Name: Tara C's review of My Friend Anna by Rachel DeLoache Williams
Item: My Friend Anna
Rating: 2
Author: Tara C

Rachel DeLoache Williams

ONE OF TIME’S 100 BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR ​ Sex and the City meets Bad Blood and Catch Me if You Can in the astonishing true story of Anna Delvey, a young con artist posing as an heiress in New York City—as told by the former Vanity Fair photo editor who got seduced by her friendship and then scammed out of more than $62,000. Rachel DeLoache Williams’s new friend Anna Delvey, a self-proclaimed German heiress, was worldly and ambitious. She was also generous—picking up the tab for lavish dinners at Le Coucou, infrared sauna sessions at HigherDOSE, drinks at the 11 Howard Library bar, and regular workout sessions with a celebrity personal trainer. When Anna proposed an all-expenses-paid trip to Marrakech at the five-star La Mamounia hotel, Rachel jumped at the chance. But when Anna’s credit cards mysteriously stopped working, the dream vacation quickly took a dark turn. Anna asked Rachel to begin fronting costs—first for flights, then meals and shopping, and, finally, for their $7,500-per-night private villa. Before Rachel knew it, more than $62,000 had been charged to her credit cards. Anna swore she would reimburse Rachel the moment they returned to New York. Back in Manhattan, the repayment never materialized, and a shocking pattern of deception emerged. Rachel learned that Anna had left a trail of deceit—and unpaid bills—wherever she’d been. Mortified, Rachel contacted the district attorney, and in a stunning turn of events, found herself helping to bring down one of the city’s most notorious con artists. With breathless pacing and in-depth reporting from the person who experienced it firsthand, My Friend Anna is an unforgettable true story of “glamour, greed, lust for power” (The New York Times), and female friendship.

The True Story of a Fake Heiress

My Friend Anna

Sex and the City meets Catch Me if You Can in the astonishing true story of Anna Delvey, a young con artist posing as a German heiress in New York City—as told by the former Vanity Fair photo editor who got seduced by her friendship and then scammed out of more than $62,000. Vanity Fair photo editor Rachel DeLoache Williams’s new friend Anna Delvey, a self-proclaimed German heiress, was worldly and ambitious. She was also generous—picking up the tab for lavish dinners at Le Coucou, infrared sauna sessions at HigherDOSE, drinks at the 11 Howard Library bar, and regular workout sessions with a celebrity personal trainer. When Anna proposed an all-expenses-paid trip to Marrakech at the five-star La Mamounia hotel, Rachel jumped at the chance. But when Anna’s credit cards mysteriously stopped working, the dream vacation quickly took a dark turn. Anna asked Rachel to begin fronting costs—first for flights, then meals and shopping, and, finally, for their $7,500-per-night private villa. Before Rachel knew it, more than $62,000 had been charged to her credit cards. Anna swore she would reimburse Rachel the moment they returned to New York. Back in Manhattan, the repayment never materialized, and a shocking pattern of deception emerged. Rachel learned that Anna had left a trail of deceit—and unpaid bills—wherever she’d been. Mortified, Rachel contacted the district attorney, and in a stunning turn of events, found herself helping to bring down one of the city’s most notorious con artists. With breathless pacing and in-depth reporting from the person who experienced it firsthand, My Friend Anna is an unforgettable true story of money, power, greed, and female friendship.

ReadwithZanariah 

Liz Carpenter

Tara C

I don’t know if I want to finish the book or if I can like it at all. I actually preordered this and have been so excited to listen to it, only to feel hmmmm ... rather harangued listening to it. Sure, Anna Delvey was a grifter and being scammed was no joke and I feel truly bad for the author. But maybe, it was also because I was listening to an audio book that it felt too long. All the chapters kind of felt just the author trying to get her money, conversing with the fake accountant etc. I am not compelled to finish it anymore since I already know Delvey is in jail for it. I guess listening to an audio version was not the best way to go about it. Maybe the kindle version is better. I don’t know. I do feel for the author but can’t give this 3 stars.

Sarah Pino

SO MUCH TO UNPACK but I'm not gonna think too much about this. I was afraid of getting into this book at first because of all the 2 star review. I am so happy to report that this is a 5 ⭐️ for me.

This book was gripping. And raw. And honest. And painful. And maddening. And I just couldn't put it down Yes I sympathize with Rachel, I got angry for her, upset for her, stressed with her. Anna is a master manipulator and people admiring her are ridiculous , heartless and naive.

You go Rachel. You do you. I wish I could give you a hug.

Mikala Mawer

After watching the Netflix show I was interested to see what was true and what was false. Most of the information seemed very similar to the show. Halfway through the book I started getting uninterested. It was just the same story repeating itself, Rachel just waiting for money and continuing to ask Anna for it.

Ivy X

This was fascinating to read - I can't believe this is a real story and I can't imagine what it must've felt like for all individuals involved. Anna is a strange and unique personality - but something about her lack of empathy is a bit scary. I can see why there has been so much hype about Anna after her story came out. 
Anna is mysterious and I think there is still a lot to unpack about her. She is an engima and you cannot help but feel drawn to the way she callously handles money, friends, etc. Rachel, on the other hand, felt very much like a side-character even in her own book. I think it is the way Rachel frames herself to Anna/the situation and the way her reflection on this situation is just "woe is me, I'm the victim, Anna's the bad guy." 
I would've loved to see some more introspective thinking as opposed to pinning it on Anna. Anna is definitely not a good person...but why did I not feel as intensely about what Rachel went through? In my opinion, their characters echo each other's and I feel like there are a few flaws/inconsistencies to Rachel's portrayal of herself. She does this annoying thing where she makes herself appear a saint in comparison to Anna. I personally find it hard to see it that way because: 

(1) Rachel's friendship with Anna started with her idolizing Anna - she was drawn to Anna's mystery and intrigue, her expensive taste, etc. You can see this in the ways in which Rachel would say or do things to appease Anna & in the ways in which Rachel made numerous excuses for why Anna would say questionable things relating to class. She even laughs with Anna despite noting the oddity of the statements made - which makes me think Rachel was either a "yes man" or she was a fake friend looking to elevate her own social status and image in relation to Anna. 

(2) Rachel's friendship is built on a parasitic structure. She says she was able to pay and cover certain parts of their expenses when their friendship started out (spa dates, private gym sessions, etc). However, as they got closer, Rachel essentially was okay with Anna covering the bill and while she felt like she lowered herself as a result -- I can't help but feel Rachel enjoyed the opportunities to live a rich girl life without having to pay for anything. There is nothing wrong with a relationship dynamic when both are consenting - however, Rachel paints herself as someone who would've never taken advantage of another person and that her activities were rooted in her friendship and trust. Hence, I did not feel sorry for her when she offered to put her card down after Anna's cards kept getting declined and found herself in a situation where she would not get paid back. She fully expected Anna to cover everything on this trip and the moment Anna did not step up, Rachel did not hesitate to victimize herself, pointing out how this was a shocking amount she had to pay when she came from humble beginnings and made less than $70k at her job. 
Personally, the lack of risk assessment Rachel had is concerning - why do you go and put yourself almost in debt to someone? Because Anna paid for everything, Rachel trusted she would again. Why would you create a relationship dynamic on the basis of owing someone that much that you cannot back out of situations as such? Strange. 

(3) She criticizes how Netflix and other companies swooped in on Anna's story - publicizing it and paying for Anna's lawyer fees. However, even Anna's lawyer didn't hesitate to point out that Rachel was monetizing on the story too - with book deals and articles (to which Rachel felt indignant and extremely flustered).

Kristen Claiborn

I love other people’s drama. It fuels my enjoyment of reality television. I love the Bachelor franchise, I used to love the Desperate Housewives franchise, I LOVE cooking competitions like MasterChef and Top Chef. I also love books (which should be pretty obvious). This woman’s story is one I should have devoured, yet it somehow missed my radar completely. 2019 was a pretty momentous, and consequently chaotic, year in my life, followed by 2020 and what fell like the collapse of humanity. I suppose I had other things on my mind and didn’t seek out other people’s drama when there was so much of my own to focus on. Now that we’re on the other side of the climax of the pandemic, I have time to focus on everybody else’s crap. Bring it on. 
	My husband’s ex-wife is a narcissistic sociopath, so I have some knowledge of how that type of person can weasel into your life and then rip it to shreds. Falsehoods are the norm, and these characters fall so deep into their lies, they almost believe it themselves. It is completely understandable that Rachel was sucked into Anna’s world. Anna made Rachel feel like the most important person in Anna’s life. Rachel painted a picture of a woman who she felt genuinely wanted her in her life as a good friend and confidant. I don’t even believe that Anna had intentionally defrauded Rachel out of all of that money, Anna just was never going to pay it back after it DID happen. It was at that point that Rachel learned she was just another victim of this unapologetic woman. 
	Rachel’s story is truly a tell-all. She makes no excuses for how it happened to her, she just tells the story. It’s bare-boned from start to finish. Rachel had a tough road to travel from Marrakesh to healing from the ordeal. She even mentions how difficult it was when she found out how much money Anna had received from Netflix (not gonna lie, I would have been irrationally angry). It couldn’t have been easy to open up that painful experience to public scrutiny, and I applaud her for having the courage to do so. I also applaud her for the writing unleashed in these pages. She is talented and I hope that she keeps writing.

Aims

I absolutely devoured this book! It’s by no means high brow, or written amazingly, but it is a great read. If you’re looking for an easy, addictive read giving you insight into another world, this is it.

Cheri McElroy

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This was a super-fast read. Rachel is befriended by Anna in NYC. What follows sounds like an episode of lifestyles of the rich and famous...until Rachel realized that Anna is a con artist.

A fun non-fiction read, I definitely enjoyed this.

Ley Stanton

an interesting read (listen). a mix of the author's story and how her life intersected with anna. i enjoyed hearing how someone could be tricked into such a con but i did find the author to be far too trusting and naive. i probably would have dnf-ed around 50% when the book became more about the author than anna but rachel has a lovely voice for reading books. i'm sure she won't but she would be a great audiobook narrator in the future. would definitely suggest this for anyone who needs a book to listen to on the drive to work.

This book took me almost a week to finish. Did I enjoyed it? Fairly. But what struck me was the breakdown of her friendship with Anna and not solely on Anna’s con and the money she have lost.  It made me emotional. 

Suzy Dean

Don’t get me wrong! I read this book in three days and it was easy to finish. It’s not something I would read again, not something that i found groundbreaking. It was a straightforward account of how easily one can be duped when blinded by friendship and glamour. It was interesting. Perfect for a beach read.

Lauren Attaway

My Friend Anna begins like a typical NYC social-climbing friendship. There's that desire to be seen, and Anna does that self important New Yorker thing like nobody else. I think with young women, it is easy for the richest of a group to set the places and I enjoyed the exploration of money as means to control the power dynamic. Still, it is hard to get inside of Anna's actions in this book, which is why I am curious what the others they hung out with would have to say about these interactions as viewed from the outside.

Chelsea White

I had heard about this case from a few articles that are referenced in this book and was mildly intrigued by it. Reading the web of lies and deceit Anna created was fascinating and terrifying too. Having such a vivid first hand account from the woman who was partially responsible for bringing Anna to justice was incredible. If you’re interested in true crime or psychology I’d definitely recommend this book!

Liz Carpenter &
My Friend Anna by Rachel DeLoache Williams

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Liz Carpenter &
My Friend Anna by Rachel DeLoache Williams