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theespressoedition's review against another edition
challenging
funny
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
I really struggled with this book. When I started reading it, it felt like a fun mix of Crazy Rich Asians and Gossip Girl blended together. The teenage drama and angst mixed with a bit of comedy. There was the hijinks, the tabloids, the money, the sex.
But there were so many characters to follow and that made it challenging right off the bat. I know there was a cast of characters listed in the book, but listening to an audiobook, I couldn't easily access those to keep track. And even if I had been reading a physical copy, I think I would've gotten confused. There were even super similar names that had me feeling upside down and backward a few times.
In addition, the fact that this book was YA with such intense sexual overtones made me really uncomfortable. It's one thing to read about it when it's an adult book, but we were talking about 15-year-olds watching other kids have sex (and describing the acts) and that just made me feel gross.
I know the story of Anna Karenina, so I wasn't terribly surprised by the way things played out, since it followed that storyline pretty closely. The whole book was just incredibly long for not much actually happening - or a lot happening but nothing fruitful? I don't know, but it wasn't what I hoped for, I guess.
But there were so many characters to follow and that made it challenging right off the bat. I know there was a cast of characters listed in the book, but listening to an audiobook, I couldn't easily access those to keep track. And even if I had been reading a physical copy, I think I would've gotten confused. There were even super similar names that had me feeling upside down and backward a few times.
In addition, the fact that this book was YA with such intense sexual overtones made me really uncomfortable. It's one thing to read about it when it's an adult book, but we were talking about 15-year-olds watching other kids have sex (and describing the acts) and that just made me feel gross.
I know the story of Anna Karenina, so I wasn't terribly surprised by the way things played out, since it followed that storyline pretty closely. The whole book was just incredibly long for not much actually happening - or a lot happening but nothing fruitful? I don't know, but it wasn't what I hoped for, I guess.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Cursing, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Sexism, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship
linesiunderline's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Gotta say that it’s hard to believe this book was written for YA. There is A LOT of content in this book that places it squarely in the uppermost age range for YA - lots of drug and alcohol use and sex. I don’t object to that content, but fair warning, if you are putting this into the hands of a Young Adult, that person should be ready for this kind of content. I wonder about why the author didn’t make the cast college age? Perhaps it was perceived that there wouldn’t be enough of a readership? Still, when I imagine the characters, I picture characters older than sixteen / seventeen. I don’t know if it’s just me, but I see that disconnect as a flaw in the book. I think this book should have been written with characters who were older, which might change the audience somewhat.
Now that I’ve got this off my chest, I can say that this was a really fun reading experience, particularly for someone with familiarity with the original novel. I think the author succeeds beautifully in reimagining Anna’s world and experience. I particularly enjoyed seeing her slowly evolve and come into her own. There are plenty of complex relationships to discuss. The tone was engaging and the novel invites readers to think about important social issues while all the while being immensely entertaining. There’s a voyeuristic aspect to the reading experience as you get to glimpse what life might be like in some uber rich social circles.
An inventive, layered, and satisfying interpretation of a classic. Also, outstanding narration on audio!
Now that I’ve got this off my chest, I can say that this was a really fun reading experience, particularly for someone with familiarity with the original novel. I think the author succeeds beautifully in reimagining Anna’s world and experience. I particularly enjoyed seeing her slowly evolve and come into her own. There are plenty of complex relationships to discuss. The tone was engaging and the novel invites readers to think about important social issues while all the while being immensely entertaining. There’s a voyeuristic aspect to the reading experience as you get to glimpse what life might be like in some uber rich social circles.
An inventive, layered, and satisfying interpretation of a classic. Also, outstanding narration on audio!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Animal death, Death, and Drug use
Moderate: Drug abuse, Infidelity, Racism, Sexism, Sexual content, Medical content, and Car accident
literaryelephant's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
This was my first Anna Karenina retelling, and it was a lot of fun rediscovering those characters in a modern setting and seeing how their traits and predicaments translate onto supperrich Manhattan teens. It's over-the-top ridiculous in a way that makes it feel more campy than the obvious Gossip Girl comparison, but Lee commits to the bit in a way that keeps the story rolling.
Two downsides, imo: 1) I can't really imagine this holding up without the classic it leans on; doing a mental compare/contrast with Anna Karenina was 90% of the draw for me here and I would not recommend picking it up without first reading the original. And 2) these characters are incredibly shallow in a way that's not fully explored within the text. We've got teens giving Pre-Emptive Guilt Gifts and getting nose jobs and ranking girls on a Hot List; men are forgiven for cheating and general promiscuity while women are condemned. There's *some* self-reflection and challenging of unfairness here (Anna in particular is a stronger and more sympathetic character) but those moments are few and far between compared to the general glamour and excess coating every page. The presentation without commentary feels like a missed opportunity, and in a book marketed as YA it's a little worrying to me that there seems to be plenty of room for taking any of the sexist/elitist/self-destructive details at face value.
But I see Lee has a sequel coming up, and I suspect the need to go off-script there will push the story in some new, more interesting directions. Oh, and a warning: despite the smiling girl on the cover and the "A Love Story" tag under the title, this is still a tragedy, not a cute romance. The jacket had me fooled, but the classic ending is... not entirely eliminated.
Two downsides, imo: 1) I can't really imagine this holding up without the classic it leans on; doing a mental compare/contrast with Anna Karenina was 90% of the draw for me here and I would not recommend picking it up without first reading the original. And 2) these characters are incredibly shallow in a way that's not fully explored within the text. We've got teens giving Pre-Emptive Guilt Gifts and getting nose jobs and ranking girls on a Hot List; men are forgiven for cheating and general promiscuity while women are condemned. There's *some* self-reflection and challenging of unfairness here (Anna in particular is a stronger and more sympathetic character) but those moments are few and far between compared to the general glamour and excess coating every page. The presentation without commentary feels like a missed opportunity, and in a book marketed as YA it's a little worrying to me that there seems to be plenty of room for taking any of the sexist/elitist/self-destructive details at face value.
But I see Lee has a sequel coming up, and I suspect the need to go off-script there will push the story in some new, more interesting directions. Oh, and a warning: despite the smiling girl on the cover and the "A Love Story" tag under the title, this is still a tragedy, not a cute romance. The jacket had me fooled, but the classic ending is... not entirely eliminated.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Animal death, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Racism, Sexism, Sexual content, and Suicidal thoughts