Anna K Away
Kids say
Based on 1 review
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A Lot or a Little?
The parents' guide to what's in this book.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that the storyline in Jenny Lee's Anna K Away begins right after the end of Anna K: A Love Story. Main character Anna Kim's extremely privileged world of shopping, parties, show horses, and limos has been shattered by the death of her boyfriend, Alexia, and the scandal around the release of a revenge sex tape. Anna's brother and friends are also dealing with Alexia's death, doing less hard partying and learning lessons about forgiveness and loss. The book has two brief but fairly explicit sex scenes. In one, the partners caress each other's breasts and open their legs wider; the other involves a first sexual experience for a boy "erupting with pleasure." There's profanity ("f--k," "bitch," "a--hole," "s--t," "d--khead"), underage characters drink alcohol and get drunk, and a teen who's battling a cocaine addiction agrees to a drug-free summer (not including pot). The amount of sex, drugs, and drinking is significantly dialed back in this sequel, with the characters now doing some serious reflecting on their lives of wealth and privilege.
What's the Story?
ANNA K AWAY (the sequel to Anna K: A Love Story) begins right after the death of Anna Kim's boyfriend, Alexia Vronsky, and follows Anna, her brother, and their friends through a summer filled with regrets, forgiveness, and new beginnings. Anna's father whisks her away on his private jet to South Korea, hoping that reconnecting with her Korean roots and perhaps even staying to finish high school in Seoul might give her an emotional and scandal-free fresh start. In Seoul, Anna meets a young man named Quentin who turns out to be a famous Korean pop star in need of a friend. Anna helps him by posing as his mystery girlfriend (the media never finds out who she is) and reuniting him with the girl he's loved and lost. Meanwhile, Alexia's cousin, Bea, who blames Anna for Alexia's death, has taken an internship in Los Angeles with a fashion stylist. Bea's plans for the summer are upended when she falls in love with Tiare, a surfer girl from Santa Barbara who works two jobs to support herself and couldn't care less that's Bea's rich. Back in New York City, Lolly has forgiven Anna's brother, Steven, for cheating on her, but she may be doing some cheating of her own when she goes off to theater camp and meets a boy from Texas with a great voice. MIT-bound Dustin is trying to decide whether it's time for him to lose his virginity to Kimmie, Lolly's sister. The story culminates in a reunion at Steven's Labor Day weekend Summertime Funtime party in the Hamptons.
Is It Any Good?
In this thoughtful sequel, the teen characters have become reflective about their lives of privilege and less defined by their wealth, drinking, and drug taking. Readers of Anna K Away who are haven't read Anna K: A Love Story may initially be a bit overwhelmed by how the novel jumps right into the story (why does the first chapter begin with a character named Bea? How did Alexia die?) and the characters' tangled relationships. Thankfully, the author has provided a very brief descriptive list of characters at the beginning of the novel that should help readers find their way
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the choices the characters make in Anna K Away. Do you agree with Anna's decision about where she'll spend her senior year? What's more important, making a fresh start or staying and confronting the poor choices you may have made?
Once someone becomes famous, do they give up their right to keep their private lives private? How do you think your life would be different if paparazzi followed you everywhere?
If teens in your school or community are battling a dependency on alcohol or drugs, are there enough programs available to help and support them?
Book Details
- Author: Jenny Lee
- Genre: Coming of Age
- Topics: Brothers and Sisters, Friendship, High School
- Book type: Fiction
- Publisher: Flatiron Books
- Publication date: April 27, 2021
- Publisher's recommended age(s): 15 - 18
- Number of pages: 294
- Available on: Paperback, Nook, Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, iBooks, Kindle
- Last updated: May 7, 2021
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