Interesting story of US and Russia spying games - CIA versus KGB. And the games they played. Who will win and who will lose.

My thanks to @Simon & Schuster, as well as to @NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review an early copy of Our American Friend.

3.5 stars, rounded up.

White House correspondent Sofie Morse quits her job and plans to leave politics behind - right up until she gets an intriguing call from the office of First Lady, asking her to come in for a private meeting with Lara Caine. When Lara asks Sofie to write her official biography Sofie’s curiosity gets the better of her and she agrees.

Much has been made over the similarity between the Trumps and the Caines but I felt Our American Friend was much more about Russia than the Trumps. It was quite the dynamic Cold War-era spy novel. The book spanned from the 1970s to the present day, traveling from Moscow and Paris to Washington and New York. I found most of the book fascinating, especially the parts about Russia, but I really wish that when the book was jumping to a different place and/or time that there had been headings of some sort, stating where or when the next page or chapter was taking place. I wanted to just read what was happening next, rather than wasting time figuring those things out. Otherwise, my review would have been 4.5 stars.

#OurAmericanFriend #NetGalley

3.5 rounded up. I loved Pitoniak’s previous books so I was excited to get my hands on this. I’m not sure what I expected, but it wasn’t this. This story is not one I’d normally pick up, but I don’t regret reading it. Definitely a slower burn than I’m used to but I feel it paid off in the end. Several twists I didn’t quite expect; one thing this book did is make it so I was never quite sure where it was going.

I liked Sofie as our narrator, but I do feel the time jumps were hard to follow at times and I found myself backtracking to figure out where in the story I was. Perhaps that’s something that can be fixed in a final edit. While I appreciated the nod to arguably the worst time in American history, I almost didn’t need it to be so spot on. I think the story could’ve stood alone without trying to repeat current events which are unfortunately etched in many of our brains. I would’ve loved an epilogue showing Sofie’s success and perhaps a reunion with her sister.

I look forward to wherever Pitoniak goes in her next novel. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I liked the personal story of the main character, Lara. As for the political espionage portion, I thought it was far fetched. The novel is a thinly disguised fictionalized depiction of a previous administration. It was an ok read.

Does Anna PItoniak know CIA secrets we’re not privy to, or is this a fantasy thriller of Melanie Trump being a person of secrecy, substance and bravery? Either way, it’s a completely engaging romp of insider D.C. politics, CIA spying, White House behind-the-scenes moments, and Soviet plots. Here, Donald Trump morphs into President Henry Caine, who comes replete with all Trumpisms of manner, language, bluster, greed and fury. Melania becomes the fictional Lara, who’s born in the Soviet Union instead of Russia and raised in Paris when her KGB father gets assigned embassy work there during the Cold War. Like Melania, Lara’s a loner, a model, and dedicated to her family who she brought over to the U.S. thanks to her husband’s wealth and connections, and to being a Mom. Like Melania, Lara has an elusive, unreadable glass surface and wants total public disengagement. But Lara has a secret past she’s never revealed, one that started with a young brilliant Russian rebel who turned out to the be love of her life.

Lara summons talented White House reporter Sofie Morse, who’s quit her job feeling burnt out covering the incipient Trump-like antics of President Caine, and asks Sofie to write Lara’s biography. Of note, Lara does not insist on an NDA, and Sofie is both baffled and intrigued. The novel divides into two story lines: third party narration revealing the intimate past of Lara’s life and Sophie’s first-person narration as she gets drawn further and further into Lara’s world. Eventually Sophie’s own life is in danger based on what she learns.

For anyone has truly wondered what may be behind the glamorous contained veneer of Melanie, this book provides a glorious romp into an imaginative explanation that proves wholly satisfying.

Thanks to Netgalley for an advanced reader's copy of this book.

This book sat on my shelf for a while and all I can ask is what took me so long? I was totally sucked into the story and couldn't put it down.

This book is about a journalist who is asked to write the biography of the First Lady of the US. So of course the story goes back and forth between her story, and what is happening in current times. But it deals with so much more!

First, the First Lady is obviously modeled on Malania Trump. Her husband is ruining the country, aliening NATO and forging a strong relationship with the leader of Russia. She is a former model from Russia - not Croatia. But come on - trust me you will see the parallels. But to me it made the story more interesting - have you ever wondered why she would marry him and put up with his nonsense?

The First Lady story is not just her story -it is also the story of her parents, and her father who was in the KGB. IT was a story of love and loss.

The journalist gets closer and closer to the family as she wonders if this is the right thing. Then somethng happens and early on you find out that she somehow betrayed the first lady and is in Croatia so she cannot be extradicted. . So now you are not only curious about the back story of the First Lady, but you are curious as to what the journalist did and how she ended up in Croatia. So I just kept reading and reading to find out.

The author has a great way of describing things. I could FEEL the tension in the book. I could see the things she wanted you to see. And she does it all without using overly wordy descriptions. I grew up with Russian grandparents who made borscht - I hate borscht.. But the way the author described it, I actually thought maybe I should give it another try.

I want to thank the author, the publisher and #netgalley for the ARC which did not impact my review. I am giving it 4.5 stars rounding up to 5.

Oh dear, this left a very bad taste in my mouth. OUR AMERICAN FRIEND has a fantastic cover, with promises of a Patricia Highsmith-like thriller through the romantic streets of Europe. However, it is instead bafflingly a re-telling of Melania Trump's life, making her out to be a heroic figure that actually takes down the Presidency of her fascist husband's through links to the CIA (and a, no joke, modeling career). I have absolutely no idea what the author intended to achieve with this story as it is neither satirical, nor very well written. Sure, it can be seen as a fantasy, but any story (fiction or not) that gives some sort of apologetic nature to anyone in the Trump family (even though names and some details are changed) is simply not something I can endorse. I read the whole thing as I wanted to give it a fair shake, and thought maybe the ending could justify the means, but there just simply isn't anything redeemable about this one.

I loved this book! This is a book about the mysterious First Lady of the United States and the journalist that agrees to write her biography. We learn about the First Lady’s past and a revelation changes everything for both of themselves I think this was well-written and I couldn’t wait to keep reading to see what would happen next!

This book had a lot of promise. I thought the author did a great job with building suspense in the back & forth timeline. I didn’t realize this book was about Donald & Melania Trump (and full of political snark). I’m just ready to move on, and not revisit this in a political thriller. I prefer Curtis Sittenfeld’s method of approaching political figures in fictional books like American Wife and Rodham. The politics kept me from enjoying the thriller aspect of the book (which I thought was well done) and this ended up as a DNF for me. I enjoyed this author’s previous work and will still pick up whatever she writes next.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. This was a decent book, but it wasn't my favorite. It was hard to get into in the beginning, but I did enjoy the second half of the book. I also felt that the time jumps felt a bit off, and they would confuse me a bit.

The setting: "Tired of covering the grating dysfunction of Washington and the increasingly outrageous antics of President Henry Caine, White House correspondent Sofie Morse quits her job and plans to leave politics behind. But when she gets a call from the office of First Lady Lara Caine asking Sofie to come in for a private meeting, she’s intrigued. Sofie, like the rest of the world, knows little about Lara—only that Lara was born in Soviet Russia, raised in Paris, and worked as a model before moving to America and marrying the notoriously brash future president. When Lara asks Sofie to write her official biography, and to finally fill in the gaps of her history... The First Lady doesn’t hesitate to speak about her beloved father’s work as an undercover KGB officer in Paris—and how he wasn’t the only person in her family working undercover during the Cold War.

As her story unfolds, Sofie can’t help but wonder why Lara Caine is rehashing such sensitive information. Why to her? And why now?"

And so it begins.

A Roman-a clef with Henry Caine as Trump and Lara as Melania --and as per the definition real life events overlaid with a facade of fiction. The Cold War/historical fiction, Moscow, Paris, New York, Croatia. Many liberties layered with similarities and certainly I could see some of the language coming out of 45's mouth!

BUT. JUST SAY NO. [I'm in the clear minority; rounding down because to me, a 3 says read.] It certainly kept me going--a page turner in the sense that I did want to see how it played out. On the other hand, I could have put it down and walked away at any time. And I did figure out some of the connections early on [no spoiler from me.] Intriguing? Or not? Shallow? Or thought-provoking. You decide.

Some people say this as a riveting political thriller, I saw it as sort of pop culture mixed with absurdities.

The writing is okay, but for me, many "oy" moments.

Nonetheless, I'm sure many will enjoy this book. I couldn't wait to finish it and move on.

Our American Friend is a very unique book in the foreword the editor talks about her excitement on working with the book and its author Anna Pitoniak and I can see why.
This book is unique it is the story of a journalist who is asked by the first lady of a bombastic overbearing president (sounds familiar) to write her memoirs. She is not asked to sign an NDA and she gets to know the First Lady quite well. The first lady was born in Russia and came to the US as a model and married the president-to-be. This story is really many stories the one with the writer and the first lady, the back story of the first lady and her journey from Russia to France and back again. It is the story of her life and love and entanglements and politics.
As I was reading the book, I kept thinking I had it all figured out then another turn and I thought that I now knew it all and then another twist. It is the twists and turns that keep the reader engaged and intrigued.
On the surface, it is a book about a journalist and a first lady and a journalist but it is so much more and the story is one which will keep you glued to the book…well not really or you couldn’t turn the pages…but you get completely engaged and involved in the lives of all of the protagonists and they come alive in your imagination and you find yourself caring about them and what happens to them. It is so well written that you journey with the characters to various and sundry places and you actually feel that you are there.
It is an exceptional novel and one that I won’t soon forget and I’m honored to be allowed to read this ARC by Simon & Schuster and Net Galley.

This was a good Cold War espionage story with a dual timeline into the present day. I've seen this described as a spy thriller, but I wouldn't call it that. I'd say it was literary fiction with a spy element to it. You pretty much know what's happened to the characters from the beginning, but the book is about how they get there, with a few twists along the way.

I liked how the story unfolded, and how we slowly figure out why Sophie and her husband are in exile; and what her relationship is to the First Lady. The parallel between the fictional First Lady and Melania Trump certainly made me think "what if?", and kept me quite intrigued. It definitely added an element of realism that hit close to home. I also liked that there were lingering questions about who knew what and who started the whole thing - how much control did any one person have?

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read an advanced copy of this interesting and intriguing book.

I did not enjoy this book. The jumping back and forth in time with no warning or set up was very confusing, and I had to keep going back and rereading passages because I would lose track of what was going on. I also didn't enjoy the glaringly obvious parallels between the characters in the book and the Trumps. I felt like the author was taking the easy way out instead of inventing her own characters. I would not recommend this book.

Round up to 3 1/2 stars. Please understand I consider 3 a good solid read, basically a B.

The parallels in the book to Melania Trump and #45 are numerous and obvious. There are differences, of course, but not enough to keep one from wishing the author had inside information and was making a bit of a prediction.

Story line was good, some of the flashbacks were ill-defined so one didn’t immediately realize where the story had gone. The way the book was put together, I wasn’t attempting to solve the mystery in my mind, just curiously reading along to see where it would end up. Four that reason, it lacked that compelling aspect I enjoy.

This is a great read. Sofie Morse is a recovering reporter, having just left her job as a White House correspondent. So she is surprised when the First Lady's office reaches out to her. Sofie is even more surprised when the First Lady Lara Caine asks her to write the First Lady's official biography, with full access to Lara and her family. Sofie cannot resist the opportunity to learn more about the First Lady, who went from a childhood in the Soviet Union during the Cold War to living in the White House. But Sofie is not prepared for just how remarkable Lara's story is, or for what it will mean for the path of history -- and Sofie's own future.

This novel succeeds both as a work of historical fiction and a spy thriller. Recommended!

Our American Friend mixes recent politics - readers will find more than a few similarities to a recent president and his family, and combines some of the very real red flags and conflicts of interest with a fictional story that has the wife of the president of the United States growing up in Paris when her father is assigned there by the KGB. Sofie, a newspaper reporter, serves as Lana Caine's confidant under the auspice that she is writing a biography. As much as Sofie dislikes the man currently occupying the Oval Office, she is increasingly drawn in by the story Lana has to tell, and how little anyone really knows about her past. The story tends to get a little long-winded at times, but Pitoniak manages to create a story that feels completely believable. Depending on the reader's political opinions and affiliations may depend on how willing they are to go for the ride, but there were definitely moments where I found myself wondering about how far off from reality a situation like this could be. While Sofie tells parts of the story, the book is really about Lana and how her past may impact not just her but the whole entire country. This means that Sofie doesn't always feel fully developed, but most readers will empathize with Lana when tragedy befalls her as a teenager and leads her down a road that will change the course of her life forever.

An interesting premise - a former news reporter, Sofie Morse, is hired to write a biography of the First Lady, Lara Caine, who's a former fashion model from Eastern Europe, married to a controversial US President, with a young child (in this case, twin girls) and a shadowy past. (any similarities to a recent resident of the White House are obviously intended) Not much is known about FLOTUS and as Lara opens up to Sofie, we begin to suspect she has a hidden agenda we don't yet understand. And boy, does she ever. Before she knows it, Sofie's immersed in an international intrigue that could have far-reaching effects on world politics. Is she being used as a mere pawn in some game she doesn't understand? Should she trust Lara or start her own investigation into what she's being told? What is the truth?

I could have used less of the back story of Lara's previous life in Russia and in Paris, including an early tragic romance, because after a while it took me out of the story playing out in the present day. Felt like much of it could have been condensed and I would still understand why Lara behaved as she did. But I did enjoy the thinly-veiled peek behind the curtain of Washington and international politics although parts of the novel rang a bit unlikely and convenient. I wasn't sure Sofie would be that easily taken in although perhaps the lure of the big scoop plus a hefty paycheck was enough to sway her. But all in all, an enjoyable story. For fans of political intrigue and the machinations that occur behind the scenes in US politics.

DEEP SIGH I was not interested in Melania Trump fan fiction and I will be so happy when authors are done basing their oafish presidents on Trump. Big disappointment from the jump there. Aside from that, I did enjoy the historical bit, learning more about Lara’s time in Paris and her father’s ties to the KGB. I liked the dynamic between Lara and Sofie but also at times felt like Sofie was under-developed as a character and was used more as a plot device to keep Lara’s story moving. Overall, the premise was disappointing (to me! not badly written) but this wasn’t a bad political thriller at all, I’d still recommend it. It was a quick read.

3/5 stars for this book. I didn’t realize how political it would be or how obviously it would be based on current political characters. I didn’t really connect to any of the characters on a personal level or get invested in the storyline. It was a good read but not my favorite.