Review: Kissing Tolstoy - Penny Reid

Review: Kissing Tolstoy - Book #1 Dear Professor - Penny Reid - May 2014

Penny Reid is one of my all-time favourite authors, especially when it comes to quirky, geeky, nerdy characters and what I like to call Geek Chic Lit. Her characters always seem to speak directly to my heart because, more often than not, I can see a little bit of myself in them. The overthinking, the awkwardness, the love of books and knowledge… yep, Penny Reid gets me!

Kissing Tolstoy had actually been sitting patiently on my Kindle since its release, and I honestly cannot believe it took me this long to finally read it. LOL! But, as they say, better late than never, and I am so glad I eventually picked it up.

Imagine going on a blind date with a ridiculously attractive man, only to discover months later that your super-hot mystery date is now your Russian Literature professor. What do you do? Well, if you're anything like Anna , you overthink absolutely everything, panic internally, and pray for a swift end to your embarrassment!

Anna was such a wonderfully relatable character for me. She is intelligent, bookish, awkward and constantly living inside her own head. I loved watching her navigate her feelings while also trying to deal with the rather complicated situation she finds herself in. And then there is Luca. Swoon! He is smart, sexy and mysterious, but there is also so much more to him than first meets the eye.

As always with Penny Reid's books, I loved the witty banter, the quirky characters and the wonderful geeky references. But what I really wasn't expecting was how much this book would make me want to dive into Russian literature. Suddenly, I am considering reading and re-reading Tolstoy and exploring more of the classics!

It also had me thinking about whether I would like to go back and study Literature. Part of me absolutely loves the idea… but then the practical side of me pipes up and asks, Do I really want another student loan after spending more than ten years paying the last one off? Decisions, decisions!

Overall, Kissing Tolstoy was everything I love about Penny Reid's writing: clever, funny, romantic, nerdy and completely addictive. If you're a fellow book geek who loves quirky characters, witty dialogue and a romance with plenty of brains behind the chemistry, then this one is definitely worth picking up.

A delightful slice of Geek Chic Lit that made me laugh, swoon and seriously consider going back to university!


Amazon: https://amzn.to/45HXkhO