Guys, get ready to see this one everywhere next year. An Anonymous Girl is the latest by power writing duo Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkenan and it's a wild ride.

Jessica Farris is a young makeup artist who is trying to make it on her own in NYC. She lies her way into being a part of a research study... On morality of all things. The mysterious Dr. Shields sees something in Jess, and she's invited to take the study to the next level. She's pushing her personal boundaries but getting paid handsomely for it, and almost believes that it's all worth it.

This book had me spooked. It took off right from the beginning. The pacing was really good and parts genuinely surprised me. There were only a few characters and it was fun to see them intersect. I'm not a psychologist but I know a lot about it, so admittedly I had a hard time going with the flow on certain parts. Things get complicated pretty quickly and Jess finds herself backed into a corner- I was literally reading this at a bar, so invested in the ending as I was.

All in all, I did like their previous book, The Wife Between Us, better, but I still think this is a compelling follow up. I have a feeling this ending is love it or hate it (I didn't love it, for spoilery reasons I don't want to articulate here!) Still, add this to your 2019 reading list and tell me where you fall. 3.75/5 ⭐️

Tl;dr: An Anonymous Girl has one great main character, one that turns out to be an enormous (and pitiful) cliche and a is a fast paced thriller that works because of the great character.

The story: Jessica is a struggling twenty-something in Manhattan, working as an on call makeup artist when a college-aged young woman whose makeup she's doing mentions a paid scientific study she's decided to skip. Jessica, who needs the money, decides to try and go.

She's accepted into the study, which is ostensibly about morality, run by a Dr. Shields, who Jessie imagines as a older, paternal gentleman. As the study progresses, and the questions get more and more personal, she finds out that Dr. Shields is Dr. Lydia Shields, a gorgeous (natch) and sucessful woman.

Mystified by Dr. Shields's interest in her, but also flattered, Jessie continues to meet with Dr. Shields, even as the sessions change to face to face meetings and increasingly, to "tests" Jessie doesn't understand but keeps doing.

Obviously all is not as it seems with Dr. Shields, but the reason and reasoning behind her behavior, while menacingly fascinating at first, grows obvious and wearisome over the course of An Anonymous Girl. I won't get into spoiler territory, but I will say that the reason for Dr. Shields's crazy seems like it devolves over the course of the book, changing her from seemingly cold-blooded calculator to lovesick idiot.

Jessica, however, is awesome. A refreshingly normal heroine, not gifted with special powers or skills, changes from awestruck ingenue to fierce and formidable, realizing that Dr. Shields holds all the power and actively works to get it back--not just to save her family --but because she realizes that outside of the danger, Dr. Shields's is a Liar McLiar and interestingly, the faux study has made Jessica think about morality and start to draw lines that she hadn't considered before.

It's this growth in Jessica that makes An Anonymous Girl interesting--sure, she faces all the thriller stock plot points, right down to final confrontation which is less tense than it should be due to how far Dr. Shields has fallen down the interesting scale, but I kept reading because I wanted to see the Jessica that would emerge by the book's end. An while some may call her final act less than moral, I think Jessica weighed her options and chose what was best for herself--and given how she lives to please others at the start of An Anonymous Girl, I think that choosing to live for herself was not just the smart decision, but the right one.

Overall, An Anonymous Girl is well paced and written, let down by the increasingly dim Dr. Shields, but buoyed by Jessica, charming and refreshingly real, and the type of heroine who does my favorite thing--saves herself by herself.

FTC Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book from St. Martin's Press through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This book had both good and bad elements in my opinion.

I really liked Jessica, she was a perfectly flawed heroine for this novel. She had things she had done and did do things that were normal, but not considered good. She broke more minor moral rules.

I did not like Dr. Shields at all. I had no sympathy for her she seemed to be a total sociopath. In regards to her "love" for Thomas, it seemed more like an ownership of him than a love for him.

Most of the other characters weren't very well developed, we saw Thomas through others eyes, and the rest of the characters were pretty flat. I would have liked to know more about Jessica's family and friends and of course more about Noah, who seemed an almost afterthought to the story.

It moved a bit too slowly for my taste and it really didn't pick up until the last 70 pages. I see the psychological aspect, but it wasn't an edge of your seat thriller to me.

The ending was perfection and what got me to add a third star to my rating. Although I wish the epilogue was a bit longer.

I loved this book. it captivated me from the beginning until the very last page. I read it in one sitting. I could not get enough.

This is an absolutely amazing book!!!! I can’t even begin to explain it! I thought I was amazed with The Wife Between Us, then BAM this one! This book keeps you wanting to read, keeps you questioning, keeps you on your toes! Please read!!!!

[Excerpt]:

Rating: 4 stars

From the authors of “The Wife Between Us” comes another psychological thriller about two women fighting against each other – not physically, but using their intelligence and words. I have to say, this book gave me lots of anxiety. I didn’t know the full truth of what was happening, who was lying and who was truthful, and if someone was going to bite the bullet. When I actually feel real, physical anxiety because I’m uncertain what comes next, that shows the authors have done a great job of creating suspense. Hendricks and Pekkanen are masters.

First we have Jessica. She’s the main character of this story. She’s 28, lives in NYC, works as a makeup artist for a company called BeautyBuzz, cares deeply about her younger, disabled sister Becky, who’s disability, she feels, was partly her fault, and has 1 night stands with random men, some of them noticeably wearing wedding rings. She enters into a psychology study when she overhears one of her clients talking about ditching it, and from there things spiral out of control. This study is conducted by a mysterious psychologist who is obsessed with morality. As Jessica gets sucked deeper and deeper into the world of Dr. Shields – going where the doctor says, wearing specific outfits, reciting her words line-by-line, subtly gathering information from people – she soon discovers that she’s been told lie after lie after lie, and that Dr. Shields is more than obsessed. She’s dangerous.

[Full review on my blog!]

HOLY GUCAMOLE! This was SOOOO unbelievably devious and good! I devoured this book in a day and a half.

This was my first read by Hendricks/Pekkanen and WOW I can definitely see why everyone strongly recommends their novels. Talk about jaw on floor supreme talent her ladies and gents!! I was very impressed by this book and it's about DAMN time that I was able to get an excellent thriller!

Watch out.... this is going to be THE thriller of 2019. No if's, and's or but's to that statement.... This was THE shit. This book is IMPOSSIBLE to put down and trust me you won't want to!!

Unreliable characters, supreme creepiness to the tee, and unlikeable characters that will make you cringe (in the best way possible).... exactly what I needed! What a fantastic Christmas gift!! :)

I would recommend going into this story blind... therefore I'm not going to share anything about the plot. Trust me... it will make the novel that much more addicting and one fun ride for you.

That ending... also was perfect. Ugh... can't give these authors enough praise!!!

I'm so excited to see what they come out with next... and will be obsessively stalking my goodreads account to see when their next book will be published.

Also.. I'm going to get my bootay reading their first novel!!

5 addicting and obsessive stars!

Huge thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the arc in exchange for my honest thoughts.

Pub date: 1/8/19
Published to GR: 12/13/18

This was one of my favorite reads this year. I felt drawn in to the story immediately. Jessica fascinated me, and so did this story of ethics and morals. Boy did it wind up being a study in those two things and in ways that were not expected.

As Jessica got drawn into the study and acting on Dr. Shields demands, the suspense became palpable and this book became impossible to put down. And when I did put it down, I was still thinking of it, trying to puzzle it all out in my mind and wondering how it could all possibly turn out okay for Jessica.

Everything about this book was in exactly why I read. Riveting in every possible way, subtle twists and so much brain activity going on the whole time. And I’m still thinking about it days later and marveling over the talents of these two brilliant authors.

I highly recommend this book to lovers of psychological suspense and to lovers of fiction period. Read this one, I think you’ll agree with me and love it too.

WOW! THIS BOOK!! While I have some mixed feelings about the way this book ended, I really enjoyed this book overall. I had to let this one settle over me, though. I liked how it kept me captivated and very interested in finding out what was going to happen. I was on the edge of my seat, waiting for the next task and finding out why Dr. Sheilds sent Jessica to do what she did. I did not expect all the twists this book held and I found myself unsure of who was right. Who was lying and why??? I found myself afraid at times, waiting with bated breath. This was definitely an intriguing read, one that I found I didn't want to put down! Be sure not to have too much going on because you will want to blow everything off to understand just what exactly Dr. Shields is up to! Be sure not to miss this book!

AMAZING READ !!! Jessica Farris weasels her way into a study on ethics and morality for the big paycheck that comes with it. Little does she know the study and the mysterious Dr. Shields will take over her life and lead her to question everything she believes. The story takes you through so many twists and turns. It leaves you wondering who can be trusted and if Jessica will finish this ethics and morality study alive. If you love psychological thrillers, this book is a Must Read!

The blurb for this book intrigued me immediately, and after reading this writing duo's previous book, The Wife Between Us, I knew that as the reader I would be taken on a journey full of twists and turns, revelations, misdirection and plenty of questions.

The main character, Jess, sets the tone right away with this story by becoming a participant in a study on Ethics and Morality. But she enters the study under less than ethical or moral circumstances, so what does that say about her?

"Could you tell a lie without feeling guilt?"

If you needed money really badly, would a little lie tug at your conscience? What could this study consist of besides just answering a few questions anonymously, collect your money and forget about it? That's what Jess thinks anyway, until the doctor conducting the test directly entices her with further sessions that include more money, ultimately leading Jess to agree to meet with the doctor directly to continue their sessions one on one.

What transpires from there is a rollercoaster ride of: What is going on? Who can you truly trust? To what lengths will someone go to hold onto what is theirs? And woven throughout the whole story are the underlying secrets and fears that Jess has been holding in for a long time.

Greer and Sarah weave an intricately complex tale told in dual points of view. That of Jess herself, and the other from Dr. Shields who is conducting the study, and may I say, the way her chapters are revealed is pretty ingenious.

The only reason I am not giving this book a full five stars is because the first part dragged a little too much for me. It felt like I was trudging through part 1 and about half of part 2 before the story really picked up. Then once it did, I couldn't put it down. I had to find out how Jess was going to get out of the dangerous cat and mouse game that Dr. Shields was playing with her.

For lovers of Psychological Suspense, this book is perfect for you! It will keep you guessing until the very end.

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with an advance review copy of An Anonymous Girl in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

After loving The Wife Between Us by this author duo, I have had sky high expectations for their follow up novel, An Anonymous Girl. Unfortunately, those expectations were not met.

It took me quite a long time to get into this book. I found the first third or so of it incredibly boring. I didn’t really care about either of the main characters. For awhile everything Jess did got on my nerves. I just didn’t think her behavior made sense. I did eventually start to enjoy it a little more, but it kind of came in waves. I was hooked for sections here and there, but mostly the pacing was just far too slow for me. In the previous book by these authors I also had a problem with the pacing, but the multiple big twists made up for it. Unfortunately here, there are no big, shocking twists to save it. There are several things that I guess are supposed to be surprises or small twists, but nothing happened that I didn’t already guess.

I don’t want to say too much about the plot because of spoilers. I will say that I thought the whole thing was a little far fetched. Whenever Jess “figured something out” I always felt like it kind of came out of nowhere and was a little too convenient. One positive thing I will say, is that I thought the writing was pretty seamless between the two authors. Their writing styles complement each other very well and despite my disappointment with this book, I’ll still read more from them in the future.

Overall, An Anonymous Girl failed to live up to my high expectations. I never connected with the characters and didn’t really care what happened to them and found the overall mystery itself a little lackluster. I am upping my rating from a 2 to a 3 due to the seamless writing of the two authors and because there were a few moments here and there that I enjoyed myself. From the other reviews I’ve seen of this book so far I am clearly in the minority, so this still may be worth your time to give it a try.

Overall Rating (out of 5): 3 Stars

Working as a makeup artist, Jessica (Jess) Farris, overhears her client’s message about a morality study complete with location and time. When her client says that it will be too early for her to attend, Jessica decides to go instead. She could use the extra money and figures how hard can it be to answer a few questions. How hard indeed!

Jessica shows up the next day and is told that she is Subject 52. She is instructed that there are no right or wrong answers, the only requirement is that she is honest. Sounds simple, right? Answering questions on a computer. Easy - or is it? The questions are quite personal and often ask the respondent what she would do in certain situations. Jessica answers the questions and is soon asked if she would like to make more money. You see, Dr. Shields has been watching. She has been reading Jessica's responses. She has encouraged Jessica to dig deeper, to share more. Jessica has piqued Dr. Shield's interest. hmm.... Dr. Shields has also piqued Jessica's interest. hmm...

Given the opportunity to meet Dr. Shields, Jessica is intrigued and highly motivated to make even more money. She soon learns that there will be no more computer Q&A sessions. She will be working closely with Dr. Shields. Dr. Shield's will have assignments for her. Jessica will be given instructions and asked to follow through on them. What is Dr. Shields looking for? What is the purpose of these assignments?

This is one book that lives up to the hype. I will admit that in the beginning, I was skeptical. I read the first chapter and thought "Okay, what's the big deal?" and then I kept reading and quickly realized what the big deal was! As the book progresses the suspense grows and grows and grows (you get the picture). Like Jessica, I initially wondered what the purpose of the assignments was. What was Dr. Shields looking for? Soon the twists and turns started coming. Just when I thought I had things figured out, new twists and tiny revelations were thrown into the mix. As the study progresses, Jess begins to realize that maybe, just maybe she made the wrong decision. She begins to question things and begins to wonder just what she got herself into.

After my initial skepticism, I was fully engaged in this book and found it hard to put down. After the first few chapters, things start to happen fast, and I was glued to my seat and turning the pages as fast as I could. I found the book to be riveting, suspenseful and fun. This was a very well thought out book. I loved how everything came together and even when I thought I knew everything, I found that there was still more to this story than I thought. Just like there was more to both Dr. Shields and Jess than I initially thought. This book has a great cat and mouse feel to it. This is the perfect book for fans of psychological thrillers and suspenseful mysteries.

Thank you to St. Martin's press and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.

This is my first book by these authors. I wasn't sure what to expect but wow! This book was amazing!

One of those page turners, for sure. Had to order a copy of their first book too.

Thank you to NetGalley for a copy in exchange for a review.

Thank you netgalley for the early copy in exchange for an honest review.

Secrets, lies, adultery, manipulation, morality, would you pass the test? Jessica is working as a makeup artist in New York City struggling to support herself and send money home to her parents and disabled sister. On a whim she inserts herself into a high paying psychology study focusing on morality. She is subject 52 revealing her innermost feelings and secrets to a laptop computer. She quickly progresses and she is selected to go beyond the initial study and work with Dr Shields directly participate in real world scenarios; for Jessica the money is just too good to give up. Before she knows it she is sucked into a dangerous game of cat and mouse with no clue who to trust and who is telling the truth. What will it take for her to survive?

This is a edge of your seat psychological mind-bender told from both Jessica and Dr Sheild's perspectives. I enjoyed this thriller because the reader is as much in the dark as Jessica is, not knowing who is telling the truth, who is being used and who will ultimately win in the end. I was hoping for a little more out of the ending but overall I enjoyed the book and it kept me guessing.

This is a solid mystery, written from the viewpoint of two women, one an acclaimed professor, conducting a psychology study, the other, a late 20s makeup artist involved in the study. Both are complex women, with multiple psychological issues, and the study brings them together in a way that forces one to examine her values and the other to confront them in a new way. As the story progresses, their lives become entangled in a cat and mouse game, both trying to stay ahead of the other, The story is well written, interesting and I can easily see it becoming a movie, so much so that I almost visualize it as a screenplay made into a tie-in book, but that’s okay.
I wasn’t fond of a twist at the end, but I suppose it’s understandable. Overall a great read, hard to put down.

I'm a huge fan of the authors of this one after reading The Wife Between Us, so naturally I was super excited to read their next book.

This is a book that captures life in NYC perfectly I love when a fab city plays such a role in a book it becomes an extra character in the book.

I love MPOV narrated stories. This one is narrated by Jessica a bueaty buzz consultant & Dr. Shields a respected well established psychologist.

The two stories merge early on when Jessica takes part in Dr. Shields study on ethics & mortality. Jessica who could use the extra money as any New Yorker knows hustling to get extra money is always something to go after living in an expensive city. However how she gets into the study to begin with is not so moral.

I found Dr. Shields moral code of conduct questions pretty fascinating. It was a very interesting way to get Jessica's back story within her answers. I love how this book gets you up to think while Jessica is taking the quiz.

I really enjoyed how the characters are flawed each in their own way, everyone has secrets. It's how far people are willing to go, what causes them to cross the line & go too far is what makes this such a good read.

Dr. Shields is quite an interesting character herself a seemingly perfect person with her success, money & status. She is quite the opposite of Jessica. How she gains Jessica's trust for this study is a great page turning plot.

Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen have done it again! I loved their previous novel The Woman Between Us and this one solidifies my decision for this author duo to be an auto-buy!

Young beauty consultant Jessica Farris is struggling to get by in NYC and uses her street smarts to weasel her way into a handsomely paid psychological study conducted by Dr. Shields. Anything to help support herself and her disabled sister that still lives with her parents. The study takes a mysterious turn and Dr. Shields is more than Jessica bargained for.

Although I found this story to be fairly predictable, I couldn't wait to see what would happen next in this cat and mouse game! Told between alternating voices, we find out the true nature of this psychological study and who can and can not be trusted.

This is a fun, fast-paced, difficult-to-put-down read in which I am grateful for NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this free review copy.

**Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read this title ahead of its January 2019 publication.**

An Anonymous Girl follows the twisted and manipulated relationship between Jessica, a thirty-something makeup artist trying to make ends meet in New York City and Dr. Lydia Shields, a morality professor heading up a research study. When Jessica agrees to take part in a mysterious psychology study at the last minute in order to earn some extra cash she ends up entangled in the life of Dr. Shields, the captivating and beautiful professor running the study.

I really enjoyed this thriller. I was pretty sucked into the plot from the get-go. The story is told in alternating chapters between Jessica and Dr. Shields. Dr. Shields's chapters are told from second person which did take some getting used to but it added to the omnious feeling that Dr. Shields had eyes everywhere and that Jessica was never truly safe. I went into this book not knowing too much about the plot and I think that served me well; therefore, I won't talk at length about the details of the story.

Things I enjoyed about An Anonymous Girl:
- I typically love dual perspective stories. I feel like as long as the voices are distinct (which they are in this instance) you really get a better feel of all the protagonists.
- I thought the story unfolded the mystery at a good pace, with the exception of the last quarter of the novel. I felt very tense reading certain interactions, especially between the two protags and it kept me guessing.
- I really enjoyed Jessica as a character. I felt that she was realistic and relatable.

Things I wasn't crazy about:
- I thought the story fell apart a little towards the end. Not that the ending wasn't good, but I felt that the "twist" was given up a bit early and took all the steam out of the last quarter or so. I probably would've given this novel 5 stars if the ending had unraveled a bit differently.

I would recommend this novel to anyone who loves thrillers! I haven't read these authors' first collaboration, The Wife Between Us, but now it is on hold at my local library. Thanks again to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for allowing me to view this book early.

This book was absoultely amazing...I have read the Good Wife by these same authors and loved it. When I found out they wrote this book, I knew I had to read it! It is suspenseful and will keep you "hooked" to the last page on what was happening. This book will bring you on a reading roller coaster that many books lack to do!! This book is just WOW a wonderfully great read and now the authors are quickly becoming my favorite ones to read. This book will not disappoint you!! #AnAnonymousGirl #bestbookof2019