Anne of Manhattan by Brina Starler is a delightful read for fans of contemporary romance and retellings, particularly those who adore enemies-to-lovers tropes and are looking for a lighthearted, emotional, and hopeful story that explores the complexities of love, trust, and second chances in the vibrant backdrop of New York City.

"Anne of Manhattan" by Brina Starler attempts to reimagine the beloved classic "Anne of Green Gables" in a modern-day setting, but falls short in execution. While the characters maintain some of the charm of their literary counterparts, they ultimately feel like pale imitations, lacking the depth and complexity that made Anne Shirley and Gilbert Blythe so enduring. The atmosphere and setting of Manhattan are vividly portrayed, but the modernization of the story feels forced at times, with references and plot points that strain believability.

Starler's writing style is engaging and accessible, with a breezy tone that keeps the plot moving at a brisk pace. However, the plot of "Anne of Manhattan" lacks the emotional depth and resonance of the original, with conflicts that feel contrived and relationships that lack authenticity. While there are moments of intrigue scattered throughout the narrative, the overall enjoyment of the novel is hindered by its failure to capture the magic of its source material. Overall, "Anne of Manhattan" may appeal to fans of modern retellings, but readers expecting the timeless charm of "Anne of Green Gables" may be left disappointed.

The cast of Green Gables is back! The kids are now 24 and getting their degrees and figuring their lives out, when Anne and Gilbert run into each other again. We all know that if Anne and Gilbert are to do what they did in the original, they’ll be together in the end... but what about how it goes down in the middle?!

This story is such a cute retelling, and dropped cleanly into modern sensibilities. This means it took a little time to get used to the change to the wholesome goodness of the original series, though the characters themselves are largely unchanged, which I was so thankful for!

I finished up the story in two days because I HAD to know how Anne and Gilbert would turn out. I totally recommend reading this one!

Anne of the Island has always been my favorite of the Anne books, so this retelling that picks up with a grad-school-aged Anne was perfect for me. I really loved the way the author updated the characters with modern twists (tattoos on Fred!) and still kept the heart of the story the same. I adored that the story kept the "he fell first and hardest and never gave up" aspect of Gilbert. I loved Anne's relationship with Marilla and Matthew. I could almost superimpose "A Book of Revelation" over a particular chapter number at the end, that's how much the feel of this story was the same. While I do kind of wish the setting for the book had stayed on PEI, I understood and appreciated how the story worked in New York (and really adored the callback to PEI later in the story). Such a fun take for anyone missing Anne Girl and wondering what how Gil would win her today.

Thanks to NetGalley for the chance to read and review!

A retelling of Anne of Green Gables?!?! Yes, please!!! Absolutely loved this book!! Even if you are not familiar with Anne, I'm sure you will enjoy this!!

* Thank you @williammorrowbooks for the copy in exchange for an honest review.*

Great for those who grew up and loved Anne of Green Gables. A fun twist where it takes place in NY instead of Canada.

I love stories that are retellings of the classics - and this was a well done retelling of a strong, modern Anne Shirley.

I requested this title because I follow the author on Twitter and was interested in reading her work.

This is a modernized take on Anne of Green Gables. I never read the classic, so I came into this one with no preconceived ideas on what the story should be like.

Anne is living in New York, working on a graduate degree for writing. As part of the program, she has to complete a thesis project, and she gets assigned to work with childhood nemesis Gil. He’s been in love with Anne since seventh grade, but he never quite managed to come across the right way for her to believe it. Through the project, they grow closer and develop a relationship. But Anne has deep-seeded trust issues that cause them some hiccups. Can they overcome their issues? Or call it quits?

I thought this book was fine. The characters were fine, the story was fine. Nothing really kept me turning pages with an interested intensity, but I didn't want to leave it unfinished. The sex scenes were a bit more graphic than I was anticipating, something I don’t always love, and I just had a hard time buying into Gil and Anne’s issues.

It was an okay read for me, but not one I’d pick up again.

Anne of Manhattan

A Novel

By: Brina Starler

Publisher: William Morrow and Custom House

William Morrow Paperbacks

General Fiction (Adult)/Romance

Publish Date 1 June 2021

#AnneofManhattan#NetGalley

100 Book ReviewsProfessional Reader

I would like to first thank both NetGalley and William Morrows Publishing for allowing me to read and review this book.

Goodreads Synopsis:

After an idyllic girlhood in Avonlea, Long Island, Anne has packed up her trunk, said goodbye to her foster parents, Marilla and Matthew, and moved to the isle of Manhattan for grad school. Together with her best friend, Diana Barry, she’s ready to take on the world and find her voice as a writer.When her long-time archrival Gilbert Blythe shows up at Redmond College for their final year, Anne gets the shock of her life. Gil has been in California for the last five years—since he kissed her during a beach bonfire, and she ghosted him. Now the handsome brunette is flashing his dimples at her like he hasn’t a care in the world and she isn’t buying it.

Paired with the same professor for their thesis, the two former competitors come to a grudging peace that turns into something so much deeper…and sexier than either intended. But when Gil seemingly betrays her to get ahead, Anne realizes she was right all along—she should never have trusted Gilbert Blythe.

While Gil must prove to Anne that they’re meant to be together, she must come to terms with her old fears if she wants a happily-ever-after with the boy she’s always (secretly) loved.

Book Review:

I am so late in getting this book read. I wasn’t sure about it because I thought it would be too much like the book Anne of Green Gables. It wasn’t and I enjoyed reading it. I gave it 4 stars. I won’t go into too much detail since I have included the synopsis from goodreads. I will just tell you what I liked about it.

I like that Gil never gave up on Anne even though it took his dad having cancer to make up his mind that he should try again. It was nice to know that everyone from their hometown knew how Gil felt but Anne was clueless. I know Anne had a lot of things to figure out and the most important was trust. They both grew in the book and learn how to work things out with a little help from friends.

I love the friendship in this book and the family dynamics. I also like how she included some back story in the book to help use learn what either Gil or Anne went through while growing up. This did help with understanding the choices that they made.

The back story will help you understand more if you never read the Anne of Green Gable series. This is an adult book because there are some scenes in here that you will not want your young reader to read.

Fun story.

I really thought I would enjoy this one, but I just finished all of the originals, and this just doesn’t compare. It was like some things were exactly the same (like the characters’ names), while others were completely different (Avonlea and Green Gables on Long Island?) it just did not work for me.

This book gives a modern twist to an older classic book. It follows the same premise, just with modern day elements. If a reader enjoys classics, this book might be a good choice for something different but not too different.

Anne of Green Gables gets a modern update with the irrepressible red head growing up on Long Island and leaving to attend college in Manhattan. All the classic characters make an appearance and the story is entertaining enough with decent writing. Ultimately, the reader’s enjoyment will be based on whether they enjoy modernized classics and if they really want to see a contemporary Anne with and e. 3 stars

This was a fun retelling of Anne of Green Gables! I wondered how the classic would be modernized and if it would be faithful to the original. While it was a loosely based retelling, it still has the charm of the original! I love the Gil and Anne romance! It was the best part of the book with the enemies to lovers trope! Thus, I recommend this for fans of the original!

This had such an immature voice that I couldn't get into it. I know that Anne was a young girl to start, but she's supposed to be ten plus years older in this book and it didn't feel that way.

I’ve loved Anne of Green Gables - all the books, the 80s series, and most especially Gilbert Blythe - since I was a kid. Jonathan Crombie holds a special place in my heart with his cinnamon roll behavior and floppy, adorable hair, so I was nervous going into this loose retelling of that much beloved story.
I found myself pleasantly surprised though. While there were definitely some creative liberties taken, the overall spirit of the characters was mostly intact. Anne was still fiercely independent and headstrong, Gilbert was loyal and pining. It was jarring to read sex scenes between the two - and hear about Gilbert’s abs - which I don’t know that LM Montgomery would be particularly on board with, but it didn’t affect the story for me too much.
Overall, I enjoyed it and would recommend it for fans of Anne of Green Gables who are able to go into it with an open mind.

An interesting retelling of the story Anne of Green Gables. I enjoy the enemies to lovers trope and this book did not disappoint. Anne and Gilbert's relationship had me engrossed in the book. I liked this book.

Typical romance novel plot, which isn’t my favorite genre. Not sure what enticed me to select a romance novel. This is an easy, quick read, but didn’t leave me satisfied from a learning perspective, which probably wasn’t the authors intent. I like a book that teaches me something new about something. This was just a quick read with an okay storyline. Not terrible, and I’ll be more careful about selecting books in the future.

This is a retelling of Anne of Green Gables. It wasn’t a good retelling as Anne is in Manhattan pursuing her degree. I didn’t connect with the writing Anne didn’t seem to be an adult in Manhattan. Gilbert is there and the romance…NO!

This is an entertaining redo of Anne of Grren Gables in present day New York.
It's a fun rom-com that reunites grown up Anne and Gil and their love-hate relationship.

Thank you @bookclubgal @netgalley @williammorrow for a copy of Anne of Manhattan. This is a retelling of Anne of Green Gables which I did not read.

This is a a cute story of childhood enormous to lovers story between Anne and Gilbert. The story is told with past and present and gives you a good background on Anne’s past. Overall I enjoyed the interaction between Gilbert and Anne and found the story enjoyable.