I’ve gotten extremely lucky with Jane Austen adaptations this year. I’ve read four that really work for me this far, and Anne of Avenue A is the very best of the bunch. A fun, spirited take on Persuasion, it has a wonderful narrative voice and draws you easily into the mix.

Anne Elliott and Freddie Wentworth were lovers in college, but Anne rejected Freddie to take a job in another country. Eight years have passed, and Anne is back in America. She has been a mouse ever since returning, working as a producer for her father’s reality show production company, Kellynch Entertainment. Often caught between her divorced parents and frequently stepped over by her colleagues, she has faded into the woodwork. But her father has managed to get them into money trouble, and now Anne must confront Freddie when he takes up the lease to her childhood apartment.

Freddie has, naturally, never gotten over Anne. He’s been concentrating on his career and is completely shocked when she shows up at the penthouse he’s renting. When she knew him he was poor, but he’s spent his time building up a hydroponics company in Argentina. Now that he’s finally back in New York City, he’s looking to strike up a new business partnership.

Fate pushes Freddie and Anne together, and their bond begins to regrow. The pressure around them might push them apart, but they seem destined to be together – if only they can finally clear the air and push the misunderstandings between them out of the way.

Well, this is a delight. Strong narrative voices and a wonderful romance make Anne of Avenue A sparkle. The novel has a sense of humor, does a good job transporting Austen’s characters to modern New York, and gives us a plot worth caring about. It also doesn’t just follow the beats of Persuasion down to the letter. That makes it engaging on its own merits instead of simply as a retelling of the novel’s basic events.

Anne and Freddie are lovable each in different ways, making their connection quite enjoyable. Their romance is piping hot and irresistible. Any good Persuasion retelling has to be about the yearning, and by forcing Anne and Freddie into close confines and getting them to pine, the book has this in spades. When the sex finally happens you cheer for them because they – and the reader – have earned that moment. It’s the right time of year to be transported by the magic of Anne of Avenue A, but you’ll find that its charms entertain all year long.