Wasn’t sure how I feel about a sequel since the first one was really good, but I didn’t know that there is a necessary edition, but I was wrong because this was so good

Anna K Away is the sequel to Anna K, which is a modern retelling of Anna Karenina. You'll want to read the first book before reading this one. This book series was described to me as Gossip Girl combined with Crazy Rich Asians and that explains it so well. If you haven't read Anna Karenina, you can still read this series and you might even like it more than the original story.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for giving me a free advanced copy of this book to read and review.

I loved escaping into Anna K's world the first go around, so I couldn't wait to see how the story would continue. While this one wasn't quite as great, it was still good and I really enjoyed it. I wish the kids would have spent more time together (like the first book - their comradorie was one of the things that make it so enjoyable), Jenny Lee writes these stories so well and I could also see them being a fun tv series!

I really enjoyed this more lighthearted glimpse into Anna K’s world with a little less anguish. I’m not sure it had the impact of the first book but still a great read.

Unfortunately this book just wasn’t for me. I tried but ended up DNFing around 10%. If you liked Anna K this book will probably be good for you, but sadly I wasn’t a huge fan of Anna K.

This was a great and lighter follow up to Anna K. It seemed like she dropped some elements of Anna Karenina but the story still works.

It was such a pleasure to jump back into the story of Anna K. I've always appreciated Jenny Lee's way of writing characters we are both unlikeable and annoying but also one's who you can't help but root for. As a lover of Anna Karenina, I wasn't sure if I was going to connect with Anna K Away, surprisingly I was intreigued by this new storyline in Korea and intrigued by our protagonist's path. Jenny Lee remains a great writer which is truly the highlight of this story. Anna K Away wasn't as strong as Anna K but I'm still looking forward to book three.

Thanks to the publisher for the e-copy I won in an Instagram giveaway.

Super fun summer romp!

This is the sequel to Anna K, the YA retelling of Anna Karenina, featuring ultra rich teens in New York City. You MUST read Anna K first!





The second book takes place the summer after Vronski’s tragic death, and all of our old friends are dealing with the fallout. We get to travel the world with Anna, Bea, Kimmie, and Lolly as they navigate romances and where they want their lives to go next. It’s fun, sexy, and has a lot of heart!

While I really enjoyed Anna K, I sadly did not finish Anna K Away. I had a difficult time connecting with the characters and I found the back-and-forth between the different character's perspectives to be confusing. I wish I was able to finish Anna K Away, but I may decide to pick it up again at a later date.

Put this one at the top of your Beach Reads list for this summer.

The sequel to Anna K is the same brand of frivolous fun as the original, and this one veers far from anything even remotely tragic, sticking to the lighter stuff that was the best part of the original. We’re a long way from Anna Karenina now, though I’m not sure that was ever truly the point of reading these.

I loved the travel elements of this book, especially Anna’s time in Korea. She remains far and away the best character in the series, so I’m pleased that she remained the central focus of the story for the most part. I also liked the new Korean characters introduced in this book.

Lolly finally got a good plot line (yay!) and the subplots with some of the adults were kind of interesting. I do wish Bea was allowed to do something other than date. It’s boring and there could be so much more to her character.

Lee’s writing style always takes a little getting used to. It’s odd for the genre, though I mean that in the best way. The humor and fun brand shoutouts and name drops are as good here as they were in the first book. The retelling of a classic theme isn’t really in play anymore, so the series is more like a less nasty and more diverse version of Gossip Girl, which makes it an excellent choice for a fun summer read.

*I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.*

I loved Anna K. and was so excited to see there was a sequel coming out! I love Anna and seeing her develop after the events of Anna K. was a delight, even though I thought it fell a little flat emotionally. I don't think the grief aspect of her journey was very dynamic but I still really enjoyed following her adventures across Korea and Europe.

This was a surprisingly light and fun read despite the heavier topics of loss and grief. A great read for an afternoon but not very memorable.

Anna K Away is definitely a lighter read that it's predecessor. The variety of settings brought the ensemble of characters out of New York and also much further away of the origin story (Anna Karenina).
It was nice to see more joy for the cast, but also made the book much lighter. I think patrons that loved the first book will enjoy this but should not be expecting the level of drama seen in the first. I found both to be very cinematic in nature (thus my word choices of 'ensemble' and 'cast' above) and are great reads for teen/YA lovers. Thanks so much for the ARC!

Anna K was one of my favorite reads last year. It was the *perfect* escape at the start of the pandemic-a scandalous, racing romp into the lives of super-rich NYC teens. So much fun! (Well, minus the ending...)

When I heard the second book was coming out this year I geeked. Just amusing as the first, this time around in Anna K Away Jenny Lee brings you into the psyches of the revolving cast of characters. After the shocking way the first book ended, you meet each character as live in the aftermath of (book one spoiler alert), death. The uncertain, never consistent, messy lingerings of a life changing event. And all the while they are trying to grow as people and make the transition from teen to young adult.

Anna K Away is the sequel to Anna K, a modern day retake on the classic Anna Karenina. Anna and the crew are spread far and wide for the summer, with Anna the farthest from home in Korea. Her father has removed her from the city in an effort to distance her from the drama left after the events that unfolded in the first novel, mainly the death of her first love and the scandalous sex tape. Of course Anna has a way of finding fun and drama wherever she lands, and Korea is no different. She soon makes headlines when she is seen in the frequent company of a famous K pop star. Lolly on the other hand is spending the summer away from Stephen as she attends her last summer of theater camp. While the couple are stronger than ever after overcoming challenges in the first novel, Lolly finds her attention and her eyes frequently landing on her handsome cast mate who just so happens to play a love interest in the summer theater production. Stephen undoubtedly has very strong feelings about Lolly's new cast mate as well. Bea, who is spending the summer in Los Angeles with her uncle has found love for the first time and is finally taking the space and time to recover from events in the first novel. However the road to love is never smooth and she too is in for a summer full of growth and self discovery.
Taking place just after the end of the first novel, Anna K Away continues the lives of the main characters from the first novel in this exciting duo from Jenny Lee. While it's not absolutely imperative to read the first in the novel before diving into this new release, readers will miss out on quite a bit of important character development and growth that only adds to the enjoyment overall. The characters are just as vibrant and alive as in the first novel however seeing them step out into the world in different directions allowed readers to get to know each of them separately and on a deeper, more meaningful level. A good bit of the novel takes place in Korea, allowing for the inclusion of rich cultural traditions as well as a fascinating peek into the crazy world of KPOP. While the story follows many different points of views and storylines, the author does a superb job of balancing each so it never becomes overwhelming. There is plenty of modern day humor and plenty of fun Gossip Girl vibes, there are also deeper themes of grief and trauma which many readers will draw inspiration from as well. I highly recommend this book, as well as the first in the series, for those looking for a fun, escape novel fun of fun loving, vibrant characters.

I have been waiting for this book since the moment I finished Anna K and it did not disappoint! While I will never get over the death in Anna K I was happy with where they took the story and how her character evolved.

LOVED. A great sequel. At times it felt a little long but overall a great story & was wonderful to reconnect with the characters from Anna K. If you enjoyed the first one, I'd recommend this!

While the first book was a great remix of the classic Russian tale, this sequel moved away from the retelling and did a great job establishing its own story. I did however miss the charm that the first book provided with constant allusions to the original Anna Karenina. I particularly loved the strong character development in this second novel, especially of the female characters: Anna, Beatrice, Kimmie, and Lolly. I fell back in love with each of them as they continue to grow up and come into their own in terms of hobbies/passions, romantic relationships, friendships, and family. I definitely missed seeing all of these characters together, as much of the book follows their separate adventures, but I do think it allowed for a more realistic vision of how teenagers grow and learn through meeting new people and having new experiences.

Of course, Anna remains my favorite character of the bunch. It was both heartbreaking and heartwarming to see her figure out who she is as a young woman, stand up for herself, and cope with both grief and heartache in ways that felt relatable. Despite her status as “crazy rich,” she remained down to earth, kind, and humble, and I wish teenage me could’ve had a female Asian American leading lady like Anna K to look up to. But I so thankful we have her now in not one but two books!

I read Anna K: A Love Story last year and I fell in love with the story. I was thrilled to learn about a sequel coming out! Anna K Away picks up where Anna K left off. Anna K, who was once the golden girl of Greenwich, CT and NYC has been brought down by scandalous sex tape and the loss of her first love.

I was quickly re-invested in all of the characters and all of their adventures. I would definitely read Anna K first because there is so much character development and backstory. In the sequel, the characters have an unforgettable summer full of adventures and self-discovery. There is no shortage of happiness, heartbreak, and growth. As much as I love an elitist east coast setting, it was a nice change of scenery to follow the characters’ journeys in different parts of the world during this sequel. I loved Anna K: A Love Story a little more because of the initial story and all of the character development, but Anna K Away is a fantastic sequel.

AnnA K Away is a fabulous sequel that picks up right were left off with our cast of characters from the first book. The main theme of this book are grief and how it can manifest an affect us all. The tragedy of the first book really lingers and haunts Anna and her crew. While the beginning was slow, overall this was a great follow up.