Member Reviews
This was by far the best thriller I read in 2018. This was completely unbelievable, yet I couldn't stop reading. Moral choices and the power that psychologists and psychiatrists wield make for a twisted, mind blowing read.
Jess enters into a psychological study on morals and ethics in a rather unethical way. She's desperate for some extra cash, so when a client nonchalantly mentions the paid study and how she probably won't be attending, Jess seizes the opportunity to take her spot instead by pretending to be her client. Jess's interest is piqued by the manner in which the study is conducted and the interesting questions that are asked of her. The questions are asked via computer, so Jess doesn't actually see the mysterious Dr. Shields, who is the conducter of the study. When Jess is asked to return to answer even more questions, she has no idea what she's getting herself into.
After reading The Wife Between Us, I couldn't wait to get my hands on An Anonymous Girl. It certainly didn't disappoint! I kept wondering how far the events in the book would go and it kept me guessing as to what would happen next.
Omg! I don’t even know what to say about this twisty and thrilling read! The concept intrigued me, but the actual plot was way better than I imagined! There were so many times that I couldn’t believe the amount of trust Jessica put into Dr. Shields. However much I enjoyed this one, The Wife Between Us was still my favorite read by these authors. I still highly recommend this one!
This book started off strong for me then slowly crept into Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn territory which I immensely disliked. I liked this book better than Gone Girl and there were plot twists that I didn't fully anticipate. Its very noir - where the heroine is very naive in the beginning and then slowly circumstances change her. I would have liked a different ending but at least I didn't throw this book across the room like I did with Gone Girl.
This book is written from two different points of view. That of Dr. Shields and that of Jess. Not quite alternating chapters but you get the idea of who is speaking as soon as you read the first few sentences. Dr. Shields is pretentious and ominous.
I will admit that this is a well crafted book and if you like Gone Girl you will definitely love this book, it just wasn't my favorite.
An Anonymous Girl is a page turning, stay up all night, twisted cat and mouse tale of obsession. Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen had me guessing til the end!
I almost gave up on this book about 30 pages in. It was a ridiculous premise, IMO. I read the reviews and decided to keep going. I ended up liking it more than I thought I would, but it was unbelievable and weird. Note to self: if a stranger is asking personally intimate questions under the guise of a paid psychological survey, it's probably not what it seems lol.
BLOWN AWAY ONCE AGAIN! These authors have defined the phrase "page turner". Not only was I kept on the edge of my seat the whole time I was reading it but I kept trying to figure out what would happen next and was wrong each time. That kept me wanting more. The twists and turns kept me guessing and was definitely an unputdownable book. I would definitely suggest this book to be read in any book club meeting since there are lots of elements to discuss and I'm sure lots of opinions as well.
I'm looking forward to the next book by this creative duo.
Jessica Farris is a twenty-eight year old makeup artist. At her last appointment of the day (two valley-girl college girls), Jessica stumbles upon an opportunity to make some extra money. She overhears one of the girls talking about a study on morality and ethics. Also overhearing that her client will not be attending after a long night out, she feigns being one of the college girls. With her disabled sister on her mind, she welcomes the opportunity.
However, things go bad quickly when more is slowly asked of her. But with that comes more money to support her sister and family.
Unfortunately, I have yet to read The Wife Between Us. So, I had no idea what to expect coming into this novel, but of course, I was pleasantly surprised. My only complaint was that there was so much deceit (which always makes for a good story). Not one character could be trusted, so you never knew what to expect yet, or what was the “true” story at any given time.
Could you tell a lie without feeling guilt?
An Anonymous Girl is thought-provoking, suspenseful, and gripping. This novel will challenge your morality and ethics!
Wow, couldn’t put this book down. From page one until finishing the epilogue was hooked on this book. Suspenseful and well written. Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen are a winning combination. Well developed characters and a fast moving plot. Would highly recommend this book!
I enjoyed The Wife Between Us and was excited to receive Hendricks and Pekkanen's second novel from the publisher! My undergrad was in psychology so this one grabbed me from the beginning and kept me hooked. By the time I got halfway through the book, I literally did not stop reading. Though I was irritated with Jess for much of the book (I wanted to shake her and yell "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!") I just couldn't put it down. Like Jess, I was sucked into the crazy story and couldn't look away from the wreckage. Who can she trust? What can she do? How will this end? I couldn't stop reading because I needed answers!
The book was told alternately from Jess's point of view and Dr. Sheilds' point of view, which did give some insight into the story. Dr. Sheilds' portions were written as if she were talking or writing to Jess, which felt awkward to me, but perhaps that was the point. It added to how creepy and weird the whole thing was. An Anonymous Girl is a fantastic, edge of your seat, ignore everything around you until you finish it psycological thriller! Don't miss this one!
I'm going to go out on a limb here and predict that this thrill-writing duo will be the next BIG THING in 2019! Since their first book, The Wife Between Us, was such a huge success in 2018, I wasn't sure if they had what it takes to publish another hit so soon - but they did (and might have even got better!) This story was so twisted and realistic with cringe-worthy moments on every page.
<i>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.</i>
This is how the story begins, and how our protagonist gets involved in a cat and mouse game disguised as a psychiatric study. I can't tell you how many times I got goosebumps while reading this! I was completely unaware that my perception was being manipulated at every turn. Once I realized what was happening, I couldn't put it down; I had to ride it out and see who was going to outsmart the other. It's not easy to deceive a seasoned thriller audience but I believe this one has done it!
Hard to say if I liked this book better than The Wife Between Us. I do think in some aspects the writing was more polished if that makes sense and it was fast paced and hard to put down. However it still annoyed me a pinch (won't say - spoiler) that said- I do recommend it and will read books by this team in the future.
This was a book that I really enjoyed reading. It was thrilling and mind boggling. Trying to figure out how all of the pieces fit together was not an easy feat by any means.
Jessica is living life how she knows best. Working to provide for herself and secret medical payments for her family, going out with friends to relieve stress and hooking up with men she has no intention of contacting again. One deviation from her normal routine is all it takes to turn Jessica's world upside down.
Entering the study was easier than Jessica could have ever dreamed of. The extra money will be a big help with the monthly bills, but when an opportunity to make more money is offered Jessica can't help but say yes, no matter what it's going to cost her in the future.
An Anonymous Girl is a is a story that will engage your mind, challenge your thought process and have you racing to see exactly how everything is connected.
This is an amazing psychological thriller. Anonymous is my first book by Greer Hendricks & Sarah Pekkanen and it won’t be my last.
This novel has more twists and turns, swooping ups and downs than even the scariest rollercoaster ride. The suspense build and you hold your breath waiting for the drop. Who to trust? Who to believe? What’s the truth? At every turn there’s another twist.
Who would have thought that lying in order to participate in a study on ethics and morality would lead to such a wild ride? Was the promise of generous compensation worth the lie?
Read this book! It grabs you from the start and holds you to the end. It is well written and the characters are intriguing. You won’t regret it.
Thank you to #Netgalley and #StMartinsPress for the ARC. The opinions expressed in this review are solely my own.
When you sign up to be in a psychology moral study but you get in my cheating...
Jessica is a struggling make-up artist in New York City. She thinks quick cash, answer some moral questions... easy peasy but she is quickly in over her head. She desperately searches for ways to get away from her involvement with the study & the Dr conducting the study.
This was a good entertaining thriller! I would recommend.
Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, Greer Hendricks & Sarah Pekkanen for an ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.
I received this free ARC from Netgalley in exchange for my opinion and review. This book is about a questionnaire gone bad. There many twists and turns that had me second guessing who might truly be the “bad guy.” I couldn’t put it down!
This is the type of book where I don't want to say too much in fear I will give something away. But, I will say this, the storyline was so original and captivating that I couldn't put it down! This left me feeling speechless and saying to myself "what did I just read"... but in a very good way!
The writing was brilliant and flawless! I'm waiting on the edge of my seat for the next book these awesome duo writers come out with next. Highly Recommend!
*Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC.
This was so unlike anything I've ever read that I didn't really know what to expect. Did I love it? Yes. Did it completely mess with my mind? Yes. Did I anticipate a strange and somewhat unsatisfactory ending to a strange, unpredictable plot? No. I loved every bit of this book because it was so unlike any other thriller/mystery novel I've read. I wasn't thrilled with the ending only because I feel like it was a predictable way to end an otherwise unpredictable novel. But this book consumed me all day, from start to finish.
Ohhh mama this was good!! Great way to end my 2018! This author duo has got.it.down. I enjoyed their first book but LOVED this one, read it in a day! It started off strong, and started to lull just a wee bit and then BOOM here is a twist and it never stopped from there! This is a great psychological thriller that kept me guessing on a couple of things, and I love when authors can do that.
Official pub date is 1/8/19. Go get it as soon as it is released!!!
Thanks to NetGalley for the electronic ARC in exchange for my review. All opinions above are my own.
An Anonymous Girl by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen was one of those books I couldn’t put down. I pretty much read it in one day. I kept turning pages trying to figure out what was going on with Dr. Shields and where the story was going to go next. The readability was definitely a strength of this book. However, some of the reveals were a letdown and became somewhat predictable. I kept waiting for an explosive event. Instead this books proceeds at an even, though intense pace. Regardless it was an interesting book that got me thinking. Recommended.
Thank you to Netgalley And the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book!