Most of the #ReadWithMC community did not read Anna (opens in new tab) Karenina (opens in new tab), but they still became completely enamored with Anna K-Jenny Lee's modern take on Leo Tolstoy's classic, and Marie Claire's March She was chosen for the book club. Readers could tell that Lee took an incredible amount of time to write this debut novel about affluent New York teens, which deals with heavy themes such as drug addiction, depression, love, and relationships. Also, have you seen that gorgeous cover?

While comparisons to "Gossip Girl" were certainly made by readers, they never strayed far from Lee's unique storytelling. The incorporation of the songs the characters listen to was such a success that one reader downloaded a new Spotify playlist as soon as she put down the novel. Lee is adapting the book into an HBO Max series (opens in new tab) (release date TBD), where she will work as creator and screenwriter.

Here, she shares exactly what readers loved about Anna K. and how it will take your mind off the unprecedented times we are living in.

"I stayed up really late a few nights ago to finish reading "Anna K" and went to bed with all my alarms on in the morning. It's a modern YA retelling of Anna Karenina, and I think it's the first retelling of a classic I've ever read, and it made me want to read more. I haven't read Anna Karenina yet, but I know the story and I know it has a tragic ending. And even though I read it knowing it would end tragically, I couldn't help but be fascinated by the story and then feel miserable after it fell apart and burned out.

There were too many characters to keep track of, but I really enjoyed the multiple points of view. It gave me a better view of the story as a whole. Even though there was a lot of slang used that felt out of place at times, the story was so addicting that I couldn't stop reading. I think it does a great job of showing what it means to be a teen and the darker aspects of adolescence, such as drug addiction, depression, personal identity, and heavy parental expectations. Overall, it was a very good book. -I have never read Anna Karenina, nor have I seen the film adaptation. It's about the rich kids of New York high society, and there's a lot of sex, drugs, romance, and drama, so I can see why it's been compared to Gossip Girl." [email protected]

"This month's #ReadWithMC pick did not disappoint. I love this retelling of Anna Karenina. I will be the first to say that I have never read Anna Karenina, so my review is only based on this retelling, but after reading Anna K., I almost wanted to pick up Anna Karenina. There is a Gossip Girl-esque drama to this story, it is very contemporary and I think any older teen would love this book. It is a coming-of-age story about spoiled rich kids, but they have layers to them, and although there are many characters, I felt they were all well-developed. I also liked the representation of the author's Korean-American cultural aspects woven into the story. The soundtrack for this book is excellent. I made a Spotify playlist from all the songs referenced and found 22 great songs (mostly when I was at the club). There's romance, there's partying, there's dogs (wild, I know.) There is shopping, there is sex, there is infidelity. Anna Karenina by Jenny Lee (March 3) is a delightfully modern take on the classic Russian novel Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy, replacing the high society of Imperial Russia with an extremely privileged teenager educated in a private school in New York City. It's a fun, modern take on "Anna Karenina". I confess: I haven't read the original, but I did see the 2012 Keira Knightley film. You don't need any prior knowledge of either film to enjoy this juicy, captivating book. It contains insightful discussions of race, class, sexuality, and substance abuse, and it's the first time in a long time that I've read a 400-page book and finished it so quickly that I didn't want it to end." -If "Anna K." doesn't take your mind off the fact that we've been home in our dirty pajamas for two weeks and are finally losing our minds, what else will? Anna K." is a modern retelling of "Anna Karenina" that I didn't know I needed until a few days ago. Especially for those who found the original difficult to read through." [email protected]

"This YA novel is a modern retelling of Tolstoy's Anna Karenina, and I love it, although the last two times I tried to reread it, I got stuck on the long sections devoted to Levin. flatiron_books, ARC. Thanks for sending them to me. As always, I especially enjoy reading the work of Asian diaspora writers." -@jjoongie

"I fell in love with Anna Karenina in a European literature course in college. It was one of the (few) books I actively read, studied, and became engrossed in every chapter of as an English major. So the fact that I was naturally drawn to this book should come as no surprise, but I actually had no idea that "Anna K." was a retelling of "Anna Karenina" until I started reading it.

Wonderfully rounded characters.

Great plot.

Some trashy elements. "Check.

Slowly burning love story. "Check.

Diverse characters. "Check.

Anna K is a Russian novel set in contemporary New York, Hamilton, Taylor Swift, Expect references to TikTok, etc. It raises poignant questions about our society and how we treat each other. Certainly, there are elements of it that I cannot relate to. Most of the characters spend a percentage of their money on items that cost more than six months of my salary, a percentage I can't imagine, but that's the reality of some people. At the very least, I think it helps to have some knowledge of pop culture and New York geography, but it's also fairly accessible. Anyway, it's been compared to 'Gossip Girl,' which I much, much liked."-@relapsedbookworm

I missed the March book club pick" For April, Rebecca Sarle's New York Times best-selling novel, Five Years Later ( (opens in a new tab) will be read. Click here for an exclusive excerpt (opens in new tab).

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