When Jessica lies her way into a psychological study about ethics and morality, she catches the attention of the professor/therapist running the experiment, Dr. Shields. Soon she is caught up in a web of manipulation, obsession, and the pathological relationship between Dr. Shields and her husband.

I have read three other books by Hendricks and Pekkanen that I really liked, so I wanted to go back and read this one that I had missed. While many others may love this book, I did not enjoy it as much as the others I have read by this duo.

Told from two POVs, there are twists, turns, unreliable characters. The reader, along with Jessica, won’t know whose narrative to trust. I thought this read a bit slow paced and repetitive.

An Anonymous Girl had me rushing through the pages to see what would happen next! Filled with deceit, it was interesting to try to guess which characters were trustworthy and which ones were not. Some of the situations in the story bordered on too far-fetched, and there were numerous points in the story where I felt Jessica was just too “green” and naive. Neither of these things detracted from my overall enjoyment reading the book though. Recommended for fans of fast-paced, suspenseful drama.

I will be honest; I didn’t read this book. The title intrigued me initially when I requested it years ago, but looking back at it, post COVID, it doesn’t interest me but I wish the author well

3 stars - I loved The Wife Between Us, but alas, this one didn’t live up to the hype for me and is unmemorable. I feel like I’m an outlier because there are many high reviews for An Anonymous Girl.

Thank you to the publisher for providing a copy via NetGalley.

Can you say psycho? Every character in this book is flawed. Jess needs money to support her disabled sister so signs up for experimental psycho test that turns her world upside down. Don't want to be friends with anyone in this book except maybe the sister.

A young woman enters herself as a test subject in a psychological survey which explores morality and ethics. As the questions become more probing, invasive and uncomfortable, Jess takes a hard look at herself and her choices. The study then changes from the clinical to real world situations and as Jess and Dr. Shields delve deeper, I was drawn in deeper too.

An intriguing story of a young woman who answers an ad for a study on ethics and morality that pays well. She is set up at a computer that asks questions but soon she is asked to meet in person with the doctor running the study. That's when it gets interesting.

This was an intriguing book, and I read through it quickly, but I'm not sure how I feel about the second half.

I liked this book. Multiple pov’s , lots of twists and turns but overall nothing new. Maybe I’ve read too many of these types of books lately. It’s not bad just predictable. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early copy in exchange for a honest opinion. 3⭐️

This was intriguing, and kept the pages turning, but I was disappointed by the outlandish extent of the manipulation depicted. Hard to be invested in a thriller when it has you rolling your eyes.

There is no "sophomore slump" for authors Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen, who first teamed up to bring readers The Wife Between Us.

As the story opens, Jessica Farris is struggling to make ends meet when she agrees to serve as a test subject in a psychological study focusing on ethics and morality conducted by Dr. Lydia Shields, a preeminent psychiatrist in New York City. The story swings into high, tantalizing gear from the very beginning when Jessica, an independent makeup artist, completes the initial questionnaire. Soon the study's scope ramps up from questionnaires to actual tasks that Jessica is expected to perform. But the line between reality and the things Jessica is asked to do for Dr. Shieds blurs along with the border that divides right and wrong, ethical and unethical.

It soon becomes clear to Jessica that Dr. Shields not only knows what she is doing at all times, but also what she is thinking. Somehow, Dr. Shields also is aware of the aspects of her family history that she hides out of guilt and remorse.

Before long, Jessica is being manipulated by Dr. Shields . . . or is she? Seemingly caught in a web woven by Dr. Shields of attraction, deceit, and jealousy, Jessica discovers that obsession fuels the so-called study and believes she has become a pawn in a deadly game that has already resulted in one death. Has she really? Is Jessica truly being used by Dr. Shields to carry out a dangerous plan from which she does not know how to extract herself . . . or is she paranoid?

<em>An Anonymous Girl</em> creatively and inventively explores age-old questions employing a unique premise. "When money and morality intersect, the results can illuminate intriguing truths about human character. People are motivated to break their moral compasses for a variety of primal reasons: survival, hate, love, envy, passion. And money." But how far is Jessica willing to go to protect herself and her family . . . and free herself from Dr. Shields?

The tautly-crafted story never drags. Instead, the unexpected plot twists and surprises propel the action forward right up to the jaw-dropping conclusion that most readers will never see coming. The story will leave readers pondering the limits of their own moral compasses and, for that reason, is an excellent choice for book clubs.

Thanks to the publisher, authors, and NG for the copy of this book in exchange for my review. I think I have every book written by this team, and I cannot say say they are improving with time. I wish I could, but I cannot. I pushed myself through this slog fest so I could truthfully say I gave it a chance. There were a couple of facts that, perhaps because it was set in NYC and therefore did not seem practical or even believable in my little part of the country, that needed to maybe looked into more before being written (I’m not sure I wrote that sentence clearly? But I’m not sure how to say what I want? ) I really wonder if the main character would have that job now after COVID for example . I never read about her sanitizing! I worked at Sephora awhile and that is such a big part of that job. That really turned me off. I know that sounds petty. But seriously EW! I would have enjoyed taking one of those tests though. I came close to that when interviewing for a job at Payless shoes in college. It was fascinating, however , I was an education major and we take psychology courses so I knew what that test was all about. All in all it was fine. The book was fine. It just did not have that kick that I know these authors can provide

Wow! Five big stars. For once, the hype and buzz are deserved.


Remember the rules: Be open and truthful, and avoid pivoting away from any embarrassment or pain these questions provoke.


This book grabbed me from the get go. A twenty eight year old woman sneaks herself into an ethics and morality study in order to earn some extra income. I was able to immediately put myself in her shoes. The initial questions had me wondering how I would answer.

The chapters alternate between the woman and the doctor heading up the study. It quickly becomes a fast paced ride. Definitely entertaining. There are some real twists so that the tension keeps getting ratcheted up. It’s a hard book to put down. I can even see this being made into a movie.

Don’t look for believability here. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t some interesting concepts being explored. Power. Trust.

Jessica is such a well thought out character. Out of her depth, but a real fighter. No dummy, but she’s up against a master. I was entranced trying to figure out how she would extract herself from this game of cat and mouse.

I would love to know how Hendricks and Pekkanen write together because the finished product is seamless.

If you like dark psychological thrillers, this one’s for you!

My thanks to netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advance copy of this book.

I took a long time to post this review because I didn't love it and I always feel bad writing bad reviews. I totally expected to love this book and while many have, I just couldn't connect with the story. I found it a little boring and wasn't super wowed by the ending so sadly, I can't recommend since I haven't read Greer Hendricks or Sarah Pekkanen before and can't say whether this was a fluke for me.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read and provide an honest review.

This is was a fully engrossing, edge of your seat type read! I wasn't sure how it would end until the last couple of chapters. 4 1/2 stars from me!

This started a little slowly but built up quickly and I ended up staying up far too late on a work night. Highly recommended if you like psychological thrillers. I've recommended it for book club.

(This review is from 2019. Apparently I read thr book & wrote the review but never published it. 🤦🏻‍♀️ So here it is now.)

I was surprised I hadn't read this author previously as I'm certainly familiar with the title THE WIFE BETWEEN US even though I've also not read it. I eagerly jumped into AN ANONYMOUS GIRL.

A moody thriller.

Perfect for a weekend at home.

First person POV are always a bit more of a challenge for me to get into, as they aren't frequently in my TBR pile. But once I found myself within the story it was a good fit.

Plotwise, mmmmm, that's where just my three stars come in, unfortunately. Even though thrillers aren't my main jam genre, I wanted just MORE to it. When I commit to reading this genre it needs to be a slow burn and keep me guessing I won't say it was entirely predictable but it certainly didn't keep me guessing.

Actually I never was able to download the copy from NetGalley I was supposed to receive so unable to provide an honest review. I cannot remove it from my dashboard so to clear from my dashboard & only looking at current reviews, seemed like a good read and I would have enjoyed reading. Maybe one day will grab from the library. Sorry. This is first time this has happened to me.

This book was a little all over the place. It had a lot of potential, but a lot of it was predictable. Overall the story seemed like a reach. 3/3.5⭐️ I will read more of this duo’s work to give them another shot.

4.5/5 stars

This book gave an interesting look at psychology research, although this one takes a nosedive into the unethical realm.

This book was pretty good, some suspension of disbelief is required due to some of the plot points and twists.

The question of morals, money and how one acts when no one else is around are major themes throughout this book and would make a great book club discussion. The mental health professionals in this book are mostly unethical, so bare that in mind when reading - the vast majority of real life psychiatrists and therapists are not like this! If you’re wanting to seek out treatment, please don’t take this book as what actually goes on in treatment; yes, there are some unethical clinicians but this is a very small number.

Overall this book was good but could’ve had some information about seeking out mental health treatment and what actually goes on.