This book is a well written psychological suspense novel following Jessica after she manages to be included in a study she wasn't invited to be part of. She thinks it will be quick and easy and she'll take the money and run, but it's not quick, nor is it easy.

As the questions become more intrusive and the doctor behind the study begins to start to hold sway over Jessica's life, the story begins to twist in ways I didn't expect. I found myself quickly wanting to know more and I was tempted to skip to the end just to see what happened, but was glad I didn't.

If you've enjoyed any of the other books written by these authors, you will likely love this. It's a must for psychological thriller fans.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and authors for allowing me an ARC at my request. My thoughts are my own

Jessica is a makeup artist living in New York. She is struggling to get by and when overhears a client discussing a study about mortality that pays the participants $500.00 per session she is intrigued. We’ve already learned Jessica is good at hiding the truth; her parents think she is working with theater companies as a makeup artist. Jessica needs the money badly. She is supporting herself and her family.
Jessica joins the study never realizing it will change her life.
The story caught me from the start. I was even intrigued by her job as a traveling make up artist and how she studies her clients and transforms them.
The cat and mouse game between Jessica and Doctor Shields is intense.
The story started dragging about 3/4 through. I was anxious to see how the story would end and it wasn’t fast enough for my liking.
The end wasn’t perfect ; I wish it had ended differently,but the epilogue made up for it.
By the way , I thought Thomas was a twit.
Thank you to Netgalley and St Martin’s Press for the ebook for review.

When she finds out about a study on ethics and morality, Jess is eager to take part. It means misrepresenting herself a bit, but she could definitely use an extra five hundred dollars and all she has to do is answer a few questions on a computer.



The first part of the book pulled me in fast. I found myself answering the questions in my own head as I read Jess's answers. Then the pace shifted. This one wasn't quite as entertaining as The Wife Between Us, the previous book by these authors, but it was still a suspenseful read as I watched to see how much Jess was willing to do to remain part of the survey.

2.5 Stars 🌟🌟🌠
I had high hopes for this novel after reading the blurb. I was intrigued. Unfortunately, it didn't tick all the boxes for what I look for in a thriller and I struggled to stay connected to the story.

I had to put the book aside a few times because although the plot was unique, it faiIed to captivate me.The pacing of the first half of the story was excruciatingly slow.

On the plus side, the novel is co-authored, and the transition between writers was not obvious; it flowed smoothly. The details were clear and imaginative and there was a good mix of dialogue and narrative.

While in the end An Anonymous Girl was not a hit for me, it was a creative storyline and had that dark and tense quality to it for the second half. If you enjoyed Hendricks and Pekkanen's debut novel and their style of writing, I'd say give this one a try.




**Complimentary copy for review provided by St. Martin's Press and Netgalley. All opinions expressed here are honest and entirely my own.**

I received a free copy of this book from the author. I had the opportunity to review or not.

One of the most interesting psychological dramas I have read in a very long time. This story starts innocently enough with a girl voluntarily entering into a study through a small deception that then develops into a deeply deceptive tale.

Jessica is a 28-year-old make-up artist. She works for BeautyBuzz doing makeup for clients that are contracted through them. Jess meets a client and overhears a chance to make some quick, good money and uses the opportunity to enter into what appears to be a clinical research study on ethics and morality. As Jess works her way through the initial process, including an introduction to Dr. Shields who is conducting the research, although not in person. She is also given the explanation and rules, complete honesty and absolute secrecy, she can discuss it with no one.

Jessica is accepted into the program and finally meets Dr. Shields. Jess is totally enchanted with Dr. Shields, and the continuing pay is excellent. The questions of her ethics and morality get more and more thoughtful, deeper and deeper into her psyche. But things are not as they seem, and Jessica is drawn into a troublesome situation. She begins to wonder what is really going on.

These authors present an incredible psychological drama. I was completely drawn into the story; the characters are well-developed, and the writing is superb. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves psychological drama, and anyone who loves a good mystery.

This second book from the writing duo of Greer Hendricks and Sara Pekkanen knocks it out of the park. Excellently crafted thriller from start to finish. I liked their debut novel The Wife Between Us, but felt it didn't fully live up to its promise. Not so here. This one is worth the hype. Well paced and plotted, this story pulled me in and along for the ride immediately, and never let up. Great exploration of issues of trust, love, obsession, and what motivates a person at their core. The thrills within are not overtly scary or violent, but of the psychologically twisty, creepy, obsessive, disturbing sort. Which is ultimately scarier when done right, as it is here. This will make a fantastic movie one day. Highly recommend.

Thank you the publisher, NetGalley and the authors Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen.
My first experience reading these authors and what a ride it was.
Excellent story, well written. It kept me on my toes from beginning to end.
Couldn’t stop reading absolutely riveting.
Cannot wait for another book from these authors.

Nuh uh, that didn't just happen...right? Wow!

I'm kind of sitting here fish-mouthing it. I don't want to give anything away because that's not my way...but this one is different. Morals...ethics...such an interesting line that blurs and shapeshifts depending on individual's perceptions. Excellent writing, I was sucked right in to this misleadingly innocuous tale.

An e-copy of this book was given to me from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. 4 stars.

Jess discovers a survey will pay money to answer questions. She is living paycheck to paycheck from her job as a makeup artist for BeautyBuzz. After she is able to sneak into the study under false pretenses, she discovers that it is not a simple multiple-choice questionnaire. She must dig deep to provide a satisfactory response to questions like “How do you know you can trust someone?” As the study deepens, Jess discovers more about herself, the psychologist operating the research study and others. She ponders “When can you trust another?”

Without any spoilers, the beginning of this book moves slow. DO NOT STOP READING! Every piece of information and dialogue is important later in the book. The roller coaster is just leaving the gate. What a psychological ride! The reader will be caught up in the questions and wonder how they would answer. You will be fully invested as Jess’ life begins to spiral. You will cheer for Jess and want to protect her, as well.

This book ranks right up there with The Wife Between Us. Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen are a phenomenon to be reckoned with. Welcome to the list of top authors, ladies.


I received an ARC from St. Martin Press through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This in no way affects my opinion or rating of this book.

(4.5) I didn't know what to expect when I first started reading this book. The premise about a young woman, Jess, participating in a psychology study dealing with ethics and morality was very interesting and it had me hooked from the start. With twists and turns that left me not knowing who to believe and so curious as to how it would end that it had me reading way, way past my bedtime. This one really had me guessing. An extremely intense and suspenseful read!

Thank you to the publisher for the advance readers copy.

Jessica is a 28-year-old trying to make it in NYC. She is a makeup artist for a company and spends her days going from appointment to appointment earning money for her craft. She hears about a psychological study that pays $500.00 a day from a client and her friend and decides to scam her way in. When she arrives at the study she finds herself answering a series of moral questions that make her start to question her own morals. After two days of answering questions, Jessica finds herself being proposition to Dr. Lydia Shields to help her more with her study. What Jessica doesn't realize is that Dr. Shields has her own agenda.
Dr. Lydia Shields is not what she appears to be on the outside. She is cunning and manipulative to a fault. She seems to send Jessica on random errands and sets her up to see various interactions that mean nothing to Jessica. If she only knew how much they meant to Dr. Shields, she would have been in a better position to see what was really going on.
Dr. Shields' husband, Thomas, plays a major role in this book. He is also a psychiatrist and his practice is separate from Lydia's. The current state of their marriage plays a major role in this book. I am not going to spoil what happens as that is what makes this book so unique. I will say that the story has quite a few twists and is quite suspenseful. I question the morality of all of the characters in this book, which is what made it to good to read. I couldn't help but question the choices all of them made in the end.
If you are looking for a suspenseful and interesting tale, then this is the book for you. I really did enjoy it.
I received an ARC from NetGalley for my honest review.

Librarian: The Wife Between Us was a big hit last year, and I can see that repeating with their new book. Personally I found this one to be the better book, and I'm sure that it will be a popular one, especially for book clubs. That's actually what I'd suggest using this one for in a library setting. I feel like including it in a book club pack would be a really good choice, as there's a lot here to unpack.
Reader: I'm not normally a huge fan of psychological thrillers and suspense. The operative word in that sentence is normally. This book is an exception. I found myself really pulled into the story, and wanting to read more. The two leads felt more like they were functioning as deuteragonists, then as protagonist and antagonist, inspire of their opposing roles in the narrative, which I found fascinating. One other thing that I noticed, was the fact that the whole time I was reading it I had the song Bad Romance stuck in my head. The book made me think of that song, and I could easily see it being used on the soundtrack of a movie version.

Oh my, did I enjoy this book.

My mind reeled at Dr. Shields' habits and meticulous nature. While she was the antagonist, she was by far my favorite character. Unbeknownst to me, I secretly identified with her thought process and orderly behavior. I was not a fan of the protagonist. For the same sad reason I loved Dr. Shields, I did not like Jessica because she reminded me of how weak and vulnerable I can be.

Fictional words are powerful, for they can show us glimpses of ourselves- past, present, and future.

As the story moved along, I noticed shifts in my mood as the points of view alternated. This dynamic duo masterfully penned a story. Where one point of view was first person, the other was second person. While not a common writing style in today's literary market, the execution was flawless.

The power of the second person point of view is that it draws the reader into the story. I was drawn in so much that I sat erect and hung onto every one of Dr. Shields' insights and thoughts.

An Anonymous Girl left has an indelible mark and gave me, not only hours of precious entertainment, but plenty to meditate open.

Hat tip to Greer and Sarah!.

Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen have done it again with the twisty and unpredictable plot of An Anonymous Girl. It’s everything you want a suspense thriller to be with an added hint of psychotic. Morality, truth and lies become a jumbled mess that you’ll rummage and sift through till the very end as you try to fit the pieces together.This unique story is a must read!

Let’s just pretend you’re Jess. Late twenties and a hardworking cosmetic artist, you need to find a way to make some extra cash to send home to cover the expenses of a disabled sister.
An opportunity presents itself.
You take it.
At first, getting paid to be the anonymous subject in an ethics study seems pretty harmless. It’s an easy way to make some good extra cash. Just sit at a computer and answer some questions. Ok well the questions start to get personal and you convince yourself that no one will ever know. Just type your answers and collect your money. Done.
But one day, you aren’t subject 52 anymore. You are the sole subject in Dr. Shield’s study. You meet her. Your relationship gets personal. You reveal things about yourself that seem to flow out of your mouth. Dr. Shields seems so helpful, so professional. Will you regret getting involved? But the money is so good. Her help is so welcomed. Why YOU? Does Dr. Shield’s want to help you or does she have an ulterior motive?
This is a chilling story of a vulnerable young woman who has some secrets she is hesitant to reveal to a Dr. who also has secrets she is hesitant to reveal! LOVED this story. Two talented authors strike again!

Creepy and intriguing! It took me a little while to fully get into this book - I had a hard time delving into the mind of the psychiatrist - but I'm glad I stuck with it. There were a lot of twists that were interesting and even a few I didn't see coming!

Full stop thrill ride that’ll probably set your mind at unease.
This is the perfect antidote to all the precious Christmas/holiday themed books I managed to consume in December. My deep hope is that Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen continue with their team writing for many more years. I love the unpredictability of their stories. I used to NEVER read thrillers because I’m not a Jason Bourne kinda gal. I’m a twisty, mind-manipulative, physchological thriller reader. This jagged, bumpy road, out of control funhouse ride of a story from a crafty female perspective was wholly satisfying.

Ps - what is it about the young us-es of the world who agree to these weirdo studies, anyway? I did it myself as a 20-something student. Brilliant concept for a book, especially in an age where we give up so much of ourselves for everyone anonymous around us.

A Haunting Psychological Thriller

Jessica, a free-lance makeup artist, is trying to help her family and make ends meet. There’s never enough money, so when she hears one of her clients decide to dump an appointment to act as a participant in a psychological study where the pay is good, she decides to take her place. What can it hurt?

The study requires sitting at a computer screen answering questions. At first it’s easy, but as the study progresses, the questions become more and more personal. The further she goes into the study the more paranoia she experiences until her life starts to spiral out of control.

This book will keep you reading. It’s addictive. The story is told from two points of view, Jessica, and Dr. Schields, who runs the study. Through the questions and answers Dr. Schields begins to mold Jess. It is truly frightening. How do you break free from someone like that? How far will you go before you try?

Each tells her own story in the first person. I don’t always enjoy first person narratives when two characters are involved, but this works well. Jessica is likable. It’s easy to identify with her. Dr. Schields is creepy, but the character works well for the story.

The writing is clear. It pulls you into a world that is progressively more strange. At the end, you will be surprised at the twists that create a masterful ending.

If you enjoy psychological thrillers, this is a good one.

I received this book from St. Martin’s Press for this review.

It has been a few months since I read An Anonymous Girl, but I wanted to get my review posted. I was a huge fan of the authors' previous work, The Wife Between Us, so I was excited to receive a pre-release copy of An Anonymous Girl. I tried to wait until closer to release date to read it, but read and finished it in October. Overall, it is an enjoyable read, although without the big twists and turns (and really without the suspense) that I felt with The Wife Between Us. Yes, I had a bit of a creepy vibe while reading. And yes, I wanted to know what happened. But in the end, I felt a bit disappointed. It was far-fetched and the ending didn't seem to fit. For me, this was an average suspense read, but not one that I'd highly recommend to all. I think if you're a fan of suspense and want a psychological twist, then this would likely be a good fit for you!

I honestly did not believe The Wife Between Us could be beat. Not that this one is better, it’s a tie.

I loved this book from cover to cover. I recommend that you read it if you enjoyed The Wife Between Us by the same authors. They do a brilliant job of writing that keeps you turning pages late into the night.

I have to thank NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for an ARC of this in exchange for my unbiased review. It’s such a good book. Great characters and surprise ending. A thriller that will keep you guessing and on the edge.

A big 5 star read.