A review by issianne
My Friend Anna: The True Story of a Fake Heiress by Rachel DeLoache Williams

4.0

First of all, I'm so confused by the poor ratings of this book that are solely based on their annoyance with the author. And I get it, I like to think I wouldn't have let my super rich friend charge $30k on my card and let her get away with pathetic excuses for two months, but you just don't know until it's you. And yes, Rachel is very lucky to even have had the ability to charge $30k to her credit card. Okay, enough of that rant. This book was like sitting down with a friend who's been through something traumatic and is ready to spill the tea. Does she spend a bit too much time discussing her personal life that doesn't always pertain to the juicy part of the story? Yeah, but you can't blame her because this is her story and her thousands of dollars down the drain by a narcissist.
When I looked at this story deeper, I realized this conflict was a direct effect of gendered ideas of womanhood. I felt as though Rachel felt confined to this idea of being a good friend and what it looks like for a young woman to take control over her own life. We're taught as women to never be too direct about what we want or we'll seem unlady-like. Meanwhile, Anna is trusted because she's a woman. And when Anna can't make payment, she's almost painted in a way of the innocent heiress waiting for her daddy's money--unable to control the troubles of life that pop up. The women that do step in to right the wrongs Anna's made are a breath of fresh air in this narrative.
Ultimately, this book will make you cringe, laugh, want to through it against the wall, and speed read to see how it gets resolved.