NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR
Virginia Kantra
A woman learns to be the heroine of her own life in this heartfelt novel inspired by Anne of Green Gables by New York Times bestselling author Virginia Kantra.
She believed life could follow a plotline—until the story she was living unraveled.
On sale January 20, 2026
Anne Gallagher has always lived by the book. Anne of Green Gables, that is. Growing up on Mackinac Island, she saw herself as her namesake: the same impulsive charm, the same wild imagination, even the same red hair (dyed, but still). She followed in Anne Shirley’s fictional footsteps, chasing dreams of teaching and writing, and falling for her very own storybook hero.
But when a string of real-life plot twists—a failing romance, a fight with the administration, and the sudden death of her beloved father—pulls her back to the island she once couldn’t wait to leave, Anne is forced to face a truth no story ever prepared her for. Sometimes, life doesn’t follow a script.
Back in the house she grew up in, Anne must confront her past and the people she left behind, including Joe Miller, the boy who once called her “The Pest.” It’s time to figure out what she wants and rewrite her story to create her own happy ending. Not the book version. The real one.
Come back soon for Anne’s playlist on Spotify!
Dear Reader,
Growing up, Anne of Green Gables was one of my go-to, feel-good reads. Not because it introduced me to my first, best book boyfriend, Gilbert Blythe. (Okay, partly because of Gilbert.) But mostly because I saw myself in Anne. She gave me hope—in the words of my Anne—that “a strange girl with a big imagination and a bigger mouth could find her place in the world.”Anne of a Different Island is about the importance of stories, the ones we grow up with and the ones we tell ourselves. It’s my love letter to L. M. Montgomery, to every girl who grew up loving Anne, and to the readers who need her now.
My greatest hope is that you see yourself in these pages. That you know someone for whom this story says I see you. You are not alone. Your story matters. You matter. Thanks so much for reading!
More re-imagined classics from Virginia Kantra…
“Virginia Kantra excels at bringing fresh life to American classic heroines. Fans of Dorothy and her journey will adore the new Dee!”
KJ DELL’ANTONIA, NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR of THE CHICKEN SISTERS
“This family drama offers sharp insights into the tough choices women make.”
PEOPLE MAGAZINE
“Kantra continues her delightful 21st-century retelling of Little Women…Kantra’s compulsively readable update will attract a whole new group of readers, as well as satisfy Alcott devotees.”
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
