This was not for me. As a devotee of LM Montgomery and Anne of Green Gables, I was hoping for a modern twist that left me nostalgic for the originals but this, while overall a cute read, did not satisfy that. It fell far flat of the original and I didn’t like the way some of the characters were portrayed while others were merely named dropped but given no depth at all. This premise had potential and I do love a happy-ever-after style book, but I couldn’t get over the fact that this was NOT Anne. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This was just so lovely...absolutely embodied the spirit of the Anne books and the beloved characters while still feeling fresh, modern, and adult. It had this lifelong L.M. Montgomery fan in happy tears more than once.

Anne of Green Gables books were among my most favorite growing up. I was very eager to read this modern day version of the very same Anne Shirley who was an orphan and adopted by middle-aged siblings Matthew and Marilla, of Avonlea.

Anne is now grown up and heading back to Manhattan to finish her last year of grad school. What a surprise to find that Gilbert Blythe, had transferred from the University of California at Berkley to Redmond College, the very same school Anne attends. Gilbert, who goes by Gil, is even enrolled in the same M.Ed courses as Anne and one of their professor assigns them to work on their thesis together. Could life possibly get more complicated?

Her childhood friend, Diana Barry also attends college in Manhattan so the two of them, along with another friend have rented an apartment together. All three are college students, with jobs, so Anne didn't need the added stress of being asked to partner with Gil on something as important as her thesis. She reminds herself they are both adults and that the friction of their youth has softened. At least she is hoping it is no longer abrasive.

The format of this book goes between the present day experiences and the days of Anne's youth in Avonlea. It is an intriguing story that held my interest to the very end, although I was disappointed in the amount of profanity in the book and didn't see any value or how it added to Anne's story to mention the sexual orienation of Marilla and Rachel. If this book is targeted to a younger group, I would suggest some editing.

Thank you to Harper Collins Publishers for an advanced reader copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

Although I've never read Anne of Green Gables, I was thrilled to get a chance to read Anne of Manhattan! As a big fan of enemies-to-lovers stories, this book sounded right up my alley and boy was I right!

Starler does a great job interweaving "Then" and "Now" chapters to provide enough context about Anne's childhood that I didn't feel like I was missing anything having not read the original story. I loved watching Anne and Gilbert's relationship develop over the course of the book. I also enjoyed the role Anne's relationships with Diana, Phil, Marilla and Matthew played in Anne's character growth.

Overall, this was a very fun read and I highly recommend it!

This was a fun book! The story was light and enjoyable and I loved the connection to Anne of Green Gables. It made me want to go back and reread the book!

I will start by saying I have never read Anne of Green Gables and my experience reading this book suffered because of it. Anne and her friend Diana are roommates in NYC while they finish the last year of their graduate degrees. Anne reconnects with a boy from high school, name Gil, who we are told she was a rival with. Fate has thrown them back together and maybe they were meant to be all along.
I would have loved a detailed world-building of her time on Avonlea growing up. The flashbacks in the story were helpful but I struggled to catch up with the adoptive parents Marilla and Matthew. I think I would have understood Annes' personality better if I had read the original version first as well. Overall I wanted more detailed descriptions and plot details. That being said, I liked the story, and by the end of the end, I was adding the original to my list of books to pick up.

I absolutely adore L.M. Montgomery and Anne of Green Gables , the book series and the movies too. There's something about Anne's spirit and vivacity that just warms my heart. It's the joy she brings to those around her, brightening their lives, all unbeknownst to her. You'd think I would be apprehensive about a favorite bring retold in modern times, but I wasn't, not at all. Brina Starler has done a phenomenal job at taking the classic and making it anew for a new generation of readers.

I feel in love from the first page. The prologue is perfection and attention grabbing. I absolutely love how the story is set up with Now and Then chapters and how the focus is on Anne and Gilbert as mostly adults. What really made the book for me was their relationship, and the fact there was sex on the page. It felt right and that their pining for each other was ended.

Retellings can often take the feeling of just repackaging the original content without much originality or effort. Anne of Manhattan feels new and fresh, more real world. It also renewed my love for this series. I hope the Anne of Green Gables retellings continue with stories of Diana and Phil. My only wish besides more stories set in Avonlea or wherever their journeys take them, is more of Anne and Gilbert. I got my fill, and yet it isn't enough to keep me from wanting more of them. Kudos to Brina Starler for doing such an amazing job. This is the first work of hers I've read and I'm eager to read more!

This is the Anne of Green Gables modern day retelling I have been editing for! It was excellent. I really enjoyed the modern day twists especially Rachel and Marilla. What a delightful book! Now do Rilla!!

It gives me absolutely no satisfaction to write this. I wanted this book to work with every fiber of my being. I’m a card-carrying member of the L.M. Montgomery fan club (I have the Emily of New Moon tattoo to prove it), and I’m an avid romance reader. At first blush, I was fully on board with a modernized Anne and Gil doing the dirty. Bring it on!!! But, to be frank, this book lacked a plot. Nothing quite…happens. To ANNE! Who is practically a magnet for the dramatic and disastrous! The stakes are despairingly low, the relationships wooden, our beloved Anne a shadow of her loquacious, passionate self. It’s as if cherished character names were substituted into a prefabricated story—this book could’ve been about literally anyone, so distant is the connection to Montgomery’s beautifully-wrought characters. I’m sad to say that this is an example of a sellable idea with fumbled execution. I so very much wanted to immerse myself in a fresh vision of Montgomery’s world. I suppose the bar was just too high. I remain thankful to NetGalley and William Morrow for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

If you grew up on a steady diet of Avonlea and raspberry cordial– if you’re looking for that feeling of beloved nostalgia meets a quick, easy read with characters you already know and love– this one is for you. I thought the classic Anne Easter eggs peppered through this contemporary romance were truly delightful and just what I wanted to zip through in my spring TBR. If you’re an Anne purist, of course, this one might not be for you. But if like me you love a good retelling, this will be right in your wheelhouse!

I grew up loving Anne Shirley and was really looking forward to reading this one. While it was cute, I wanted more from it. The story felt rushed and I would have liked to see more character development.

I grew up reading the Anne of Green Gables series over and over and over again and this book had me very much in my feels of my childhood. I loved how Fred and Diana were different but also the same and deleting Diana's internal body shaming from the original was super welcome. I enjoyed that Matthew didn't die, but I wish Ruby Gillis had made the cut, but I understand why she didn't. Loved Anne and Gilbert's romance and I am excited to read more by this author.

Anne of Manhattan
A Novel
by Brina Starler
William Morrow and Custom House
You Are Auto-Approved
William Morrow Paperbacks
General Fiction (Adult) | Romance
Pub Date 01 Jun 2021 | Archive Date 27 Jul 2021

REworking a classic novel is a tall order to fill. I did not find this modern version very appealing and will not be recommending it.
Thanks to William Morrow Paperbacks and Net Galley for the ARC

3 star

“Anne of Manhattan” by Brina Starler is the kind of fanfiction I enjoy most. Her interpretation of a contemporary Anne of Avonlea is authentic and relevant. For those of us who grew up with “Anne of Green Gables” and never quite let her go, “Anne of Manhattan” is an exciting journey into what a contemporary Anne Shirley may have been like had she grown up in the rustic beauty of the rural Northeast and began her young adult life in the vibrant city of Manhattan. Her contemporary characters retain much of the essence of the original cast, but also become uniquely their own through her writing in this coming-of-age story with present day challenges and opportunities. Starler’s rendition of Anne is simply delightful!

Writing a modern take on a beloved classic is a tall order, and this book falls quite short. There are so many possibilities and opportunities for fun modernization and takes on this story and these characters, but it seemed like the author was afraid to really go for it. The charm that made these characters loveable is missing. A disappointment.

I'm definitely a fan of reworking classic novels in new ways. And on the surface this romance was pretty enjoyable. But I was slightly freaked out to read this version of Anne & Gilbert Blythe's romance.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC. Anne of Greene Gables is an all-time top favorite of mine, and I am left still debating whether I need to compare this fan-fiction to the classic. It is a well-written re-telling but somewhere in the middle/end it fell short. While some of the back and forth from past to present did a decent job of building the characters and plot, I found myself wanting to skip over a few of the “past” chapters. I also felt Anne and Gil lacked the chemistry I was craving. They quickly went from enemies to lovers after re-connecting 6 years after graduating and I would have loved more of the thoughts and conversation that builds up to that connection. I am giving this book 3 stars (would give 3.5 if NG allowed a half star).

Anne of Green Gables was one of my favorite stories as a child and I was so excited to find out that there was a modern-day adaptation of the story coming out. This adaptation has Anne, Gilbert, Diana and Fred as twentysomethings living and working in New York. Their hometown, Avonlea is a small town in upstate NY that is reminiscent of the town of Stars Hollow from Gilmore Girls. I enjoyed the updated characters and the changes that Brina made to each of the characters. I thought hipster Fred was hilarious! You don’t have to have read or know much about the original source material to enjoy this book, but it does make it so much better if you have familiarity with the story and characters. Brina Starler’s first book was a great introduction to her and her writing. I look forward to reading what she publishes next.

Such a fun read that captures the spirit of Anne of Green Gables. The scenes with young Anne were especially charming. It was specially a treat to get Gilbert's perspective. Overall, a satisfying and charming enemies to lovers/boy next door romance.

A really fun and creative story. It works whether you are familiar with the Anne of Green Gables stories or not -- but it is particularly enjoyable if you are! Appealing characters and a well paced plot.