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taylor_maxine's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Moderate: Alcohol, Drug use, and Death
rynicolereads's review against another edition
- 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
4.25
Graphic: Drug use
Moderate: Animal death and Death
Minor: Racism
gabbygarcia's review
- 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
Jenna Ushkowitz is perfect.
Graphic: Infidelity, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Addiction, Alcohol, Animal death, Death, Drug abuse, and Drug use
Minor: Cursing, Death of parent, Racism, and Sexism
egmamaril's review against another edition
- 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
2.0
Graphic: Drug use, Infidelity, and Sexual content
Moderate: Addiction, Death, and Drug abuse
whatcaitreads's review against another edition
- 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
3.0
Moderate: Drug use and Infidelity
samchase112's review against another edition
- 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
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.
Graphic: Drug abuse, Drug use, Sexual content, Sexism, Animal death, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Mental illness, Grief, Cursing, and Death
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Vomit, Toxic relationship, Stalking, Forced institutionalization, Eating disorder, Car accident, and Bullying
Minor: Antisemitism and Adult/minor relationship
theespressoedition's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
But there were so many characters to follow and that made it challenging right off the bat. I know there was a cast of characters listed in the book, but listening to an audiobook, I couldn't easily access those to keep track. And even if I had been reading a physical copy, I think I would've gotten confused. There were even super similar names that had me feeling upside down and backward a few times.
In addition, the fact that this book was YA with such intense sexual overtones made me really uncomfortable. It's one thing to read about it when it's an adult book, but we were talking about 15-year-olds watching other kids have sex (and describing the acts) and that just made me feel gross.
I know the story of Anna Karenina, so I wasn't terribly surprised by the way things played out, since it followed that storyline pretty closely. The whole book was just incredibly long for not much actually happening - or a lot happening but nothing fruitful? I don't know, but it wasn't what I hoped for, I guess.
Graphic: Sexual content, Drug use, Drug abuse, Alcoholism, Addiction, Body shaming, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Sexism, and Toxic relationship
sfbookgirl's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Addiction, Animal death, Bullying, Car accident, Drug abuse, Drug use, Racism, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, and Infidelity
linesiunderline's review against another edition
- 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
4.5
Now that I’ve got this off my chest, I can say that this was a really fun reading experience, particularly for someone with familiarity with the original novel. I think the author succeeds beautifully in reimagining Anna’s world and experience. I particularly enjoyed seeing her slowly evolve and come into her own. There are plenty of complex relationships to discuss. The tone was engaging and the novel invites readers to think about important social issues while all the while being immensely entertaining. There’s a voyeuristic aspect to the reading experience as you get to glimpse what life might be like in some uber rich social circles.
An inventive, layered, and satisfying interpretation of a classic. Also, outstanding narration on audio!
Graphic: Addiction, Animal death, Death, and Drug use
Moderate: Car accident, Drug abuse, Infidelity, Medical content, Racism, Sexism, and Sexual content
marbelousreads's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Drug abuse, Drug use, Suicide attempt, and Suicide