I feel very fortunate I have great friends: great friends who always pay me back; great friends I always pay back. Venmo definitely helps. A few weeks ago, when I met my BFF for brunch, she bought us a pastry. I felt so guilty that I owed her two dollars! But alas she didn’t make me pay. Like I said, great friends.

Rachel DeLoache Williams was not as lucky. 

Book Read: My Friend Anna: The True Story of a Fake Heiress
Author: Rachel DeLoache Williams
Number of Books Read, 2019 Edition: 34

When Rachel DeLoache Williams meets Anna Delvey for the first time, she meets a self-proclaimed German heiress who lives in hotels, dines in the nicest and newest restaurants, and can hire a celebrity trainer without blinking an eye. 

As Rachel’s and Anna’s friendship develops, Rachel adjusts to Anna’s lavish lifestyle, accepting the benefits of being friends with an heiress, but also making sure to pay when she can, like when paying for every other training session with the celebrity trainer. When Anna invites Rachel to vacation in Morocco, all expenses paid, Rachel accepts, looking forward to the learning about the culture as well as some time off before heading to a work photo shoot. 

But when Anna’s credit card is declined multiple times, Rachel finds herself offering her own to avoid conflict and being stranded. She soon finds herself over $62,000 dollars in debt, with a promise to be paid back quickly.

Months go by and after continuously asking Anna for updates, Rachel suspects she’ll never recover or see the $62k that is ruling her life. As she discusses this with family and friends, Rachel begins to see Anna for what she truly is…. a con artist.

Add in a police investigation, a binder full of evidence, numerous calls with American Express, and a very supportive family and friend group, and you’ve got My Friend Anna. 

I so wanted to hate this book at the beginning. I have no good reason except it just seemed like the right thing to do. It read slowly at first, so maybe that may be part of it. But I couldn’t get myself to do it. I ended up enjoying this one. The story, despite being completely authentic, just felt so far fetched, it was like reading fiction. The beauty of it - it was not. 

Yes, Williams has made quite a penny off of her story - HBO also optioned the rights to her story in addition to this book deal, so there’s also that. It’s something you should remember that while reading, although she’ll tell you about it at the end.This book had flaws, don’t get me wrong. Williams does make herself sound like a martyr and doesn’t take a lot of the blame. But she also was conned out of a lot of money, so I forgive her. 

At times, I wanted to smack sense into her. Other times, I pitied Williams, followed by a head nod (in my head) when she played her role as informant so well. By the time Anna’s trial began, Williams had already signed a book deal and with HBO. Yes, she had to testify in front of a grand jury and a friend, and had to have her character questioned. But despite the money, there was a light at the end of the tunnel - a newfound trust in instincts and oneself. 

I hate to say it, but you can bet your bottom dollar I’d write a memoir and sign a deal with HBO (or Netflix, whichever came first) if it were me. Great friends - don’t take that as an open invitation. I’m watching you…

Next Read: Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid