I admit, I had a hard time getting into this book. The modernization of Anne of Green Gables is an interesting twist, but to me it read like a more literary Sex and the City episode. That said, I would recommend it as an example of how to modernize classics, but due to the issues of promoting potentially sensitive, risqué subject matter to students I would not assign it.

While some books take a more literal approach to modernizing a classic, by setting the beloved characters in a new setting but keeping the plot the same, this book introduces us to Anne through her charming diary entries then leads us throughout her high school and grad school days. It's a lighthearted read, perfect for sunny days on the deck with a glass of iced tea.

I loved this book. It’s told in a similar voice to the original, Anne of Green Gables, but it takes place in twenty-first century Manhattan. The characters are recognizable in both action and words. Obviously, Anne and Gilbert are not children any longer. They are in New York working on advanced college degrees: Anne, her PhD, Gilbert his Masters, both candidates in the same department, in the same school.

Anne, as always, is always in her own head, and always sure she’s right about everything, especially Gilbert Blythe. They try to be friends, but there’s always an undercurrent of rivalry between. The rivalry and friendships, including that of Diana Berry, are kept, much as in the original, until things move forward.

I could visualize Green Gables and the characters quite easily. I could also imagine these adult characters as the younger Anne and Gilbert. Marilla, as always, is a force of nature, and Matthew is gentle and lovable as always.

This book kept my interest and kept me turning pages. It’s a very adult version of Anne of Green Gables, but enjoyable none the less. I recommend it to any who enjoyed the original, but while much is the same, much is different. Know that going in.

I received an advanced reader copy of this book from the publisher through Netgalley. I thank them for their generosity, but it had no effect on this review. All opinions in this review reflect my true and honest reactions to reading this book.

Anne of Manhattan by Brina Starler is a fun read for anyone who grew up wrapped up in the world of Anne Shirley and her adventures at Green Gables. This novel sets Anne and her crew of friends in NYC in the modern-day. It was fun to read and envision all of the characters in this new time period and setting. It was like visiting with old friends to read about everyone. Read and enjoy!

While I think the book has promise, it is difficult to separate L.M. Montgomery’s classic Anne from this one, making the story feel like a bastardized version of a beloved classic. I wasn’t able to continue through without feeling guilty as though I was betraying the original. As a concept separated from the classic I think this book would’ve done better.

I love the Anne of Green Gables series. I have read all of them, but never quite finished the eighth book. The 1985 movie series was excellent. As for the redo modern day take, I thought the book had some good nods to the original series, but honestly the inclusion of the sex scenes and making some of my beloved ladies lesbians was kind of a turn off for me honestly. I could see how it would work with some of the characters but others I was not happy with, but I wouldn't say I liked it completely. The sex scenes I thought did not improve the book, but took away from Anne and Gil's relationship such as it was. I admit I did laugh out loud on Anne's diary entries, that was complete Anne. So good job there. Overall it was ok, but not completely Anne. Anne's descendant maybe.

I have to admit, I've never read Anne of Green Gables, but after reading Anne of Manhattan by Brian Starler, I may have add it to my TBR.

In this modern day retelling of Anne of Green Gables, Anne and Gil find each other in the same city again after going their separate ways for college. The novel has flashbacks to their earlier days, so even though I had not read Anne of Green Gables I was able to follow along with their relationship history. Through their time together, Starler manages to weave in some more serious topics such as sexual harassment and the potentially terminal medical diagnosis of a parent, while at the same time keeping the story light enough to enjoy by the pool or on the beach. I felt that the story was slow in some parts and I wasn't a fan of the ending, but overall this was an enjoyable read.

Anne is in her final year of graduate school when her childhood enemy, Gilbert Blythe, transfers to Redmond College. Not only is he in her program, but they must work together on a master’s thesis project. It’s a fun contemporary romance based on the Anne of Green Gables stories. Love the references back to the original stories!

Nostalgia + sex = how could you go wrong? Ok so there are a few things I didn't love about this book, but the concept makes up for a lot. This is a great take on a modern - but not too modern! - Anne. Gilbert's personality is a little flimsy around the edges but who cares; his love for Anne is believable. Avonlea and Green Gables and the Cuthberts are perfect. The rest of the characters are fine? Felt a bit paint-by-numbers but fine (not sure the changes to characters like Diana were fully thought out). The flashbacks are often tedious. If I wanted backstory I could literally reread Anne of Green Gables. And the stakes feel pretty low, but sometimes reading a gentle love story is like having a chat with a kindred spirit.

I'm a fan of retellings of famous stories. Many years ago, I taught a class focused on "literary sequels, prequels, retellings, and revisions."

"Anne of Green Gables" is one of my favorite books, so a modern retelling seemed perfect for me. There were many parts of this book that I really enjoyed. First, I liked that it seemed to focus more on "Anne of the Island," book 3 in the series, than the earlier books. That particular entry in the series, when Anne is a university student and away from home, is one of my favorites. Second, I liked this version of Anne and Gil. They were fun to read, and I liked Starler's approach to their romance.

The things I didn't like: I didn't like that nearly every relationship among characters was established as sexual in some way. Yes, the original Anne books are pretty sexless, as they were written 100 years ago. However, I didn't like that every relationship (except Anne's friendship with her roommates, thankfully) was sexualized. Second, the graduate school and job searching plotlines were just poorly done. Yes, I can envision Anne as a graduate student, but as someone that reached All But Dissertation stage, I'm pretty familiar with grad school. And the classes that Starler describes just don't fit. Also, the details of Anne's job search are nothing like the modern American job search in academia. These are somewhat nitpicky problems, based as they are in my own knowledge of academia. That said, they kept thrusting me out of the narrative.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book, and I wanted to enjoy it even more.

This is a book for the Anne of Green Gables mega fans. It is not a book meant for the casual reader. I last read Anne of Green Gables when I was a kid and have not gone back and reread any of the books or watched any of the iterations of it. I enjoyed Starler's rendition but I was not wowed by it in any way. Parts seemed a little too contrived and like she was trying to fit in as many call backs to the original source material as possible even at the expense of the narrative.

This is not your middle grade Anne of Green Gables. ;-) It takes place mainly after college, while Gilbert and Anne are doing Masters’ work at a college in Manhattan, NY. The elements/nods to L.M. Montgomery’s original work were nice to experience, as part of the novel is told in a “then” and “now” narrative.

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for this advanced eBook copy.

A modern take on Anne of Green Gables, Anne of Manhattan follows Anne once she moves to Manhattan for grad school and is surprised to reunite with her longtime rival Gil. Paired together to work on their thesis project, they form a bond that develops into much more. But can it last?

I flew through this book! It was such a light, quick read and was a perfect follow up to my last read, The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle, which was heavier and required keeping track of a lot of moving parts. This is not a strict retelling of Anne of Green Gables. Several parts differ, and it’s definitely not a children’s book (🔥). That said, I think fans of Anne will still enjoy this book! While this is not necessarily my typical genre, this was an enjoyable, light romance story. If you’re a contemporary romance fan, you might like this one!

Anne of Manhattan was just published on June 1. Thank you to Book Club Girl, William Morrow Books, HarperCollins, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read a free e-ARC of this book.

A modern take on Anne of Green Gables.

The original has been a favorite of mine since elementary school and I was looking forward to the adaptation.

Anne grows up with her foster parents in Avonlea on Long Island, leaving to go to NYC for college. Diana, Gilbert, Marilla, and Matthew are all back, and the book is loosely modeled after Anne of the Island.

It's cute, but seems like a typical rom-com at this point. The author does do an admirable job attempting a rewrite of a very beloved classic. But, while enjoyable, it definitely lacks the what makes the original series an endearing classic.

This book is a modern retelling of the classic Anne of Green Gables.
In this itteration Anne is living with Diana in NYC where she's finishing her grad school. It is here on the city where she runs into Gilbert and love sparkles.
After some trials, tribulations, loving circumstances lots of soul searching these two realized they are one for another.

What a fun romance read. I don't know much about Anne of Green Gables, so I was worried that I might be a bit confused with this contemporary retelling. However, I had no trouble at all getting into the story. Anne is such a relatable protagonist, and her enemies to lovers romance with Gil was fantastic. This novel made me laugh and tear up a few times. I loved reading it.

I thought it was a very cute modernization of the Anne story, clever to bring in some evaluation of Anne's personality as an orphan/foster child. Too bad I can't recommend it to readers as young as I would have the classic, but I think we adults can smile over it a bit. A little too graphic of their relationship for the 10 to 14 crowd. I

This has been on my radar for YEARS at this point! Longtime blog readers know I'm a soft touch when it comes to classic retellings; and even though numerous readers I trust gave it three stars I couldn't resist seeing for myself. In this Anne of Green Gables update set at Manhattan's fictional Redmond College, Anne is shocked when her old nemesis Gilbert Blythe appears in her class on the first day of school. She didn't know he'd transferred from Berkley to be closer to his ailing father after his cancer diagnosis—and if he gets to pick up where he left off with his longtime redheaded crush, so much the better. I enjoyed seeing how Starler updated these familiar characters for the 21st century (a heavily-tattooed Fred Wright was a character I wanted more of!), but I'd hoped for a more robust plot.

Thank you to Book Club Girl for making this ARC available to me! A modern-day take on Anne of Green Gables puts Anne in NYC for her graduate work. She is shocked to discover her old nemesis, Gilbert Blythe, following the same grad school path. Throw in some surprisingly sexy romance and a dash of feminist plot line and this is the making of an engaging and intriguing novel.

This book was really slow for me at first and it toke time to take off. The charactersnwere a bit too juvenile for me even though they are 24, however, at the end, was ok. It was sweet and a good adaptation