even imagine most of them. You might appreciate this book more if you're a reader with sophisticated tastes. Still, I don't get why sex and drugs count as "high culture." In many ways, ordinary people are genuinely more cultured than the rich.
The only thing I enjoyed was Anna and Steven's close relationship as siblings. Their parents were mostly terrible at parenting, so the children were as thick as thieves. Sometimes, it seemed like Steven loved his sister more than he did his girlfriend. But I didn't particularly appreciate how the siblings condoned each other's bad behavior or loose morals. Where was the tough love in that? Ideally, loving someone should embolden you to confront them when they're wrong.
Overall, Anna's epiphany that she deserved Vronsky's love was questionable. It made me realize something myself: Anna hadn't learned her lesson. Cheating is cheating, no matter how hard you try to rationalize it. If Anna K was this annoying, I should remove Anna Karenina from my TBR pile.
I feel a little bad about giving this book one star because I really wanted to enjoy it. Korean characters, rich-people drama, and a loose retelling of a beloved classic (that I haven't even read). What more could I have asked for? But sadly, I couldn't care less now. Just because I'm a K-pop fan doesn't mean that I'm going to enjoy every K-pop-related story. I guess I learned this the hard way. Hahahaha.
I really should've done my research on the source material because little did I know that Anna Karenina was actually about infidelity. The main characters practically had a deadly affair and ruined each other's lives just to soothe their loins. The same thing almost happened in this book. The protagonists in Anna K were shameless cheaters, but most of them still achieved a happy (if not hopeful) ending.
My first issue was Anna's hypocrisy. She criticized her brother Steven for cheating on Lolly. Weeks or months later, Anna finds herself betraying Alexander, her long-term but "very boring" boyfriend. Vronsky, Anna's paramour, was basically a hot bastard who was notorious for sleeping with almost every pretty girl in the city. For the life of me, I couldn't understand his obsession with Anna. It seemed to boil down to her good looks. As for Anna, she clung to Vronsky simply because she was tired of being prim and proper, her daddy's little good girl.
My second gripe was the writing, which had an abundance of unnecessary descriptions to make readers believe that the characters were really, really rich. Luxury brands were mentioned here and there as if I cared about their fancy clothes, cars, and furniture. Being part of the middle class, I couldn't even imagine most of them. You might appreciate this book more if you're a reader with sophisticated tastes. Still, I don't get why sex and drugs count as "high culture." In many ways, ordinary people are genuinely more cultured than the rich.
The only thing I enjoyed was Anna and Steven's close relationship as siblings. Their parents were mostly terrible at parenting, so the children were as thick as thieves. Sometimes, it seemed like Steven loved his sister more than he did his girlfriend. But I didn't particularly appreciate how the siblings condoned each other's bad behavior or loose morals. Where was the tough love in that? Ideally, loving someone should embolden you to confront them when they're wrong.
Overall, Anna's epiphany that she deserved Vronsky's love was questionable. It made me realize something myself: Anna hadn't learned her lesson. Cheating is cheating, no matter how hard you try to rationalize it. If Anna K was this annoying, I should remove Anna Karenina from my TBR pile.
kaikai1618's review against another edition
2.0
DNFed it. Tried so hard to finish but in the end I found nothing keeping me going. It's not that the writing was bad, it was that not even good writing can save such a vapid external situation with people I care little about, a relationship that moved too quickly for me to be invested in and that made me roll my eyes. I couldn't continue because the characters were so painful to listen to and I was about 75% done with the book. Anything I was remotely interested in couldn't overcome how unbearable most of the characters were.
shanhautman's review against another edition
Not my cup of tea. Couldn't even handle as a light, escapist read. Vapid characters, repetitive narrative, and a hollow plot that's been done again and again.. Less than 50 pages in and could surmise the entire plot trajectory. No point in reading further.
jess_mango's review against another edition
Let's call it a 3.5 for now.
This is a modern YA retelling of[b:Anna Karenina|15823480|Anna Karenina|Leo Tolstoy|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1601352433l/15823480._SX50_.jpg|2507928]. But instead of being set in Russian society, it is set in current day NYC featuring a cast of private school teens. The titular character Anna K is Korean-American, she attends a private school in Greenwich and described as a great beauty. She's in a lackluster relationship with Alexander, a boy who people call the Greenwich OG. Then, she catches the eye of a girl-chasing young man that all the girls lust after.
This features teen but is on the more risque end of YA with sex, drugs, and the whole shebang. It is thoroughly modern...featuring Coachella, lots of name dropping of current pop culture icons and modern trends.
This is a modern YA retelling of[b:Anna Karenina|15823480|Anna Karenina|Leo Tolstoy|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1601352433l/15823480._SX50_.jpg|2507928]. But instead of being set in Russian society, it is set in current day NYC featuring a cast of private school teens. The titular character Anna K is Korean-American, she attends a private school in Greenwich and described as a great beauty. She's in a lackluster relationship with Alexander, a boy who people call the Greenwich OG. Then, she catches the eye of a girl-chasing young man that all the girls lust after.
This features teen but is on the more risque end of YA with sex, drugs, and the whole shebang. It is thoroughly modern...featuring Coachella, lots of name dropping of current pop culture icons and modern trends.
poachingeggs's review against another edition
1.0
the kind of book that would put you in a reading slump; very disappointed :(( i would’ve dnf-ed it, had i not already set up a page for it in my book bullet journal ://
christianalikesbooks's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
0.25
dembury's review against another edition
4.0
This book heavily reminds me of The Clique series by Lisi Harrison, books I used to be obsessed with as a young reader because their spoiled and dramatic main characters were so unlike anyone I knew in real life, and I loved the glitz and over-the-top-ness of it all. "Anna K" has the same vibes; the blurbs calling it the contemporary "Gossip Girl" retelling of "Anna Karenina" are spot-on.
There were points I thought I might hate this book because of certain characters and actions, but the character growth really comes through in this one. It's not like everyone is a saint at the end, but I was pleasantly surprised with how things wrapped up. For example, I came to love Kimmie's character, and thought she was a really accurate and heartfelt portrayal of a 14-year old girl trying to be her own strong self and learn how to be a feminist.
I would also mildly argue that "Anna K" might be more likable if you have read or seen the real "Anna Karenina". Although this retelling is a bit on the nose at times, there are certain plot points that I think just might seen totally bizarre if you don't know what they're echoing. I saw a few people complaining about the ending, but having already seen the movie I personally was waiting for that to happen, so having that knowledge is just going to change your reading experience!
All of March I've been in a horrible reading mood and only read one other book, and "Anna K" got me out of that slump. The story is just the total opposite of my headspace right now during self-distancing, so maybe part of why I enjoyed this was the escapism factor. Either way, I thought it was a really fun read!
There were points I thought I might hate this book because of certain characters and actions, but the character growth really comes through in this one. It's not like everyone is a saint at the end, but I was pleasantly surprised with how things wrapped up. For example, I came to love Kimmie's character, and thought she was a really accurate and heartfelt portrayal of a 14-year old girl trying to be her own strong self and learn how to be a feminist.
I would also mildly argue that "Anna K" might be more likable if you have read or seen the real "Anna Karenina". Although this retelling is a bit on the nose at times, there are certain plot points that I think just might seen totally bizarre if you don't know what they're echoing. I saw a few people complaining about the ending, but having already seen the movie I personally was waiting for that to happen, so having that knowledge is just going to change your reading experience!
All of March I've been in a horrible reading mood and only read one other book, and "Anna K" got me out of that slump. The story is just the total opposite of my headspace right now during self-distancing, so maybe part of why I enjoyed this was the escapism factor. Either way, I thought it was a really fun read!
elkiebear's review against another edition
dark
funny
lighthearted
reflective
sad
fast-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
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Infidelity, Addiction, Drug use, and Death
Moderate: Car accident, Cursing, and Mental illness