I tried to like this. I've read lots of fantastic reviews of it, and I was really looking forward to trying it. Unfortunately, it didn't live up to the hype and I had to DNF.

First of all, the font was awful in the copy I was given. I want to be fair; my version is a proof and so is probably quite different from the real one. But this version leaves out the 'th' on this, they, than, so on, any time they start a sentence. That doesn't sound so awful, does it? But it kept dragging me out of the story to try and figure out what was just said..

Secondly, it was very complicated. It kept introducing people and then going back in time to explain their life up to now. I kept losing track of who was who and why they were there and how they related to everyone else.

I'm sorry this didn't suit me. I'm sure it's going to do really well. It just wasn't for me, sadly.

Anna K: A Love Story is a contemporary Y/A retelling of Anna Karenina, the iconic Russian novel by Tolstoy. Although I haven’t read Anna Karenina yet, I’ve heard a lot about it and am vaguely familiar with the plot, including the doomed love story between Anna and Count Vronsky so I was intrigued to see how it would all play out in a modern setting with teen characters. Jenny Lee has written such a witty, smart and addictive book which touches upon a variety of deeper issues while still managing to be deeply entertaining the entire time. If you’re familiar with or a fan of Gossip Girl, Crazy Rich Asians and 90210 then you may enjoy this book as it has a similar feel to it.

I feel like this book will get a mixed reception due to some of the issues it portrays – infidelity being one of the main ones – and the way in which this is done and I was definitely conscious of this whilst reading. There’s quite a lot of it so be warned, but I think it’s important to state that it’s not something that’s swept under the rug and the very real consequences of it is explored. I also appreciated that Lee touches upon racism, gender norms, and privilege and explores these issues, even if it’s not as nuanced as other novels, it is still present. I also liked that Lee takes this classic novel and revives it for a modern audience, with the majority of the characters being people of colour, which I’m 1000% here for.

The book is told in multiple perspectives which worked so well in allowing each character to get the spotlight and some more depth. While the overarching storyline is the love story between Anna and Vronsky, the other storylines also kept me interested. I thought Dustin’s storyline in particular was so moving. Dustin deals with his brother Nicholas’ addiction issues and the impact this has on his parents who are separated, as well as navigating his first foray into the world of love and relationships. Steven (Anna’s brother) also grew on me, more-so because of his care and consideration for Anna than anything else, I loved seeing such a strong, loving sibling relationship amidst all the drama going on.

While the novel does explore some deeper issues, there is more than a fair amount of excess and rich privileged teens being rich privileged teens. Think lavish parties, head to toe designer outfits, private jets with absolutely no consideration of money or cost. This was all pretty entertaining to read and while it’s definitely over the top at points, it’s also kind of believable. I will also mention that there’s A LOT of casual drug use and alcohol consumption in these parts of the novel so bear that in mind, if that’s not something you’re comfortable reading about then best to steer clear. There’s also scenes of a sexual nature, nothing too graphic but still quite prevalent.

Another thing which struck me about this novel was the way the final parts of the story play out and that ending? I wasn’t familiar with the ending of Anna Karenina so I didn’t expect what happened AT ALL. It was equal parts tragic and quietly beautiful and that’s all I’ll say. An extra plus for me was the authors note at the end which was so cute, I love getting that small insight into what inspired Lee to write the novel and about her own life.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book although I can see it being a bit like marmite; you will either love it or hate it. Regardless of the issues it has, I don’t think Anna K, should be disregarded as superficial or vacuous by any means as it does portray the reality of issues teens are facing and does with honesty and humour . I managed to really resonate with the story and it gave me a whole range of emotions and even made me shed a tear or two which I didn’t expect as I thought it was just a peppy rom com…reader, I was so wrong but I’m glad I read it anyway.

This was an adorable take on the classic Tolstoy novel that we all know and love.
Anna K has strong gossip girl vibes and as someone that loved that show i did enjoy reading this.
i would say this is very much on the younger side of YA so if that is not your thing you might not love this book.

I’ll admit straight away that I have not read Anna Karenina, although like a lot of people I am familiar with the story. It is always one that I really want to read and have picked it up multiple times but been a bit intimidated by the length and the translation. So I thought that this modern re-telling would be a great place to start.
I can’t comment on how faithful this re-telling is to the original but it did have all of the aspects of the original story that I was familiar with.
This book mixes both lighter themes with some darker issues which I think was very interesting. Obviously infidelity is a major part of several of the plots thoughout the story and I enjoyed seeing how the different instances were dealt with by other characters and society as a whole. It manage to tackle quite a complex issue of male vs female infidelity and how this is viewed based on the gender of the person being unfaithful, which is not what I was expecting from this book!
Even with these heavier elements there is a lot of fun in this book with extravagant parties, and an epic love story at its heart.
There is a lot of sex, drugs and alcohol in this book, which is really playing into the stereotypical rich-kid lifestyle, and didn’t really bother me, but I could definitely see being an issue for some readers.
The thing that let this book down for me was the characterisation. I didn’t really feel like I connected with any of the characters at all. Even sitting down to write this review I am struggling to remember which characters are which. They all felt rather shallow and I don’t know if this was a conscious decision by the author to fit in with the rich-kids vibe, but it made it very hard to connect.
I do think re-telling this story with elite teenagers as the protagonists really fits with this story. It very much has a Gossip Girl feel to it, and the intensity of emotions and high drama would come across very differently if the story was centred on adults. This saves some of the character flaws for me, especially Vronsky’s complete u-turn from a promiscuous pleasure seeker, to being entirely devoted to Anna. Yes I know that this is meant to be a love story, but it could have been written a bit more subtly to make it more believable. Anna’s love of Vronsky in comparison felt far more real because she questions it, even though she ultimately decides to throw away everything she already has to be with Vronsky.
Ultimately, this probably isn’t a book I would revisit but I definitely don’t regret picking it up. It has a lot of elements of fun which I really enjoyed, but the characters just didn’t draw me in enough to really invest in what was happening to them.

Thanks Netgalley for the digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is a modern retelling of Leo Tolstoy's amazing classic book Anna Karenina. This one is set nowadays in New York and we have a half Korean protagonist. Anna K is beautiful, rich and has a perfect boyfriend, Alexander and when she decides to visit her brother Steven, to help him get his girlfriend, Lolly, back after cheating on her, she meets Vronsky, a handsome guy, who feels immediately attracted to her and she finds herself intrigued by him as well. We also have Kimmie - Lolly's sister - and Dustin - Steven's friend and tutor - as side characters.

Well, that was a bit disappointing.

First of all, I have to say this classic book is extremely difficult to adapt to our current reality. Even though a lot of its themes are universal and timeless, there are some topics not so easy to update, and I have to say that the author's done a great job. New York's high society was also a great setting for this story, giving a lot of Gossip Girl vibes, and some other parts of the story were very well adapted as well.

The book is also full of pop culture references, songs, movies, TV shows, etc., which is something I always appreciate and makes me feel closer to the characters's reality. The author also talks about really relevant topics, such as: drugs, depression, sex, freedom, revenge porn, sexism, loyalty, among others.

However, I have to say the writing style really put me off. It's not objectively bad at all, it was just not my cup of tea. I felt it was like "a lot of tell, and not enough show", you know? So, it didn't really work for me unfortunately. I also felt like the characters were not so well developed. They felt very shallow and there was a lack of depth in all of them. I honestly didn't really care for anyone and yes, it's something very personal. Maybe you'll feel a bigger connection with them, but for me it didn't happen.


The romance between Anna and Vronsky is like in the original: kind of lust at first sight, and I didn't FEEL the love they were supposed to feel for each other. The ending was really surprising though. I'm not sure if I like it, but the author was able to remain faithful to the original book and still do something different.

It was a good read, but it didn't meet my expectations. I recommend this book if you like books such as Gossip Girl, and I also think it's a good way to introduce the amazing classic to a younger audience.

I haven't read Anna Karenina since I was the age of the characters in this book, so Anna K was a really interesting way to return to this story. I loved all the little hints to the original, but also the very fresh modern twist Lee gives her retelling.

Anna K is a story of love, luxury and letting go of who the world expects you to be. Here are three reasons I would recommend it:

1) I loved all the main protagonists and was never disappointed when the viewpoint shifted - everyone's story line was unique and interesting, and I enjoyed them all. Having an insight into everyone's thoughts meant I was never suspicious of characters having ulterior motives. It was also great to see so much diversity in the characters - this is Gossip Girl for the 2020s.

2) This novel is full of moments of astute social commentary, addressing difficult topics which affect teenagers today, in particular mental health and social media. Kimmie's story arc was particularly strong from this point of view, but I also loved Steven and Lolly's discussions about the gender imbalance when it comes to cheating. Drugs featured quite prevalently in Anna K, but the novel explored their less glamorous, sometimes devastating, side to great effect.

3) The ending took me completely by surprise - which is saying something as the ending was probably what I could remember most vividly from the original.

Anna K was utterly addictive and a lot of fun, retaining the spirit of the original but bringing it firmly into 2020.

Detached writing style takes some getting used to & characters are mostly 2-dimensional and/or unlikeable but it's enjoyably trashy for those familiar with the classic text or not. Be advised on OTT sex/drugs etc

This is Jenny Lee's debut YA novel based on Leo Tolstoy's Anna Karenina.

The story centers around the titled character Anna K. who is beautiful, rich, sociable and a reliable teenager unlike others in her life. She is half Korean and takes pride in being the perfect girlfriend, daughter and student. However, her true love and time is spent on her dogs and horses.

Anna's life spins out of control when she unexpectedly meets Alexi 'Count' Vronsky a gorgeous rich playboy while helping his mother. Both are taken back by each others beauty and the story continues about their trials of trying to be together despite all odds.

There are other characters that are key in this story and the author gave an insight to them as well as their relationships.

The story itself is written in 3 parts. At the beginning of the book, there's a list of the main characters that helps you the reader. At the back there's author's notes when Jenny met Anna, which gives you a better understanding of the story behind Anna K.

I found the story appealing because it reminded me of the TV show 'Gossip Girl.' However, there were some acronyms that I didn't quite understand so I feel a younger adult reader would find it more relatable.

This book was not what I was expecting in the slightest. I heard Gossip Girl similarities and was instantly interested. This book is split into three parts and the first one was definitely more about getting to know the characters which I liked. This is a retelling of Anna Karenina, I had never read it so I didn't know the direction that this book was going to go. And if you like me you have no idea, you are in for one wild ride.

I completely understand the Gossip Girl vibes with this one but think way more dramatic, so much more drug use (there is a tonne of it and honestly I wasn't a huge fan of it), sex and more diversity. It gave me a little Crazy Rich Asians vibe as well because money is no object to most of the characters. This book is YA so I went into it not expecting it to be as wild as it was and this definitely is for a more mature audience.

There are a lot of side plots within the book, I was expecting it to be just about Anna K mainly due to the title but there is so much going on and all of the plots intertwine in a way that is easy to follow. There are so many characters in this book and I do think it was easy to follow thanks to the first part of the book. There is also a small description of each character in the front of my arc copy so hopefully, that will be in the finished versions as well as it was really helpful.

To keep this spoiler-free, all I will say is that it left me feeling quite stressed towards the end! I was gripped almost the entire time while reading and there is so much happening in this book that isn't in the blurb which I loved! These teens are doing some insane stuff and I kept forgetting how young they are throughout the book.

Anna K has been picked up by HBO Max in development as a TV series which I am so excited about as I can imagine this book being fantastic as an adaptation.

If I had to sum this book up in just three words I would say its frenetic, frivolous fun. Anna K by Jenny Lee takes the beloved classic, Anna Karenina, and updates it for the modern age, with a Young Adult spin. Set in a world of privilege , the book follows a group of well off teens from New York's Upper East Side. The Anna K of the title knows all the rules of the society world she lives in, the right school, the right social circle and above all the right guy, a clean cut future senator. She strives for perfection in everything, but her perfect world is thrown off axis when she encounters the charming Alexia Vronsky, a notorious playboy who quickly bewitches her.
As well as Anna we follow the stories of several other members of her social circle, including her brother Stephen and his girlfriend Lolly plus his tutor and childhood friend Dustin who comes from a more normal background and is often taken aback by the excess of his more well off friend.
While the book is definitely fun, it is not afraid to tackle some difficult issues, and ones that are particularly relevant to teens today, including a leaked sex tape and issues with substance abuse , consent and infidelity. It tackles these issues with sensitivity and for that I applaud the author. I also liked that Anna was a mixed race character, half Korean and half WASP and that aspects of her cultural heritage were brought into the story.
As I mentioned at the beginning, the book is pretty fast moving, we are rapidly introduced to a whole clutch of characters, and that took a little time to get my head around, but as the story progressed it became much easier to keep track of who is who and how they relate to one another. I did feel like it was a little bit of overkill to keep describing every designer outfit by label, the reader knows these kids are rich, but that really is a very minor quibble about a book I enjoyed very much.
I can imagine fans of Crazy RIch Asians or Gossip Girl enjoying this very much, and its a book that I know I will read again.
I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own.

Oh my... What a story! I need to read the classic that inspired the book - Anna Karenina! It must be only better and more enthralling than the twenty-first-century b adult reimagined version.
I went through a lot of emotions when reading this book. Firstly I was annoyed with the characters and the writing. It was hard to empathize with the characters, they seemed shallower, privileged brats. The style of writing was not helping at all. There was so much describing of what happened, what was told and how it made each character feel, and then we also went into stories that justified why the characters felt like this in the situation. It was all too clunky and didn't read very well. But I persevered and either the writing got better or I stopped noticing it because the plot got too damn entertaining!
Anna K. is a story of love, young love of rich, privileged kids living their high lives in designer clothes, expensive parties, alcohol, drugs and sex. They want all the fun and they feel like they deserve all the fun. The title character Anna is from a rich family but is not a party girl, above all she cares about her dogs and horses. She doesn't even live in the city, but outside where she is free to play with her dogs in a garden. She is smart, polite, pretty and dates smart, polite and pretty boy who is regarded as best catch in the area. Anna is the main character, but we get to witness stories of many others too. There is Anna's brother Steven and his girlfriend Lolly's drama that we start the book with. There's Lolly's sister Kimmie who is recovering from a career-ending ice-skating accident. There are many more and whoever we meet at the beginning of the book is not the same person we end the story with. I'm amazed at the character development, how superficial they all seemed to me when I first met them. I'm so surprised that I got invested in a story so much to feel a genuine shock and sadness at many dramatic moments of the story. I don't remember the last book that made my opinion to do a whole 180.
I am happy that the reimagination of a classic Russian story didn't shy away from embracing the modern culture in the fullest. The book touches on some heavy topics and manages to still bring out a good message on what is important in life, and how struggles may make you stronger. Props for very natural diversity. I like that characters skin colour was not the defining feature that we learn about immediately when they are first shown in the book. If we learned about someone's heritage it was because it had meaning to the story.
I'm happy to recommend this book to any Gossip Girl fans, it is really entertaining and heartbreaking. If you struggle at the beginning, keep reading, it gets so, so good.

We get a lot of modern day retellings of Jane Austen novels but I never expected we'd get one of Tolstoy's Anna Karenina.

This is definitely a YA novel; set in NYC with the cast being a bunch of socialite wealthy kids. That made it a little difficult for me because Anna Karenina was late 20s and had a bit more poise, though still very much had some Romeo and Juliet behaviour running through her. It took a while to get past my fussing about the behaviour of middle teens children doing lines of coke, drinking excessively, and spending obscene amounts of money with absolutely zero parental supervision. I would like to think their behaviour was exaggerated to get the modern day feeling of Russian oligarch wealth of the original, but it's 2020 and I don't know what to think anymore.

This story will be a huge hit and it will make waves with the YA crowd and deservedly so. Just because it wasn't for me doesn't change the fact that this was a banging good retelling of an absolutely wild story. I remember reading the original and coming to the end and being like, what the heck just happened, but only great writing can take you on that kind of journey (and for as long of a journey as Tolstoy's novel is) and still keep dropping unexpected tidbits up to the very end and leave you feeling like you've really been there and you've really been through something with these people.

I hope it inspires people to read the original. If we love retellings, we owe it to the classics to read them, too.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishing group at Penguin Random House for the opportunity to read this book.

I'm sorry but this book wasn't for me. I DNF'd about 30% in. I have read reviews that says it gets better and turns into an amazing book, but I just couldn't stick with it. TBH I don't think I am in the right headspace (mental health issues) for just how bleak the beginning of this book was. It is probably me and not this book at all. Sorry.

This was an excellent novel that I had a great time reading. Exquisite character development and fast flowing story make this book a success

This was a wonderful reimagining of Anna Karenina in modern day America. I found it thoroughly enjoyable, very reminiscent of Gossip Girl, and every interpretation of the original felt solidly grounded in contemporary issues and cultural expectations. I also loved that it had a happy(ish) ending. Anna K was very empowering as a character, and the romantic connection between her and Vronsky was so well written I could feel the love through the pages! The author really conveyed that Romeo and Juliet-esque idea of star-crossed lovers throughout. I can't wait to see what she writes next!

At first I thought that this book would be a bit fluffy for my taste, particularly as I don't often read YA novels. I was intrigued by the premise of it being based on Anna Karenina, although it's many years since I read that book so I can't comment on the similarities or otherwise. However it‘s really quite dark in places as you might expect from a novel based on Anna Karenina. Lee stated that she wanted the book to be ‘soapy and fun and girlie and exciting, while also imparting a strong female message...‘ and I think that she achieved this, whilst also showing that 'rich kids' don't have it all and are, in fact, often quite miserable.

One word of warning, for a YA novel, there‘s some rather explicit sex, as well as a lot of drug use.

DNF - the concept sounds great on paper but I felt it didn’t reinvent it in an original enough way to be clever and again. It also maintains the rambling, tangential narrative style that I found boring and confusing.

Unfortunately I had to DNF this book - I didn't realise this was a retelling of Anna Karenina when I requested although I've never read Anna Karenina. Instead I simply requested this because I really like the sound of it - unfortunately I really couldn't get with the writing. It was very 'this is whats happening and here's why it's happening' which I suppose could make sense for this book since I'm sure I've seen this is a young adult book. Like I said I couldn't get over the writing style of the book and had to DNF it although I'm sure this could be a brilliant book for someone else.

This was a delightfully soapy read. I’ve never read the original Anna K so I enjoyed it for what it was to me. Rich people behaving badly.

Thank you to Netgalley for this ARC!

I had high hopes for Anna K. as I had heard that it was Gossip Girl meets Anna Karenina and a lot of people I have spoken to just seem to love it. However, I personally didn't feel as drawn to the book as I perhaps could.

Writing style: The writing style of the story was third-person so that made it harder to get in touch with the characters, in my opinion. The benefit of this style is of course that we get to see what ALL characters are up to rather than just one.

Plot: I guess it draws of Tolstoy's Anna Karenina (I wouldn't know, never having read it!) and therefore seems like something you could find in any book. I do like how authentic the plot felt - the girl who goes back to her cheating boyfriend, doing acid at Coachella, etc. - and that was probably its saving grace.

Characters: the characters were interesting but I had a hard time distinguishing them from one another because of the large cast. If this were a show on telly, it might have been easier keeping up with each of the character's storylines. I would also say that we don't get to dig in too much into all the minor characters and even though the story focuses on Anna and Vronsky, we really don't get much of their background.

Overall: not my cup of tea. Perhaps I need to read the original in order to fully engage with the story.