Stephanie Winston Wolkoff

This book is proof that you can reach your 40’s and not know how to properly judge human beings. Melania Trump was practically screaming, “I will use you until you have nothing left, and then I will discard you,” and this woman kept going back for more.

On top of that, this book is full of martyr moments where she’s sacrificing her health, family, finances and putting herself in legal jeopardy, and she still wants to cling on to the myth of Melania, as empty a vessel as her horrible show more husband. But it comes off as whining instead of building her up. Stephanie is the person in the horror movie who you are yelling at to not go back into the house. She just can’t help it, maybe she’s just not that bright.

She finally, after 14 years of emoji laden ‘friendship,’ understood that when someone tells you what they are, believe them. show less

What a bizarre tale of self-destruction... And for what? To be close to "royalty", or "to help" her "friend" Melania??? With absolutely no financial compensation? Are we to understand that a smart lady like the author, with impeccable event organizing credentials, is that naive?...

"Our first full month in the White House was like living inside an emotional washing machine that only made you feel dirtier with every rinse."

The above quote says it all... Ms. Winston Wolkoff tries her best to show more justify her staying in that environment (things like "protecting" her "friend" Melania from the Trump family - especially from Ivanka - etc....), but Melania emerges in this account as a practical, calculating person quite capable to protect herself, who knows exactly what she is in for, and who has her priorities all figured out. As per this book, in many aspects, Melania and Trump are truly worth each other...

It's not surprising to find the emerging Trump administration a total chaos. The surprise is how deceived Ms. Winston Wolkoff was in her emotions towards Melania, who values her luxuries more than anything and who would much rather spend time at a spa - at her own admission - according to the author, than go campaigning for her husband or attend some political function.

In hindsight, the author herself doesn't feel that it was worth it, what with her huge health problem in the midst of it all, as well as her anguish about her son's extreme food allergies - all that had to be put aside for the sake of Trump inauguration and later - for the sake of making something great out of Melania... One can't help but doubt the naive nature that Stephanie W. W. claims to have had through all of this...

The book left me with an unpleasant feeling. In structure, it is a hectic, all-over-the-place narrative, too detailed, especially describing the author's great skills in arranging events (!), with the desire to prove her great self-worth, and also the depiction of constant scheming and suspicion and lack of trust among everybody around her... Why did she go on in an environment like that?... A million dollar question. show less

I refuse to tag this book as "friendship" because there was no friendship. There is one person sacrificing herself in order to be someone and someone else who tolerates it until there's no good reason anymore. Lots of whining and "poor me" but as my mother says, "You can only be a doormat if you lay down on the floor and let people walk all over you."

Almost since the beginning of Donald J. Trump's presidency, I've felt sorry for Melania. I'll admit, my first thought was to be disgusted by her being FLOTUS, as there had never been anyone like her in the White House, in that position, before. Imagine: any of our prior First Ladies ever having posed nude for a magazine! Shocking!!! But once I got past that, and especially after seeing the clip of Melania's smile turning to a frown at the Inauguration, I felt so bad for her. I thought, show more "Sure, she married up, hoping to gain a fortune, knowing what she was getting into..." But I really didn't think she foresaw THIS.... being First Lady! So yeah, I felt bad for her.... because she's stuck. Even though she would definitely have signed a prenup, she'll still be screwed if she ever wants to leave DJT.
So, as the 2020 election draws near, and I am fervently hoping and praying he won't be re-elected, I thought this book's arrival was very timely. I hoped for some background into what goes on behind the scenes. And boy, did this book deliver! Nothing salacious, nothing really that we didn't already know about.... just basically the same things we've already heard, but from Melania's point of view.
I'll say this: she's no shrinking violet. She knew EXACTLY what she was getting into, from day one. I mean, she probably never imagined, at the beginning, that he'd become president. But I don't think she was exactly shocked, either. And I believe she knew, when she latched onto him, that she was in for a long ride.
I think the difference between Melania and DJT's first two wives is that she lets him do whatever he wants, and she doesn't make a fuss. She doesn't try to have her own voice or do her own work or anything. She knows she's essentially meant to stand by and be pretty, and she does that. She plays nice when she's supposed to. But deep down, I think she's as cold and heartless as he is. They're meant for each other. show less