Title: An Anonymous Girl
Author: Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen
Genre: Suspense
Rating: 3 out of 5

Jessica Farris is a struggling makeup artist whose past haunts her when she takes a client’s place in a psychology study in an effort to make some extra money. She thought it would just be answering a few questions and collecting a check, but as the questions grow more personal—prompting her raw honesty—she starts to wonder.

Soon she’s meeting Dr. Fields one-on-one, and is fascinated by the brilliant, beautiful doctor. As the doctor’s questions get more personal, Jessica starts to wonder if the doctor knows what she’s thinking. Then their sessions become Jessica dressing as specified and following the doctor’s detailed instructions in encounters with other people.

Jessica isn’t sure she wants to continue in the study, but Dr. Fields knows so much about Jessica’s life she isn’t sure she can break the ties that bind them together—even when Jessica realizes just how twisted the good doctor’s mind really is.

I finished reading this, but my apathetic dislike for the characters made it a close thing. If even one of the characters had been likable, the book probably would have been engrossing, but as it is…well, the irony that Jessica gets into a study on ethics by lying is not lost on me…and tells you everything you need to know about her character. In the end, I think this just wasn’t the right book for me.

Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen are New York Times bestselling authors. An Anonymous Girl is their newest novel.

(Galley provided by St. Martin’s Press in exchange for an honest review.)

When these two authors collaborate you know you are in for something good! I loved the premise of this book. It was something new that I had never read in a book. Jess, decides to participate in a psychological study about ethics and morals. However, it turns into something she was not expecting. This was an edge of your seat game of cat and mouse and I loved every minute! The suspense had a great build and there were times I could not stop reading. I hope these two authors continue to collaborate in the future because I will looking forward to reading anything they put to page!

An Anonymous Girl

A True Psychological Thriller!

Told in the voices of the main characters, the story begins as Jess, a young make up artist in need of some extra money, joins an academic study of ethics and morals but quickly finds herself coming under the specific interest of respected head psychiatrist, Dr. Shields who manipulates Jess' participation for her own purposes.

It's Jess' journey that leads the story as she starts a one on one working relationship with Dr. Shields and finds her attitudes about what is right and wrong changing while she begins to suspect what Shields' intentions really are for her.

The story grabs your attention from the start and the twists don't stop until the last page as Jess starts asking her own questions and battling for her mind and life. It's definitely a book that you will struggle to put down without reading all the way to the end in one sitting!

I received an ARC for this book in exchange for an unbiased review.

https://www.amazon.com/review/RNORK6J1BNVMQ/ref=pe_1098610_137716200_cm_rv_eml_rv0_rv

This was a fascinating look into the human mind at the cross section of morality and money. While the story starts off a little slow I immediately liked Jessica, the main character and wanted to see where the story took her. It takes a little while but the book eventually picks up steam and shifts into high gear. From there it a twisty thriller that will keep you reading long past your bedtime. If you like thrillers, I highly recommend this one.

5 thrilling stars for AN ANONYMOUS GIRL by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen! This is the first book I have read by these two authors, and it had me continually on the edge of my seat. I was drawn into the story and the lives of Jess and Dr. Shields from the beginning.
The chapters are the perfect length and the characters are fleshed out and developed precisely to match the unfolding of the plot. This was a fast paced, intriguing, creepy, and dark novel that had me quickly turning pages. The suspense, tension and twists and turns were perfectly executed. I highly recommend you read this book!

Thanks to NetGalley, Jordan Hanley, Marketing Manager for St. Martin's Press and St. Martin's Press for an ARC of AN ANONYMOUS GIRL and allowing me to provide you with my unbiased thoughts of this publication.
Posted January 9/19 Goodreads

This book will leave you at the edge of your seat. It gives new meaning to the term psychological thriller. I can't say more or I'll give too much away. Even better than The Wife Between Us.

Have you ever made one quick decision that altered the course of your life? Jessisca Farris deals with repercussions of her decisions in An Anonymous Girl.

In An Anonymous Girl, Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen (the authors of The Wife Between Us) take readers on an interesting ride through the labyrinth of morality.

I enjoyed the book, especially Jess. She is flawed, which makes her believable, if not always likeable. I found the plot intriguing and strong. I was pulled in until the end.

My one concern was that the style of writing when switching from the two main characters. I know the authors meant for there to be a difference in style between the two characters when narrating their feelings or notes, but the use of passive voice when Jess wasn’t the character narrating was very distracting to me. It could have been written in a tone without using so much passive voice. (For example: “And so counseling sessions were scheduled. Difficult conversations were had. And eventually date nights were reestablished.” or “The lamb is removed from the oven to rest on the counter.” The passive made it seem stilted and awkward in a way that didn’t seem necessary. The plot still continued and could be followed, but it would have been better for me as a reader without the passive. The person doing what was removed. It was obvious, but it would have been stronger with the person in the sentences. Not putting her in them made it seem very strange to me as a writing teacher and a reader.

Overall, this was a good book, but would have been a very good book without the awkward sentence structure and passive use.

I would suggest it readily to anyone who wants a fast-paced, interesting read.

I voluntarily read an Advanced Reader Copy of this book.

To say I inhaled this book is a gross understatement. I sat down and didn’t stop reading until I finished it. I ate dinner while turning pages and I think everyone thought I have lost my mind. To my defense sanity is over rated. After reading The Wife Between Us I knew I had to read this book. You know when you have a book immortalized in your mind and you can’t wait to read it. Yet you fear it may not live up to the hype. No problem with that here this book holds true to ever bit of praise that it has gotten and the praise it will continue to get. Remember the rules: Be open and truthful, and avoid pivoting away from any embarrassment or pain these questions provoke. Jessica Farris a makeup artist 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. Each chapter is crafted to keep the story moving flawlessly until the nail-biting end. Jessica becomes obsessed with this study and questions herself at every turn. The chapters alternate beautifully between patient and doctor and you can’t seem to pick sides. After the first 12% all you want to do is find out what the motives are for each person and what each has to gain. Jessica and the Dr are such well thought characters that you can picture them clearly in your minds. That being said Remember the rules: Be open and truthful, and avoid pivoting away from this book. Pick it up. Read it and review it. Share it with friends. 5***** for my first all-nighter of the year. Side note this is in talks to be a TV show. YES PLEASE!!!!

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review the advance reader copy of this book.

This book is a tangled web of a thriiler! When Jessica volunteers for a research study on morals, she gets more than she bargained for. Dr. Shields selects her, out of all the research subjects, for a special project. Jessica divulges more of her past and her family issues than she had intended. Dr. Shields uses this information to manipulate Jessica and force her participation in a plot to determine the doctor’s husband’s fidelity. As the book goes on, it is difficult to believe the motives of each character. Jessica finds it impossible to know who she can trust. In the end, it is a cat and mouse game of outwitting one another, with Jessica trying to save her own life. This book is hard to put down. With the introduction of each character, things become more complicated and relationships become more entwined. Exciting right up to the end.

Trust is a very personal thing. It is fickle and can easily be taken away but not so easily given. Jessica starts this study with a lie and attempts to continue it by trusting the Doctor who is administering the study. Each question, task and day tests the readers trusts as it does Jessica’s.

This was a very intriguing premise as I have a background in psychology and moral and ethical studies can be very telling about a person. Even more interesting is what it can tell you about its’ creator; especially in this story.

This was more first introduction to this author duo and I was entertained but I did feel like it was a bit long winded. I would get into the story and then find myself daydreaming shortly after due to the unnecessary details.

This fast paced thriller had me on the edge of my seat the entire book. I love the duo of Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen, I think they bring a fresh take on thrillers that I have been craving for awhile.
Imagine you have the opportunity to make some quick cash and all you have to is participate is a couple hour study. Jessica, strapped for cash, decides to participate in the study, what could go wrong?
You will want to read this book in one sitting to see what happens!

An Anonymous Girl by Greer Hendricks; Sarah Pekkanen. Jessica Farris signed up to be a subject in a psychology study on morality and ethics. Jessica needed the money and this seem a quick way to get that goal met. But things aren't going to be easy as you would think. It gets really weird and dangerous making you wonder what is really going on.
This was such a page turner thriller story that I would really recommend.

I've been quietly contemplating this title. It is once again a title that is best to go in blind. The summary does little to give away with the impressive psychological thriller that is contained within the pages.

Again the authors spin an original tale on the cat and mouse trope. How far will both the subject and the puppet master go? The money becomes too much of an incentive. Jessica's choices become too much of a power trip for Dr. Shields. As a reader I was graced with unexpected twists and turns that kept me engaged for central portion of the story. Like The Wife Between Us, I felt like several of the psychological twists just came out of nowhere and completely unexpected - but even MORE so with this story. I found myself more than once rereading passages as I asked myself "Did that just happen?". Authors Hendricks and Pekkanen once again impressed me fully with the ability to weave their storytelling voices to seamlessly blend. I never once felt as if two voices projecting the pace and plot.

The Wife Between Us was one of my 2019 best of the best reads - so getting the gift of an advanced reader copy made me ecstatic! And there in lies the issue - I believe in the reader because I expected too much.

I feel I owe my followers this insight as I fangirled so hard over TWBU. This story is told in a dual POV. Whereas TWBU was told as an observer - thus the appeal of originality to TWBU. As a reader when we were in Jessica's POV, I felt the story flowed well and kept me engaged. However, Dr. Shields was stiff and difficult for the first 25%. Maybe if I hadn't read TWBU, the use of this 'robotic' character would have worked. But it made it difficult at first to get invested in the character of Dr. Shields. Lastly, the ending -- well, it left me with a deflated feeling after being held on a tight wire for 70% of the story. In fairness, I think the POV and narcissistic personalities weren't an appeal for this reader.

I've read some reviews of those who choose to read AAG first had some of the same feelings I projected from TWBU - so take my one star deduction as I hyped it up too much in my mind. I do plan on re-reading with a buddy. Maybe that shared discovery of "WTH just happened" will make me temper my feelings on the parts I that didn't make it a perfect read for me.

Wrapping up, if you are a huge fan of psychological thrillers, this title for fans of the genre to enjoy. It's a definite buy recommendation from me.

I'm sorry I'm just having a really hard time getting into this book. I loved the other books I've read by both authors. I'm just really struggling with this one. It really doesn't help when I can not stomach the main characters. Maybe after I read more in.... Who knows!

I was immediately intrigued. The story grabbed me and did not let go. It had twists and turns, and though I did figure out some things, I had no idea what direction the story was going to take. I probably should have seen some things coming, but I did not.

I loved AN ANONYMOUS GIRL. It delivered on the psychological thriller and even with a predictable feel to the game/study, I never felt slighted with knowing in some ways what was coming next. I felt deflated with the ending and maybe that was by design of the authors. I was expecting to have felt some triumph but felt let down as if the ending was too slow for the rest of the book. I did a full review on my site http://bit.ly/RAPTReviewAnonymous

I found the format of the book very interesting getting the two character viewpoints every other chapter. This was a very suspenseful book that kept me on the edge of my seat. Recommend giving it a try.

Anonymous Girl invites you in from page one to a sinister and ominous study created by Dr. Shields. The book starts with "It's easy to judge other people's choices....We all have reasons for our actions. Even if we hide the reason from those who think they know us best. Even if the reasons are so deeply buried we can't recognize them ourselves." I could not wait to continue reading after the opening page.

The authors of this book have done a magnificent job telling a story from first person point of view of two different characters, Dr. Shields and Jessica. The story slowly builds and is actually fun to read the two perspectives and how vastly people can see things. Jessica is a beauty consultant with Beauty Buzz and Dr. Shields is a NYC psychiatrist. Jessica's job is to create beauty transformations for her clients in the forty-five minute sessions at the clients home or location. Dr. Shields is currently seeking women aged 18-32 for a study on ethics and morality. Jessica learns about this study while she is at one of her clients homes who has decided that she will probably not attend the study. The study also states that there is a generous compensation and anonymity is guaranteed. Would you be tempted to fulfill the shoes of someone else if you needed the money? Would you be willing to become Subject 52 in a study? Jessica does and she is told that by entering this study, you agree to be bound by confidentiality and must not discuss it with anyone. She is also told, "there are no right or wrong answers. It is essential that you are honest and give your first, instinctive response." "Could you tell a lie without feeling guilty?"

Jessica responds to the study and begins to fully open up to Dr. Shields. Overtime, Dr. Shields expands her study and expects more of Subject 52 which also means there is higher compensation. Are you willing to tell your life story and explore areas in your mind that have been untouched for years for a paycheck? As Jessica, Subject 52, becomes deeper into this devious study she begins to wonder what Dr. Shields is going to do with all the information she has provided. Subject 52 also begins to question Dr. Shields motives with some of the suspicious and luring tasks that she has her complete.

Anonymous Girl has so many twist and turns that you will stay up late to finish reading. It is full of sinister activity and malicious and threatening events. It is gripping, intriguing and absolutely made me question how I would handle each question or task if I were Subject 52. I love the 2 different point of views and could not wait to see how the book ended. The ending was well written and perfect for this psychological thriller.

Everyone should read Anonymous Girl! Thank you St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to review this fascinating, gripping, and devious thriller. #AnAnonymousGirl

What a twisty, freaky, exciting read this was! The writing duo of Hendricks and Pekkanen is outstanding.
It's just a simple psychology study...or is it?

I voluntarily read an advanced copy of this book.

Although there were a few things that are predictable, as is normal with this genre, I was actually quite surprised along the way and found the book hard to put down! The characters were very intriguing! Definitely recommend.