When laid-off journalist Sofie is approached by the mysterious First Lady of a  much-disliked President to co-writer her memoir with no NDA, she jumps at the chance. Sofie sees this as an opportunity to understand the seemingly unknowable Lara. Lara gradually tells her a story of espionage, Cold War dealings and completely alters the course of Sofie's life. I couldn't put this book down. I don't have any good reason for why the first time I picked this book up, it didn't completely take over for me like it did when I gave it a second try. All I can say now is that I could not shut up about this book for the forty-eight hours it took me to finish it (thanks work/life/family responsibilities) and I immediately started the author's next book. 
Thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the ARC!

This was a nope for me.

It sounded intriguing but then it just felt like I was reading sympathizer Melania Trump fanfiction.

DNF.

When the First Lady reaches out to a former White House Correspondent Sofie to pen her official biography, she seems prepared to lay it all on the line, including her history with her father, a man embroiled in the KGB. But Sofie can't help but wonder: why me? Why now? Why ever?! A little like if Evelyn Hugo was a First Lady instead of a movie star.

Interesting novel. Hard to follow at times ad pieces of the story seemed to not fit. Did enjoy the descriptions of the places the heroine traveled.

Mysterious First Lady, Lara Caine, is ready to tell her story. She picks an unlikely writer to tell it to., Sofia Morse. The story turns out to be something that Sofia did not expect. Soon, Sofie is in hiding. The story moves back and forth between the present and the past as Lara tells her tale of growing up the daughter of a KGB official stationed in Paris. This is part historical fiction and part Cold War spy thriller.

Great title, great cover, great everything! I love this, but who doesn't? It's a fantastic novel that deserves all the praise it has so deservedly gotten

This was a DNF for me. Something about it wasn't able to hook me. Just wrong timing for when I picked it up. I may have gotten really busy in my life.

This was such a good political thriller! I never knew what was going to happen next and was always on the edge of my seat throughout the entire story.

Lara Cain asks Sofia to write her biography and as they become close throughout the story as Sofia learns more about Lara's past it is fascinating and worrisome at the same time. Lara is far more than anyone ever thought she was as she is always so quite when next to her husband the President.
What people don't know is that has a secret past of her own that has given her insight into the choices her husband is currently making. She knows things that she shouldn't but is also one of the president's most trusted allies.

I couldn't figure out why Lara was telling Sofia all of this until it clicked that Lara wants it known for some reason. But that reason is a mystery for most of the book and it isn't until it is all revealed that it makes sense.
This book jumps around between the present and the past as we learn Lara's story and Sofia pieces it all together to come up with the biography and the story of a lifetime that will change the course of history.

Overall I loved it and I cannot wait to read more by Pitoniak in the future!

The audiobook for this one is so good and was easy to follow along with going back to the past and being in the present.


review will be posted on my blog and on Instagram later this month.

I enjoyed revisiting parts of Russian history and liked the not so subtle inspiration for this book. It was a quick and enjoyable read that floundered a smidge in the very beginning.

I had received this to download to my Kindle reading app from Netgalley and Simon & Schuster in May 2021. I am using the word prompts from the GXO Reading Challenge 2023 Reading Challenge #MonthlyKeyWordGXO and a March key word was "friend". So, this seemed like a good choice.

It was a good story and I liked the main character, Sophe. Buuuut, it was a little too political for me. There's a lot more I could say about all the ways that public opinion is purposely swayed, but I just don't want to give it any of my energy.

So, yes, the book was well written. Yes, I liked what Sophe went through as the author in this book; and that part really had me going because I studied journalism in college. However, all the other parts that were so thinly veiled comparisons of the fictional Caine first family with the Trumps just go too dramatic for me. That's why I could only offer it three stars.

DNF… This book just wasn’t for me and I held off on the review because I hate saying I didn’tlike e-arcs… but this one just didn’t click for me. It was a well written book from the parts I did read but the plot was just weird and not enjoyable for me.

I love political thrillers, especially ones set in DC (even partially) so Our American Friend by Anna Pitoniak was right by my alley. This book of espionage is a dual timeline set between the Cold War and contemporary times spanning from DC to NYC to Paris to Moscow.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for sharing this book with me. All thoughts are my own.

This was my first Anna Pitoniak book, and I enjoyed it! As others have mentioned, this book was a slightly higher-brow mystery that plays on some very real events the world has experienced as of late. I'd recommend it to lovers of both Cold War era dramas and political intrigue.

I had high hopes for this one. But the pacing wasn't for me. The overall story I found captivating, but it was like a pacing roller coaster.

A intriguing story that spans for the 70's to present day (in the novel) where you are introduced to the Cold War, undercover agents and a tight-lipped First Lady (until now).


Thank you NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for giving me the opportunity to read this.

I was drawn in by "Emily in Paris" meets 'Scandal." This was a well written thriller, but I was reminded that historical fiction isn't really my jam...and it turns out espionage isn't either. I think lots will like this one though.

What if Melania really was a good person after all? This book seems to be asking that question. A breathless but female-paced thriller, Our American Friend will appeal to anyone who likes politics flavored with domestic drama.

Pitoniak has written such a smart book that casts a friendship between a political reporter and the First Lady in such a thrilling, fast-paced novel. Such a good book with twists and engrossing turns along the way.

An interesting and timely read that will be a big hit with fans of espionage, politics, and current events. A very creative story that is a little terrifying in how not far from the truth it may be!

Thinly - very thinly - veiled Melania Trump fanfiction, at its heart.

Sofie Morse, a journalist covering the White House, gets tired of i all and decides to retire. She's invited, however, to write a biography. Of the First Lady, Lara Caine, by the First Lady, Lara Caine.

Lara Caine is simply Melania, with some details altered (Caine was born in Soviet Russia; Melania in Slovenia), some not (both are former models). Caine has a whole pack of baggage, including a former KGB dad (Putin) and the whole thing was unpalatable, really.

Morse, of course, as a reporter, gets wrapped up in the story, which runs from the 70s to current times, and stops being able to tell where the line should be.

I finished it, grudgingly, to see where the mystery slash thrillerish thing went. There aren't a lot of twisty turns or things that make you go hmm. The whole thing left a bad taste in my mouth, as the ending wasn't worth the buildup.

If you think you admire the former First Lady, it may be more your style. It certainly was not mine.

One star out of five.

Thanks to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for the reading copy.