I DID enjoy this, just as not as much as what I thought it was.

The pacing was a bit much if that makes sense, and took me a while to get used to, but once I got going I was fine!

It was a lot of fun, and the diversity was very welcome, the fact that it is a re-telling as well! I think if I re-read this I'd probably like it a lot more just so I can get my head around things first, but overall I still enjoyed it!

A fun take on the classic Anna Karenina, this is a must for any young adult fans. Characters are engaging and the story feels fresh and new

This was an entertaining YA take on the classic "Anna Karenina"; definitely for the older YA end of the range, due to the drug use and sex.

4.25/5 Stars

This was so much fun to read! I didn't know how much I needed a YA retelling of Anna Karenina until I read this one. I believe the perfect way to describe this book is to tell you to imagine a mix amongst Gossip Girl, Crazy Rich Asians and Anna Karenina. That's pretty much it and I mean this in the best way possible.
I think the author was a true master in capturing the essence of the original novel and bringing it into life into this book that's set in the 21st century. Some things were definitely over the top, but most of the time it didn't feel forced at all.

The characters were very diverse which was such a nice thing to see in a retelling of such a classic. Also, I loved the fact that the author decided to use multiple perspectives, it worked so well with the novel and it definitely kept the narration flowing.

I didn't enjoy some of Anna's family dynamics, mainly the one regarding her parents and their deep involvement in their children's lives. I won't spoil the ending, but I must say I expected a little more from it.

If you've never read Anna Karenina, you can totally read this one without feeling lost at all. You'll only miss the references, but other than that you'll be fine.

Couldn’t finish this. Annoyingly written. I really dislike when it’s hammered home how rich characters are by constant descriptions of the designer clothes they’re wearing. They live in New York penthouses and go to private school - readers know they’re wealthy

I feel like this is going to be one of those books that will be better via audio. The pace of everything is insanely frantic and within a few pages, you've completely lost focus of who's involved and what's going on. It's also needlessly pandering to the 'younger people', when I think an adaptation of this kind could have done some very clever things. I've read YA books around this kind of subject that handle it well and don't try to cram a huge amount into a few pages - and I think that was what this book needed. Maybe I'll return to it, but the ebook reading experience was not great.

Oof, this book. Still reeling.

I’ve read Anna Karenina and I loved this 21st century YA retelling. The changes the author has made to the story really work, and although I initially thought setting it at high school age was a bit off it ended up being a great choice. I also really liked the gender/culture talking points-sometimes the gender observations felt a little heavy handed, but they were appropriate to the plot. The first quarter was hard going, it felt vacuous and I wasn’t as gripped as I was hoping to be. But I’m so glad I stuck with it! It’s a slow builder, which is as it should be for such a classic story.

It’s hard to talk too much about the book without spoiling it! I suspect it’ll be pretty polarising, I can’t imagine anyone being ‘meh’ about this book. I think if you hate the idea of Anna Karenina being retold, there’s not much convincing you otherwise. But if you like the story, or if you’re completely new to it, I would prepare to lose a weekend to Anna K.

This was such a sumptuous read, full of brilliant characters and it was fascinating to sneak a peek at the opulent life of the elite.

Meet Anna K. At seventeen, she is at the top of Manhattan and Greenwich society (even if she prefers the company of her horses and Newfoundland dogs); she has the perfect (if perfectly boring) boyfriend, Alexander W.; and she has always made her Korean-American father proud (even if he can be a little controlling). Meanwhile, Anna's brother, Steven, and his girlfriend, Lolly, are trying to weather an sexting scandal; Lolly’s little sister, Kimmie, is struggling to recalibrate to normal life after an injury derails her ice dancing career; and Steven’s best friend, Dustin, is madly (and one-sidedly) in love with Kimmie.

As her friends struggle with the pitfalls of ordinary teenage life, Anna always seems to be able to sail gracefully above it all. That is until the night she meets Alexia “Count” Vronsky at Grand Central. A notorious playboy who has bounced around boarding schools and who lives for his own pleasure, Alexia is everything Anna is not. But he has never been in love until he meets Anna, and maybe she hasn’t, either. As Alexia and Anna are pulled irresistibly together, she has to decide how much of her life she is willing to let go for the chance to be with him. And when a shocking revelation threatens to shatter their relationship, she is forced to question if she has ever known herself at all.

I must admit, I've never read Anna Karenina, but Anna K makes me want to! It was a lovely modern reimagining of a classic romance that I was really rooting for. The chemistry between Anna and Alexia was so explosive on the page, despite everything. However, it does involve cheating, which is pretty much the dominant theme of the book and I really liked the discussion around this and forgiveness. Lee particularly draws attention to the gendered double standards around cheating in a really thought-provoking way. Similarly, the story involves a lot of drug use, but discusses this in a nuanced and considered way.

Anytime a book promises to examine the elite, I'm drawn to it and Anna K delves into the seedy underbelly behind the dazzling facades. Exploring the darker facets of privilege and how it intersected with racism and culture made this such an interesting book, prompting me to really re-examine my initial thoughts. Through the story, Lee discusses different aspects of racism and classism in a brilliant way. It is smart, but playful and bittersweet at the same time.

There's quite a large cast of characters, but they all felt distinctive and had their own voice. They all had their own stories to tell as part of the larger narrative and I liked how we got to see at least a snippet of their perspective through the narration.

Full review will be up on my blog nearer publication date.

I am very happy to have a chance to share my honest review with you all.

The first time I read Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy , I was stumped. I didn't get it. I couldn't cope up with the ending. I was young then and it took me a long to appreciate this great piece of literature for what it is. So if you have read Anna Karenina before then you know that it does have no happy ending. Also there are so many things to learn from one single piece of literature. When I saw this YA version of Anna Karenina with such a beautiful cover, I was naturally very curious about how Lee could recreate this great piece of literature for teenagers. I am very glad to report that she did an wonderful job with Anna K. Teen Socialite Anna and her love affair with Alexis Vronsky in modern day NYC is a total gem. I didn't expect it to like this as much as I did. The modern plotline , characters , bustling city of New York and ofcourse coming of the age Anna and Alexis. I have to warn you all for it is not going to be pretty but it's already a great piece of women's fiction. Through the course of the entire book our Anna K is going to learn a lot about life and what it feels to be loved more than you love. I learned that too. Fasten your seatbelts and get ready for I highly recommend it to all book lovers. It's a fantastic retelling of Tolstoy'sAnna Karenina and I literally couldn't put it down. This is my first ever book of the talented television writer and producer Jenny Lee but certainly not my last. I am really looking forward to more of her books in the future.

I recommend a lot of tissues Ladies cause you all are going to need it. Get ready to explore the young and rich society of Anna K and a love story that won't leave your heart. Hope you all like it as much as I did and also hope that I did a good job to encourage you all to read it at least one.

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Random House UK Children's Penguin for this Advance Reader's Copy and a chance to share my thoughts. Happy reading.