Welcome to Litsy!

Was very confused by this. The cover shows a dark-skinned African-American woman, right? Between this being narrated by a Caucasian woman and more on the cover than in the book about any indication about race/culture and this being a professor/student romance, I was very confused. Add some mispronounced words and odd breaks, or no breaks and this is not a great listen. It seems like a project in creative writing class, not a published work.

I wish this book was fleshed out more. I loved the literature references and this had such potential to be so good. But I was left wanting so much more.

Up on the middle of the night? Finish a romance novel in hoopla! That's what I did between 3 and 4 this morning.⤵️ #romantsy

What a cute book! I loved Russian literature in undergrad so to read about other people who love it as well was fun.

There were some loose ends that weren‘t tied up at the end like, what was Luca going to do with the grant money? How was his family going to react to meeting Anna? Those aren‘t necessarily consequential to the story as a whole though, so you can treat those questions as a choose your own adventure.

#Russians

#WanderingJune @BarbaraBB @Cinfhen

This was a fun & delightful audiobook even with less than stellar performers reading it.

Kissing Tolstoy by Penny Reid #Audiobook
Narrated by:Fiona Fisher and Stephen Dexter
Series: Dear Professor Volume 1

5 Stars! - Loved this book. So good. Penny Reid‘s wit and writing is amazing. I devoured this story and still wish I had more. Characters had great chemistry, was a wonderful slow burn kind of thing. The narration was done well and I am super glad I read this.

#pennyreid #romantsy #contemporaryromance

How could I not love a book that talks about the murder of talent in Russia, that argues that Anna Karenina wouldn‘t have killed herself had she been more self-assured, that makes you want to read War and Peace again. Considering how the protagonists, Anna and Luca, identify with the tragic characters of Russian literature, Kissing Tolstoy is a surprisingly light-hearted romance brimming with ideas about art, literature and the joy of reading.

Earlier today I wanted to read, but the Ghost cat had different ideas. She jumped onto my shoulder and when I tried to take a selfie of the both of us she walked down my arm and this happened. 😁😍

#catsoflitsy #kal

this new adult romance has some charm, but idk, something about it kinda rubbed me the wrong way. I liked the brainy chemistry between Anna and Luca. I just think Luca came across as a little creepy at times. 🤷🏼‍♀️ I don‘t know a ton about Russian lit but all the references here have me curious! #romantsy #newadult

A wonderful spin on the student/professor romance where both characters have power in the relationship, agency and a love of Russian literature. #PennyReid is my absolute favorite for contemporary romances and this one was just fun!

Do you ever just love a book, even though you can't objectively figure out why? That was me with Kissing Tolstoy. The last 1/3 was maybe a bit rushed, but the quirky characters, Russian lit references, aloof hero and the way Reid handled the student/professor aspect all just weirdly worked for me. Looking forward to the next one in this series! #contemporaryromance #LitsyAtoZ #LetterK

I‘d like to call this a pick because it has much of the Reidisms that I love: cute couple, dorky conversations, odd duck secondary characters, etc. But it‘s about a male professor & an undergrad, which is difficult to get past even with markers of consent. Having just read http://www.nytimes.com/1993/09/30/style/chronicle-526793.html & heard Cheryl Strayed advise a reader against asking a male prof out, I couldn‘t enjoy it #romantsy

LOVED! ❤️🙌🏻💃🏻 This was a rec from a friend that I immediately one-clicked. Started it this morning, read it straight-thru.

Anna is a great college-age lead. I love her. She is almost in over her head with Luca, who was a past-blind date/is now her Russian Lit professor. He wants a relationship, but he also wants to follow the rules, because of respect etc. The tension and ensuing humor are great.

Romantic comedy, long novella. #romantsy

I know better than to start a Penny Reid book right before bedtime, especially a novella, as by the time my eyes start getting blurry, I‘m so close to the end, I HAVE to finish. This was a great story and I ❤️❤️❤️ Anna. She‘s my new favorite Reid heroine-funny, smart, quirky, and bookish and I‘m so jealous of her relationship with Luca. Oh, to have a man with whom I could intelligently and passionately debate literature. *swoon*

I ❤️ Penny Reid. But I have to say, even at my lowest I don‘t think I‘d watch Old Yeller a second time. No heartbreak justifies that (and I drank half a bottle of tequila after a break-up once). 😂😂

On the other hand, The Cure is my favorite band of all time, so Anna (and Penny) get big points for music selection.