This is a charming modern reimagining of Anne of Greene Gables that makes Avonlea a town on Long Island, Green Gables a vineyard, Diana Barry a queer WOC and Anne born in the 1990s.

Set in current-day New York City, Anne now lives with Diana while pursuing a graduate degree and is surprised when her arch-rival Gilbert Blythe transfers to the same school. Gil has been in love with Anne since they were kids and is determined to finally win her heart. What follows is a cute second chance/enemies-to-loves romcom that has some wonderful moments. Starler does a terrific job of creating modern day versions of the classic characters (Rachel is Marilla's girlfriend!) but I wish this Anne had more of the feisty, headstrong and imaginative personality she does in the original. The story is great (and works even if you don't know the earlier books) but even as an adult, modern-day Anne doesn't live up to the child of a hundred years earlier.

3.5 stars

Thanks to William Morrow, Custom House, NetGalley and the author for a copy to review.

Anne of Manhattan was a fun read. It was an enjoyable tribute to Anne of Green Gables. As a fan of Anne of Green Gables the scenes that involved Matthew and Marilla were especially satisfying. Anne and Gilbert’s attraction seemed realistic. The conflict between them seemed a bit contrived but I find it difficult for that to not seem contrived in many romance novels. It took a bit for me to get into the storyline and to leave any expectations I had based on the Anne of Green Gables series behind. Overall I liked this title and will recommend it to friends who enjoy this genre.

I love the idea of the modern retelling of classics-it gives a new life to those characters who may not otherwise be given a chance. I have never read Anne of Green Gables, so my enjoyment of the story was based solely on the story itself. Dual timelines worked well to share the history between Anne and Gilbert. It was a super quick read that left me wanting more.

Brina Starler does a great job updating Anne of Green Gables for the modern day, but the one question you need to ask yourself first is: Can you handle explicit sex scenes between Anne and Gilbert?

Anne Shirley, from Long Island, is a grad student in New York City, across the country from her childhood archenemy Gilbert Blythe. But now suddenly he's transferred to her program and she's got to deal with the unresolved attraction they've had since senior year of high school. That's kind of it, and yet somehow the book feels FULL of everything that made the series work, but with POC and queerness and cell phones.

This is Anne at her most emotionally and imaginatively settled (just as in the books), but there are flashbacks to her young self and all her flights of fancy, and the author doesn't skip on the fallout from Anne's time in foster care (but nor does she make it a Horrible Traumatic Thing).

Updated Gilbert is slightly more interesting than Original Gilbert, which is to say I didn't mind they got together this time.

I never read the book that this story was inspired by, but I that didn’t diminish my enjoyment at all. I’m a sucker for a ‘I hate you but that really means I love you’ story and this one does a good job of it. I also liked Anne’s relationship with her foster family and think the flashbacks were sprinkled in at just the right moments. It was a pleasant and enjoyable read that I would recommend.

Anne of Manhattan follows Anne into college along with her relationship with Gilbert Blythe. Having enjoyed Anne of Green Gables (many times over), started this new part of Anne's life with some trepidation. I found the story great fun and enjoyed the up and down relationship between Anne and Gilbert.

I just loved this book. It was a quick easy, fun read and gave me more of Anne and Gil as a couple. I honestly devoured this book, soaking up the nostalgia of it all and enjoyed every minute of it. Revisiting some of my favorite characters from one of my favorite stories, in a new and modern way was absolutely delightful. It was just what I needed it to be and I'll be recommending it to all of my Anne loving friends.

Unfortunately I was not a fan of this author’s writing style. I came into the story with an open mind, as I was interested by the concept of reimagining Anne of Green Gables in a modern setting. However it felt too juvenile and was bogged down with irrelevant details.

Thank you to the Book Club Girls giveaway and Netgalley for granting advance access to this title.

Anne of Green Gables has always been a favorite of mine so when I stumbled upon a modern retelling I was all in. Anne meets her arch enemy in eighth grade when he makes fun of her hair... Little does she know Gil is in love with her. Fast forward to college where Anne is in New York and suddenly Gil appears and ends up working with her on the same thesis. This book is a great comfort read and a fun revisit to the fire that is Anne Shirley. Big thank you to the publisher William Morrow and NetGalley for allowing me to review this book.

Anne of Manhattan by Brina Starler is a delightful modern-day retelling of Anne of Green Gables. As a long-time fan of Anne of Green Gables, I always go into retellings a little dubiously, but Starler captured the heart and spirit of Anne and translated it to fit perfectly into our modern times. This book can be enjoyed by those who have read Anne of Green Gables and those who have not.

Anne of Manhattan by Brina Starler will be published on June 1, 2021.

Thank you to William Morrow and NetGalley for this eARC.

I love reading old classics with a new revamping and Anne of Manhattan was a wonderful re-do with a more suspenseful love twist. Anne Shirley after a rough starting early childhood, falls into an idyllic Green Gable where she meets the awful Gilbert Blythe, now being thrown together in a graduate program in New York the sparks really fly!!!! I thought this was a fun, interesting story and I enjoyed the characters and the interactions! #AnneofManhattan#NetGalley

I really enjoyed this book. I came into it with no knowledge of Anne of Green Gables, but it definitely left me searching Google and needing read this classic. I really enjoyed the growth of Anne and Gil throughout the story. Some parts were a little predictable or so I thought they were… but then something was put in there to throw me off course. I found myself rushing home to read and see what was going to happen with Anne and Gil, Diana and Fred. I appreciated the fact that, where Starler used the same characters for continuity, they had aged and it was definitely a more mature and steamier story. Again, I had nothing to compare it to, but as a story that addresses modern day issues with characters from your past that you may love, I would give it a shot!

I love reading classic/fairy tale retellings. This one takes on Anne of Green Gables as two people in Manhattan. Avonlea is their tiny hometown they've moved away from. I liked how the story was made modern but it was missing a lot of its Anne of Green Gables-ness. It felt very typical rom-com

I have not read Anne of Green Gables and had no idea there were so many followers of that novel. Having said that I enjoyed this book. It was very light and didn't really seem to go anywhere but for a light read in between historical fiction it fit the bill. Anne (even though given name is Ann with no e) is an orphan and is finally adopted into her forever home when she is seven. She loves how Matthew and Marilla make her feel safe. She also has found a forever friend in Diana. Gilbert Blythe however, is a forever enemy and has been since they met in middle school. He is always teasing her and getting her into trouble. Being so outspoken, she can not handle that. This is the story of the grown up kids. They go off to college and rediscover themselves. Anne also rediscovers Gil for who he is and that is a great guy who has been in love with her since middle school. There is some drama which makes the book interesting and you start to root for your favorite couple. It is a great rom-com and I am glad I read it. I highly recommend picking up a copy on publishing day of June 1 2021.

Thanks to #WilliamMorrowandcustomhouse, #netgalley and @brinastarler for an ARC of this delightful read

Overall, I think this is a good book to get kids or teens interested in Anne. There are also people that might enjoy it as fans that are already established. I think I wasn’t entirely pulled in by the narrative because part of Anne’s charm is the setting and time period. While some reading might prefer the fresh, new setting, I think it was good as it was. Perhaps having Anne visit Manhattan from Canada would have appealed to me more. It felt as if what made the characters themselves was missing because Prince Edward Island is just as much part of them.

I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

This book was a perfect way to bring Anne and Gilbert to the modern world. Anne of Green Gables holds a very special place in my heart, and the story between Anne and Gilbert is something that I have watched play out over and over in various forms of media.

I loved how this book took one of my favorite stories and made it modern while still being fairly respectful to the source material. There were nods to the original story, such as Anne and Gilbert's first meeting, her friendship with Diana Barry who allowed me to find my own kindred spirits, and the eventual development of the relationship between Anne and Gilbert.

I also liked that the author didn't forget about the trauma that Anne likely suffered living in a group home for so long, and constantly getting sent back from foster homes. While I wish the author has spent more time developing that aspect of the story, I was grateful that the author didn't gloss over it.

Anne of Manhattan by Brina Starler is a retelling of Anne of Green Gables, set in present day New York City. Since I did not read the original series of books, I had no preconceived notion of how the story or the writing should go. While I do think the author imbued this story with some bright moments and deft turns of phrase, it essentially read like a rom-com with some moments of introspection and personal growth of the main characters. A pleasant beach read.
Thank you to William Morrow and NetGalley for this ARC. This is my honest opinion

This is what nostalgia feels like. Growing up, I adored Anne of Green Gables. I read all the books, and my friend and I played at living in Avonlea and being friends with Anne and her friends. Reading a new version now that is written as a modern take with Anne in grad school in New York was a delight.

For me, I was glad I knew the story of Anne of Green Gables, and I even quickly reviewed it before starting this book. But that's not necessary. This book definitely stands alone because it begins with a few diary entries that quickly recap some key points of Anne of Green Gables. Thereafter, it is told in dual timelines overlapping her younger life with her adulthood in New York.

Anne maintains all that made her an awesome role model when I was a girl. In this modern version, she is very much a strong woman and a feminist. And getting to see her relationship with Gilbert was such a treat. Reframing the book as a romance novel is such a perfect choice.

Thank you to Harper Collins and NetGalley for the advanced copy. These opinions are my own.

TW: sexual harassment

I appreciate the care and love the author put into this retelling. It was clear that she has a lot of love for the characters and settings of Anne of Green Gables. I think the reason it fell flat for me was because Gil and Anne didn't translate well into the 21st century. Without the innocence and beauty of the Edwardian world, the story lost its magic. As a contemporary romance it was fine, but as a retelling of this classic love story it didn't hit the mark.

Anne of Manhattan by Irina Starler was an absolute charmer of a romance novel. A fun, easy read with interesting characters, relatable dialogue, and descriptive settings. I never read Anne of Green Gables but definitely enjoyed this version.