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kiragrieco's review against another edition
4.0
Anna K drew me in with its Gossip Girl-esque vibe even though I’ve never actually read Anna Karenina. It definitely lived up to the Gossip Girl branding; lots of Uber rich NYC teens doing things they definitely shouldn’t be doing. What I really appreciated about this book, though, was the diverse cast of characters Lee wrote. Given that the original Anna Karenina was written by a Russian in the 1800s, I don’t imagine it had characters of different races, religious beliefs, or sexual orientations. This was actually probably one of the more diverse books I’ve read in a way, so hats off to Lee for that. That being said, I don’t know that this is fully a 4 star for me, because in a lot of places, the writing left a lot to be desired. For how mature a lot of the content was, the writing often didn’t reflect that. I’m not sure if Lee exaggerated to mirror how exaggerated and crazy their world is or what, but there were times where I was honestly cringing at the writing. That being said, this is probably more like a 3.5, but I’m definitely planning on reading the second Anna K book when it comes out.
maddie_lewis28's review against another edition
5.0
Yeah so I’m too emotionally drained from that freaking ending to do a review right now or ever. Like this book was amazing and I couldn’t put it down but the ending. I physically can’t. I literally cried for like 30 minutes. So yeah if that doesn’t tell you how emotionally drained I am right now then is what will lol
pmali's review against another edition
3.0
I started reading this book while in quarantine, but kept getting distracted because of work. I read it as an ebook and really liked the beginning and found it pretty good. Sadly it was the last 70 pages or so that really turned it on me. I think the author had a great pace going. It was very gossip girl-y and such a teen drama, but as the book came to a close it followed a little too close to the source material than I would have liked. The author tries to make a better ending but I really dislike how it turned out. I’m giving it a 3 because even tho I ended up not liking the end, I still enjoyed a lot of this book.
Overall it’s a 3/5. Not sure if I will buy it to add to my collection tho.
Overall it’s a 3/5. Not sure if I will buy it to add to my collection tho.
lauren_soderberg's review against another edition
5.0
Jenny Lee’s Anna K: A Love Story is gut wrenchingly captivating. A reimagining of Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina, this is not a flowery, happy tale… but it IS didactic and tragic and beautiful.
Anna K is the prototype for perfection. Between her beauty, her impeccable grades, and her picture-perfect boyfriend, Anna K’s life seems wonderful. It is when she meets the dashing Alexia Vronsky, however, that she realizes that maybe her life isn’t her own. And that the connection between Vronsky and herself is too powerful to be denied.
In some ways, this novel follows its source material quite religiously, and in others, there are wonderful departures. Lee deftly explores the world of the rich elite in a manner that examines privilege in various forms, as well as addresses the ways in which race, gender, and class intersect and affect each of the novel’s protagonists. Without providing spoilers, I will say that the way that Lee chose to reinterpret Anna Karenina’s ending was gutting, but also empowering. Would I have liked to have had all of the narrative threads tied together in a pretty little bow? Sure. That being said, this novel (mostly) earns its ending. I was more dissatisfied with the execution of the denouement rather than the fact that it happened. But the epilogue was pretty perfect and kind of binds the whole story together.
Lee’s content is decidedly more adult than a lot of YA novels out there, so be aware of that if you are thinking of having younger readers read this. Some CW include: excessive drug use, parental infidelity, revenge porn, drug overdose, suicidal ideation, and teenage sex. I feel like all of this content was meant to highlight this exclusive and opulent world of privilege that these children inhabit, so I understand why everything was included, but this novel isn’t going to be the right one for everyone. It’ll most likely have a polarizing effect one way or the other.
If you’re a fan of Anna Karenina, and/or if you’re into tragic romances, add Anna K to your TBR.
Anna K is the prototype for perfection. Between her beauty, her impeccable grades, and her picture-perfect boyfriend, Anna K’s life seems wonderful. It is when she meets the dashing Alexia Vronsky, however, that she realizes that maybe her life isn’t her own. And that the connection between Vronsky and herself is too powerful to be denied.
In some ways, this novel follows its source material quite religiously, and in others, there are wonderful departures. Lee deftly explores the world of the rich elite in a manner that examines privilege in various forms, as well as addresses the ways in which race, gender, and class intersect and affect each of the novel’s protagonists. Without providing spoilers, I will say that the way that Lee chose to reinterpret Anna Karenina’s ending was gutting, but also empowering. Would I have liked to have had all of the narrative threads tied together in a pretty little bow? Sure. That being said, this novel (mostly) earns its ending. I was more dissatisfied with the execution of the denouement rather than the fact that it happened. But the epilogue was pretty perfect and kind of binds the whole story together.
Lee’s content is decidedly more adult than a lot of YA novels out there, so be aware of that if you are thinking of having younger readers read this. Some CW include: excessive drug use, parental infidelity, revenge porn, drug overdose, suicidal ideation, and teenage sex. I feel like all of this content was meant to highlight this exclusive and opulent world of privilege that these children inhabit, so I understand why everything was included, but this novel isn’t going to be the right one for everyone. It’ll most likely have a polarizing effect one way or the other.
If you’re a fan of Anna Karenina, and/or if you’re into tragic romances, add Anna K to your TBR.
jill_spamp's review against another edition
2.0
Honestly really disappointed in this book. It was basically the literary version of Gossip Girl. Don’t get me wrong, I loved Gossip Girl and watched every season, but it’s not what I thought I’d be reading when I picked up this book. It was full of teen angst, “but, Daddy, I love him! Even though I’ve only known him for 3 weeks!!” I find that stuff to be really annoying. I think if I were a freshman in high school reading this, I would’ve enjoyed it a lot more. As an adult, it was just eye rolling reading about the “woes” of rich dramatic teenagers who are desperate to say they’re in love.
keriruzicka's review against another edition
3.0
I should have known the ending. I liked the up to date version but not a quick read
hitechredneck's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
sad
tense
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
4.0
lnolen01's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0