Anna K is billed as a Gossip Girls/Crazy Rich Asians rebrand of the classic tale of Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy. I haven't read Anna Karenina, neither have I seen Gossip Girl; so it was the sheer vibrancy of the cover and the reference to Crazy Rich Asians which first tempted me to request this book...and it did not disappoint!
The story is told through several different perspectives (the character list at the start will be your pal in the opening chapters), however once you're familiar with the who's who of Anna K's world, Steven, Lolly, Kimmy, Dustin, Vronsky and Anna rapidly become your best friends. Their narratives are told with a realness and purity that kept me fully engrossed and bothered about what happened to them. The rich-kid lifestyles of how the other half live are documented in fantastic detail while retaining a light-hearted sense of humour which made me want to hop into their universe.
Love, in all its forms, is a theme which runs strongly throughout every chapter and this nicely balances out the urban, trendy vibe coming from the city settings.
All in all, Jenny Lee's take on Anna K, reminded me of a Sex and the City style novel just perfect for the new YA generation. Whilst there might be trigger warnings for drug misuse and animal injury, this novel is rich with things to love and enjoy. I simply could not get enough of this book - it was unputdownable!
The story is told through several different perspectives (the character list at the start will be your pal in the opening chapters), however once you're familiar with the who's who of Anna K's world, Steven, Lolly, Kimmy, Dustin, Vronsky and Anna rapidly become your best friends. Their narratives are told with a realness and purity that kept me fully engrossed and bothered about what happened to them. The rich-kid lifestyles of how the other half live are documented in fantastic detail while retaining a light-hearted sense of humour which made me want to hop into their universe.
Love, in all its forms, is a theme which runs strongly throughout every chapter and this nicely balances out the urban, trendy vibe coming from the city settings.
All in all, Jenny Lee's take on Anna K, reminded me of a Sex and the City style novel just perfect for the new YA generation. Whilst there might be trigger warnings for drug misuse and animal injury, this novel is rich with things to love and enjoy. I simply could not get enough of this book - it was unputdownable!