Coming off the hype and love (most) everyone had for The Wife Between Us, going into this book, I was a little hesitant. Sometimes that first book that just WOWS you ruins it for the next one. Well, ladies and gentlemen, let me tell you, Greer and Sarah have done it AGAIN. It's hard to believe that there are two people writing a book when it comes across as cohesively as they manage to make it.

As someone who loves "scientific" testing and the psychology of people, the plot is original, intriguing and a study I would have been happy to join (well, not anymore after reading this book but... 😉). A morality study?? I find this even MORE intriguing because of the generality of what morality can mean to any number of people. Different lifestyles, religious loyalties, family upbringing.. I mean, there are millions of things that can determine what someone considers to be moral or not and while the "standard" could be the same across the board, the little blips can be drastically different from person to person. BUT ANYWAYS...

Go into this blind. While some parts are completely implausible (or ARE they?!), this was an absolute fun ride to be on. Jessica is quite the character and I'm surprised she was so easily a target. Dr. Shields... well, isn't she just the intelligent manipulator? As usual, the authors bring about some twists and when everything starts to come together, it becomes a matter of who to trust in this puzzle. I did feel that the ending was a little bit toooooo easy considering everything leading up to it. However, once again I was pulled in, strapped down and read it in two sittings. BAM.

Easily addictive, you'll be hard pressed to put this one down once you pick it up. Give me more, ladies!!

If you loved THE WIFE BETWEEN US, you will like this book as well. A young NYC woman struggling to make a living signs up for a mysterious study and begins a dangerous relationship with the doctor in charge of the study. The book is written from the POV of the young woman and the doctor and both characters are interesting and well-written, the mystery engaging without isolating readers, and the narrative satisfying overall. Some readers may have problems with the ending, which is not the fireworks that THE WIFE BETWEEN US was, but still a really interesting thriller.

I actually finished reading this book back in December but I’ve been down with a bad case of the flu this past week and only started feeling stronger today, so didn’t get a chance to write the review on this until now.

After having read Greer Hendricks’ and Sarah Pekkanen’s debut novel The Wife Between Us last year, I was really excited to be approved for an advance copy of their sophomore work, An Anonymous Girl. As is usually the case with thriller / suspense novels, I don’t want to say too much in this review, as the “fun” in reading this genre is to go in knowing as little as possible and seeing where the story takes you. The premise of the story — about a woman named Jess who sneaks into a paid research study on morality and ethics, then subsequently finds herself entangled in a dark web of deceit, betrayal, and obsession — is completely original and different, which is definitely refreshing given that so many psychological suspense novels nowadays seem to cover the same types of themes and characters. The story was captivating, despite the fact that there weren’t a bunch of explosive scenes — rather than being action-packed, the story was actually a slow-burning one, with a bunch of smaller surprises at the end of each chapter rather than one huge shocking twist. I feel this structure worked well in this case, especially with the narrative alternating between Jess and the doctor conducting the study, as we got to experience the story from two very different perspectives, which helped make the mini reveals in each chapter all the more interesting.

In many ways, I feel that Greer and Hendricks took their storytelling to the next level with this book, as it delves much deeper into the minds of its characters while at the same time, making us as readers wonder how we would answer if posed the same questions. With that said though, there were certain points throughout the story where I couldn’t help questioning why Jess would agree to certain things or whether she truly didn’t see some of the things that went on — so yes, there were some believability issues for me but relatively minor ones given the context of the story. I also thought the ending was anti-climactic — in this area, their first book The Wife Between Us was way, way better in that the ending there left me stunned and shocked while the ending with this one left much to be desired.

Overall, this was a well-written psychological suspense novel, a good choice if you’re looking for something different within the genre and don’t mind the slow pace of the story. Definitely recommended!

Received ARC from St. Martin’s Press via NetGalley

Another hit by this powerhouse duo. I knew from reading The Wife Between Us that there would be some major twists on this journey and I was not wrong. As you begin to read, you try to figure out what the authors are going to do, where the twists are, what might happen next but they write this story so seamlessly that by the time you are hit with you are start questioning your own sanity. Throw into the twisty mix that these two are so good at -- a psychologist who is good at pulling things out of you that you never consciously thought about, a damaged girl or two, and a few other characters who make the story so unbelievable that you can only surmise it could happen in real life -- and you have a recipe for a wonderful, suspenseful psychological mind bender that will keep you riveted from the very first page. Have you ever wanted to sign up for one of these studies for quick money? You will want to re-think that after reading this amazing story. ARC received by NetGalley for an honest review!

An absolute hit with our library readers. Ordered many copies for our library branches and it is already a popular read! Will recommend for book clubs.

Well written, I liked this thriller even more than the authors’ last book. Chilling and creepy although it didn’t start that way, it is well worth reading, the more I read, the more I wanted to read. Great book!.

The Wife Between Us by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen was one of my favorite thrillers from last year, so when I heard this duo had collaborated on another book, I couldn’t request it from Netgalley fast enough. And as much as I enjoyed The Wife Between Us, I think their latest effort, An Anonymous Girl, is an even more riveting read. It was a nail biter from start to finish and it seemed to actually just get creepier and creepier with each turn of the page!

An Anonymous Girl follows Jess Farris, a 28-year old make-up artist who is struggling to make ends meet. When the opportunity to take part in a psychology experiment that pays its participants $500 falls into her lap, Jess jumps at the chance to make some easy cash. Jess thinks she’s going to waltz in, answer a few anonymous questions about morality and ethics for Dr. Lydia Shields, grab her $500, and go. What she doesn’t anticipate is getting sucked into a manipulative game of cat and mouse orchestrated by Dr. Shields that threatens to turn Jess’ whole world upside down.

This is one of those books where it’s best to go in knowing as little as possible so I’m going to be pretty vague in my explanation of what I liked about it. Here were some of the highlights for me:

I loved the way the story is presented from the perspectives of both Jess and Dr. Shields. The way Dr. Shields would manipulate Jess and then sit back and watch her like she was a lab rat in a cage lent the story such a creepy and suspenseful atmosphere. Coupling those chapters with chapters from Jess where you can see what’s going on in her head as Dr. Shields keeps drawing her deeper and deeper into her twisted game had me on the edge of my seat the entire time I was reading. Dr. Shields gets so far inside Jess’ head that she can barely perform the simplest task without wondering how Dr. Shields would judge her for her choices.

Also adding to the creepy factor is the fact that in the chapters from Dr. Shields’ perspective, she thinks of herself in the third person. It’s as if she is observing herself as part of an experiment as well. It gives her a cold and clinical vibe, which is in sharp contrast to Jess, who comes across as resourceful but naïve.

Some other highlights for me are that the pacing is near perfect. I never once lost interest in the plot and easily breezed through this novel in a sitting or two. Also, as with The Wife Between Us, Hendricks and Pekkanen are truly in sync with one another and the writing just flows so smoothly and effortlessly.

I know I keep using the word creepy, but the dark nature of An Anonymous Girl is what really stuck with me after I finished the last page. Even though it starts out focusing on morality and ethics, it takes a very dark and dangerous turn into the realm of obsession and manipulation. I love those books that have you practically screaming at the main characters to turn around and run away, and this is a prime example of a book like that.

Overall, I thought this was a fantastic and compelling read. There were a couple of plot twists that I thought came together a little too conveniently, but that didn’t at all take away from my enjoyment of the story.

If you’re looking for a mind blowing psychological thriller to get your 2019 reading off to a stellar start, I highly recommend An Anonymous Girl.

Another home run for the dynamic duo Greer and Sarah. I absolutely loved the fresh plot of this book and how the crazy unraveled slowly throughout, keeping you intrigued until the very end. I cannot wait to see what they have coming up next!

The perfect way to start of my 2019 reading! This was a mind thriller, I didn't know who to trust and I didn't want to put it down. I was so frustrated with all of the characters at different points throughout. This book is not scary but it got to me and messed with my mind (which Im impressed it could do), I was jumping at noises as I stayed up way to late to read it! A true thriller! Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book! I can't wait to have friends read it so we can talk more about it!

I received an advanced reader copy. I am voluntarily leaving a review. Jessica needs money. She helping her parents out and secretly funding her sister's treatment. She finds out about a psychological study and sneaks in. The researcher becomes intrigued by her and offers Jessica additional funds to participate further. But nothing is what it seems with the study or Dr Shields. This story is a mind f*&k.

Let us first acknowledge the elephant in the room: the only thing sillier than the cover art is the title. There. Now those issues are out of the way, we can move on to the book, which is quite a good one. If you’ve been following my reviews on Goodreads, you know I read a lot of female-focused psychological thrillers, so it’s tough to find anything unique, that I haven’t already read ten times before. Even more difficult is finding something that compares to Mary Kubica or Gillian Flynn, who I think are some of the finest authors in the genre— even though I do find quality control issues among their work, too. So often, it feels like psychological thrillers are churned out, without having been edited properly, as if publishers need to feed a voracious audience and are too lazy (or else too swamped) to give any real attention to developing these stories. As a result, much of the fare feels derivative, cliche, melodramatic— even when there’s a good idea at the root, without time and care, that little bulb is not able to blossom into its fullest potential.

Alright, end rant about the genre and focus on the newest effort by Sarah Pekkanan and Greer Hendricks. An Anonymous Girl *cringes at the name* promises exactly the kind of story I enjoy most: full-on psychological thriller, and it mostly delivers. I was immediately hooked, with the introduction of an active protagonist, who is scrappy and a bit morally agnostic. She doesn’t stumble into danger, as is the case in many of these novels; no, she sees an opportunity and takes it, despite the possible dangers, of which she is fully aware. Or, at least, she thinks she’s fully aware, until things begin going off the rails.

I also loved that from the start, the reader is involved in the experiment and asked to question their own sense of morality. I wish that had been continued a bit more throughout, so that while Jessica is forced to confront her beliefs, her past, and how she should live in the present, so, too are we.

An Anonymous Girl offers the best sort of cat-and-mouse game, because Jess is not an innocent who gets sucked into a plot. She is smart and savvy and is trying her damndest to out-maneuver her opponent(s), who is/are always just one step ahead. The novel is rife with twists and turns, which last until the very end. Most are successful at building suspense and skirting around expectations, though as it passes the halfway mark, it loses some of its steam. I think that’s the trouble with books that start out so strong: it’s difficult, if not next to impossible, to keep up that level of intrigue.

Overall, I would definitely recommend checking this one out. I may even check out the authors’ previous bestseller, The Wife Between Us.



Rating: 3.75/5 stars (will round up on Goodreads)

Well. I finished this book and said aloud, “daaamn”. Because sometimes, books just elicit that response. An Anonymous Girl definitely did that for me. The second novel by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen definitely had me hooked and did not disappoint. Being book #2, you wonder, can it live up to the first (The Wife Between Us)? Honestly, I think this was even better.

I felt it had a The Girl on the Train way of suspense and mystery, meaning you really didn’t know if someone was guilty, who the guilty person was, or if possibly the main character, Jess, was maybe just losing her mind. In a study of morality, was she being gaslighted by a professtional, or were all her suspicions true? Unlike Train, I think Hendricks and Pekkanen nailed it to the very end. In Train, you knew how it was going to end, because there was literally no one else to suspect. In Anonymous, you really have no idea who will win this insanely intellectual cat and mouse game.

One of the more unique books I’ve read in some time, this thriller is already a favorite of 2019. Hendricks and Pekkanen are just getting better and better and I cannot wait for book number three.

Can I just say WOAH! I read this book in a half of day it was just that good. Responsibilities be darned! If you have heard about this duo and how great their books are be assured that it is the truth. This is an excellent thriller and really leaves you feeling like you have no idea what is going on sometimes. And I mean that in a GREAT way. When you think you know a character ohhhh no slow down because you think wrong. I do not want to share too much of the plot because I think you should just go in and start reading it without any biased ideas. It will be worth it. It is an edge of your seat and hold on to your pants kind of thriller. DO NOT MISS THIS!

Received this book as an ARC for my honest review.

I had read "The Wife Between Us" and absolutely did not care for that book. I was a little skeptical about reading this one once I knew that it was by the same authors. But I was I was pleasantly surprised. I actually liked this book. Jessica does makeup through a company that sets up the appointments and he overhears that one of the women is scheduled for a survey the next day and that they are paying well but she didn't want to go. Jessica decides to go in her place and she is now "Subject 52" After Jessica answers the questions Dr. Shields, who runs the survey, likes what she reads and ends up snaring Jessica into her trap. The book was a little slow at times and there were points where I figured it out before Jessica did but I did enjoy the book. The biggest complaint that I had was that it wasn't separated by who was talking. It was hard to follow as one part you are dealing with Jessica and then bam you are now in Dr. Shields brain.

I work in a bookstore and I have literally had customers asking about this book for MONTHS and it does not come out until January 8. That's when you know there is a lot of pre-release hype about a book! I loved The Wife Between Us, so I was excited to read the latest by Hendricks and Pekkanen. This twisty thriller will make you think twice about signing up for a psychological study!

Jessica Farris, age twenty-eight, is a makeup artist for Beauty Buzz. She lugs her giant makeup kit all around New York City doing makeup for other people who are living their dreams. As for Jess, she's heavily focused on money, as her parents are stressed trying to provide all the medical support they can for her disabled sister, Becky. Even worse, her Dad is about to lose his job. So when she sees one of her clients get a text where she could enroll in a psychology study, answer a few questions, and make some quick bucks, it sounds ideal. But the questions rapidly grow more intense and soon Jess is asked back for further questions and extra sessions. She then meets the doctor behind the study, Dr. Shields, and becomes caught her manipulative web of experimentation--and obsession.

So I liked THE WIFE BETWEEN US but didn't *love* it like so many people did, and hence I wasn't entirely sure about reading this one. I definitely enjoyed AN ANONYMOUS GIRL more. This author duo is certainly adept at writing very readable, very wild books that are hard to put down. I found myself stealing away during the chaos of Christmas Eve to finish this book.

The chapters alternate between Jess and Dr. Shields. Overall, Jess is just your average likeable gal who gets in over her head. I didn't adore her or anything; sometimes she irritated me a bit, but she was fine. My biggest pet peeve with this entire book was the fact that Dr. Shields chapters were written almost entirely in passive voice. This was obviously done as a literary device and part of her character, but ugh! After a while, I could barely take it. I felt like I was at work, reading all of my colleague's proposal sections, and I felt as if I was mentally correcting each sentence as I read it. Not fun.

But, I digress. It quickly becomes apparent that we cannot really trust anything that's happening in this one, which is fun. You know there has to be more to everyone's stories, and the book constantly had me guessing. There are a lot of nice twists thrown in, and unlike the authors' previous book, I didn't guess the main one right away, so I really enjoyed reading the story. It did stress me out a bit, though - sheesh! It's very crazy, very unbelievable (but in a good way), often quite creepy, but an enjoyable ride.

Overall, this is a fun, twisty thriller that lets you just suspend disbelief and enjoy the ride. It's different, a bit spooky, and interesting. 4 stars.

I almost hate to admit how much I enjoyed this novel. It has no redeeming social value and a plot that is, well, sorta cheesy but golly is it a page turner! Jess slips into a psychological study in order to make some much needed bucks to supplement her income as a makeup artist in NYC. Unfortunately, that study turns into a twisted, very very twisted, game between Dr Lydia Shields and her husband Thomas. Shields uses Jess to test Thomas. But what is Thomas doing? Who can Jess trust? Well, this situation might remind you of those movies where you want to tell the teen to leave the house! Jess is a good character- very sympathetic and realistic. Shields is quite devious and Thomas- well, what about Thomas? Keep an eye out for Noah. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. This is a fast, plot driven read that's really well done.

I am trying to come up with three words that will best describe this book. If I really had to choose, it would be creepy, haunting, and disturbing.

Creepy. This whole book gave me the creeps. From the morality test, to Dr. Shields, to the plot. It all gave off a creepy vibe. More than once during this book, my skin crawled. I felt like I, too, was being tested. Am I sane? Am I moral? How far would I go to find the truth?

Haunting. Again, Dr. Shields. That woman is one messed up woman. I wasn't sure if she was genius or evil. I am still not so sure. Her character definitely would give any person nightmares if she existed in real life.

Disturbing. You guessed it. Dr. Shields. Are you seeing a trend? I just can't get over her. Her willingness to go as far as she does is highly disturbing. If I am honest, the whole book is disturbing. I am sure there are individuals like her in the world, and that scares the crap out of me.

This book is twisted, have no doubts. Did it shock me? Not really. However, that is not to say it won't shock many. I read so many of these kinds of books, it seems to be hard to shock me these days. I will say, the first half of the book is slow. I almost gave up. But I kept it moving, and it really picked up in the second half. It was worth it.

Now after reading two books by this new writing duo, I am looking forward to what they will bring us next.

I received this book on Net Galley for an honest review.

I have always wondered about those studies that sound like this one from the novel:

You're Invited: Seeking women aged 18 to 32 to participate in a study on ethics and morality conducted by a preeminent NYC psychiatrist. Generous compensation. Anonymity guaranteed. Call for more details.

Sounds above board right? That's what Jess thinks when she signs up for the study. She could use the extra money and it all sounds so simple, but what starts as an easy study turns into a nightmare of deceit and manipulation.

I found myself instantly drawn into the plot, though I knew there would be manipulations, it did not matter, as I was invested in the story. The characters are well drawn and the plot moves along at a satisfying pace. I had not heard of the authors prior to seeing this book on Net Galley, but I will be looking for their previous book as well as anything else they may write.
An Anonymous girl was a satisfying read!

Greer Hendricks’ An Anonymous Girl was an exciting, interesting and complex story centered on main character, Jessica Farris. In an innocent attempt to make some extra cash, Jessica, a struggling to make ends meet make up artist, offers herself up as a volunteer for a psychology study. From the first visit in a room alone, answering questions on ethics and morality, Jessica soon finds herself deeply involved with the psychologist in charge, Dr. Shields. Surprised at the amount of money Jessica is able to earn, she finds herself unable to say no to Dr. Shields’ complex and odd requests. Jessica and Dr. Shields become deeply intertwined and even Jessica is unsure where the study ends and her real life begins.
As a reader that is a little exhausted by all the recent thrillers and “next Gone Girl” recommendations, I was apprehensive to start yet another similar novel. However, I was pleasantly surprised by the writing, narrative and overall character development and story line. An Anonymous Girl had me deeply engaged from the start, the story development was excellent and the plot twists kept me guessing and changing what I thought I already knew. Do yourself a favor and do whatever necessary to get on the waitlist, buy a copy, or borrow a friend’s copy, but plan on being consumed with this novel!