Reviews with content warning for Addiction - Anna K: A Love Story

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Anna K: A Love Story by Jenny Lee

31 reviews

egmamaril's review against another edition

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emotional lighthearted fast-paced

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

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samchase112's review against another edition

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dark hopeful reflective slow-paced

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

Every happy teenage girl is the same, while every unhappy teenage girl is miserable in her own special way.

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.

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theespressoedition's review against another edition

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challenging funny tense 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? Yes

2.0

I really struggled with this book. When I started reading it, it felt like a fun mix of Crazy Rich Asians and Gossip Girl blended together. The teenage drama and angst mixed with a bit of comedy. There was the hijinks, the tabloids, the money, the sex.

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.

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sfbookgirl's review against another edition

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emotional funny lighthearted reflective tense 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? Yes

4.0

Perfect for fans of Gossip Girl, Anna K is a juicy story that revolves around young New York City socialite Anna K and her friends. Anna’s oh-so-perfect life is filled with parties, elegance, and her perfect boyfriend Alexander, but when Anna K meets Alexia “Count” Vronsky for the first time, she can’t help but fall in love. Based on Leo Tolstoy's, Anna Karenina, Anna K is one not to miss. I have never read Anna Karenina, but I looked up the book’s Wikipedia page after finishing Anna K and marveled at the similarities.

Jenny Lee provides her relatable (despite how dang rich they are) characters with depth and incorporates Asian and Jewish representation that I found to be well-researched. I did think the book was a little too long and some elements lost my full attention, but I can safely say that I definitely don’t need to read Anna Karenina as Jenny Lee’s version is a lot juicer. I am currently reading the sequel, Anna K Away and I’m loving every second of it.

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linesiunderline's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-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

4.5

Gotta say that it’s hard to believe this book was written for YA. There is A LOT of content in this book that places it squarely in the uppermost age range for YA - lots of drug and alcohol use and sex. I don’t object to that content, but fair warning, if you are putting this into the hands of a Young Adult, that person should be ready for this kind of content. I wonder about why the author didn’t make the cast college age? Perhaps it was perceived that there wouldn’t be enough of a readership? Still, when I imagine the characters, I picture characters older than sixteen / seventeen. I don’t know if it’s just me, but I see that disconnect as a flaw in the book. I think this book should have been written with characters who were older, which might change the audience somewhat.

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!

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girlonbooks's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful lighthearted sad tense 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? Yes

5.0

💔💔💔💔💔 (five stars, as rated in broken hearts because, oh, Anna Karenina... )

I first read and review this book in December of 2020. But with the release of the sequel, Anna K: Away roughly two months away I decided it more than deserved a revisit.

Anna K has it all. And with the perfect reputation, the perfect boyfriend and the perfect life at an elite school in Greenwich, Anna is envied by many. When her brother, Steven, enlists Anna's help to smooth over a rift with his girlfriend, Lolly, Anna drops everything and rushes to aid him in Manhattan. When the storm clouds have cleared, Anna opts to stay awhile with her friends in the city. After all, it's so rarely that she gets to socialize and really cut loose away from the expectant eyes of her peers in Greenwich. It is then that Anna meets Dustin (Steven's life-long friend and tutor), Kimmie (Lolly's vivacious -if a bit naive- younger sister and the object of Dustin's unrequited affection) and Alexia "Count" Vronsky (a dashing and irresistible playboy who seems to have his eye on her). Anna knows the wisest move would be to return to Greenwich, leaving her entanglement with Alexia in the past. Choosing to pursue this torrid dalliance further could devastate more than just her sterling reputation...

"Every happy teenage girl is the same, while every unhappy teenage girl is miserable in her own special way."

Wow. Just… wow. I had a hunch I was going to love this book. But, people I REALLY loved this book. Let me start out by saying that if you have not read Anna Karenina (or at least watched the movie) this book may be a challenge. There are loads of references and veiled allegory to Anna K’s 19th century inspo. And yes, I just unironically employed the word “inspo” And yes, you too may find yourself adopting all the hippest-hoppitiest slang after reading this absolute treasure. It really is par for the course in a time and space where Vronsky has a tiktok account.

Per any and all negative reviews: I am frankly baffled by anyone whose chief complaint against this book is that the content is superficial. Sure, it’s annoying to hear about the “problems” of a group of super privileged (mostly white) group of teenagers with outrageous sums of money at their disposal. Honestly, though, a primary theme of the original story was that these people are out of touch. That is literally THE parallel that’s being made with the modern setting. I mean, who was more out of touch than the Russian Aristocracy? Like, move aside, France. In my opinion, it was brilliant of Jenny Lee to translate that into present day Manhattan.

Also, it's easy to forget how young Tolstoy’s characters are in Anna Karenina since most of them were married and having kids. I think watching 16 and 17 year-olds make the same, ill-advised decisions as their infamous predecessors gives a glorious dose of truth and perspective to the maturity level of the group as a whole. Please consider that before holding it against the story. This story is best described, in my opinion as Gossip Girl with diversity and quality representation. In that regard, it was just about everything I wanted it to be.

I appreciate how much of Anna K: A Love Story remains true to Tolstoy's original work. The themes, names and character traits are all genuinely respected. That being said, I equally admire the creative license taken by Jenny Lee in contextualizing things that wouldn’t easily translate into a 21st century novel. And, being now wholly invested in everyone’s plots and subplots, I am beyond excited to read the sequel when it’s released next year in April! I have so much more to say on that front, but am hesitant to do so for fear of giving things away!

✨ Rep in this book: Korean protagonist, Black supporting character, own voices

✨ Content warnings for this book: thoughts of self harm, drug addiction and drug use, revenge porn.

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literaryelephant's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful sad medium-paced

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

3.0

This was my first Anna Karenina retelling, and it was a lot of fun rediscovering those characters in a modern setting and seeing how their traits and predicaments translate onto supperrich Manhattan teens. It's over-the-top ridiculous in a way that makes it feel more campy than the obvious Gossip Girl comparison, but Lee commits to the bit in a way that keeps the story rolling.

Two downsides, imo: 1) I can't really imagine this holding up without the classic it leans on; doing a mental compare/contrast with Anna Karenina was 90% of the draw for me here and I would not recommend picking it up without first reading the original. And 2) these characters are incredibly shallow in a way that's not fully explored within the text. We've got teens giving Pre-Emptive Guilt Gifts and getting nose jobs and ranking girls on a Hot List; men are forgiven for cheating and general promiscuity while women are condemned. There's *some* self-reflection and challenging of unfairness here (Anna in particular is a stronger and more sympathetic character) but those moments are few and far between compared to the general glamour and excess coating every page. The presentation without commentary feels like a missed opportunity, and in a book marketed as YA it's a little worrying to me that there seems to be plenty of room for taking any of the sexist/elitist/self-destructive details at face value.

But I see Lee has a sequel coming up, and I suspect the need to go off-script there will push the story in some new, more interesting directions. Oh, and a warning: despite the smiling girl on the cover and the "A Love Story" tag under the title, this is still a tragedy, not a cute romance. The jacket had me fooled, but the classic ending is... not entirely eliminated.

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