I was very familiar with the history of the Romanov dynasty prior to reading this book. I loved Ms. Lawhon's unique style of writing. For me in the beginning the structure of the book took some getting used to but it was well worth it. This story held me captive throughout. I was one of those who wanted Anastasia to have survived that horrific day. Even though I knew the historic outcome, Ms Lawhon's novel carried me through all the emotions and tensions the characters endured. I was there. Exceptional! Whether you like to read historical novels or not this is must.

I was a young girl when I first heard the story of a young girl who may've survived her assassination because bullets and bayonets couldn't get through the slew of jewels and baubles sewn into her clothing. Since then, I've read almost everything I could get my hands on about the last grand duchess. In every story, I can't help hoping for her survival, even though I'm aware of the scientific findings regarding the imperial family. I didn't, however, ever read about Anna Anderson. I couldn't tell you why, especially since, as I've said, I'm a hopeless survivalist (is that a term?). But when I read the summary for I WAS ANASTASIA, I knew I had to get my hands on it as soon as possible. Fortunately, I was able to get an early copy. This book impressed me in so many ways, including how the author integrated insights regarding the family's imprisonment I hadn't yet heard during my years of reading books and novels, along with performing my own research. Whether these insights are factual or the author's creative license matters little to me, as I feel these thoughts and moments added greatly to the overall story.

I'll admit the unique structure of the story took me a few chapters to get used to, but once I did, I think it worked beautifully for the story. Anastasia's story ticks forward chronologically, while Anna Anderson's ticks backward. I watched the dates within each storyline loom closer and closer until I knew they'd converge. The end result was me flying through the pages, eager for more. Of course, being familiar with the Romanov story added an extra layer of dreaded anticipation, as I knew the significant dates of the story, including the date of their controversial deaths

I won't speak much of the ending, as I want people to form their own opinions. And really, I'm not sure of my own opinion -- besides the fact I really enjoyed this book and the author's writing style. I not only recommend I WAS ANASTASIA to people who also share my fascination in Anastasia Romanov but any lover of historical fiction. Immediately upon finishing this book, I looked up other books by Ariel Lawhon. I've already added FLIGHT OF DREAMS to my TBR list!

This book took some time getting used to. Anastasia Romanov's story is told in chronological order, while Anna Anderson's is told backwards, until the two stories finally converge at the end. I didn't like that at first. It confused and frustrated me for the first few chapters. But once I understood what was happening, and WHY the author wrote it that way, I was very intrigued. There are some historical inaccuracies, which is why I took away one star, but overall it was an excellently written book on the Anastasia Romanov/Anna Anderson sage.

I really enjoyed this book. There are two timelines in the book - the last 18 months of the Romanovs' lives running forward, and Anna Anderson's memories running backward (starting end of life back to appearance). I also really appreciated the fact that while some factual liberties were taken, the author stayed true to the overall history. The author's note at the end was enlightening, but due to spoilers, wait until you've finished the book to read it.

I've been drawn to the whole Tzar Nicholas II massacre for almost 20 years. I came into this book with a fairly strong basis of the whole Anastasia/Anna Anderson debate. I knew the facts. I knew the timelines. I knew a lot of the details behind everything. While I didn't read this book with a blank slate for the author to fill, I still was putty in the author's hands. It didn't take me long to be swept up in the dueling stories. Just as I knew so much. I also learned so much.

Ariel Lawhon had the difficult job of telling a complex story that was once a well known debate. A debate that, for some, still lives on. She handled this task with great respect and creativity. She made a real life story from many, many years ago feel relevant and current. She doesn't give much away as she tells the story from Anna's point of view. She writes her whole side of the story with a compassion and dignity that few ever thought to have.

She rotates the reader between Anna's story and Anastasia's. Event by event, you relive the family's imprisonments, treatment, and ultimate deaths. I found myself, once again, hoping and praying what I knew would happen wouldn't. You become a fly on the wall for disgusting acts of hatred and violence. By the time the family meets their end, you are sick with anger and disgust. But you will also never forget Anastasia, or her family.

Readers will be sucked into these two lives and the events within them from the first page. You will ride every roller coaster along with the characters. I have no doubt this book is destined for the bestseller lists. You will be a tangled mess of emotions by the time you read the author's note. As Ariel Lawhon tells you what was fact verses fiction, that ball of emotion will only increase. Several things you desperately want to be fiction are not. I Was Anastasia is a book that will stay with you long after you have closed the book.

Wish it would already be published so I could recommend it for Christmas. Customers are always looking for historical fiction and novels set in Russia are popular. Loved it!

I love, love, love this book. So well done with masterful handling of the complicated plot structure. Very well researched and beautifully written—the characters are vivid and alive, and I just could not put it down, even knowing how it ended for the Romanov family. This is one of those stories that resonates and is still following me around long after I’ve finished it. It brought me to tears more than once. The icing on the cake is the author’s afterword—the best I’ve ever read, even better than Stephen King’s! ;) I’ll be reading more Ariel Lawhon, too.

What a completely compelling story! I just finished it and I'm a little at a loss on what my opinion is. I HIGHLY recommend it, if only for the discussions it will stir up.

I was so excited to receive this book from NetGalley for an honest review. I loved Ariel's Lawhon's other books and was excited about the topic of Anastasia Romanov. I enjoyed learning more about that period of Russian history. Overall I liked the story, however my only hesitation is the structure of the book. Lawhon even addressed it in the author's note, which helped me appreciate it. But the book seemed to jump randomly around in time, over a period of forty years, making it harder for me to get into it. But beyond the structure, this was a fun read!

I Was Anastasia is part mystery and part historical fiction. Ariel Lawhorn did a great job of making this woman relatable without making her too much of an ordinary woman. I felt the the beginning was hard to get through since I didn't know anything of the original story of Anna Anderson, but once the flashbacks to the time in Russia began the story found cohesion and a good pace.
As someone who is not fully aware of all the details of the original case I took great fun guessing and then subsequently researching which parts of the book were based more in fact than rumor. As with any historical novel, those two lines cross again and again.
Lawhon's structuring of Anna's story was unique. She uses competing points of view at different times from both "Anastasia's" points of view. It was a structure that felt unique to this story and made me question again and again whether or not these women were the same person. In some ways the book gives closure but the answer doesn't seem to be as important to the finale as much as the idea of the case causing the question at all. Lawson tapped into the undefinable part of this story that is half myth and half truth without making those changes obvious.
Overall, I enjoyed this journey and Lawhon's writing and both "Anastasias".

I received an advance reader's copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

I Was Anastasia shattered my heart into a million pieces like a well-written book should. Previously, I was not familiar with the story of Anastasia Romanov. The author takes one on a journey through the lives of Anastasia, a Russian tsarevna, and Anna Anderson, a woman who in the present, claims to be Anastasia. This is controversial in that Anastasia was assumed to have been killed, along with her family, by a firing squad years ago. The author captivated me by her personalization of the characters, including Anastasia’s beloved dog, Jimmy, who also stole my heart.

“I Was Anastsia” was a thought provoking novel. I knew a bit about the story of the Russian imperial family prior to this book. I am sure I saw the movie from 1956 when I was much younger. The story has always fascinated and saddened me.
This book was well written although not in my favorite style. I honestly do not like non-linear plots, but in this case, I have to agree that the nonlinear plot brought much more suspense, leaving me guessing what was true and not true, making me strive for the rest of the story.
Toward the middle of the book, I was so frustrated by the ending of one time line and jumping to another. It made me tense, just when I thought I would find out an answer, the answer was lost once again. It was a bit like what the characters were going through.
Even with my frustration, I enjoyed this book so much! I was so invested in the story. So many emotions were felt during the reading of this novel; sadness, joy, jealousy, pity, anger, and more anger, and much more anger. It left me drained on more than one occasion.
When I read a book, I want to be immersed in the story and feel everything the author put out there for the reader. I can say this was an excellent book in that regard, and I recommend it highly.
I want to thank NetGalley for giving me an advanced Reader’s Copy for an honest review. I post my reviews on Goodreads.com, Amazon.com and BookBub.com.

While reading, I was thinking "One more Anastasia book". I have read quite a few over the years and it felt I was just reading one more. I thought the ending was unique and saved the book from being just one of many Anastasia books.

I was Anastasia by Ariel Lawhorn is a must-read. The style of writing is witty and captivating. From the first few pages I was completely hooked. I loved the historical aspects. Then the mystery aspect with Anastasia and the dueling timelines was perfectly executed. I would definitely recommend this book, even to people who are not typically interested in history or historical fiction.

As a lover of Anastasia since I was a little girl, I knew I had to read this book. I have been obsessed with the Romanov family ever since I first saw the animated tale of Anastasia. I would research about their lives and families on our old family computer until my mom had to call me away because she was afraid staring at the computer screen for so long would hurt my eyes.
As soon as I was accepted to read it, I dove into the pages (or technically, electronic pages) with a voracity that I hadn't seen in awhile. This book was phenomenal. I did not want to put it down because of how much I was enjoying it. It transported me to Anastasia's time and the dangers that the Romanov family was in. Everything came to life in Lawhon's writing and it was so easily to believe everything that she was saying. I loved the skips in time, allowing me to see various stages of life that the protagonist had to go through.
The ending had confused me until the Author's note at the end, which is what cinched everything together for me. Ariel Lawhon is absolutely BRILLIANT! I am now putting her on a list of authors that I need to read more often because if all her writing is like this, I definitely found a new favorite author.

I love anything about the Romanovs, so I enjoyed this book. I knew the Anna Anderson story, and this, although fiction, kind of filled in what I didn't know. Never would have suspected the twist at the end!

Oh my gosh, Ariel Lawhon just keeps getting better and better! I enjoyed her first two novels, especially FLIGHT OF DREAMS, and I was eagerly awaiting this one as soon as I first heard about it. I WAS ANASTASIA does not disappoint. The story grabbed me from page one and did not let go. The narrative structure is inventive but never off-putting. Even though I sometimes find backwards narratives gimmicky, here it's handled really effectively. The mystery aspect -- who is Anna really? -- kept me guessing and I was definitely invested in the story despite having no real previous theories about the Romanovs or what really happened to Anastasia. The novel's pace moves along nicely too - never a dull moment. The historical details and descriptions of the settings impressed me - never over-done, just enough to ground the reader in the scene. Nice use of tension as well. Now when is Lawhon's next book coming out? I can't wait!

Finished Reading Add a date
Review SPOILER ALERT: It's almost impossible to review this book without spoilers. Takeaway for those who don't want it spoiled - historical novel that sacrifices depth and character development for a gimmicky structure. DISCLAIMER: I received an advance copy of this book from Edelweiss in return for an honest review.

Ok, if you want to know more, scroll down




This is my first experience reading Ariel Lawhon and I'm deeply disappointed. I've been reading historical fiction for over twenty years and have been fascinated by the Romanovs almost as long. Lawhon has made some odd choices that box her into a corner with this book - the gimmicky "Memento" structure is set up so that you don't know Anna Anderson's true identity until the last pages of the book. Frankly, I don't understand why this increases the suspense. The reader knows the real Anastasia didn't escape and various clues are scattered throughout the book give away that Anna Anderson is not Anastasia.

Instead, the backwards-running structure prevents any kind of in-depth character development or insight into Anna Anderson. She's a gold mine for a writer in terms of psychological exploration but Lawhon can't do that but because she has to keep the "secret" going.

The forwards-running Anastasia timeline is decent although none of the Romanov family acts according to the time period or their documented personalities.

I'm actually offended that the marketing copy claims Lawhon is the first author "with the guts" to take on this story. Ariana Franklin crafted a compelling, atmospheric mystery taking this story on in "City of Shadows" and Mary Morrissey wrote a haunting look at the reasons a woman takes on another identity in "The Pretender." Try harder everyone - this is why I keep getting burned out on reading historical fiction (less)

I GIVE THIS BOOK, A GLOWING FIVE OUT OF FIVE STARS!

First and foremost, Thank you Double Day Books for sending me an ARC of this book, in exchange of this honest review. 

I was a huge Anastasia nerd in high-school, I was fascinated by the whole history of events. I had always held up hope that Anastasia was alive, and that she had escaped that horrid night. So when I was pursuing Netgalley one night, and I saw this book pop up, I had to have it! I emailed Double Day, and requested the ARC on Netgalley, and Lucky for me, I was approved for both. 

This is a HUGE statement I am about to unload on all of you, this is the best book I have ever read. It is utterly remarkable. It was so well written, well paced, and loaded with so much factual information, while not coming across as stuffy and boring. (If you read the authors note, you will see she embellished very little of the true story) this book was breathtaking, and I mean that quite literally, there are moments in this book that took my breath away, I felt like I couldn't breathe until I finished this book, especially during the last 20% of it. 

This book was written in two view points, from Anastasia Romanov, and from "Anna Anderson" and it may sound confusing, but Anna Anderson's story is told backwards. While Anastasia's part is told up until that fateful day in July 1918. It's one of the most unusual writing styles I have come across. I will admit, at first I was confused, because it does jump around a lot, but in the end it really enhanced my reading experience. Also when you do read this book guys, reading the "Authors Note" is a must, but wait until you have finished the book first, or you will catch some spoilers. 

I also learned a lot from this book, somethings I never had heard of previously. So of course I did research and wanted to see if it was an actual event, and yes, it was. Every character that is in this book is an actual person, and had history with the Romanov's and Anna Anderson. This is a book that is going to stick with me forever, and one that I can hope to convince my kids to read. 

I feel like I should warn you guys though, this is not a happy, feel good, warm your heart book. Actually it's going to break your heart. There is some pretty intense stuff that happens within the pages, so reader be warned.

Everything flung out of the window…

I could write in rambling flowery prose why I picked this book up and why the real life story of the mysteries of the Romanovs and Anna Anderson are so fascinating to me but frankly after finishing this novel the other morning I couldn’t stop shaking my head and saying “just wow” and decided right then to forego the dramatics and go straight to the truth. Yes I Was Anastasia is readable, transporting and at times entertaining (it has such a fabulous premise that history practically writes for itself and to be honest I enjoyed more of Anna’s chapters rather than Anastasia’s) but in this case I think it simmers down for me looking at this book more as it falling directly into that disappointing scurrilous mire of modern expectations: overtaking a storyline (forcing an awkward cliché romance element that just goes off in the pages with no other mention), interchangeable characters, emotional setups for later chapters, the dialogue (I couldn’t help but cringe when I saw the word “cute” sprinkled throughout) and then sadly the collected and any remaining known history and morality are flung out of the window for the sake to “keep up” with the present in your face tactics. No doubt others will seek out I Was Anastasia just for the shock and ugly disgusting rumors reimagined in detailed passages but I think it would be cruel not to warn readers who may be sensitive to scenes of unexpected rape and animal abuse. True many may argue this book could have went in much worse detail but I’m sorry it went far enough for me and this wasn’t the novel I was hoping to find (that respectfully balanced imagination with history to tell a believable story or didn’t have a hundred open ended questions from several plot holes left) and it reminded me too much of other titles (The Unseeing, The Midnight Watch, City of Shadows etc) I have been highly anticipating that quickly went into the frustrating muck of modern ideas of what entertainment should be or what sells.

With thanks to NetGalley and Doubleday Books who kindly sent me an Advanced Reader Copy.