I want to thank St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for the opportunity to honestly review this advanced reader copy!!!

How far are you willing to go to make some money? Would you impersonate someone else? Would you divulge your darkest secrets? Jessica Ferris (Jess) is tested to the limits in this thrilling book by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen. Jess shows up at an anonymous study to make some quick money after overhearing about it from a client. From there is quickly befriended by generous Dr. Shields. However that friendship quickly spirals out of control and Jess must figure out how to outsmart the smartest person she knows.

I really enjoyed this book! It was a lot of fun to read and kept me on the edge of my seat. I will say that the ending was a bit of a let, but I was happy with how everything wrapped up. It really does make you think about the lengths you would go to to help family and how intertwined certain people are in your lives.

If you love a good thriller, I would absolutely recommend this book!

“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.”

Jessica Farris is a makeup artist in New York City and when she overhears information about a psychological study for some quick cash she finds a way to get into it. Sitting in an empty room she answers questions on a computer on ethics and morality. She’s prompted to be as honest as possible and she is; she has no reason not to be. This is an anonymous study after all where she is referred to only as Subject 52. She’s generously paid and when the individual in charge of the study, Dr. Shields, dangles the carrot of further payment if she continues the study outside of the classroom she accepts. The things Jess is asked to do are slightly unnerving and confusing, unsure how it has anything to do with ethics and morality, but the desire to help her struggling family out is more than enough incentive to quiet the discontent in her mind. The more studies she completes though, the more the discontent grows.

Most mysteries these days tend to count on unreliable narrators to keep the reader guessing. In the end, you’re thrown a curveball of an answer that causes you to question the hundreds of pages you’ve just consumed. It can be just as fun to work your way back through the story, reevaluating everything you assumed but now with a new understanding. That’s what I enjoyed most about An Anonymous Girl, you think you know exactly what’s going on, and you might be right, but there’s just enough uncertainty that you can’t be sure, so you keep reading. Alas, the lead up was great, but the ending wasn’t quite the shocker that I had anticipated and felt a little too ‘easy’ of a conclusion when compared to the chaos that led up to it. I sometimes feel that by reading too many mysteries that I’m dulling any future enjoyment, that I become too adept at deciphering what’s truly going on. Or maybe this was simply a mediocre mystery.

Wowsa! Was this a thrilling ride on the crazy train! This was definitely not like any other thriller I've read - and it hooked me in right away. The suspense, the twists, it's all very unnerving from start to finish and I found myself gripping the book trying to figure it all out.

Jess finds herself a participant in a phsychology study, lured in solely by the amount it pays. She's hoping to answer a few questions on ethics and morality, get her money to help her parents pay for her sister's medical needs, and then be done. But then the questions start appearing on the screen:

"Could you tell a lie without feeling guilt?"

"Have you ever deeply hurt someone you care about?"

"Should a punishment always fit the crime?"

For some reason, the coordinator is very interested in the way Jess has answered these questions, and she soon finds herself returning for more and more studies and tests, and promises of more, and better money. But why? Why choose her to continue? Why are her secrets any more interesting than someone else's? Jess finds herself becoming paranoid, and involved in some pretty shady outings and experiments. She starts to question everything she's ever done and wonders if she's gotten in too far.

I really, really got sucked into this one - it was definitely nothing like I've ever read and very creatively done. The study raises questions about your own morals as you find yourself answering them along with Jess as she takes the tests. That is pretty twisty in itself! I found myself all over the place questioning who is good, who is bad, who knows what, and what's going to happen. My paranoia grew along with Jess, and there were several heart pounding twists. I did feel the ending was a bit forced, a bit too neat. But I enjoyed the first 90% immensely and really immersed myself in the story with extreme fascination.

I haven't read The Wife Between Us, but I'm definitely going to go check it out now!

I LOVED this book!! I loved how the protagonist uses her brain to get what she wants instead of violence. It was interesting seeing how the story unfolded and the ending was definitely not what I was expecting, which was refreshing. I will definitely be reading more of this author's work. I love the writing style as well - it was a difficult book to put down. (I also loved all the psychology references - mostly because that's what my degree is in) =)

Boy did I really enjoy this one! The twists and turns on this mystery were windy and enjoyable - and even though I would have ended it a different way, it was one of those books where I said I’d read a few chapters and ended up finishing the book! Definitely one that kept me thinking - what would I do? - and also had me recommending it to many of my friends!

Also was intrigued by the duo authorship - this is my first book by these authors, and now I’m ready for more! They obviously have something special brewing between the two of them and it makes for quite a read.

A great quick read if you’re looking for suspense, mystery, unexpected twists and a dash of morality issues all wrapped into one!

Thanks so much to St. Martin’s Press for my first ARC ever! What a pleasure it was to read and review this!

Jessica is a makeup artist who isn’t living her life to the fullest. Barely making ends meet, her days consist of running around NYC, toting her make up case. Her nights are spent hanging out with her best friends and having one night stands. When she sees a text about a study on ethics and morality that pays around $500, she decides to go and take the girl’s place. She catches the eye of the psychologist running the study, Dr. Shields. As her relationship with Dr. Shields gets more personal, Jessica realizes that she isn’t involved in a study anymore. Instead, Dr. Shields is using her in an experiment. As Dr. Shield becomes more and more demanding and obsessive, Jessica needs to find a way out. Will that happen? Will Jessica be able to end her relationship with Dr. Shields? Or will she be a casualty?

I loved how Dr. Shields side of the story progressed. It was interesting to read how she picked up on Jessica. How she singled her out of the study. The author did a great job of letting Dr. Shields crazy come out in small doses. Her obsession with Thomas and Jessica. Her ability to read Jessica’s mind and to be one step ahead of her. It was all wonderfully spaced out. I will say, though, Dr. Shields did scare me. I had no issue imagining this same scenario playing out in real life. That is what made this book so good to read. It was totally believable.

Jessica’s side of the story was as wonderfully written as Dr. Shields. The authors did a fantastic job of showing how easy someone was to manipulate. All it took was asking the right questions and creating the right atmosphere. I loved watching her transformation from an independent woman to a person who was controlled. But, what I also liked, was how Jessica took her life back. How she fought back against Dr. Shields.

I will warn, for those of you who don’t like it, that Dr. Shields part of the book was written in 2nd person. Myself, I don’t care for it. It makes the story harder to read because the reader never gets to see what is going on from the other people’s perspective. But in this book, it worked. It only worked because Jessica’s part of the book was written in 1st person. I wasn’t only reading the book in 2nd person. Another reason it worked was that we got to see Dr. Shields in two totally different lights. I thought it was fascinating how the author was able to merge the two different people who I associated with Dr. Shields into one person by the end of the book.

The main storyline with Dr. Shields and Jessica was wonderfully written. Like I mentioned above, I love reading how Jessica was manipulated by Dr. Shields. I loved how the author kept the true reason for the Dr’s social experiments under wraps until about the middle of the book. I was as shocked as Jessica when the truth was revealed.

The secondary storylines were alright. Except for April’s storyline, I didn’t get as involved with them. I did have a question about Ben and how he knew to call Jessica “Jess“. I wanted to know how much he knew about the study. The way he acted with her at the meeting made me think he knew more than he let on. It was dropped after that.

The end of An Anonymous Girl underwhelmed me. It was anti-climatic with how it was ended. I was left scratching my head and going “Huh” afterward. I should have seen what happened coming but I didn’t. The epilogue added to it.

I gave An Anonymous Girl a 4-star rating. I enjoyed reading this book. The plotlines were beautifully written and I was kept on edge the entire book. I connected with the characters. The only thing that affected my rating was the ending. It was not what I thought it would be. I was left wondering why.

I would give An Anonymous Girl an Adult rating. There is sex (not graphic). There is language. There is violence. There are triggers. They would be sexual assault and suicide. I would recommend that no one under the age of 21 read this book.

I would reread An Anonymous Girl. I would also recommend this book to family and friends. I would include a warning about the triggers.

I would like to thank St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review An Anonymous Girl.

All opinions expressed in this review of An Anonymous Girl are mine.

**I chose to leave this review after reading an advance reader copy**

I didn’t know if these authors could top their last book but WOW!! This book is fantastic! I was going to read a couple of pages before bed and ended up staying up all night to finish it!!

I absolutely loved The Wife Between Us so when I saw that they wrote another book, I knew I needed to read it. An Anonymous Girl is about a makeup artist who answers an ad looking for a woman to participate in a morality and ethics research study. Jessica needs extra money and this seems like a simple way to earn it. But when the demands become far too complex, Jess wants out. But it’s not that simple. This book started slow, but once it got going, I couldn’t put it down.

Fantastic read! I can see this playing out on the silver screen.📽

"Seeking women ages 18–32 to participate in a study on ethics and morality. Generous compensation. Anonymity guaranteed."

Jessica Farris is a struggling make up artist, always looking for her lucky break. When she catches wind of the highly paid ethics and morality study, she sneaks her way in and soon becomes Subject 52.

Dr Shields, the executor of this study, takes a liking to Jessica's answers to her questions. She soon places her focus on Subject 52, even expanding her participation for higher compensation.

What transpires between these two soon becomes an intense cat and mouse game that is told from both POV's, leading to a final confrontation that far exceeded my expectations!

Compulsive, entertaining, and a page turner I had a hard time putting down.

Another successful collaboration, looking forward to seeing what they come up with next!

ARC provided by NetGalley

This book puts the psychology in psychological thriller. I love the intense pace. The story grabs you from the beginning without being graphic, gory or outlandish. The writers really capture realistic interpersonal relationships and subtle details. I love the way these authors put their books into three parts always revealing more details with each section. There is a simple urgency throughout that kept me coming back for more.

This was a complete and total mindf*ck. I couldn't make heads or tails of who was the "good guy" and who was the "bad guy," which means the authors totally did their job and did it well. However, because of the manipulation and feeling uncomfortable the entire time, I had a hard time giving this any higher than 3 star rating. It's a good book, it was a little overwhelming to me though but that's 100% on me. Defintely worth a pick-up if you can stomach master manipulators and feeling uncomfortable during a read.

I really enjoyed this book. What starts out as a harmless way to make a little money turns into a life altering event. Everyone has an ulterior motivative so who can you trust? It will keep you guessing till the end.

Seeking women ages 18–32 to participate in a study on ethics and morality. Generous compensation. Anonymity guaranteed.

Jessica Farris’ life isn’t going as she hoped. She has rent due and decides to crash a study on morality being run by Dr. Shields. All she has to do it answer a few questions and collect a check…..easy enough! The questions become more personal and intense, but Jessica powers through.

Jessica does so well in the study that she moves onto phase 2 – real life application. She is paid even more to complete little “jobs” for Dr. Shields. As Jessica’s unease grows with each “job” she wonders if this is worth it.

An Anonymous Girl is told in alternating voices, Jessica’s and Dr. Shields’, both unreliable. Both characters are manipulative and deceitful to each other and others. Plenty of twists and turns to keep you guessing until the very end. An Anonymous Girl will provide you with deceit, jealousy, doubt and passion! The suspense builds at a nice steady pace, which kept me engaged and reading too late for a work night.

Jessica scams her way into an anonymous survey about morality and ethics with the elusive Dr. Shields; it pays $500 for two days and she could really use the money. The questions are deep and she finds herself thinking about them for days afterwards, so when Dr. Shields contacts her and asks if she'd like to be part of a new survey that involves real-world tasks, she doesn't hesitate to say yes. Except nothing is what it seems and she soon finds herself in a web of lies as she tries to figure out who to trust, and if she can even trust herself.

AN ANONYMOUS GIRL pulled me in very quickly. Hendricks and Pekkanen write very well together; even though there are two distinct POVs, it seems as though one author has written the whole thing. I liked the plot, I thought it was fresh. And Jessica! She was very real imo, she had flaws that weren't brushed off as quirks.

The story wasn't necessarily predictable, but it also didn't shock me in the twists & turns it took. I enjoyed it a lot!

With a totally intriguing plot, this book captures the reader and keeps them on their toes until the very last word. A psychological suspense that you will want to curl up and devour page by page. Hendricks and Pekkanen are a team to be reckoned with.

The Anonymous Girl unfortunately is not for me. The story was interesting but overall I wasn't wowed by the characters. I found the storytelling to be very predictable. Around the halfway point the story just fell flat, there was not much going on, and the main characters became very redundant. I found myself reading but not focusing on anything in particular. I was very sad, since I really was excited about this book based on other reviews and that amazing cover. The book was well written, and I was able to understand where the story was trying to go. Despite this, I am not giving up on these authors, I look forward to reading books from them in the future. Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for my advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

In An Anonymous Girl a young woman impulsively enters a computerized study on ethics and morality - and her life and things get stranger and stranger. This is a very suspenseful read. Jessica finds herself in the middle of a very twisted relationship and I had no idea of how this would end up. You may think you know how it’s going to go, but NOPE, it’s not. It is full of mind games, insecurities, jealousy, and paranoia. This is the second book I have read by these two authors and I’ve enjoyed both very much. This is a Cat & Mouse thrilling read!

A makeup artist is at a client's home when she hears a voice mail on her client's phone, confirming an appointment for a paid psychological study. The client mentions that she is not planning to attend, so Jess shows up in her place. The study is concerning morality and although she is nervous about some of the questions at first, she soon relaxes. What she has no idea of is that the professor who is doing the study is not only reading what she types as she types it, but also has a camera trained on her to watch her every move.
This story is told in alternating chapters from Jess's point of view and from the professor's. This book grabs you from the very beginning and I couldn't put it down until the very end. I have to say, this is one of the best psychological thrillers I have read lately. I highly recommend it!

4+ stars

What would you do for money if your family’s wellbeing depended on it? Would you participate in a study about ethics, revealing the ethical boundaries you’re willing to cross? Would you get drawn in further, and do some real life role playing for the sake of the research? What if it slowly dawned on you that there was more to what was going on than a research study?
These two authors sure know how to come up with clever, original, on the edge of your seat stories. I liked The Wife Between. An Anonymous Girl is just as good. There are a few good twists -- what’s up and down keeps shifting -- and the ending is very clever.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy.
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I really love a good thriller and this book delivered just that! At first I wasn’t sure where this was going but I am so glad that I pushed through. So many twists in this one, subtle twists but twists nonetheless. The plot was solid and character development solid too! I would recommend this book to anyone who loves a great thriller. Once the story got started and we’re told more of why all the players are involved it was hard to put down. Although long/drawn out and the ending seemed sort of rushed (IMO all thrillers wrap up rather quickly) I honestly enjoyed this one! 3.5 stars rounded up to 4 in my book!