Member Reviews
If you thought The Wife Between Us was good, An Anonymous Girl easily surpasses it with a thrill and page-turning read that will keel you engrossed!
Thank you #NetGalley for an advanced copy of #AnAnonymousGirl!
I was more than excited to read this book. When I heard it was from the same authors as “The Wife Between Us” I couldn’t wait as that was one of my favorite books. This, unfortunately, wasn’t as great. The storyline was still very interesting and would make you rethink about ever participating in a study like in the book. I think this book also makes you really think about what the people closest to you actually see... you may think you are keeping a good secret or hiding something, but clearly you just never know what someone knows about you!!
After recommending The Wife Between Us to all my friends, just so I could have someone to rave about it with, I jumped on the chance to read a pre-release of An Anonymous Girl the minute it was offered. I just knew the writing duo of Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen would knock their next thriller out of the park, and I was right.
An Anonymous Girl is like a bag of your favorite candy, the kind where you can't get the pieces into your mouth fast enough. You eat (read) yourself sick, because it's JUST THAT GOOD.
Not wanting to give too much away, this is a deliciously dark story of obsession, morality, manipulation and betrayal. The chapters in this creepily suspenseful drama alternate point of view between the struggling make-up artist Jessica and the preeminent psychiatrist Dr. Shields. We watch as Jessica, merely wanting to make some extra cash, volunteers for Dr. Shields's psychological study, which quickly becomes the emotional equivalent of quicksand. And we watch Dr. Shields protect her marriage, by any and all means possible.
So many secrets, so many lies, so much manipulation. Be sure to take your anxiety meds before you pick up this novel.
Wow! Once I started reading this book, I couldn't put it down. The story unfolds from two POV's that alternate chapters and intertwine in the most delicious manner! I love how the authors used first person for one POV and second person for the other. It was a great way to amp of the tension as the story unfolds. When Jessica, a make up artist, who is highly motivated by money to help support her family, lies to get into a psychological morality and ethics study, the story blossoms. Her innermost secrets and feelings are explored in the beginning of the study and the compassionate Dr. Lydia Shields makes Jessica start questioning what she does, but in a good way. As Jessica reveals more of her feelings, Dr. Shields asks her to expand her participation in the study and meet personally. Jessica wants the additional money Dr. Shields is offering and what she is asking seems innocent enough. However, as we get to see Dr. Shields viewpoint, we start to wonder if she is really a spider in disguise spinning an intricate web. This is a fabulous story about morality, ethics, betrayal and manipulation. It's hard to say a lot without giving away the plot. This story has wonderfully developed characters and a unique, amazing plot. Starting each chapter was like peeling back another layer of an onion as more and more is revealed about Jessica and Dr. Shields and what motivates and drives them. It is one of the best psychological suspense thrillers I have ever read. As it starts to drive towards the conclusion, one surprising secret after another is revealed. You definitely don't want to miss this book.
This novel was a tremendous & memorable read. I was engrossed by every page. Although this book was quite lengthy, I was not, at any time, impatient for it to end. Morever, the suspense & drama were nail-biting. The plot was polished and moved forward precisely. The characters were well-developed & believable. The main character, Jessica, was empathetic, human, & realistic.
I found the ending to be very satisfactory..
I recommend this novel to any reader who loves psychological drama & suspense with a bit of mystery thrown in.
Thank you, NetGalley, for the opportunity to read & review this impactful novel.
I loved this book even more than The Wife Between Us and I enjoyed that one a lot. I hope these two brilliant authors continue writing books together. I stayed up late at night to finish this one. I did not want it to end but I just had to know what happened to Jess. Their writing is seamless and you cannot tell which author wrote which lines. Thanks so much for the copy to review.
Talk about an addicting book! I just loved the latest creation by dynamic duo, Hendricks and Pekkanen. I couldn't stop reading - it was just too good to put down. This story had me hooked from the start and I loved every minute I spent with "anonymous girl". Her relationship with the Dr. and her husband - whoa! I got so tense and couldn't help but feel on the edge of my seat as I kept reading to find out what would happen next. I LOVED this book to bits!!
I received an uncorrected digital ARC through the publishers and Netgalley in exchange for a fair, honest review.
Wow! So for those not aware, this is written by the same duo who wrote The Wife Between Us. There's a few things to compare with that like how the book is written in three parts and how unreliable the narrators are. The story is shown by two narratives (one is obviously Jessica) and the other, well at first I wasn't sure if this was a scorned lover or something. Anyway, you figure out the second narrator regardless of where you think the plot is going. I don't think this was an suspenseful as The Wife Between Us but I do feel it deeper. There are moral and ethical issues and questions presented. The characters (no matter how minor they were) all added to the story and their presence made sense. I really enjoyed this story and I hope Greer and Sarah continue making amazing thrillers for a long time.
An Anonymous Girl by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen was completely gripping! I found it really interesting and the entire plot was full of twists and turns that I never thought would happen, really amazing story!
Wow, what a great read! The cat and mouse game between Jess and Dr. Shields was terrific, it kept me reading to see what happens next!
An Anonymous Girl will have you sitting on the edge of your seat. A psychological thriller that will have you guessing and wondering what is really the truth and who can you trust. Excellent book
This was an engaging thriller that kept me on my toes right to the end. I had no idea how or if Jess would manage to extricate herself and her family from the situation. Was immersed as the story unfolded and loved the ending. A great roller-coaster ride of a thriller.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free, electronic ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
When Jessica Farris signs up for a mysterious psychological study, led by the curious Dr. Shields, she thinks she has found an easy way to make money. As the study progresses, Jessica’s limits continue to be pushed- more invasive questions are asked, and more risky tasks are asked of her. The doubt continues to grow when Jessica finds out that Dr. Shields is hiding far more than she’s revealing- including the potential suicide of the client right before Jessica. Jessica needs to find out what Dr. Shields really wants from her—before it’s too late.
“An Anonymous Girl” is by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen, the authors of the instant-hit, “The Wife Between Us”. “Girl” is told from the standpoint of Jessica, and Dr. Shields (this one is written in first-person format) so that the reader can gain a deeper understanding of both characters.
The characters in this novel are honest, dysfunctional and even likable (for the most part). Dr. Shields is manipulative, calculating and intelligent, and opposite Jessica’s naïve, meek personality, there was instant drama. I thoroughly enjoyed the web of deceit that Dr. Shields played throughout the novel.
Right from the beginning, Jessica is forced to confront her morality, which also leads the reader to face their own morality. How far would you go for a friend? Would you lie, cheat, steal? How honest would you be about your actions?
A creative and engrossing tale right from the beginning, “An Anonymous Girl” is unlike anything I’ve read before (and that’s saying something!). I enjoyed the characters, the gripping and suspense-fueled plot, and the twists and turns that left you guessing at every page. The ending was exactly as it should be, and filled me with satisfaction, while still being completely unexpected.
This sophomore novel by the author duo is a hands-down hit!
An Anonymous Girl by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen is the duo's second book. It does not disappoint! Jessica is a young 20-something living in New York with her dog. She makes ends meet by working for Beauty Buzz as a makeup artist that goes to clients' houses to do their makeup. Her younger sister lives with their parents and had an accident as a child that left her with brain damage. Jessica tries to save all her money to help pay for her sister's medical bills. By chance, Jessica enrolls in a psychological experiment led by Dr. Lydia Shields. At first it is just a series of questions about morality. The money to participate is good, more than Jessica can earn doing makeup. Dr. Shields is intrigued by Jessica (Subject 52 in the study) and starts asking more and more of her. Dr. Shields takes the experiment out of the office and into the real world. Jessica is required to perform different tasks that grow increasingly more dangerous. The amount of money she is being paid is getting much larger. What is Dr. Shields motive? What does she gain? Can she be trusted? The plot is original and has several great twists. I don't want to say much more because it would give away too much, If you liked the authors' first book, The Wife Between Us, then this book is for you! Thanks to the publisher and Net Galley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This looked like quite the thriller of a book to me. At first I really liked how the chapters alternated between two viewpoints of the main characters. It really got me invested in them. We see right away that Dr. Shields is the villain based on how she presents her "chapter" with her tone and what she is after. I dove right in and was turning pages for awhile but then I felt like there wasn't much mystery since I was getting all the details from each characters chapter. Halfway through the book though there was a twist that caught my attention and I started turning pages quickly again. But unfortunately it didn't last long. I felt again that there wasn't much mystery and wasn't on the edge of my seat. By the time I read the climax of the book and the whole dramatics of Dr. Shields I was disappointed in how that scene played out. I felt like both characters got more and more pathetic as I kept reading. Dr. Shields and her ways to outsmart Jess and Thomas and the lengths she'd go to in order to do so. Jess with her sleeping around, being at the beck and call of Dr. Shields, and then turning to her spy skills and then trying to outsmart Dr. Shields. It all just made me feel sorry for the characters and lose the investment I had with them in the beginning.
I really wanted to love this book but I thought it was just okay. I'm comparing it to books like Gone Girl and The Girl on the Train, where there are mulitiple points of view but there is a clear "unsolved' aspect that the reader literally cannot wait to uncover. I didn't feel that way with this book, it was almost as if beween the two points of view, things uncovered themselves throughout the book instead of one major "WHOA! I didn't expect THAT!"
I feel like if you enjoy a slower paced thriller and can't handle the suspense of Gone Girl or The Girl on the Train then you might enjoy this book.
I also wrote another review on goodreads
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39863515-an-anonymous-girl
This was a great book. Told from 2 different narrators, we have Jess, the study of a morality study, and Dr. Shields, the therapist running it. What starts out as a routine question of ethics turns into a twisty, taught and well written thriller. I read this in 2 days, I could not put it down. Definitely a must read! Thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for a free ARC in exchange for my review.
The plot was very original and that is what led me to this book. An engaging psychological thriller with well developed characters.There weren’t quite as many surprises as I was hoping for, and I was able to predict most of the story. Nevertheless, I truly enjoyed it and was drawn to it until the end. Would recommend it to others who are looking for a decent psychological thriller!
Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
By the authors of The Wife Between Us, An Anonymous Girl was another great thriller ! It pulled me in from the first page and kept me up late reading. Massive plot twists and every time I thought I knew where it was going , something changed !
When Jess realizes she can make some easy cash participating in Dr. Shields’ psychology study, she has no idea the twists and turns she is about to encounter when every move she makes forces her to question her life choices and wonder what her purpose is in the study. Greer Hendricks weaves a page-turning tale that intertwines the lives of several New Yorkers and, using morality as a basis of all of their actions, presents one shocking discovery after another throughout the novel. Jess, our main character, forces the reader to question how they would act in her situation. With complex characters and twists up until the last page, you’ll find it hard to put this one down. .
I loved "The Wife Between Us" so I was excited to find a new novel by Greer Hendricks/Sarah Pekkanen on NetGalley. Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance copy of "An Anonymous Girl" in exchange for an honest review.
My review is: Read this one as soon as it is released -- it's fabulous! "An Anonymous Girl" follows a young make-up artist, Jessica Farris, as she gets involved with a psych study that pays people to answer questions about morality. The study eventually evolves into a relationship with the doctor/professor conducting it, Dr. Lydia Shields. In the beginning all seems quite straight-forward for a study about ethics, but as time goes by, Dr. Shields begins asking Jessica to conduct increasingly strange experiments. The reader is right there with Jessica as she struggles to figure out Dr. Shields's motivations and debates walking away.
This is one twisty, exceedingly compelling psychological thriller. I was with Jessica every step of the way and confounded by Dr. Shields right along with her. I found the whole thing absolutely riveting. Hendricks/Pekkanen have done it again!!