So the moment I saw Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen were coming out with a new book I was 100% sold. I ended up loving The Wife Between Us. So I couldn't wait to see what they had in store. Overall I ended up enjoying the book.

I have to say right away I was super interested in the idea of these book. It's about this girl who signs up for this psychological study because she's in need of the cash. It turns out to end up being a lot more invasive then she thought. As the study continues on it turns into a lot more and secrets that were meant to stay quiet become exposed. So right away I found the concept to be super interesting. I haven't read any thrillers revolving around a psychology study, so that was really enjoyable to read about.

I also really enjoyed the different perspectives. I always enjoy reading from the perspectives of the different characters. It's always fun knowing more than the other character or at least you think you know since this book has unreliable narrators. So you don't really know what's true and what's not. I just always find it interesting being inside more than one characters head.

Overall I enjoyed this book. I thought it was suspenseful and kept me interested. I just didn't find it very shocking so I was a little disappointed it that. I still am so happy I was able to read this early. This was one of my most anticipated reads of 2019. Greer and Sarah are such an amazing writing duo. They work so well together. I am so excited to see what they come out with next.

*Thank you so much for Netgalley for giving me this book for free in exchange for my honest opinions.*

Anonymous Girl is a psychological thriller that runs in the same vein as Gone Girl. If you were a fan of that you should also like this. The storyline follows Jessica, a struggling makeup artist trying to make a living in New York City. Jessica has a full plate between trying to make ends meet, and send money home to support her younger sister who was left mentally disabled after a childhood brain injury. One day when Jessica is out on an appt with a makeup client, she over hears one of the girls talking about a a psychological test at the college that is supposed to pay 500 dollars for a single session. On a whim, she decides to take the place of the student, and insert herself into the study, figuring it would be an easy 500 dollars.

The study, Jessica is told, regards morals and ethics. The study is conducted by Dr. Shields. After the first set of questions Dr. Shields asks her to come in for further sessions, for which she will be more than adequately compensated. Desperate for the money, Jessica agrees to commit to more sessions. Eventually she starts seeing Dr. Shields in person. It is then that she discovers that Dr. Shields is a female therapist. Lydia Shields is intoxicatingly beautiful, and seems to be perfect in every way. Despite some misgivings about tasks that Dr. Shields asks Jessica to complete, she continues to go along with the program Dr. Shields has assigned believing that the increasingly strange tasks are necessary to complete the study. The increasingly large financial payments don’t hurt either. It does; however, soon become apparent that the study Jessica is involved in is not all that it seems to be, and Dr. Lydia Shields is so much more than an innocent therapist exploring moral and ethical situations. Jessica finds herself in a very sticky situation where the more she struggles and tries to leave the study, the deeper she becomes entangled. Dr. shields is the ultimate villain. She comes off as both incredibly evil, but like all humans innately flawed. The study becomes a wild game of cat and mouse, with both Jessica and Dr. Shields trying to anticipate each other’s moves and outsmart each other. It’s a pretty wild story and was a lot of fun to read.

4 stars to this fascinating and clever thriller. If you like a good cat and mouse game then this is for you!

Jess is a 28 year old makeup artist living in the big city. She needs money. She has obligations. Some of her own, but some are of a secretive nature. Working for a cosmetic agency doing makeup for women who are going out or for an event doesn't pay much. While at an appt she overhears about an opportunity to participate in a morality study that pays pretty good money. She decides it is worth the risk to show up in place of the woman who will not be going.

While all about the study seems harmless and innocent at first, she is chosen by Dr. Shields, the author of the study, to go further than others in the study and receive additional money if she is willing to add more time and tasks of a deeply personal nature.

Jessica accepts the offer and things go to places she never could have imagined. She was she wrong to get this involved? To go to places set by Dr. Shields and ask men for their phone number? To lure married men into a set up for a potential affair?

Jessica has a secret. Dr. Shields knows it. What will she do to protect it?

Many thanks to NetGalley and St Martin's Press for a digital ARC to read in exchange for a review. I highly recommend this for all who enjoy good suspense and psychological thrillers. What a great read!

This is the second book I’ve read by the writing duo Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen. I really, really liked it! I do love a good Psychological suspense book.

The story was so different/unique from anything I’ve read before. The beginning sucked me right in as it started off with our main character Jessica, who’s a make-up artist in New York City. Jessica does something a little unethical to get into a university psychology study on morality and ethics, and it takes off from there. This one caught my attention right away and kept getting more and more complex as the story unfolded. Just when you think who did what, you are lead in a new direction. The characters were all dysfunctional. Jessica’s character made me want to shake her several times, not to mention Dr. Shields, who was on her own level. Very interesting story. Great writing… I’m thinking two writers create a story more complex and unique.

I Highly recommend An Anonymous Girl to anyone who enjoys a good psychological suspense book. I read this book, and purchased the audible version so when I couldn't read, I could listen to it being read to me. I recommend both versions.

*A very special thank you to St. Martin’s Press via NetGalley for the advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review* I also purchased my own audible.com version*

Not usually my genre. Have to say though, that although a little unbelievable, I found it very enjoyable.

Having read and loved THE WIFE BETWEEN US by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen I anxiously began AN ANONYMOUS GIRL. I am happy to say I am hooked and will read anything these authors offer, A compelling story line that keeps you reading even when you know you should stop and rejoin real life.

Jessica is a makeup artist in New York City, through not completely honest means Jessica joins an ethic study for the money it offers.

Jessica is Subject 52, Dr. Shields is running the study and she is completely intrigued by Jessica, she believes she is exactly what she is looking for.

There are many questions, questions of ethics and mostly the question of what does Dr. Shields want from Jessica. Any time one of my questions was answered I was immediately presented with another.

A great read, a fresh story, I will recommend this book to everyone I know.

This book was a wild ride!
I requested this book on the description alone as I was unfamiliar with the authors.
This books hooked me from the first page and it didn’t let go.
I loved this book so much, it was such an interesting concept for a book and the authors really pulled it off! Smart writing, coupled with a really unique story was a recipe for success.
I recommend this book and I can’t wait to see what these authors come up with next!!

I loved this thriller. I would actually give it 4.5 stars, but I rounded up. I read so many books that I am finding it is hard for me to find books now that can grab my attention early on enough to keep me anxious to pick it up again and not put it down. An Anonymous Girl did that well. While I didn't think there were any shocking twists, the little surprises kept coming at me at a great pace. There was not the stereotypical victim who misses all the obvious signs of what is happening to them. Jess and Dr. Shields were worthy adversaries. The theme of the novel was unique and interesting: Each person has her own unique code of ethics....even if she is not aware of it. In my opinion, this second effort by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen is even better than their first, The Wife Between Us. I can't wait to see what they come up with next.

A great psychological thriller about a young woman who joins an academic study and soon gets in way over her head. Some of the twists weren’t that surprising, but my interest was peaked. I didn’t know how or if the main character would get out of this situation. Overall, I really enjoyed this book.

If you loved “The Wife Between Us,” then you will surely enjoy “An Anonymous Girl,” the new standalone novel from dynamic writing duo Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen. Described as “a deliciously twisty new thriller about a girl lying to know the truth,” the book holds your attention from the first page to the last.

And, if you choose to listen to the unabridged audiobook, the narration by Barrie Kreinik and Julia Whelan will surely captivate you.

Full disclosure: I read the book when I received the ARC early on, but I decided to wait for the release of the audiobook before I wrote a review. With the book written from two points of view, I needed to “hear” the voices of Jess and Lidia. And, the audiobook like the written one did not disappoint.

So, where do I begin, or perhaps the question is how do I begin to write a spoiler-free review of this mystery/thriller? I can say that it is set in New York City and touches its artistic world. The book shows the struggles of how young people make it there, which according to an old song is the benchmark of “making it anywhere” if you succeed in the Big Apple.

“An Anonymous Girl” is also about familial love and romantic love; it is about love between siblings and the camaraderie of friends, the real-life friend not the BFF from social media. It also delves into the anonymity that a city of 8.5 million people brings.

We have two women protagonists - Jessica Farris, a struggling make-up artist from a middle-class family and Dr. Lidia Shields – an author, a professor and practicing psychiatrist who happened to be born with a silver spoon. How they met was very unorthodox; their interaction with each other can be deadly!

Then, I must stop here. If I say something more, spoilers might creep in. Let me just say that “An Anonymous Girl” is a must-read and/or a must-listen. It’s still early in the year so I will already say that if you have not picked up any books for 2019, then this is should be the first one. If you have started your reading list, then please put “An Anonymous Girl” on top of your list.

“An Anonymous Girl” is Rated T for Teens. Parental guidance is strongly advised.

DNF - 45%

It took me weeks to get as far as I did into this one. I kept waiting for something, anything, to happen t compel me to read it more. To go weeks without finishing a book is very unlike my character, but this just didn't deliver. I am giving 2 stars for the premise of the story. I love the idea and it intrigued me enough to request it; however, it didn't execute well enough for me to finish.

The last straw for me was during one of the tests, the art exhibit to be precise, when Shields becomes irate in her head about her husband being the same cheater when she was mistaken all along. That kind of trigger response is just childish and it didn't seem fitting. The book has potential, but it just wasn't interesting or progressive enough. The character development or just characters, in general, didn't feel developed or substantial.

I wish I could have been drawn in like others seemed to have been. I hate to be in the list of odd ones out, but it was just lackluster for me.

Tense, unpredictable - like an episode of Criminal Minds.

The plot is suspenseful and well paced.

I suggest readding it during the day

“One of them is lying. But who?” AAG (as I’ll call it) is a thriller in the vein of Gone Girl, with unreliable protagonists, lots of secrets, and deadly twists. While I didn’t read the first book from this pair of authors, I was excited to get my hands on this eARC from @macmillanusa via @netgalley (thank you!) given the high praise heaped on the first offering. It’s exactly what you hope for in a book of this genre: propulsive, twisty, provocative. Without giving too much away, AAG explores morality, ethics, and how far one will go to protect and provide for their families. This will be a great beach read come spring/summer for those who haven’t yet picked it up. •
One caveat: the narrative does involve one character who is a psychiatrist, who absolutely abuses the therapeutic relationship. I am a Marriage and Family Therapist, so I feel particularly attuned to popular representations of my field (very broadly speaking, a psychiatrist I am not). Much of the time when therapists are portrayed in the media, we are boundary-breaking unethical turds - so please, if you take nothing else from my review - please know that the vast majority of us are hardworking professionals who take our professional and ethical duties very, very seriously!

I was provided a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest and fair review.

I had read The Wife Between Us by these authors last year and enjoyed it so much – I was exciting to see they had a new book coming out. Similar to that book, this book makes the reader question what is the “truth,” and additionally in this book we begin to question our own ethics and morality. This was a SUPER creepy book, I was on the edge of my seat the whole book waiting to find out what was going to happen and I couldn’t stop myself from looking over my shoulder. The author did such a great job of infusing paranoia and fear into Jessica’s narrative. I loved the two points of view too, and how they were written – with all of Dr. Shields’ entries reading as if she was telling Jessica a story. It was an interesting dynamic and created an obvious difference between their two points of view. The reasoning wasn’t revealed until later in the story but it ended up making complete sense. There were some good plot twists in this story, but while they were exciting, they may have also been a tad predictable. The premise behind this book reminded me a little of another book I had read last year, Believe Me, as the main character in that book is hired to entrap husbands in compromising situations, and the reader is led to question what the truth is and who is the more reliable narrator – similar to this novel. Overall I really enjoyed this read and I thought it brought up some really interesting questions on morality, plus it was sufficiently suspenseful. I can see why this one is a hot topic in the book world right now – I would definitely recommend!

I was REALLY looking forward to reading this novel by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen. After reading their first novel last year and liking it enough, I had high hopes for this follow-up. But in the end I was disappointed. I stopped for a long time about 35% of the way through because it just wasn't interesting. The cat and mouse game Jess and Lydia play out throughout the book is LONG and ARDUOUS to get through. Too many "tests" without much action. I will say that the last 25% of the book had me on the edge of seat and I finished it in one sitting, but the payoff just wasn't worth it. I honestly was looking for a more shocking ending...

I enjoyed Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen's previous release, The Wife Between Us, and when I had heard they were releasing another novel, and so quickly, I knew I had to read it as soon as I could. The two know how to write, blending their unique voices together to create characters that are stunning, mysterious, and quite often, very unreliable. We meet Jess in An Anonymous Girl, a makeup artist struggling to make ends meet in New York City who has found an interesting way to make money by answer a research professor's questions. It's simple, she must honestly answer the questions on the screen, collect check, come back at another time and do it again. Except the questions become increasingly more invasive and soon Jess is concerned with just how much the person on the other end might now know about her. As the research becomes real life tasks, Jess becomes paranoid that Dr. Shields has gone too far, but just like secrets, obsessions too can take over your life.

With an incredibly unique premise, An Anonymous Girl takes readers on a suspenseful journey where one woman's obsession just might turn out to have deadly consequences. At first we see New York and the research from Jess' eyes, an innocent woman with secrets of her own desperate to help her family. As tensions increase the perspective shifts, allowing us a glimpse into the mind of Dr. Shields, a professor using the guise of research to make Jess do what she needs. Jess is not comfortable completing the twisted tasks, but her fear of Dr. Shields and the secrets she now knows forces her to ignore her morals. Soon Jess is questioning reality, unsure of what is real and what Dr. Shields has just made her believe. What was once prying questions is now a high stakes competition where Jess must complete the puzzle before Dr. Shields' own pieces are in place.

I was enthralled by this story, I pictured myself in Jess' shoes and as I read I felt the fear and the beginnings of distrust. She's a smart girl desperate for a solution and as we read on we realize that Dr. Shields just might have picked the wrong girl for the research. As Dr. Shields fights for power, Jess undermines her, and much like the battle between predator and prey, she must find a way to sneak away unharmed. This novel is twisted, a psychological thriller that will leave you unable to think of anything else. Pekkanen and Hendricks reveal things slowly, the puzzle pieces dropping into the story as Dr. Shields true nature is revealed. It is impossible to tell the truth, to know which character to place your trust into, and it only gets more intriguing as the novel's pacing picks up.

An Anonymous Girl was an all-consuming read for me, I couldn't put this book down for anything. I think the story line is appealing for readers, one that toes the line of believability and preys on our desires to understand human nature. It's fascinating, I've got no idea how they came up with this novel, but I loved it and cannot wait to see it come to life on a screen. Filled with secrets and deceit, An Anonymous Girl is a compelling psychological thriller that will hold readers' attention.

A gripping psychological story about morality and ethics, love and deceit. When down on her luck make-up artist, Jessica, stumbles into a psychological study offering cash compensation, she thinks all her problems are solved. However, the rabbit hole she falls down will force her to choose between being the predator or becoming the prey.

HOLY MOLY! This was so unbelievably devious and amazing! I devoured this book in a day and a half. "Seeking women ages 18–32 to participate in a study on ethics and morality. Generous compensation. Anonymity guaranteed." Absolutely huge page turner. This book completely had me from beginning to end. Dr Shield's and her anonymous study and all the crazy along the way. Thank you so much Netgalley for the opportunity to read this!

A makeup artist looking for easy money signs up for a morality study with Dr. Lydia Shields. She starts by answering survey questions, but then gets entangled into Dr. Shields marriage in a way she never imagined.
I would not recommend this title. It's poorly written and boring. The climax was a fizzle instead of a bang. It's a shame this will be so popular in the library.

Copy furnished by Net Galley for the price of a review.

Perceptions and misconceptions, duplicitous mind games, living in a state of uncertainty and dread.  It's all about morality and ethics, and the dilemmas that are born of life situations.  What is real, and what is very possibly staged to gauge a reaction.  A game of cat and mouse in which there is some question as to who is calling the shots.  One thing is certain, it is almost impossible to guarantee anonymity nowadays.  Know the risks in being too forthcoming.   

Stunning pace, smart story line, and gripping characters.  This author pairing of Hendricks and Pekkanen works like a dream.