Anna K is a modern retelling of Anna Karenina. Admittedly, I have never read and have no idea what Anna Karenina was even about prior to reading this book.... I'm sorry, I was a nursing major with no time for reading such classics!
But this was a fun and modern book with very well developed characters. I am always so drawn to characters, whether I like them personally or not, and that has a big impact on a story for me. As I often feel with YA books, my own children are close in age to these characters and these situations make me cringe a bit for that reason! It shows that even privilege does not necessarily equal carefree, there was definitely some hard core topics in this one. Definitely a fun YA contemporary book!

The book centers around a bunch of affluent, rich kids in Manhattan, with each chapter giving insight into a different character. The book may be titled Anna K. but each character is equally important, with all their stories and lives intertwining.

I’ve read some reviews saying teenagers aren’t like this and they don’t constantly have sex and have dramatic scandals like this. As a teenager, let me tell you that this is exactly what happens, minus the extreme wealth and expensive alcohol at parties. We just have parties with cheap beer.

I found one of the relationships a bit…predatory?? But that’s sort of addressed later in the book so my fears of creepy relationships were quelled after I read further in. My favorite character was Dustin because he wasn’t afraid to tell shit to Stephen’s face and definitely was the character with the best moral compass at the end of everything.

Overall, a solid read, especially for those who live for drama (like me!!). 4/5.

I always like reimaginings, so I definitely liked this one. It's definitely for more mature readers. This was namely because of the sex and drugs. While this was off putting to some, I liked that it captured this because teens are really having sex and doing drugs, and it's silly to think they aren't regardless of whether they should or not. Basically, it was realistic, even when it made these characters unlikable. I'm a petitioner for unlikable characters because they ARE realistic.

Like everyone, I definitely got Crazy Rich Asians vibes, but as someone who loved CRA, I loved this too.

This was a fun, angsty, modern retelling of the classic novel Anna Karenina. I appreciate how character driven this book was but I didn’t care for the love triangle. I found myself drawn more towards to side characters vs the main characters. Specifically Dustin. Although this was a 3 star read for me, I’d still recommend picking it up.

Retellings of classics always make me nervous, as do Gossip Girl comps for YA novels, but Anna K was a pleasant surprise. Not only are the comps reasonably accurate, they also weren’t problematic and didn’t feel stale.

This book deals with more serious subject matter than Gossip Girl (or perhaps its more accurate to say that it deals with similar subject matter in a more serious manner), but it’s still largely a fun, gossipy, escapist modern spin on Anna Karenina.

There’s some true tragedy in this book (the likes of which we don’t ever see in the Gossip Girl series or other similar YA offerings), but not so much that the book needs to be classed as a capital T Tragedy. And doesn’t the bleakness of Russian classic lit need a little heart-wrenching drama to be true to itself, even in a modern American retelling?!

The book is largely a romp though, loads of brand name dropping, delightful unsupervised rich kid escapades, and characters who (while sometimes caricaturish and absurd) manage to make you care about them through their surprisingly well-written depth and individuality.

This isn’t quite as much fun or as clever as The Thousandth Floor, but it’s far better written and smarter than the OG of the genre, the Gossip Girl series. Reminiscent of Tolstoy or not, I could have done without the multiple animal deaths, but that was was my only real gripe with this fun, compelling, modern spin on an old classic.

Anna K was one of my most anticipated YA Contemporary books of the year. Unfortunately, I really struggled through this book, and I did not make it all the way through.

My biggest issue with this book was the content. I have a hard time reading about drug use. It has put me off of other books and series in the past. I could not connect with the characters, and I lacked empathy for them.

I did enjoy Jenny Lee’s writing, and I would try another book by her in the future. I found she did a really great job of taking a classic, Russian novel and translating it to modern times. I found it easy to follow and the plethora of characters easy to keep straight. I also enjoyed that many of the chapters were short, so it allowed for some reading even if you are limited on time. The cover art is fun and catchy.

The writing and retelling were well done. It was just some of the content that really put me off. I would maybe give this book another try, in the future.

I received an electronic advance reader copy from Flatiron through NetGalley. All opinions are 100% my own.

I really enjoyed Anna K. so much! I think Jenny Lee's writing is spectacular and I adore the way she adapts this novel into a modern, teen story. The chemistry she recreates between Anna and Vronsky is magic, and certainly the best part of the story. I want to read Anna Karenina even more now because of this book! The entire book felt very Gossip Girl, which isn't a bad thing for me as a reader and I'm certain would be a draw for teen readers who want something classic turned modern and soapy or fans of the original text looking for a new reinvention of a classic tale.

Anna K is a rollicking YA retelling of Tolstoy's Anna Kerenina. Like the original, there are trains, doomed love affairs, infidelity, and tragedy. Set in modern Manhattan and Grenwhich, Anna K is a look at the lives of the adolescent 1%. It has sex, drugs, and rock and roll. It is fun and well-written. This was such a delight to find during the 2020 quarantine.

Recommend for older teens (not gonna fly in my middle school library, unfortunately) and adults! You don't have to be familiar with the classic to enjoy.

I put "read a Russian classic" on my life goal list a while back, because it felt like something an English major should do, and a couple of years ago this prompted me to pick up Anna Karenina. And I hated it. But while I struggled through that one, when I heard about a YA retelling of it in a setting of super-rich private school kids in Manhattan, I was actually quite intrigued - and what a fun read it turned out to be. Sometimes retellings of classics (and I've read a bunch) feel like a stretch in a modern setting, but the contemporary YA world is perfect for this story, and maybe works even better, because the over-the-top emotions and infatuations and sometimes general ridiculousness of the characters annoyed me a bit in the original but seemed accurate for hormonal high schoolers. Anna is re-cast as this charming, horse-riding golden girl who is long-term dating the "perfect" society elite boy, off at college now. In his absence, she meets the motorcycle-riding heartthrob Vronsky, notorious playboy who has gotten kicked out of just about every boarding school, and it's love at first sight - cue lots of dating and relationship drama, and a story about the power of first love and first heartbreak too. Meanwhile, Anna's brother Steven has relationship drama of his own after his girlfriend Lolly sees some sexting activity on his phone; as does Dustin, the kid who is tutoring Steven, when he falls in love with Lolly's little sister but thinks she's way out of his league. With this setting of rich teens and their foibles, you do get lots of partying and substance use, which sometimes made the characters feel a little unlikeable to me, but overall this was much more engaging than my experience with Anna Karenina, and dare I say: fun! And in light of how much I did not enjoy reading the original, it was actually kind of fun to see the author's note at the end about how much she loves it and has had different experiences/perspectives when she's read it at different points in her life. Glad for her on that, and glad for me that she turned it into some juicy YA. I think you also get some Crazy Rich Asians vibes in this book, if you enjoyed that.

Modern updated version of Anna Karenina set in New York City among super wealthy teens. This reads like Crazy Rich Asians (think lots of designer name dropping and 1st world problems) meets Gossip Girl (think lots of teen sex). I liked it, but it is a very mature YA read. These teens have a lot of unapologetic sex and do a lot of drugs.
I liked this, although it did take me a long time to read! It was a decent escapist read.

When I heard this book compared to Gossip Girl I knew I had to read it! I loved everything about the world of the Manhattan elite with private tutors, drugs, and shopping.

I've never read Anna Karenina but this made me want to try it out. I really enjoyed the character development and I ended up really invested in everyone and their relationships.

Overall a quick read and exactly what I need while quarantining for COVID 19!

Set in modern-day New York, Jenny Lee’s retelling debut of the widely known Russian classic, Anna Karenina, follows the story of Anna K., a Korean-American girl that seems to have it all in life. Born into privilege with exquisite beauty and has the perfect boyfriend for the past few years, everyone knows all about her and her family, including her little brother, Steven, who has caused her too many troubles to count, but she loves him dearly. Although she’s perfectly in control for navigating her life, the tables have turned when she unexpectedly met a boy, Alexia “Count” Vronsky, at Grand Central. Before, she’s completely confident, that she knows what she wants and what’s best for her. But now, her mind keeps going to the Count and she starts to question everything that she’s so fiercely sure before.

It all begins with uncovered infidelity committed by Steven to his girlfriend, Lolly. Determined to make up for his mistake and knowing Lolly's admiration for his older sister, Steven desperately called for Anna to come back home and get an apology from Lolly. Anna, being a good older sister, immediately took a train to reach her brother. During the train ride, she amused herself by talking to a lady. When they finally arrived, Anna found her brother had been waiting for him, but along with him, there was another lad that she never met before. Turns out, the lad was Alexia 'Count' Vronsky, who happened to be the son of the lady that took the train with Anna earlier.

Since that moment, it was clear that the two of them were taking an interest in each other. But Anna has a lot to handle first, most importantly, saving his brother's dying relationship, dealing with her distant parents, and maintaining a relationship that she had for years, but lately feels insecure about. Being a teen and juggling all of these problems while unexpectedly thrown underneath the spotlight of New York and Manhattan's elite society for an incident that she never expected, will Anna K. solve it all and discover who she really is at the end of the day?

There’s no denying that the first impression that I got from reading the earlier chapters from Anna K. was its massive characters. And not only that, but the story was also told from multiple perspectives (around four or five!). It was quite shocking at first, sure, but the second I got used to the flow, which happened pretty fast, by the way, everything went incredibly fun. I enjoyed every single point of view that shaped this story. Each character got their very own personality and their voice really shined through. With that being said, I applaud Lee for her wonderful work at creating and developing these diverse characters.

While the characters were marvelous, the plot didn’t fail to amaze me as well. Obviously, since this is a retelling, the general storyline was adopted from its original book. But, the few minor adjustments and changes to today’s modernity and trend was incorporated amazingly. It never felt force, not even once. Anna’s journey along with everyone around her was believable, especially since this book heavily centered around teenage dramas and struggles, which is at great risk of being cliché if it’s not executed properly. Instead, Anna K. was discussing the sensitive matter of drug use, infidelity, racism, and parents’ abuse with not only grace, but also with an offer of taking a deeper look to see these issues more comprehensively. The book never supports the idea of abusing and cheating, but it helps us to discover the wider perspectives of these cases.

In terms of writing, though this book was written from the third-person point of view (which has never been my favorite for a long time), Lee managed to do it effectively. This perspective is my least favorite because most of the time, it makes me feel like I was being told a story instead of experiencing it myself. No matter how awesome the characters were or how delightful the plot was, if I couldn’t experience the whole narratives, then it simply won’t work. But with Lee’s Anna K., it hits differently and it definitely works.

In conclusion, Anna K.’s promotion as the mix of Crazy Rich Asian and Gossip Girl couldn’t be more accurate. Lee’s fresh take on the classic Anna Karenina which she delivered through an enticing diverse group of characters and witty narratives will leave you wanting more.

So much to unpack here. Overall, I rated this book 4 stars. There are a ton of characters, so many that I almost felt the need to take notes or draw an oversized family tree. As the story developed, I started getting major Crazy Rich Asian vibes (I would say Gossip Girl, like every other reviewer has mentioned, but I'm in the minority and can honestly say I've never seen a single episode). The middle of the book began to drag a bit, simply because I have a hard time feeling sorry for a person whose biggest problem is picking which Hermes bag to buy *eye roll*. But the final third of the book became unputdownable! I am now inspired to pick up a copy of the original (OG) Anna Karenina, to compare it to this fantastic modernized version. I have already recommended it to my book club gals! Thanks Netgalley and Flatiron for the ARC!!

Jenny Lee's twist of Anna Karenina is a fun book to read. Entitlement, you bet, sort of Crazy Rich Asian superiority, and yet the insights on Korean was interesting. I felt it said a lot more about important issues than Gossip Girl or Crazy Rich Asians. Racism, class privilege, and double standards made this book a much better experience for me. I love character driven books and there were some interesting characters driving this novel.

I loved Anna K!!! I have tried to read Anna Karenina before but never finished it. This was the perfect retelling.

This a modern retelling of Anna Karenina set in New York with elite High School Students. I have never read Anna Karenina and I definitely think that was probably better, because I had nothing to compare it to.

For those of you that read my blog, you probably know that I am not a huge YA fan, but for some reason this intrigued me. Maybe it was the reference to Crazy Rich Asians, who knows, but I loved it from the very first chapter.

This has a large array of characters to follow, and I was confused at times, but the 5 or 6 central figures were written with ease. There was love triangles, parties, drugs and alcohol, but never once, did I feel like this was over the top.

Anna K is the star, a beautiful girl who is the perfect relationship, until she meets Vronsky and everything changes. She will question what love really should feel like. But through and through, she was always a good sister, friend and daughter and I just adored her.

If you are looking for a fun read this book will do that for you. I listened to this on audio and mixed it in with actually reading the physical book. The audio was a little trite, but if you can get passed the very acted out fake teenage voices you will be fine.

Thank you NetGalley and Flatiron Books for an Advanced Reader’s Copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I completed Jenny Lee’s Anna K, weeks ago and it has surpassed my expectations for YA romance. This modern retelling of Leo Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina, has me really interested in reading the classic. Lee did an exceptional job with tackling some difficult issue and her unique diverse cast of characters are unforgettable. This book really made me think about my high school days and how the worst thing that was talked about was partying and drinking beer, the teens in this book are on totally different level of scandals and drugs. This book is so good that you really won’t be able to put it down. Thank you @flatiron_books for gifted copy, overall this was a 4.5/5 star read for me. ⁣ ⁣

Review on my blog, The Reading Fairy

TW: leaked sex tape, sex, alcohol, cheating (physical & emotional), on-page death of main character, death of animal, car accident, depression, drug use, drug overdose
Rep: Half-Korean MCs, Black MC, Jewish MC, Anxiety MC, Depression MC

“A boy she loved with all her heart had loved her more. And she deserved it.”

I wasn’t sure what to expect from this novel, especially since I don’t know Anna Karenina. A retelling of Anna Karenina set in the rich, and privileged folks of New York. This story seriously makes up for it, and I’m really glad this was March’s BOTM for Subtle Asian Book Club! I don’t think I would have picked this book up too much if that wasn’t the case.

Before I get into my very mix review of Anna K, I do want to address the cheating that was in this book. Now, cheating is not okay in any form and I do not condone such actions. This book, however, deeply explored how there are multiple stories to the same story and the double-standards that evolve around cheating. How men are applauded for sleeping around, and how women are labeled as sluts, and gets a harsher judgement from everyone. This book also doesn’t go whether the author condone’s it or accepts it. It was perfect 😊.

This book was very plot-focused. I wasn’t expecting that too much, but because the plot relies on cheating and Anna Karenina, it was very hard to follow the characters. I liked the plot, up until the end with how that ended…tragically.

The ending was something I never expected, because frankly, I didn’t read the full synopsis 🤣. Sometimes, I do, sometimes I don’t. I feel like the ending was a little rushed in terms of the events that happened. I didn’t even feel grief when that happened. I just felt meh and I kinda hoped that the author spent a little more time on how it affected her instead of leaving that in the epilogue.

The characters, however, were interesting. I didn’t had that much of a full connection to the characters because this book was very plot-focused which was a huge part on why I didn’t like it so much. There were a lot of characters in this book that I had mix feeling about.

-Anna: Anna is much more of an animal person, than a people-person. She loves her two dogs, and her horses. She has a boyfriend since she was fourteen, and could see her future with him, until she meets Count Vronsky. She’s a person I could relate to on some levels with how she wants to help her family which is a huge thing to me.
-Steven: Steven is Anna’s brother, who cheats on Lolly. I wasn’t sure what to like about Steven. He’s a cheater, but he also knows what he did was wrong and redeems himself in a way. He was a good character that I surprisingly liked by the end of the novel. I couldn’t really connected with him to much though.
-Lolly: I have no idea what to say about Lolly. She was there, and she is a good friend/person who got hurt by a cheating scandal. I don’t really know her too much, and I wished she was more developed.
-Kimmie: Kimmie really surprised me in many ways. I wasn’t sure what to expect from her, but I really liked her. A girl who’s career was over when she broke her knee and now dealing with mental health issues along with a drug addiction. She was a really cool character, and was the most interesting character.
-Dustin: I did like Dustin though he seemed to fade in the background a little bit. It was mentioned that he had anxiety, but honestly I couldn’t tell if it was real or not. It was mentioned, but he never felt the pressure or anxiety attacks. He was a such a sweet character though.
-Count Vronsky: I wasn’t sure what to expect from him, but he grew on me. I loved how he cared about Anna in the most beautiful way possible. He was so sweet and his reputation does proceed him as a womanizer, which makes sense.
There were all kind of relationships going! There was so much platonic friendship going on, romance and even familial bonds! Aah, I couldn’t be more happier to see a lot of these bonds in this book. The romance surprised me a lot because I liked it quite a lot, but I seriously love Lolly and Dustin’s romance, and of course, Anna and Vronsky’s romance going on. Seriously, can we have more familial and friendship bonds in books though?

The writing was a little rough in a few places. There wasn’t much dialogue in this book, so it did get a little dense in some places. The dense parts only managed to take me out of the story quite a bit of times. I did like the slang-used and pop-culture references in this book because it was really nice. It was also weaved brilliantly so it wasn’t unnatural.

Anna K is a modern retelling of Anna Karenina, set in the world of Upper West Side, New York, where more money, might really mean more problems. Anna K is basically perfect; she gets perfect grades; can ride horses perfectly, has Westminster worthy dogs, and has the perfect boyfriend, Alexander W, aka the Greenwich OG. But, when her brother calls her for help after his girlfriend learns he was cheating, Anna meets Count Vronsky (Alexia), and everything changes. Of course, there is a large cast of other characters, but they all really revolve around Anna and Vronsky, whose relationship we follow over the course of approximately one semester.

When I first picked up this book, I noticed many of the reviewers comparing it to Gossip Girl, and that could not be more accurate (here I am speaking of the show not the book series, as I have not read it). The characters are all these beyond wealthy kids, who are so unrelatable that you don’t even attempt it. Even the characters who aren’t ultra rich, are in a league beyond what most will ever experience. Now, having characters that most of us can’t relate to is not necessarily a bad thing; it is still possible to get lost in the story and really feel for some of the characters. The key is to give them problems that make us care, and Anna K didn’t really do that for me. A majority of the time, when something went wrong for one of the characters, I found myself rolling my eyes and going, “rich kid problems.”

The saving grace of this book was Anna K herself. I loved watching her inner turmoil and character development throughout the story. It was especially refreshing watching her start to realize that she is only seventeen, she should be able to do what she wants, have a little fun, and not be tied down to a man. Unfortunately, the end of the book totally ruined Anna for me by reversing all the power she had begun to find in herself. I’ve heard talk that there is a sequel in the works, and if so, I really hope Anna gets that power back, because nothing suck worse than a character reverting back to who they were prior to all their development.

Overall, I think teens will eat this book up. Especially for those teens looking for a little peek into the world of the social elite. Don’t hand it to anyone younger than high school though, as their is a lot of sex and drug use (and I don’t mean weed) present. Despite my own issues with Anna K, I would still recommend this one, as I do think teens would really enjoy it, and it may even open them up to trying out the original. Anything to get a kid to read a classic!

I feel like I might have enjoyed this more if I had read Anna Karenina, or was at least familiar with the story. There were some parts in this story that just didn't seem to flow or make sense, but I assume that's because Lee was trying to stay true to the source text.

This was a fun read; definitely Gossip Girl-adjacent, but better crafted. However, I just didn't find myself as invested in the characters as I thought I would. Since I read this as an ebook, I didn't realize it was almost 500 pages long. Some parts of the book just seemed to drag, and I don't think the non-linear format helped.

That being said, I thought Part 3 of this book had a great message for teenagers. Pretty much all of the characters started out as nothing more than flat, materialistic representations of wealthy NYC teens, but by the end, most of them had come a long way (albeit a little too quickly) and developed into something resembling some kind of adults.