I must confess, I have never read Anne of Green Gables and had no clue what was in store for me with Brina Starler's charming retelling Anne of Manhattan. The narration quality of this audiobook was engrossing. I found myself loosing track of time as I listened to this book unfold. The narrator artfully delineated each character with nuanced inflection and vocal changes that flowed well and were not jarring. I bought into Anne and Gilbert's relationship immediately! The tension was delicious and their eventually coupling very rewarding. One of this things about this book that I really loved was how much of the book was given over to the two of them getting to enjoy their relationship before the inevitable fall out and coming back together. If you are a fan of the classic novel or just looking for a fun romance to listen to Anne of Manhattan is a brilliant choice! Happy Reading!

I did not finish this. I tried to read it, and I tried listening to it. Either way, this was just not for me.

I could only get through 5% of the audiobook. As an avid fan of the true Anne, I was intrigued to see where this might go, but I felt like I was immediately rolling my eyes and wishing for the irreplaceable LM original.

I'm as excited as the next Anne fan that Anne of Green Gables is now out of copyright and authors can update, change, and rewrite the story to their hearts' content. I wouldn't say, though, that this book is the epitome of what it could be. It felt more like reading a glorified modern AU fanfic, rather than a full-fledged reimagining like Bridget Jones's Diary was to Pride and Prejudice. That being said, the story was fine.

Anne is in her final year of graduate school when her childhood enemy, Gilbert Blythe, transfers to Redmond College. Not only is he in her program, but they must work together on a master’s thesis project. It’s a fun contemporary romance based on the Anne of Green Gables stories. Love the references back to the original stories!

Fantastic narration! Voice and pacing are just right.

This was an awesome way to bring a classic like Anne of Green Gables into a modern setting. I really enjoyed this story and the narrator. I will be recommending this to all of my friends!

I loved this modern retelling of Anne of Green Gables. I loved that it was set in NYC and you could related to the characters if you know the original story lines. This was a new way of telling a classic story and it is wonderful!

Audiobook provided by NetGalley and Harper Audio in exchange for an honest review.

Wellllllllll.... that was something. And this is why I'm always hesitant to read re-imaginings of well known works. They rarely turn out well and I wonder if the L.M. Montgomery estate sanctioned this or not (not that they needed to, but it does cross my mind).

As a fellow spunky ginger, Anne Shirley has always been a favorite of mine. I'll admit that it's been a long time since I've read Montgomery's series, but they will forever hold a place in my heart. So when I saw this audiobook come up on NetGalley I thought I'd give it a shot.

Honestly? It reads like it's written as fanfic of Anne of Green Gables just so Anne and Gilbert can get down and dirty on the page. There's nothing wrong with that, but that's not what this book is marketed as.

In this modern iteration of Anne, she finds herself in a group home and sent to Avonlea on Long Island where Marilla and Matthew own a winery. As with the original text, a paperwork mix-up has them welcoming a girl orphan instead of the boy they requested, but they choose to let Anne stay. There she meets and befriends Diana... and it's where on her first day at her new middle school, she has her first run in with Gilbert Blythe. Fast forward and they're now all in grad school with Anne and Diana living in Manhattan together where they unexpectedly run into Gil at a bar and find out that he's moved back from California and is here to stay. Oh, and he just so happens to now be in the same grad program as Anne. Hmmmmmmm.

Unfortunately, this is one of those books that likes to TELL readers what characters are thinking/feeling/doing rather than SHOW readers. And all the magic from Montgomery's Anne Shirley is missing. This isn't the same girl at all other than that she fights with Gil. If you didn't know this was a reimaging of Anne of Green Gables, you would have had no idea by just reading this. It's a generic romance book. And for those who do know Mongtomery's books, they would have recognized all the familiar names, but that's about all that made it into this narrative.

The story flips back and forth from current events to memories from Anne and Gil as children, providing some back story to go along with the present day plot as a will-they-or-won't-they flirtation grows between Anne and Gil. Then, shocker... there's a BIG miscommunication. Hearts are broken, and just when it looks like things might turn around something BAD happens (cue eyeroll for the biggest cliché move in literature).

My take is that I would caution anyone well versed in Montgomery's series to think twice before jumping into this one as this is NOT the Anne you know and love and you may be disappointed.

Carly Robins does a decent job with the audiobook, but they could only do so much.

I love Anne and Gil so much. I would read any AoGG retelling. They are the original enemies to lovers.

Something that did bother me with this book is the flashbacks. I think the opening with a flashback when Anne is 12 makes it hard to draw adult readers in. Also there was a flashback during a really climactic moment that really hurt the narrative for me. The flashback did not seem relevant and it delayed the resolution unnecessarily. I think most of the flashbacks from Anne’s first year with the cuthberts can be skipped with no harm to the overall plot.

I loved that this retelling was aged up and modernized. I think Anne and Gil would be great teachers and I love that Anne’s strong sense of justice never wavers.

Oh man...it pains me to say this but I just couldn't finish this book! I'm a purist with Anne of Green Gables and was taking a leap of faith by trying this one. Big NOPE! The narrator was so annoying she was hard to get past in order to enjoy the story. But the story was worse! Too many inconsistencies with the original book and although I knew this was supposed to be a modern day adaptation of the novel I couldn't get past the lust/sex scenes and the use of profanity. I didn't make it past the first love scene (63%) so I have no idea if there was more depth beyond that. So disappointed.

This was a fun read. As an adaptation, it was cool to see the way each character was updated/reinterpreted to a modern setting. As a Long Islander, I'm not sure that LI was a great stand-in for PEI, though. And Anne and Gilbert having (steamy, well described) sex felt weird.

I sometimes find it hard to rate books that aren't my cup of tea. I love Anne of Green Gables! It is one of my favorite books of all time, but I don't like retellings of literature most of the time, but decided to give it a go nonetheless. That being said, I think the narrator was excellent and the writing was decent, but this book was not for me.

I like the mishaps on AofG and the sweetness of the story and I think this was lacking in what the heart of AofG offers. That may not have been the authors point and that is fine. Ultimately, while I am NOT a prude Anne and Gilbert having sex ultimately made me uncomfortable.

I think I am just not the audience, but those who love modern retellings of Pride and Prejudice and the like will probably find it enjoyable.

I have been a longtime fan of Anne, probably because I too am an Anne with an e (middle name) while all my cousins with the family middle name don’t have that e. I’ve read the books, seen all the old movies (recently learned there were some newer ones), binged the Netflix series, and even read and watched every episode/book of the spinoff series Avonlee. I even dated a Gilbert Blythe look alike. So yeah, I’m a fan. I was excited to see a retelling since all my friends are Austinites. I finally had a chance to say , seeeeeeeee my favorite story is important enough for retellings too.

And this story does not disappoint. I can tell the author is a fan. The story has moved Green Gables to Long island, made it a winery, and starts with Anne in the last year of grad school for her Masters in Teaching. Gilbert has been away in California, but has moved closer to family as his father has fallen ill. Most readers remember Anne before adulthood, so at the beginning of this book seems a little late to the game, but through various flashbacks we get the story of young Anne and younger Gilbert and the love that wouldn’t die. The only thing I really miss from her younger story that is not retold here, is breaking the slate over Gilbert's head. He totally deserved it. But what the author uses to fill in those gaps like the beach scene and the kiss at the wrong time fit perfectly with the original story I loved so much.

There were so many things to like about this book. There were also a few ehhhh things. For example, I didn’t not care for the sex scenes. There are only two, but the author aimed for steamy and instead came out sounding like a sex scene written by a man. And here’s the thing ... they are not needed. The original books never had sex scenes. This book could have alluded to happy fun times, and left the details out and it would have been just fine. I did like what they did with the character Marilla, and their eventual escape to Prince Edward Island. I also really enjoyed how they brought Anne and Gilbert together at the end.

Overall, this was a really fun read that I think fans of Anne will enjoy, but I think people who never read the Anne books will enjoy it as well. It’s a light comedic romance that just puts a smile on the reader's face.

I have to say I was REALLY nervous about this modern reimagining of the Anne of Green Gables story. Thankfully Brina Starler did not disappoint! Anne and Gilbert are brought to life in a very relatable way and I enjoyed that we got both Anne's AND Gilbert's perspectives in this book (something lacking in the original). The story alternates between the past and present and is full of great chemistry, some steamy scenes and lots of the trademark heart that made us all love Anne to begin with. I am a sucker for a good frenemies/unrequited second chance love story and this was all of that! Many of our favorite characters make an appearance in this novel as well, including Diana, Fred, Matthew, Marilla and Rachel. Definitely recommend this for Anne of Green Gables fans or anyone who enjoys a light-hearted, feel-good rom-com. Thanks to NetGalley and HarperAudio for my advance listening copy. This one hits shelves June 1st!

Thanks for the review copy!

I should preface this to say that I hated Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery. But, I enjoyed the steamy will they/won’t they enemies-to-lovers romance. However, it was just O.K. The plot was uncomplicated and I indifferent to the conflict that threatens to derail Anne & Gilbert's relationship - it felt mediocre.

I thought that Starler did an excellent job modernizing L.M. Montgomery’s classic (which I supposed isn't saying much because I never finished the original), complete with LGBTQ2S+ representation & a nod to P.E.I. All in all, recommended for those looking for a light beach read (emphasis on the light) this summer.

Narration was great!

I

I love the story of Anne of Green Gables, but I was weirded out with graphic sex descriptions involving one of my favorite childhood couples. That being said, I really enjoyed the transplanting of Anne into New York, and the updates of all the other characters.

Yes - listen to it!!

Ignore the Anne of Green Gables angle. You don't need to be a fan of Montgomery to enjoy this audio book. It's just a great romance!

If you happened to love Anne in her original form, you are going to love this modern twist as well.

I thought the narrator did a wonderful job with the different characters making each one feel unique.

I got an advance audiobook from Netgalley & HarperAudio to prepare for my honest review.

The narration was fine but not my favorite. The narrator does a good job of giving each of the characters voices some personality. She did a good job but she wasn’t my favorite. It was just a little bit grating after consistently listening to it for more than an hour.

A must read for fans of Anne of Green Gables. This is a continuation of Anne's story but set in modern day Manhattan. There were some creative changes made with regard to the location of Avonlea and what they all did after High School but it totally worked! Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC and Audio of this soon to be released title.

I think this modern retelling of Anne will appeal to some readers, but I don't think it will find favor with folks who enjoyed "Anne With an E" for its innocent charm and cottagecore appeal. I found the tone and narrator a bit grating and had to pause more than once, and ultimately couldn't finish it. I didn't rate it 1 star because I think it will appeal to some readers, but I also don't think that group is a broad subset of Anne fans.