This was such a satisfying second-chance romance. I loved how it reimagined Persuasion in a modern New York setting, with Anne and Freddie navigating old wounds, lingering chemistry, and messy family obligations. The holiday backdrop added warmth, and the emotional tension between the leads felt real and earned. It was witty, heartfelt, and full of that Austen-esque longing I adore—definitely a new seasonal favorite for me.

I really liked these authors' past Jane Austen adaptations, and was automatically intrigued by their modernized Persuasion adaptation. They write with such compelling language that made me desperate to keep reading. Told in dual points of view, Anne of Avenue A feels like an adaptation, yes, but also something fresh and new, exciting, and enthralling all rolled into one. This ended up being totally unputdownable.

As a romance, Anne and Freddie's second-chance story is slow burn until they get to that first kiss. But, regardless, boy, is their story swoonworthy and sweeping, and paced at the exact right time so each step feels earned. Then, the sex scenes don't feel raunchy or smutty, even though action does happen. It, instead, feels romantic and as an act of real love.

If Anne of Avenue A makes one thing clear: it's that authors Audrey Bellezza and Emily Harding are masters at adapting Austen's beloved works for modern times in New York City. That's a well-deserved niche in itself. And yes, there are sweet post-HEA cameos to the other couples in the "For the Love of Austen" series. Putting Anne, Emma Woodhouse, and Elizabeth Bennet (aka three of Austen's greatest heroines) together is something completely unexpected yet Bellezza and Harding made it fully necessary and exactly what the Austenian fangirl iin me wants to see. Insert my squeals here.

This series is a fun modern retelling of Jane Austen’s beloved books and they are a lot of fun. This one is based on Persuasion. It’s a cute, easy read that gives off the best New York City holiday vibes and would be a great one to read around Christmas. It’s a short story, but there’s plenty of romance, scenery, character growth and fun side characters to fill the pages.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an eARC copy of this book.

This is the next in the series of modern retellings of Jane Austen novels which is based off of Persuasion. This was a fun, fast read and really gave New York holidays vibes and would be perfect to read around the holidays.
Thanks to Gallery Books and Netgalley for the complimentary copy of this book. All opinions in this review are my own.

Anne of Avenue A is a loose contemporary retelling of Jane Austen's Persuasion. I was pleasantly surprised by this book and was always looking forward to reading more! Anne is a Type A perfectionist who lives for a plan, while Freddie is spontaneous and follows his heart. This follows Anne and Freddie eight years after they broke up, when Freddie moves back to New York. This is a second chance romance with some flashbacks to the earlier part of their relationship.

I think my favorite element of this book was Anne and how Freddie loved her for who she truly was. I feel like it is more common to read about a spontaneous "mess" of a heroine than someone who has it together and is a mess because she is trying to save the people she loves(like her father and his production company). Anne was written so well and it was hard to not love her for being more strait laced. I also loved that Freddie always saw her as more than she did herself. Anne and Freddie's relationship was so sweet and I enjoyed the flashbacks to when they were at NYU and all of Freddie's family's meddling.

I highly recommend this if you are a fan of a contemporary Austen retelling or you just like reading about a smart, driven heroine and a sweet lovesick hero! Thank you NetGalley and Gallery Books for the ARC!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

When this book comes out the end of October it will be almost magical--it is not crushingly holidayish, it had just the right amount. But the setting is not all that makes this book special--the one word I would describe it would be "charming" and no wonder --for its plot it uses inspiration from a master: Jane Austen. Although this is not a retelling of Persuasion, there are certain familiar names sprinkled about that make the reader smile. Anne is a wonderful heroine, as Freddie is delightful hero, together they light up the pages. The secondary characters, especially Cricket and Bev add a lot of humor to the story--especially Cricket's Shakespeare performance and her less than graceful jump over the subway turnstile., But the best scene (for me) was Anne's choice of a Charlie Brown tree for her apartment and Freddie helping her get it into the apartment. I think all three of the Bellezza/Harding are a joy to read and there are still more Austen books to reimagine!!

This was a very cute contemporary version of Jane Austen's "Persuasion". 8 years ago, Anne and Freddie were college sweethearts at NYU. Anne was persuaded to "be selfish" and so she went to Columbia to get an MBA and broke up with Freddie because otherwise he would have given up his immediate future to be with her at Columbia. They broke up and Freddie blocked Anne's number.

8 years later they are thrust together again and both reflect on how their lives turned out and how they can improve their lives as they are now. Belleza and Harding did a great job following the original story while adding a lot of contemporary touches. Freddie also often gave Anne love notes, which echoed the letter that Frederick gave to Anne in Persuasion.

I enjoyed the characters, the story, and the slightly different version of IMHO the best Jane Austen book.

I received an advanced copy and am giving an honest review.

3.5 stars - this is the third book from this author duo’s “For the Love of Austen” series of contemporary NYC-set Austen retellings and I have read them all. “Persuasion” is not my favorite Austen (my 💗 belongs to Darcy) but I enjoy it more than “M. Park” so I was down to see what they’d do with Anne & Capt. Wentworth, especially at the holidays. This one’s very much a “second-chance trope” with some forced proximity and I liked several of the secondary characters quite a bit - especially the callbacks to their previous books. But this one just didn’t hit me the same as the others - Anne & Freddie felt a bit off in the spark department. But overall, I liked it and also the fun holiday vibe & am hoping they do the Dashwood sisters next! My thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for my advance reader’s copy - always appreciate the opportunity for an early read!

This book was wonderful! If you loved pride and prejudice and want a book inspired by that book but set in modern day time you need this book!

A couple years ago a friend introduced me to Emma of 83rd St. and I immediately fell in love. Emma is my favorite Jane Austen novel and too often she is misunderstood and portrayed only as a total brat, but they handled her character with care and respect. That same care and respect has extended to Anne Elliot in the novel Anne of Avenue A. Where many authors fail to capture the essence of Austen's characters, Audrey Bellezza and Emily Harding excel.

This modern version gives you all the angst, longing and misunderstandings of the classic Persuasion, but with new twists that bring it into the current age. Anne and Freddie made me laugh, cry, swoon and squirm. I devoured this novel, eager to restart as soon as I finished.

As with all modern adoptions changes have to be made and using Lady Russell as her mother Bianca Russell worked very well for me.

I loved how they incorporated letters into the novel. However, if I’m being nitpicky, I would not have used “you pierce my soul” in the prologue and would have saved it into the very end like in Persuasion.

Overall, Anne of Avenue A is a worthy addition to the heritage of Austen. I cannot wait to see which novel they dive into next!

Audrey Bellezza and Emily Harding write the best Jane Austen modern adaptations and this one fits in perfectly with Emma and Elizabeth's stories. I desperately hope we will get all six novels but I am optimistic we will at least get Sense and Sensibility because of some name drops.

3.5 ⭐️ I liked it, but didn’t love it. My biggest hang up was that I wanted more depth from the characters. It felt more like someone was telling me about the characters rather than me getting to witness their growth and their love story.

Another fantastic book in the For The Love of Austen series! This retelling of Persuasion has all of the characters and moments that make the original great but with modern twists that make sense for the characters and settings. Anne and Freddie are both so engaging and it is fun to see other characters from past books show up.

I love a Jane Austen retelling and I enjoyed Emma and Lizzy's stories so I had high expectations for Anne of Avenue A and it did not disappoint! This was second-chance romance done right. I felt like there was the perfect amount of angst and longing between Freddie and Anne. I loved the side characters and thought they added the right amount without detracting from the main storyline. The only thing that I didn't love was switching perspectives while staying in third-person but that's really just a personal preference. Overall, this was such a sweet, cozy holiday read and I can't wait to see what comes next!

Anne Of Avenue A is another in the Austen series by these two authors. It's the story of Anne and Freddie, who have spent the last 8 years apart as their lives took them in different directions. This story plays with the ideas from Persuasion and was a delightful read. Set around the Christmas holidays, it will be perfect to curl up and read under a cozy blanket with a fire. A truly enjoyable romance. Thank you, netgalley, for this arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

4.5 🌟

Thank you NetGalley and Gallery Books for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I have just adored the first two Austen retellings in this series and was eager to get my hands on #3. It didn’t disappoint, and I loved the dynamic and second chance romance between Anne and Freddy.

It was such a fun way to bring Persuasion into the modern era and I can’t wait to see what Audrey Bellezza and Emily Harding write next!

I am a sucker for Jane Austen adaptations, and Persuasion is one of my favorite Jane Austen novels. However, it doesn't always translate well to modern times and thus adaptations of it are really hit-or-miss. I often find that authors struggle to modernize Anne Elliot without making her a complete pushover, and the Elliot family's various plot lines are very specific to regency England. So I was cautious when I picked this up, but boy was I glad that I did. This is a Persuasion re-telling done right!

For those unfamiliar with Jane Austen, this is the story of Anne Elliot and Frederick (Freddie) Wentworth. Eight years ago, they were desperately in love. Until Anne broke his heart. Freddie left town, and Anne became embroiled in her father's reality TV business. Now Freddie is back... and unknowingly living in the apartment that Anne's family just sold due to the downfall of the Elliot TV business. I was very glad to see some of the more difficult-to-modernize plot points were downplayed or left out (including Wentworth's romance with a much younger girl to prove that he is over Anne). Anne retains her sweet, good nature without being a pushover. And Freddie is not nearly as cruel as the original. In all, I read this book in a single day- I couldn't put it down!

Many thanks to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book and it was just as good as the others in this stand alone series. The authors have done such a great job creating modern day retellings of Austen’s books, and you certainly don’t have to be a Jane Austen fan to enjoy them. Anne of Avenue A is well written, with great characters, and and swoony romance. I definitely recommend this book and the rest in the series!

5⭐️ The third book in the For the Love of Austen series is a Persuasion retelling! Emma of 83rd Street and Elizabeth of East Hampton have been some of my favorite reads over the past two years, and Bellezza and Harding continue to shine when it comes to modern Jane Austen retellings, this one does not disappoint.

Anne and Freddie met in college at NYU. Freddie approached Anne at a bar, they had the best conversation, and from there it was history. They dated for around three years until Anne broke his heart. Eight years later, they cross paths again when Freddie purchases Anne’s childhood apartment, and she’s the one handing over the keys. Now, they keep running into each other, unsure of what to do as sparks begin to fly again.

One thing this duo always does right is retell Jane Austen stories in a modern setting. They effortlessly weave the most important elements of the original into their own narrative. I get so excited whenever I spot the connections to Austen’s work.

Of course, I love that this is a second-chance romance. I’ll always gravitate toward those stories because they remind us that mistakes aren’t the end of the world—sometimes, we get to come back for the people we love. In Anne and Freddie’s story, we see just how much they’ve grown from the people they used to be. They’re relearning each other and realizing that even though time has passed, their love hasn’t. It was so rewarding to witness both Anne’s personal journey and Freddie’s, especially the way he navigates his relationship with his family. I also really appreciated the glimpses of the couples from the past two books, they still have my heart.

Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery Books for this eARC in exchange for an honest!

I’ve read all the books in this series and have loved them all. This would probably be my least favorite of the series. Anne was hard for me to connect to. I liked her but felt like she was missing something. Freddie was similar where they felt a little weak. Overall I’d give three stars.