This dynamic duo does it again. Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen have proven themselves worthy of writing suspenseful thrillers a second time. If you loved A Wife Between Us then you will feel the same about this one. There are two main characters, Jessica Ferris and the mysterious Dr. Shields. Jess signs up to participate in a psychological study, set up by Dr. Shields, in order to earn some extra cash. But when the questions go from innocent to outright spooky, Jess has some second thoughts. But she persists and finds herself caught up in a bigger psychological study that may end in death.
The chapters alternate between the two characters, and meld so seamlessly together that you'd never know there are two authors. The twists and turns this story takes has you rooting for one side and then in the next chapter you've changed your mind again.

I received an Advanced Review Copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

This was one of those books that I couldn't wait to get back to...was needling it all out in my head when I wasn't reading it, and although I can sometimes spot when an author (or authors, in this case) drops the red herring...these two ladies slid it in so deftly...that it kept me turning page after page.
A great psychological thriller; a fabulous ride. Check it out!
#TheFictionCafeBookClub

I really liked this book!! The first book I ever read by them was The Wife Between Us so if you liked that you will love this. At first I was a little turned off by the fact that the book was written in first person and jumped back and forth between the two main characters, Dr. Shields and Jessica, but I got used to it. The story sucked me in from the beginning and like quicksand I couldn't get away from it. The plot was like molasses...it slowly came out and had you wondering what was going to happen next. This story was very well written and I have to admit I was very undecided until the end of who you could trust.

FYI...This is a voluntary review of this book in exchange for a copy.

Oh, What a tangled web we weave! This is the most disturbing book I've read in a long time. I was so unsettling that I wanted to quit reading but I just couldn't stop. It is a psychological thriller - no blood or gore but, for me, messing with the mind is somehow more distressing.
The way the authors handled the point of view had a big hand in unnerving the reader. There are two narrators, Jessica, a young girl needing to make some money so that she jumps at a chance to get involved in a psychological study performed by an NYU professor and psychiatrist, Dr. Lydia Shields. Their stories are told in first person present so you feel as if you are in their heads. It made the narrative all that more unnerving!
The study is a deep prob into an individuals psyche focusing on Morals and Ethics. This is where it gets chilling and makes you question your own morals and ethics. A bit creepy and a whole lot of manipulation pulls you through to the end. This book is haunting - it will stick with you whether you want it to or not! Reader beware!

Wow! This was an intense psychological experiment. As an employee in an academic Psychology Department, this book was scary. I know that there are experimenters who push the envelope, but the extent Dr. Shields goes to "conduct her experiment" is atrocious.

No matter what you think of Dr. Shields' integrity, this book was disturbing in many ways. Jessica finds herself sucked into the doctor's psychological experiment which leads her to share secrets she has shared with no one else. You learn so much about Jessica, her past, her current life, and the things that have brought her to this point in life.

And how would you respond if you were faced with a spouse's infidelity? This book takes the psychological experiment to a new level. Just hang in there and you will find yourself gasping in shock as you discover new aspects to Dr. Shields; her husband, Thomas; and Jessica. And wait until you get to the last chapter...hold onto your seat!

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I love psychological thrillers. This was a great book, in my opinion. The writing was great! There is no distinction between the authors. I was wondering for a while in between gasping, if they were writing alternating chapters or characters POV, then I realized it didnt matter. The seamless plot didn't give me any idea who writes what part. At part 2 things heat up between both Jess and Dr. Shields, making the reader wonder who is crazy? Maybe both of them.

While just devouring this I will say the two standouts for me were the premise and the characters. The premise is an advertisement on campus to participate in a study about morality and ethics. So how the main character Jess gets caught up and attends the screening is amazing! First night I read 30% and left off because it was the start of Part 2

Overall the characters were just jaw dropping! The Dr. Shields duo had me thinking an awful lot. The confidentiality agreements, ethical misdeed, affairs, grades, deaths and drama kept me up late to finish. A phenomenal read. I don't know how anyone could think less.

4.5 stars!

Do yourself a favor and don't read reviews, don't read spoilers. Best to go into this book blind.

If you like psychological thrillers, you will love this book. It starts a bit slow, but stick with it! By the time I reached the 50% mark, I put everything on hold because I had to finish the book!

I really liked this writing duo's first book, and this one is another winner for me.

Thank you to Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I liked this book better than Greer Hendrick's previous book The Wife Between Us, but still didn't think this was all that great. I liked the slightly confused all the time feeling while reading it (a bit like Believe Me by JP Delaney), but did not like the way the story was concluded. I enjoyed it while reading and wanted to keep reading once I started, but if I put it down, I was not all that eager to pick it back up again.

For years, Sarah Pekkanen has been an auto-buy/must-read author of mine; when she and Greer Hendricks teamed up to write The Wife Between Us, published in early 2018, I had to give it a try. Their debut effort provided an exceptional beginning to my reading year, so I was thrilled to hear about their follow up production.

Even though the predominant story line of An Anonymous Girl bears some resemblance to that of The Wife Between Us, including themes of infidelity, deeply-held secrets and false appearances, this novel is quite different and, in my opinion, much more compelling than it’s predecessor. As my friend Sarah at Sarah’s Book Shelves has stated, An Anonymous Girl is heavy on the psychological end of psychological thriller and I think that’s why I enjoyed it so much more than I’d anticipated.

"Presenting an unremarkable facade to the outside world is the norm, superficial conversations comprise the majority of social encounters. When an individual trusts another sufficiently to expose the true self - the deepest fears, the hidden desires - a powerful intimacy is born."

Even though I had quite a bit going on in both my personal and professional life while reading this book, I had absolutely zero trouble staying engaged; in fact, I found myself looking for any snippet of time when I might be able to resume the story. For me, this was a quick page-turner and it was exactly what I needed at the beginning of the year. I hope these two authors will continue this trend and release something new for me at the start of 2020! If you enjoy the psychological aspects of a good psychological thriller, and need a plot-driven novel that will hold your attention, don’t hesitate to give this one a try.

This has been a highly anticipated release and I can see why there's hype around it. The premise is unique and the characters are captivating. I liked that the story is told through the two POVs and I actually enjoyed reading both sides of the story (sometimes dual narration doesn't work for me). I think my issue is I expected more. The same thing happened to another hyped book, The Perfect Mother, that I kept hearing back. The story isn't bad per se, but I wasn't blown away. The pacing is good and the buildup is exciting, but the climax was just meh. Also, the the motivations of Dr. Shields a little hard to believe. The Wife Between Us by the authors was sooooo good too and that could be part of the letdown. If you haven't read their debut yet, definitely pick that one up.

Review posted on Goodreads and Amazon

An Anonymous Girl was a very interesting read, and it definitely held my attention! There weren't really any bad points to the novel, but there wasn't really anything that truly stuck out to me either. It was entertaining and fun and I enjoyed it while I was reading, but it seems like one of those novels that I won't really remember reading a few months down the road. I liked the characters and the plot, but it just didn't jump out at me.

With that said, I really enjoyed reading this book and I would recommend it to thriller/suspense readers. Just because the story wasn't super memorable doesn't mean it wasn't an entertaining read! Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for sending this novel in exchange for and honest review.

Rating 3/5

AN ANONYMOUS GIRL BY GREER HENDRICKS & SARAH PEKKANEN BOOK REVIEW
You hop into a psychological study for some cash. It’ll be over quickly, right? Answer some questions, grab the cash & move on. Simple & carefree way to make some cash, huh? NOPE.

A WILD, PSYCHOLOGICAL THRILLER
This book is a wild ride. No doubt about that. I instantly connect with the main character, Jess. She’s a hard worker, a hustler in the best way, a daughter who tries to right by her family & is looking to advance her financial situation. Honestly, she’s got guts taking someone’s place in this research study. Instantly, I know she is a force to be reckoned with.

FATAL ATTRACTION VIBES WITH A CAT & MOUSE GAME
I will not give any spoilers friends. While the blurb describes Dr. Shields as manipulative, that’s the understatement of the year. This woman is slick, intelligent & I spent the majority of the book trying to figure out her angle.

Hendricks & Pekkanen write a psychological thriller that many readers will love. For me, the narrative moves a bit slow. I found myself trying to just get to the ending. Luckily, I really connected with Jess, so her character kept me engaged.

THE VERDICT
I am Into This book. Let it be noted I enjoy the writing style of Hendricks & Pekannen enough I will pick up any of their books. Read An Anonymous Girl if you’re looking for a dark, twisted tale with cat & mouse type vibes.

Be sure to check out Kim’s review for The Wife Between Us.

Special thanks to Greer Hendricks, Sarah Pekkanen, St. Martin’s Press & NetGalley for providing our copy in exchange for an honest & fair review.

Oh. Wow! If you ever think about signing up to participate in a research study, you may want to rethink that decision. If not, you will after reading this book. This one is actually better than The Wife Between Us. An unpredictable, suspenseful, page-turner that will keep you up all night!

This was an entertaining psychological thriller, with twists and turns that kept me interested. Once I began reading, it was hard to stop. The plot is well formulated, like a chess game, dependent on actions, then reactions.

First of I would like to thank NetGalley for gifting me an advance copy of this book to read and review. The second collaboration by the authors of The Wife Between Us have done it again. This book while not a follow up to their previous one does follow similar patterns. What happens when you first perpetuate a lie? Jess a struggling make-up artist begins a lie that affects her family, her life and her livelihood. In dire need of money she lies her way into a morality study meant for one of her clients. There she becomes subject 52 and introduces her to a pair of Doctors who may not have her best interest in mind. From there we root her on as she tries to disengage and go back to her life. I really enjoyed this book from start to finish and would recommend it for those who like to unravel mysteries.

I can’t even claim that this book is twisted. It’s so much more than that! It’s an intense and gripping thriller that will make you ask yourself who is telling the truth, who to trust?

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

https://booktrib.com/2019/01/an-anonymous-girl-is-gripping-cant-put-down-suspense/

“An Anonymous Girl” is Gripping, Can’t-Put-Down Suspense

Published on January 14, 2019 in Fiction by Joanna Poncavage

Are you a moral person? Is telling a lie ever acceptable? What would you do for money to help someone you love?

An Anonymous Girl (St. Martin’s Press), the second suspense novel from the writing team of Sarah Pekkanen and Greer Hendricks, is the story of a young New York make-up artist who lies her way into a psychological study on ethics and morality. What could go wrong?


Jessica Farris needs money for her family, and the study promises “generous compensation.” Her father has lost his job, and her sister, who has special needs, would suffer if the family has to move.

The study is being conducted by a beautiful, mysterious psychiatrist, Dr. Lydia Shields, and soon Jessica is doing more than answering questions like “Can you tell a lie without feeling guilt?” Dr. Shields, offering Jessica more and more money, sends her into real-life situations. She is to go to a museum and meet a man. She is to exchange phone numbers, and entice him to meet again.

But fate intervenes, and unforeseen events turn a scientific experiment into a tense game of secrets and ulterior motives. Soon, what began for Jessica as an attempt to help her family becomes a dangerous game she can’t escape.

It’s a luscious jigsaw puzzle of a book, with alternating chapters from Jessica’s and Lydia’s points of view. One of them is lying, at least to herself. Deep into its pages, it’s impossible to know who is the manipulator, who might end up dead. A delicious passage: “We all have reasons for our judgments, even if those reasons are so deeply buried we don’t recognize them ourselves.”

Do not be alarmed if, while reading this book, you feel the need to apply burgundy nail polish. Details of glamorous clothes, make-up tips, and luxurious fashion, all in a fast-moving city offer up an authentic New York experience. And the men (with some notable exceptions) are handsome, well-dressed and they can cook!

Sarah Pekkanen is the author of seven previous novels (The Best of Us, The Perfect Neighbors). Greer Hendricks was once Pekkanen’s editor at Simon & Schuster. Their first title, The Wife Between Us, jumped to bestseller lists in two weeks. And even before they finished writing The Wife Between Us, the authors had a movie deal with Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Partners, the Hollywood team that put The Girl on the Train on the screen. Lightning has struck twice, and An Anonymous Girl has been optioned for a television series by eOne. Catch it on the page before it comes to the screen.

An Anonymous Girl is now available to purchase.

Want more BookTrib? Sign up NOW for news and giveaways!

ABOUT THE AUTHORS:

ABOUT SARAH PEKKANEN:


Photo courtesy of Amazon
Sarah is the mother of three boys, which explains why she wrote part of her debut novel at Chuck E. Cheese. Seriously. Sarah penned her first book, Miscellaneous Tales and Poems, at the age of 10. When publishers failed to jump upon this literary masterpiece (hey, all the poems rhymed!) Sarah followed up by sending them a sternly-worded letter on Raggedy Ann stationery. Sarah still has that letter, and carries it to New York every time she has meetings with her publisher, as a reminder that dreams do come true. Please visit www.sarahpekkanen.com

ABOUT GREER HENDRICKS:


Photo courtesy of greerhendriks.com
Greer Hendricks is the coauthor of the New York Times bestseller The Wife Between Us and the forthcoming An Anonymous Girl (January 8, 2019). Prior to becoming a novelist, she spent two decades as an editor at Simon & Schuster. She obtained her master’s degree in journalism from Columbia University, and her writing has appeared in The New York Times, Allure, and Publisher’s Weekly. She lives in Manhattan with her husband and two children. Follow Greer Hendricks on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram

TAGS: AN ANONYMOUS GIRLGREER HENDRICKSLIESSARAH PEKKANENSUSPENSETHE GIRL ON THE TRAINTHE WIFE BETWEEN USTHRILLER
Joanna Poncavage
JOANNA PONCAVAGE
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Joanna Poncavage had a 30-year career as an editor and writer for Rodale’s Organic Gardening magazine and The (Allentown, Pennsylvania) Morning Call newspaper. Author of several gardening books, she’s now a freelance journalist.

Last November I read The Last Mrs Parrish which is a thriller written by two female authors (sisters, in that case). An Anonymous Girl too is a collaboration of two female writers, Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen. It’s not a new phenomenon for writers to team up in what is otherwise a solitary occupation but, whilst reading, I couldn’t help but notice the similarities between the two books.

Firstly, there’s the hype around both books. I don’t think either book’s sales will slow down due to my reviews. An Anonymous Girl is Hendricks/Pekkanen’s second outing and they’re riding the wave of success from their first book, The Wife Between Us, which proved to be a bit of a hit. (I haven’t read The Wife Between Us but, I must admit, its blurb has a plot which sounds very much like An Anonymous Girl’s. The Wife Between Us’s cover too, is almost identical to this new book, so the publishers are certainly banking on familiarity winning over readers.)

The Last Mrs Parrish and An Anonymous Girl both have alternating chapters told from the two (female) lead characters’ point of views. And clearly, in both books, one of the leads is psychotic.

In Anonymous Girl, I thought the second point of view was a little unnecessary. I think the entire book could have been told from the heroine’s, Jessica, point of view and still made sense and had the same level of tension. Not that I felt Hendricks/Pekkanen’s style was as disjointed as the Constantine sisters’ effort. There was no obvious change of author. But I think it would have just been more creepy if I, like Jess, had no idea what was going on in the other character’s head.

The other similarity is that both thrillers feature twisted love triangles. One of the women’s husband in both books has a relationship with the other woman. And in both books, the reader is unsure whether or not the husband is as innocent as he claims.

My point to this ramble, I guess, is that An Anonymous Girl is nothing original, with its plot or otherwise. The first quarter of the book, especially, was like a teenage straight-to-DVD movie and made me think New Adults were the intended audience.

I did warm to the book around the 40% mark though. I started to appreciate the writers’ gift for tense action scenes. I also started to wonder at just who Jess could trust and how she was going to outwit, and outlive, the other characters.

As such, I flew through the last part of the book. And, I know how difficult book endings can be but, for me, this one fell a little flat.

I’ve given the book 3 ½ out of 5 but as I said, I’m sure it will still prove to be popular no matter what my review.

An Anonymous Girl by Greer Hendricks & Sarah Pekkanen

4 stars

“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.”

An Anonymous Girl follows Jessica Farris, a young freelance beauty makeup artist working in New York and struggling to make a living and keep secrets. One unlikely job opportunity arises when a girl she is working on for a job mentions her opportunity to make money for a survey at her university. Jessica takes this time to pose as her and enter the study. The study focuses on morality and ethics. At its core, the questions make Jessica feel exposed, but they also strike something within her—an obsession and an awareness that she didn’t have before. Dr. Shields is the woman behind the survey and she has taken an interest in Jessica. As Jessica begins to work for Dr. Shields outside of survey, the questions of morality go to questioning tasks that make Jessica feel used and degraded. Dr. Shields’ manipulative schemes have caught Jessica into a web and she has to understand how to outwit the spider before she finds herself eaten. I was so excited for this book. I had heard great things about this writing pair’s debut thriller and I couldn’t believe that the publisher was inviting me to read this novel. An Anonymous Girl is a fun thriller. It starts out incredibly strong and is steeped in intrigue as we walk through Jessica taking a morality survey as well as a second person POV that observes her and is very unsettling. The stakes are high at the beginning of this novel and they made me excited to turn the page. I had to know where this novel was going and what was going to happen next. I never lost that feeling throughout the novel. This is a page turner for sure. However, the first half of this novel feels different from the last half. I thought this was going to be a 5-star thriller based off of the first handful of chapters, but it’s not. Somewhere amidst all the revelations the storyline’s level of intrigue shifts from moral to drama. I love a good drama, so I’m not complaining, but I think many readers may feel a bit bereft and underwhelmed at where the story goes. I really enjoyed the story that Hendricks and Pekkanen set up. It was unputdownable and had an air of moral twistedness that appeals to my weird reading taste.


Whimsical Writing Scale: 4.25

“The project you have become engaged in is about to evolve from an academic exercise into a real-life exploration on morality and ethics, you are told.”

The main female character is Jessica. Jessica is an odd character. She seems really boring and normal at first and then all of a sudden, the morality survey reveals her to be a multi-layered human being who sleeps with men all the time, feels guilt over her sister with a traumatic brain disorder, and is supporting her sister’s bills without the knowledge of her family. She has a lot to offer as a thriller heroine and I really enjoyed following. I will admit that the longer I followed her the more annoying she became. A lot of her decisions towards the end were just plain dumb. She is not the best character, but I did enjoy following her and she made the story interesting.


Kick-Butt Heroine Scale: 4

The Villain- There are two potential villains here and it’s really a game of which one is eviler and has done more harm and manipulation. There is Dr. Shields and her husband, Thomas. Dr. Shields controls the study and Jessica. She is a well-inept manipulator and is quite cold. Her level of morality is skewed and definitely unsettling. Thomas is just as skewed, but is less of a manipulator and has intentions that the reader has to decipher. Are his intentions as good as he makes them out to be or is he a philander looking to manipulate all women? The plot is fast-paced, but I wanted more from this dynamic. I wasn’t unsatisfied, but the outcome felt cheap and kind of disgusting (I don’t mean Karin Slaughter disgusting. I mean just plain unethical and unfair to those who may have experienced suicide
.)


Villain Scale: 3.75

There aren’t a whole lot of characters in this thriller. It’s a very concise and claustrophobic cast. Jessica starts up a relationship with a chef and that was kind of fascinating, but didn’t really do anything for me and felt kind of silly as the story progressed. I did like Jessica’s female friendships and I wish that they would’ve been showcased more. Jessica became isolated very quickly and even after she saw everything unraveling, she stayed in solitude to work things out which seems dangerous and dumb. I did like her dynamic with her family a lot, but still I feel like something was missing. None of the side cast really stands on their own or is memorable. I really did like seeing the inclusion of traumatic injury into the story because it is rarely touched upon in media but does happen and I thought it was handled pretty well.


Character Scale: 3.5

Overall, An Anonymous Girl is a fun psychological thriller that left me on the edge of my seat and incited a desire to turn the page at rapid pace. I flew through this one and I think a strong-suit of the story is the pacing. It doesn’t lag severely and keeps a pretty even tone throughout even with the awkward transition between the story as it tries to become more cohesive. I think that this will be a hit with fans of the thriller genre; especially those who like morality studies and affair drama.


Plotastic Scale: 4.25

Cover Thoughts: I like the cover well-enough for a thriller. It isn’t amazing by any means.

Thank you, Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press, for providing me with a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Jessica is a makeup artist in New York, doing her best to make money to help her family with their financial struggle since her little sister requires medical care (which is one of the reason this whole crazy rides starts) and by taking the spot of one her clients (in not a very ethical way) she enters to a paid ethic and morality case study. Would she ever regret doing so?

She is named Subject 52 and she’s subjected to a number of questions about morality, honesty, lies, etc and little she knows that she is being observed by Dr. Shields, who is in charge of the study, and who becomes intrigues by her every answer she gives, she chose her as her case study and both lives will collide in a delicious explosion that is this book. I can’t say more because it would take away the surprise factor but prepare yourself for a ride because you would be pulled into the chaos of these two women one who is obsess with morality and one who doesn’t mind throwing it away when is need it.

A very fast-paced and fully entertaining read with a smart and original plot. I only had a minor problem with the book, and it was the ending, after so many twists and turns I expected to end in high pace which is does but I expected a little more.
It would make you question, does end justify the means? Would you lie knowing that truth could hurt the other person deeply?
This is my first novel I read from the authors, I do own their first book but didn’t have the opportunity to get around it, but I was pulled into this blurb about this one and couldn’t help myself to read it.

I received a digital ARC of this book from St. Martin's Press through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.