Ok don’t judge but I’ve never read Anna Karenina so although this a modern day retelling of that book it was the stunning cover and fascinating synopsis that got my attention.
Anna K is described as a love story but if I’m honest I think the love story element was a little lost for me. Here’s why: the book is too long, the writing too small and there is too much “background noise” that’s not really relevant. Now that’s not to say I didn’t enjoy the book, overall, I did. I just felt that it could be 100 pages less without losing anything critical to the story.
The love story between Anna and Vronsky is your typical teenage insta-love tale but with the added wealth of the NYC elite. Anna is a good girl from a good family. She has a long-term boyfriend and her life is all planned out. Whereas Vronsky is a typical teenage pretty boy with money. A 16 year old playboy who drives a motorbike, sleeps with lots of girls and parties, a lot. They seem like opposites but they are instantly attracted to each other and the teenage angst begins.
As a reader I can accept most things, as long as the characters are great and I’ve bought into them or their situation, but although some of the supporting characters like Dustin and Murf are likeable, none of the main characters stood out. There were moments where I felt for Anna, Vronsky, Steven and even Lolly but these were interspersed with moments of annoyance. On the whole I thought they were under-developed and that left me feeling a bit disconnected from them.
The story itself felt ridiculously far fetched at times, I mean these are 16 and 17 year olds living the life of twenty-somethings in New York with practically no parental supervision or involvement. Maybe this stuff really goes on but it was hard to imagine and again left me feeling disconnected.
I think it’s fair to add that this is marketed as YA, and although I do read a lot in that genre, I’m not the target audience and maybe this was one book where my age really made a difference.
Don’t get me wrong this is not a terrible book, which I realise my review might not portray, but it missed the mark with me in too many ways for it to get anything higher than 3 ⭐️⭐️⭐️.
TW - drug and alcohol abuse, death of a loved one, revenge porn, mental illness
Anna K is described as a love story but if I’m honest I think the love story element was a little lost for me. Here’s why: the book is too long, the writing too small and there is too much “background noise” that’s not really relevant. Now that’s not to say I didn’t enjoy the book, overall, I did. I just felt that it could be 100 pages less without losing anything critical to the story.
The love story between Anna and Vronsky is your typical teenage insta-love tale but with the added wealth of the NYC elite. Anna is a good girl from a good family. She has a long-term boyfriend and her life is all planned out. Whereas Vronsky is a typical teenage pretty boy with money. A 16 year old playboy who drives a motorbike, sleeps with lots of girls and parties, a lot. They seem like opposites but they are instantly attracted to each other and the teenage angst begins.
As a reader I can accept most things, as long as the characters are great and I’ve bought into them or their situation, but although some of the supporting characters like Dustin and Murf are likeable, none of the main characters stood out. There were moments where I felt for Anna, Vronsky, Steven and even Lolly but these were interspersed with moments of annoyance. On the whole I thought they were under-developed and that left me feeling a bit disconnected from them.
The story itself felt ridiculously far fetched at times, I mean these are 16 and 17 year olds living the life of twenty-somethings in New York with practically no parental supervision or involvement. Maybe this stuff really goes on but it was hard to imagine and again left me feeling disconnected.
I think it’s fair to add that this is marketed as YA, and although I do read a lot in that genre, I’m not the target audience and maybe this was one book where my age really made a difference.
Don’t get me wrong this is not a terrible book, which I realise my review might not portray, but it missed the mark with me in too many ways for it to get anything higher than 3 ⭐️⭐️⭐️.
TW - drug and alcohol abuse, death of a loved one, revenge porn, mental illness