This was a fun read that combines shades of the 2020 movie The Courier, the TV series The Americans, and a fictionalized presidency reminiscent of Donald Trump. Even with many Cold War spy stories in books, TV, and movies this story is wholly original, especially as the action plays out across multiple different timelines. It is at times somewhat predictable, but also contains its share of twists and surprises and a somewhat slow build up in the beginning leads to a page turning finish. I have this book on several most anticipated books lists and I predict it will be a popular and well received read when it is published later this month.

Our American Friend by Anna Pitoniak
I was not sure what to expect from this book. Would it be tear jerking female read or a good almost espionage book. I chose to read it because of the premise of a Russian born wife of an egotistical President of the United States. Sound at all possibly familiar?
What I got was a very pleasant read and by my standards a happy ending. The book starts with Sofie Morse a 30’ish journalist/writer and her husband Ben now living in Croatia to avoid extradition to the US. From there Ms. Pitoniak goes back in time to tell the story. In this case this ending before the story I think works. The book is about Sofie and the two most important Russian women. Lara who was born in Russia to Irina and Fedya. Fedya is KGB and is fortunate enough to be able to take his wife, Lara and her older sister Natasha to Paris where he is attached to the Russian Embassy as cover for recruiting spies to assist Russia. Skip years ahead and Fedya is murdered in Lubyanka’s basement for supposedly being a spy for the Americans. There are many twists and turns to this point but I do not want to spoil the read for you. Skip further ahead and Lara is able to leave Russia as a fashion model 1st in Paris and then in New York City until she is about the end of her career at early 30 when she meets Harry Caine who has all the mannerisms of our former president. They marry, he somehow become president and Lara is trapped in the White House with only her mother and her two young teenage daughters in a loveless marriage. Because she is Russian, her husband asks her to be the translator when President Caine meets with the Russian President Nikolai Gruzdev who is the former head of the KGB. Gruzdev knows how to play Caine and gets him to agree to removal of US forces in Eastern Europe in exchange for Caine’s company obtaining the contract to build Nord Stream II. Horrified Lara reaches out or is pushed to contact Sofie the reporter or had written a biography of Raisa Gorbachev and tells her the story of her life as well as about the goings on between Caine and Gruzdev. Sofie publishes the story, all hell breaks loose. Is it fake news? If not how to get Caine to resign. That’s enough of the story. Ms. Pitoniak moves the story along at a very smooth pace with plenty of zigs and zags that all make sense. I enjoyed this book and even came away liking the fictional First Lady. If only Melania could do the same.

In the past, I've enjoyed reading many political novels and watching political TV series. This new novel takes me back to that time; in some ways it reminded me a bit of Fletcher Knebel's Night of Camp David. I suppose this is because much of the book consists of a tale related to a journalist. In the older work, the president is telling the tale. In this novel, it's the First Lady that is relating her life over time.

Our American Friend is told through three timelines. The main part unfolds in real time, the FLOTUS' story covers her childhood, her teen years, and, eventually, her career and marriage. The final timeline is the time period after the journalist and FLOTUS spend so much time together. This works, although it's the recounting of the past was the most interesting for me. This is not an action story, but enough tension and subterfuge in the novel serves well to engage a reader's attention. I found that I wanted to continue reading in order to discover what secrets would be revealed and how that would affect the parts set in current times.

Readers who have followed politics in the U.S. for the last couple of elections will easily recognize that the fictional president and first lady have some common ground with those in the previous administration. Although the story diverts from actuality (or does it?), events have an eerie feeling of familiarity. This adds to the feeling of possibility to the full story.

I did feel the ending seemed to be somewhat abrupt, even though things were revealed and resolved. But I was lucky enough to receive an advanced readers' copy from Netgalley and the publisher, and there may be some changes before actual publication. This review is my personal opinion.

Yes, I recommend this tale for those interested in political novels and/or tales of espionage. The journalist has a conscience and the book keeps up the suspense about who else actually does...

Anna Pitoniak combines impressive storytelling skills with an equally organized imagination to create a riveting and convincing thriller that rivals the best.

Controversial President Henry Caine begins a second term. His Russian wife and First Lady Lara Caine decides to engage journalist Sofie Morse to write her biography. Ms. Pitoniak weaves a fascinating history for Lara Caine, including that her father was an executed KGB agent accused of treason. Our American Friend is a complex, finely layered story about Lara’s family history told in segments mixed in with current events. Highly original, the author creates a suspense-driven narrative that is difficult to put down.

This book was listed as a thriller but I don’t quite see that. It was nothing like I was expecting. It was kinda wordy in spots and at times a little hard to follow.
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the early copy

I was really excited about this book, but after spending three days to get through the first chapter I am no longer excited. The plotline is intriguing, but the timing is off. I think that if this book came out in 5 years, maybe longer, it would have engaged me more. Considering it is very blatantly inspired by the previous American presidential administration, I think feelings about that are still too raw for this book to be a success now.

The DC girl in me couldn’t resist an advanced copy of this political thriller. This one follows an enigmatic Soviet-born first lady married to a very Trump-like president during her formative years in Paris and her time in the White House. You will be unable to read this without drawing parallels to the former President and First Lady, but where this story apparently diverges, is First Lady Lara Caine’s experience as the daughter of a KGB agent during the Cold War. When Lara reaches out to former White House correspondent Sofie Morse to write her official biography, we are taken for a ride through alternating chapters of past and present.

As Lara unveils more secrets to Sofie, their bond becomes more than just a writer and her subject. But Sofie begins to question why Lara chose her to take on this project. And why now, during her husband’s second term? Sofie soon realizes she’s cracking open the story of a lifetime as there’s more to the First Lady than meets the eye. But what are the ramifications of going public? And now that she knows the truth, will it put her in danger?

I enjoyed the way this story flipped between Lara’s teen years in Paris and present day DC and felt that helped with the pacing of the book, but it was still a bit of a slow burn for me. Although the ending was not a huge twist, it was an entertaining read with the second half moving much quicker than the first half. Thanks for Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for providing me with this ARC.

Sofie finds herself in the crosshairs after she writes the biography of First Lady Lara Caine who was born in Moscow. And what a story it is. You will enjoy the more if you can suspend belief (and stop trying to draw parallels to real First Lady) but to be honest, I was unable to do so. The best parts of this involve Lara's life in Russia in the 1980s. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. It's melodramatic to say the least and while it wasn't my cup of tea, I'm sure others will enjoy it.

I was really looking forward to this one, as I loved Pintoniak's last novel. This was good, but never got into the great territory for me. I like the complicated female friendship, and that we jump into the action right away. I also appreciate that we come to understand how a person can become complicit in corruption. Where it lost me was in some of the details. There was a not of excitement to be had here, and I think I was expecting more from a political thriller. I'd read this author again, though!

The pacing was too slow on this one, and I just could never really get into the book. It was really not the book for me.

Not only am I a fan of WWII lit, now I can add the Cold War to that list too!
I definitely don’t understand it as well as WWII, but Our American Friend perfectly weaves Cold War Europe and present day America timelines together in a compulsively readable political thriller. While this is a work of fiction, the characters are clearly modeled after political figures we all know, which made the book just a little bit more scandalous and fun to read (for me).
I especially liked that there was no drama with the main character and her husband. They were a great couple. Loved it.
Our American Friend comes out February 15…. I definitely think you should get your hands on it! I enjoyed this!

I have enjoyed both of the author's previous books and was really looking forward to this one as it seemed like a departure - and ultimately it didn't disappoint! I loved the premise of this book and found both of the dual storylines quite interesting. I did find it a bit lengthy and slow moving in parts, but my bigger quibble is that it was a bit too obviously modeled after the Trumps - other than it seems ridiculous to see Melania pulling off what Lara Caine did. Overall an enjoyable read!

📚𝓑𝓸𝓸𝓴 𝓡𝓮𝓿𝓮𝓲𝓮𝔀 📚
4.5/5🌟

Anna Pitoniak’s 𝑵𝒆𝒄𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒂𝒓𝒚 𝑷𝒆𝒐𝒑𝒍𝒆 was one of my top 20 reads last year, so I was thrilled to get my hands on an advanced copy of her upcoming release. The premise intrigued me, as it’s totally different from the last book.

When hardworking, NY-based journalist Sofie is handpicked by the First Lady Lara Caine to write her biography, she is honored but concerned about ramifications, as the Caine presidency is divisive and controversial. She agrees to work on the project, but little does she know, Lara has more planned for her than she anticipated.

This is an exciting page turner told via three timelines - the present day ( during the second term of a Donald Trump-like president), months earlier during Sofie’s visits with Lara, and all the way back to Cold War Russia and Paris in the 70s and 80s.

At is core, this is story of Cold War espionage, love and betrayal, and present day secrets and scandals. I loved the few twists I didn’t see coming and Pitoniak’s smooth writing is a pleasure to read. She obviously did extensive research as her details are sharp and really paint the picture of Russia and Paris during those time periods.

Henry and Lara Caine and are a bit too on the nose as the Donald and Melanie Trump-like president and First Lady; Pitoniak probably could’ve gotten the point across by making those characters a bit different and less obvious. The time-hopping was a little bit confusing, but the story is so well constructed that it all ends up making sense. Overall, I loved this smart and interesting story.

Grab a copy of this when it comes out on February 14th! My thanks to @netgalley and @simon&schuster for the opportunity to read this eARC!

#bibliophile #stephsalwaysreading #bookrecommendations #netgalley#ouramericanfriend#annapitoniak#bookstagram #bookstagrammer#whatshouldireadnext

Henry Caine, a spoiled New York businessman, has just been elected to his second term as president of the United States despite his possible collusion with the Russians. Sofie, a political columnist, has decided upon his re-election to resign. But just as she does, Caine's elusive first lady, his Russian third wife Lara, calls upon her to write her biography for her, opening up for the first time about her childhood.

When I read the description of this, I was intrigued by the Cold War spy plot mentioned. I wasn't expecting to have a blatant fictionalized Trump administration as the center of this. This is a version of Melania where her father was a KGB agent and where she starts to not agree with her husband during his second term. Half of the time we follow Sofie as she is listening to "Lara" tell her story, and the other half is her story, mainly of her teen years in Paris.

What did I like about this? I think there was a good balance between the two storylines and the bit of bouncing around added to any suspense. I thought the writing style was easy to get along with. What didn't I like? The chapters felt ages long. But more importantly, despite the fact that this story is supposed to be surrounding Lara, it was very hard to feel any emotional connection to her. She is rarely an active protagonist, and when she is, it's off-screen.

It's impossible to read a book like this without talking about its message for the real world. The book is clearly against the Trump administration, but this version of Melania seems to be giving her the benefit of the doubt. Obviously, this is a work of fiction, but the idea that Melania is secretly against her husband and would stand up to him and etc. is laughable in my mind.

Overall, I would recommend this to people who are looking for a take on today's politics, rather than a Cold War spy thriller.

This is a well-written mystery/thriller, and I loved it. It is a thinly disguised story about our former president and his wife, and if you are a fan of that president you will not be happy with this book. It is fiction, but it does make you wonder if there is much in it that is true. A young female writer is selected by the President's wife to write her biography and tell a story that has never before been public. It is quite a story and very satisfying! I highly recommend this book as a great read, and a win for good guys!!

I started out not liking this book, but ended up loving it once the full story was laid out. I really liked how the author took real life events and altered them slightly to drive the plot. The character of Lara was fleshed out and nothing that happened to her felt forced. The plot was really well paced.

Reporter Sofie Morse covered the White House beat during President Henry Caine's first term in office, and the President's controversies and outrageous actions have taken a significant toll on her. When Caine gets re-elected, Sofie can't imagine covering his second term and calls it quits. But she gets lured back into the political arena by Lara Caine, the President's mysterious foreign-born wife, who asks Sofie to write her official biography.

Sofie finds it impossible to resist the First Lady's offer and the chance to find out about Lara's previous life spent in Moscow and Paris. As Lara candidly shares sensitive information about her past, Sofie is drawn into a web of never-before-told secrets with far-reaching personal and global ramifications.

Our American Friend is an engrossing tale that unfolds in dramatic political and human detail. The intriguing plot, passionate characters, and similarities between the fictional first couple and former real-life first couple provide ample appeal. But the examination of what motivates the characters and the steady revelation of key events make the novel a page turner from beginning to end.

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

The story was compelling but not believable.

First Lady Lara Caine is a mystery. The American public doesn't know a lot about her, other than the fact that she's a gorgeous Russian immigrant who grew up in Russia during the Cold War and is now married to a racist, nationalist president. (...Sound familiar?) But political journalist Sofie Morse catches Lara's eye - and unexpectedly, Sofie is invited to the White House to talk to the First Lady. Turns out, Lara wants to share her past - not in the form of a ghostwritten memoir, but in the form of a biography written by Sofie. She'll give Sofie full access to her life, including her mother and sister, and Sofie can write whatever she pleases. Although Sofie doesn't quite understand the catch here, it's an opportunity she can't pass up.

Lara begins to tell Sofie her whole life story, from her mother's childhood as the poorest of the poor orphans forgotten and starving in Stalin's Russia, only to work her way out of that and marry a successful Russian attaché (read: KGB agent) - to her family moving to Paris on assignment from her dad's work and Lara meeting the young love of her life there. Sofie begins to learn stunning secrets about Lara, things that would blow the public's mind if they saw the light of day. And soon enough, you see that Sofie and her husband are hiding out in Croatia for some unknown reason. The plot begins to come together, and you know that Sofie is part of something much bigger than just a biography.

The premise of this book is certainly interesting - perhaps not very timely, but it's intriguing to imagine that another Russian first lady had some secret, salacious past of foreign intelligence and espionage. (Although I can pretty much guarantee that that's not true to life.) Unfortunately, this book just didn't grab me in the way I hoped it would - perhaps because spy and political thrillers are not usually me thing, or perhaps because I just didn't connect to the characters and their emotions enough to help me understand why Lara made certain decisions that she made. Some of the spy stuff seemed a little fanciful, like secret codes that you imagine spies using in the movies but are not even close to how it works in real life, or like kids playing make believe spy games. When it got deep into that subject matter, the book kind of lost me. More than that, Lara makes decisions that completely baffled and angered me. She was a very frustrating character to read, and I often felt no sympathy for her in parts that I was definitely intended to.

Overall, this could be a good read for you if you like political or espionage thrillers - it's a bit slow at parts and I thought the characters could have used more development, but it's a fun play on imagining the hidden backstory of a mysterious Russian public figure. Thank you to Simon & Schuster for the ARC via Netgalley.

Our American Friend is part romance, part historical fiction, and part espionage story. I enjoyed the dual storylines, though each could have benefited from a little editing.