Reviews with content warning for Toxic friendship - My Friend Anna: The True Story of the Fake Heiress Who Conned Me and Half of New York City

In early 2016, Anna Delvey meets and befriends Rachel DeLoache Williams. She’s introduced as a wealthy German heiress; one who enjoys the lavish lifestyle. Anna invites Rachel out for expensive dinners, private personal training sessions, extravagant spa services, and even goes as far as inviting her on an all-expenses-paid trip to Marrakech. Only problem is - Anna’s credit cards coincidentally stop working and Rachel suddenly finds herself footing the bill, having more than $62,000 charged to her credit cards. Anna insists she’ll reimburse Rachel after getting her finances sorted out but weeks and weeks go by with Anna continuing to string Rachel along. Rachel finally recognizes Anna’s behaviors for what they are - a pattern of deception - and realizes that Anna never had the financial means to pay for the trip and pay Rachel back. Pulling at this thread threatens to unravel everything about Anna and pretty soon she winds up on the DA’s radar; moving from a glamorous lifestyle wearing designer clothes to a life of monotony, restrictions, and wearing an ill-fitting jumpsuit. My Friend Anna describes the lavish lifestyle of someone who only got to live it at the expense of others.

After reading news articles about Anna Sorokin, one can’t help but wonder how naive people can be; wealthy and intelligent people who were so easily duped and convinced to continue giving Anna money. However, reading from Rachel’s perspective provided a context that will only help you to understand the circumstances she was put in and how she was so easily duped. Williams makes herself a sympathetic character in her own story and readers will feel the weight of anxiety as she faces insurmountable bills and a flaky and deceitful “friend.” The writing style, pacing, and true-crime content make it a fascinating page turner that almost reads like a work of fiction. Reading about New York’s most privileged and wealthiest elite being swindled out of their own money by a 20-something year old con artist will have you compulsively jumping down so many rabbit holes - it will be 4:00am before you resurface.

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mysterious tense slow-paced

2.5

I picked this up about a month ago and took a long pause from listening to it because I was (and am still) focusing on blackathon. Since starting it, I have listened to it on and off while I do tasks like package up books for pangobooks, folding laundry, or getting dressed, and otherwise didn't think about it much, and when I did, I could only think of how much it annoyed me.

However, I couldn't get myself to relax tonight, so I put this on as a distraction while I played a game on my phone for hours on end. I thought that this book was going to annoy me less the closer that I got to the end, and I was simply incorrect.

The concept is interesting and the content - at least some of it, is interesting as well. Williams' story on its own is absolutely a ride, and I empathized with her throughout the narrative...I just wish she'd told it in a more engaging way. The writing just wasn't that attention grabbing for me, and while the beginning was trying to set the scene and introduce "characters," I feel like you can do that without spending almost 100 pages doing it.

That being said, this was interesting sometimes - fascinating, actually. The complete sociopathy of Anna Delvey is very interesting as depicted here, but I would've liked to know more about the pathology of Anna than just about the sting that went down and how much money she lost. I guess, to be fair, I should've looked to a different book for that.

My last gripe isn't with the book itself, but the author. She's been very vocal about how "Inventing Anna" on Netflix is just giving Anna a platform and money in both Netflix and Anna's pockets - and it's true that that isn't ethical. Anna shouldn't be rewarded for her crimes. I can't help but think, however, what is Williams doing with this book, if not profiting off of Anna's crimes, and Anna herself?

Victims have the right to tell their stories, I will never dispute that, nor do I ever want to downplay someone's trauma. At the same time I have trouble with thinking that what she has written and put into the world is any better than what Netflix has done. That's just my two cents though, others might have different opinions and that's cool.

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