True Crime
![Rachel DeLoache Williams - [object Object] author](https://res.cloudinary.com/readsomnia/image/upload/authors/a_B07R6G9RQH.jpg)
My Friend Anna: The True Story of a Fake Heiress
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 and friend of Delvey's, who was scammed out of more than $62,000 and is featured as a character in the Netflix series Inventing Anna.
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.
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 and friend of Delvey's, who was scammed out of more than $62,000 and is featured as a character in the Netflix series Inventing Anna.
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.
Editorial Reviews
"My Friend Anna is sensational."
- Bustle"Unbelievable, unforgettable, and unputdownable: that's My Friend Anna."
- Book Riot
"My Friend Anna is the dishy story you've been craving ever since Anna Delvey first made headlines...a harrowing account of what it's like to be conned."
- Refinery29
"If you gobbled up every last detail of the Anna Sorokin 'Fake Socialite' trial this spring (and really, who didn't?), your addictive summer beach read has arrived."
-New York Post
"...a behind-the-scenes look at the [Anna Delvey] scam and how she got away with it...until she didn't. This one's nonfiction but feels too wild to be true."
-The Skimm
"It started out as an article in Vanity Fair and ended up a national obsession. Read for an inside look at NYC's elite - and a lesson in how people aren't always what they seem."
-The Skimm
"Beach reads should be light, fun, and serve a lot dish. That's why number one on my summer reading list is My Friend Anna: The True Story of a Fake Heiress by Rachel DeLoache Williams."
- Town & Country
"...the Sorokin scam [has] everything: glamour, greed, lust for power, great clothes (or at least expensive ones), rich people being ripped off, cameos by fellow millennial con artists like 'Pharma Bro' and the Fyre Festival organizers, and lots of satisfying clichés about the rotten core of the Big Apple."
- The New York Times
"...the gritty, glittery story of the woman who defined the Summer of Scam."
- Bustle
"...a thrilling tell-all that I have no doubt will be one of the most talked-about releases this summer!"
- Audible.com
"My Friend Anna is a powerful account of Anna Delvey's life and crimes, but also a searching portrait of confidence artists and hustlers at large, and the kinds of communities that seem especially vulnerable to them."
- CrimeReads.com
"William's book is a detailed retelling of her experience, building...
- Bustle"Unbelievable, unforgettable, and unputdownable: that's My Friend Anna."
- Book Riot
"My Friend Anna is the dishy story you've been craving ever since Anna Delvey first made headlines...a harrowing account of what it's like to be conned."
- Refinery29
"If you gobbled up every last detail of the Anna Sorokin 'Fake Socialite' trial this spring (and really, who didn't?), your addictive summer beach read has arrived."
-New York Post
"...a behind-the-scenes look at the [Anna Delvey] scam and how she got away with it...until she didn't. This one's nonfiction but feels too wild to be true."
-The Skimm
"It started out as an article in Vanity Fair and ended up a national obsession. Read for an inside look at NYC's elite - and a lesson in how people aren't always what they seem."
-The Skimm
"Beach reads should be light, fun, and serve a lot dish. That's why number one on my summer reading list is My Friend Anna: The True Story of a Fake Heiress by Rachel DeLoache Williams."
- Town & Country
"...the Sorokin scam [has] everything: glamour, greed, lust for power, great clothes (or at least expensive ones), rich people being ripped off, cameos by fellow millennial con artists like 'Pharma Bro' and the Fyre Festival organizers, and lots of satisfying clichés about the rotten core of the Big Apple."
- The New York Times
"...the gritty, glittery story of the woman who defined the Summer of Scam."
- Bustle
"...a thrilling tell-all that I have no doubt will be one of the most talked-about releases this summer!"
- Audible.com
"My Friend Anna is a powerful account of Anna Delvey's life and crimes, but also a searching portrait of confidence artists and hustlers at large, and the kinds of communities that seem especially vulnerable to them."
- CrimeReads.com
"William's book is a detailed retelling of her experience, building...
Readers Top Reviews
originalisa
Marrakesh Express conjures thoughts of the famous cocktail and of course the well known song by CSN, this book however, gives it a new meaning - the fastest way to lose an enormous amount of money in Marrakesh. I will not spoil what is a massively fascinating account of a friendship that developed between the writer and her friend Anna, and yes, she was a friend for quite some time. Anna was someone many people liked, respected and enjoyed being in the company of, that is until the bitter pill of truth is swallowed . . and you will become so embroiled in the story it will become difficult to put it down. I got over half way through and it was quite late but I just couldn't sleep and had to put the light on and continue reading, it was 4am when I finished. It raises so many concerns and leaves you wondering who you can believe in this life and whether or not is safe to trust anyone until you have known them for a very long time. Remember: This is not a novel, it happened and people were taken in big time. I couldn't, of course, help feeling something of the pain the writer suffered as a result of being fleeced so harshly, but there is another aspect to the story and that is the fascination with how Anna went about her life and elaborate business plans, mixing with so many people who were in awe of her as an apparent socialite, so much so she almost had women curtseying before her. She was so clever and was able to manipulate people, managing their emotions in a way that makes for someone with a serious understanding of the human mind. She was/is a woman of incredible talent, just that she chose to use it in the art of deviousness but I am sure she could have achieved greatness by legal means had she so desired, which may be true of many criminal masterminds.
Tessoriginalisa
Compulsive reading! I read the book in a day, but then, I love books like this, about con artists and especially true stories. It was very well written. I thought that Rachael acted like a free loader and I didn’t feel especially sorry for her. I would have felt very uncomfortable going out for meals at posh places I couldn’t afford, letting someone else constantly pick up the tab. I wouldn’t have wanted all the high end treatments and gym sessions if I couldn’t pay for them myself. I am way to independent a person for that! So I wouldn’t have been going on that holiday and so, that couldn’t have happened to me. That said, when the situation arose and she stupidly agreed to a massive amount being put on her card, I did feel sorry for her, because she trusted her ‘friend’. And who hasn’t trusted a friend before and found that they shouldn't have been trusted after all?. It does mess with you head for many months. I know it was a real book, so it had to follow what happened but maybe with a bit of artistic licence a film would have a big showdown at the end. Exciting stuff! Loved it and would recommend!
