Full disclosure, I couldn't finish this book. I got about 30% in and I'm just so bored by the plot, so unconvinced by the bad writing and unbelievable characters, that I just can't be bothered to waste more time. As some others have said, it reads like a crappy Hallmark Channel movie with really bad actors. The second person narration chapters are just ridiculous. I'd say dint waste your time, but so many people seem to love this book that I guess it's say give it a try - maybe I just didn't connect for whatever reason!

Jessica volunteers to participate in a study of ethics and morality. In the beginning it is interesting and even enjoyable. However, over time, Jessica starts to feel that there is a darker reason for this study.

This book makes me never want to participate in any kind of study. I was hooked from the beginning. I did lose interest a little in the middle but the ending helped wrap everything back up. I am not a fan of the writing style but I appreciate that it was necessary for the storyline to switch Jessica and the therapist. To me, it caused the pacing to slow, We would hear from Jessica and then the same event through the eyes of the therapist.

I would still recommend this as it was enjoyable and I did not want to put it down.

Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen have done it again! Just like their first novel, The Wife Between Us, An Anonymous Girl is a book you can't put down once you start reading it, but this one is even better if that's possible!

This is creepy story of obsession with some likeable, and some not-so-likeable, characters that will have you thinking...would you make the same choices as Jess? Does your moral compass always point true north?

This book will definitely teach you to read the fine print before joining any research project. Plus, check out who's doing the study beforehand. After all, this chilling tale could have been a real life nightmare in this twisted world we live in.

Thanks to the publisher for an early copy of this fantastic book! I'll definitely be buying the final version on Audible. Can't wait to listen to it.

Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen, Authors of “An Anonymous Girl” have written a unique, intense, intriguing, page turning, captivating, riveting and enthralling novel. The Genres for this Novel are Thriller, Fiction, Mystery and Suspense. The authors describe the dysfunctional characters as complex and complicated. The time-line for the story is in the present and goes to the past when it pertains to the characters or events in the story. Kudos to St.Martin’s Press for their outstanding and motivational marketing strategies.

Jessie Farris is working as a Beauty Consultant for Beauty Buzz to make ends meet and help her parents and handicapped sister. While doing the make-up for two college girls, she notices a text message on one of their phones that there is an opportunity to make money by answering a psychological questionnaire. Jessie takes the information down, when her client steps out of the room, and takes a chance and shows up to answer the questions and get the money. This is a Psychological Profile that deals with issues of morality. The Psychiatrist in charge is Dr. Shields.

Jessie is called back to answer more intense questions. Dr. Shields wants to meet Jessie in person and Jessie finds herself doing things that don’t make her comfortable and could be dangerous. The more that Jessie interacts with Dr. Shield, she finds very strange and questionable disturbances. This gets to be very intense and I found myself getting extremely anxious. It is like a game of chess, or a game of cat and mouse, and someone has to be one step ahead of the other. There are twists and turns, and highs and lows. What price is to be paid for playing the game? Is the money worth the danger? I highly recommend this emotional and fierce novel for readers who enjoy thrillers. I received an ARC from NetGalley for my honest review.

4 riveting stars to An Anonymous Girl!
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I absolutely adored The Wife Between Us so I was ecstatic to get my hands on a copy of Anonymous Girl this summer. I held on to it, aiming to wait closer to its publication date but I just couldn’t wait any longer!
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Jessica is a hardworking single girl always looking for ways to score a buck. She signs up for a psychology study, thinking of the extra money it will bring her. Little does she know this study will lead her down a dangerous path and envelop her in a web of deceit.
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This was a riveting, on the edge of my seat, can’t-put-it-down story. I read it in a matter of hours, completely shutting out my real life. I absolutely devoured it, growing frustrated when real life intervened. While not as twisty or unexpected as The Wife Between Us, this was a fabulous psychological thriller that takes the reader on a suspenseful journey. Thank you @stmartinspress for this advance reader in exchange for my honest review. An Anonymous Girl hits shelves January 8th!

This is a book you are going to want to read twice. It was full of twists that I didn't see coming. Every time I thought I knew where it was going, surprise twist.

Jessica is a makeup artist who works for a company that sends her out to clients’ homes to do their makeup. On an assignment, she talks to her client and learns about a study that will pay the participants well. In need of money, she decides to take the other woman’s place in the university study. She meets Dr. Shields, the psychiatrist who is conducting the study. After Jessica answers some questions, Dr. Shields decides to recruit her for a ‘study’ that is sort of off the books.

Dr. Shields is a creepy woman to say the least. She is always plotting things in her mind and she’s manipulating Jessica to do something, but the reader doesn’t know what until late in the book. Suffice it to say that the character of Dr. Shields is very creepy and evil. She is extremely good at manipulating the people around her.
Jessica is sent on more and more ‘assignments’ for Dr. Shields, while even her family begins to get drawn into the game. Will she figure it all out in time to save herself and her family?

This was one great psychological thriller! I thought it began slowly at first, but things get going and the reader becomes very wrapped up in the story. You just have to know what’s going to happen next. And you find yourself rooting for Jessica. And, what’s the deal with Dr. Shields’ ex-husband?

I think this is one that deserves five stars and a very high recommendation. It definitely keeps you on your toes and you will be guessing until the end. Great read!

4.5 stars

I loved this book so much! I was hooked from the start and until the very end, this book kept me on the edge of my seat. If you're into psychological suspenses or you would like to try it out, I recommend it (even though I haven't read a lot of them, I'm getting more and more interested in them).

This book was compelling as you follow Jessica, a young make-up artist who gets to answer some peculiar questions about morality & ethics. This research is done by a psychiatrist. That's all I'm going to tell you about this book. Honestly, I think it's best to start reading without knowing too much about it. :)

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing me a digital copy in exchange for my review.

AN ANONYMOUS GIRL was an interesting read. I wanted to fly through this book, but for some reason every time I would read a chapter I would feel anxiety in my spirit. (Is that crazy?) I’m not sure what I expected going into this one, but the authors made sure to bring the psychological thriller out in full force.

To give some background Jess, a makeup artist, is struggling to make ends meet when she forces her way into a study given by the mysterious Dr. Shields. She harbors major childhood guilt and wants to help her family anyway she can. After a few sessions she discovers how truly disturbing and dishonest this doctor is.

I enjoyed this book. Not only does it show the power struggle between an intelligent doctor who has a wealth of money at her finger tips, but it also shows the working class artist who is trying her best to stay afloat day by day. The authors allows us into the minds of both women by providing a dual point of view. You “see” the wheels spinning in each scenario and that is what made me stick with the book until the very end.

One thing that angered me (in a good way though) sooooo much was how vindictive and mean Dr Shields was. She’s the type of person you would call evil. Situation after situation you are thrust into her exhausting plan and it really never comes to a conclusion. It just stops! Great writing by both authors!

Jumping on the band wagon!

Believe all the hype! What a fantastic psychological thriller! I would grab my pogo stick and hop to my heart’s content, but the band wagon is jam-packed and there’s no room for the thing. That’s okay; I’ll just have to hop in my head instead.

How it starts. Bam! Juicy from page 1! (Hopping in my head already.) Jessica needs money so she joins a psychology study. Sounds innocent enough, right? She has to answer questions about morality, and they immediately get under her skin. She thinks seriously about every one. Hm… do I need to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth—or should I lie like a rug? And how much should I reveal to these perfect strangers? Do I want to pour my heart out to a computer? It was easy to imagine how she felt—you go into this study to earn a few bucks, and pow, all the sudden you find yourself being asked all these personal questions. Squirmy time. Plus, sometimes the computer would comment on her answer—asking her to dig deeper, for example—which was just plain creepy. Was there a person behind that screen?

I was a goner. Man, the questions, were they ever interesting! I wondered how I would answer them. I found myself galloping down memory lane, remembering tough moral dilemmas that I had conveniently forgotten about. Oops! I’d catch myself and return to the page. Wait a minute, I’m reading a book here. Must find out what happens next!

Psychology fest: It’s soon clear that Jessica is being singled out. It’s at this point that the psychiatrist, Dr. Shields, enters the picture.

I’m a sucker for books about psychiatrists. I can’t help it; they make my Psych-minor blood cells dance. Dr. Shields is a piece of work. She’s obsessive, manipulative, relentless, and oh so clever. She talks smart—very sophisticated and articulate—and she’s always steps ahead of Jessica and the reader. She is expert at messing with your head. She has some big plan, but good luck trying to figure out what it is. I loved how she talked psychology, analyzing everything in everybody’s head.

Jessica is in over her head. Turns out Jessica has signed up for much more than just a survey. She gets in deeper and deeper. What keeps her going is the high pay. Dr. Shields makes her go on very strange and uncomfortable missions without explaining anything—these setups were so cool, I was on the edge of my seat trying to figure out what would happen next. Another person enters the picture and their agenda is suspect, too. So twisty and fun! It’s hard to tell if there’s a good guy in all this.

What grabbed me? The cool questionnaire initially grabbed me, but soon the questionnaire is history and we enter into the highly charged dynamic between Jessica and Dr. Shields—which grabbed me even more. I’m right there with Jessica as she gets more and more wary and confused. My take on what was happening changed all the time, just like Jessica’s did. Her fear ratcheted up, and so did mine.

5 stars for a thriller? Really?? I loved The Wife Between Us, so I knew I had to try the authors’ latest. But I was wary. Will this new book be as good as the first? Well, I’ll say it was even better. I’m stingy with my stars when it comes to thrillers because they often lack depth. I hardly ever dole out 5 stars, but seriously, this book deserves them.

The language is sophisticated, the characters complex, the plot intricate, and the pacing perfect. I think all these factors elevate the book above most thriller fare; I felt like I was reading literary fiction. Add suspense, which this story has in spades, and you have one hell of a book.

Thanks to NetGalley for the advance copy.

I want to thank St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for the opportunity to honestly review this advanced reader copy!!!

How far are you willing to go to make some money? Would you impersonate someone else? Would you divulge your darkest secrets? Jessica Ferris (Jess) is tested to the limits in this thrilling book by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen. Jess shows up at an anonymous study to make some quick money after overhearing about it from a client. From there is quickly befriended by generous Dr. Shields. However that friendship quickly spirals out of control and Jess must figure out how to outsmart the smartest person she knows.

I really enjoyed this book! It was a lot of fun to read and kept me on the edge of my seat. I will say that the ending was a bit of a let, but I was happy with how everything wrapped up. It really does make you think about the lengths you would go to to help family and how intertwined certain people are in your lives.

If you love a good thriller, I would absolutely recommend this book!

“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.”

Jessica Farris is a makeup artist in New York City and when she overhears information about a psychological study for some quick cash she finds a way to get into it. Sitting in an empty room she answers questions on a computer on ethics and morality. She’s prompted to be as honest as possible and she is; she has no reason not to be. This is an anonymous study after all where she is referred to only as Subject 52. She’s generously paid and when the individual in charge of the study, Dr. Shields, dangles the carrot of further payment if she continues the study outside of the classroom she accepts. The things Jess is asked to do are slightly unnerving and confusing, unsure how it has anything to do with ethics and morality, but the desire to help her struggling family out is more than enough incentive to quiet the discontent in her mind. The more studies she completes though, the more the discontent grows.

Most mysteries these days tend to count on unreliable narrators to keep the reader guessing. In the end, you’re thrown a curveball of an answer that causes you to question the hundreds of pages you’ve just consumed. It can be just as fun to work your way back through the story, reevaluating everything you assumed but now with a new understanding. That’s what I enjoyed most about An Anonymous Girl, you think you know exactly what’s going on, and you might be right, but there’s just enough uncertainty that you can’t be sure, so you keep reading. Alas, the lead up was great, but the ending wasn’t quite the shocker that I had anticipated and felt a little too ‘easy’ of a conclusion when compared to the chaos that led up to it. I sometimes feel that by reading too many mysteries that I’m dulling any future enjoyment, that I become too adept at deciphering what’s truly going on. Or maybe this was simply a mediocre mystery.

Wowsa! Was this a thrilling ride on the crazy train! This was definitely not like any other thriller I've read - and it hooked me in right away. The suspense, the twists, it's all very unnerving from start to finish and I found myself gripping the book trying to figure it all out.

Jess finds herself a participant in a phsychology study, lured in solely by the amount it pays. She's hoping to answer a few questions on ethics and morality, get her money to help her parents pay for her sister's medical needs, and then be done. But then the questions start appearing on the screen:

"Could you tell a lie without feeling guilt?"

"Have you ever deeply hurt someone you care about?"

"Should a punishment always fit the crime?"

For some reason, the coordinator is very interested in the way Jess has answered these questions, and she soon finds herself returning for more and more studies and tests, and promises of more, and better money. But why? Why choose her to continue? Why are her secrets any more interesting than someone else's? Jess finds herself becoming paranoid, and involved in some pretty shady outings and experiments. She starts to question everything she's ever done and wonders if she's gotten in too far.

I really, really got sucked into this one - it was definitely nothing like I've ever read and very creatively done. The study raises questions about your own morals as you find yourself answering them along with Jess as she takes the tests. That is pretty twisty in itself! I found myself all over the place questioning who is good, who is bad, who knows what, and what's going to happen. My paranoia grew along with Jess, and there were several heart pounding twists. I did feel the ending was a bit forced, a bit too neat. But I enjoyed the first 90% immensely and really immersed myself in the story with extreme fascination.

I haven't read The Wife Between Us, but I'm definitely going to go check it out now!

I LOVED this book!! I loved how the protagonist uses her brain to get what she wants instead of violence. It was interesting seeing how the story unfolded and the ending was definitely not what I was expecting, which was refreshing. I will definitely be reading more of this author's work. I love the writing style as well - it was a difficult book to put down. (I also loved all the psychology references - mostly because that's what my degree is in) =)

Boy did I really enjoy this one! The twists and turns on this mystery were windy and enjoyable - and even though I would have ended it a different way, it was one of those books where I said I’d read a few chapters and ended up finishing the book! Definitely one that kept me thinking - what would I do? - and also had me recommending it to many of my friends!

Also was intrigued by the duo authorship - this is my first book by these authors, and now I’m ready for more! They obviously have something special brewing between the two of them and it makes for quite a read.

A great quick read if you’re looking for suspense, mystery, unexpected twists and a dash of morality issues all wrapped into one!

Thanks so much to St. Martin’s Press for my first ARC ever! What a pleasure it was to read and review this!

Jessica is a makeup artist who isn’t living her life to the fullest. Barely making ends meet, her days consist of running around NYC, toting her make up case. Her nights are spent hanging out with her best friends and having one night stands. When she sees a text about a study on ethics and morality that pays around $500, she decides to go and take the girl’s place. She catches the eye of the psychologist running the study, Dr. Shields. As her relationship with Dr. Shields gets more personal, Jessica realizes that she isn’t involved in a study anymore. Instead, Dr. Shields is using her in an experiment. As Dr. Shield becomes more and more demanding and obsessive, Jessica needs to find a way out. Will that happen? Will Jessica be able to end her relationship with Dr. Shields? Or will she be a casualty?

I loved how Dr. Shields side of the story progressed. It was interesting to read how she picked up on Jessica. How she singled her out of the study. The author did a great job of letting Dr. Shields crazy come out in small doses. Her obsession with Thomas and Jessica. Her ability to read Jessica’s mind and to be one step ahead of her. It was all wonderfully spaced out. I will say, though, Dr. Shields did scare me. I had no issue imagining this same scenario playing out in real life. That is what made this book so good to read. It was totally believable.

Jessica’s side of the story was as wonderfully written as Dr. Shields. The authors did a fantastic job of showing how easy someone was to manipulate. All it took was asking the right questions and creating the right atmosphere. I loved watching her transformation from an independent woman to a person who was controlled. But, what I also liked, was how Jessica took her life back. How she fought back against Dr. Shields.

I will warn, for those of you who don’t like it, that Dr. Shields part of the book was written in 2nd person. Myself, I don’t care for it. It makes the story harder to read because the reader never gets to see what is going on from the other people’s perspective. But in this book, it worked. It only worked because Jessica’s part of the book was written in 1st person. I wasn’t only reading the book in 2nd person. Another reason it worked was that we got to see Dr. Shields in two totally different lights. I thought it was fascinating how the author was able to merge the two different people who I associated with Dr. Shields into one person by the end of the book.

The main storyline with Dr. Shields and Jessica was wonderfully written. Like I mentioned above, I love reading how Jessica was manipulated by Dr. Shields. I loved how the author kept the true reason for the Dr’s social experiments under wraps until about the middle of the book. I was as shocked as Jessica when the truth was revealed.

The secondary storylines were alright. Except for April’s storyline, I didn’t get as involved with them. I did have a question about Ben and how he knew to call Jessica “Jess“. I wanted to know how much he knew about the study. The way he acted with her at the meeting made me think he knew more than he let on. It was dropped after that.

The end of An Anonymous Girl underwhelmed me. It was anti-climatic with how it was ended. I was left scratching my head and going “Huh” afterward. I should have seen what happened coming but I didn’t. The epilogue added to it.

I gave An Anonymous Girl a 4-star rating. I enjoyed reading this book. The plotlines were beautifully written and I was kept on edge the entire book. I connected with the characters. The only thing that affected my rating was the ending. It was not what I thought it would be. I was left wondering why.

I would give An Anonymous Girl an Adult rating. There is sex (not graphic). There is language. There is violence. There are triggers. They would be sexual assault and suicide. I would recommend that no one under the age of 21 read this book.

I would reread An Anonymous Girl. I would also recommend this book to family and friends. I would include a warning about the triggers.

I would like to thank St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review An Anonymous Girl.

All opinions expressed in this review of An Anonymous Girl are mine.

**I chose to leave this review after reading an advance reader copy**

I didn’t know if these authors could top their last book but WOW!! This book is fantastic! I was going to read a couple of pages before bed and ended up staying up all night to finish it!!

I absolutely loved The Wife Between Us so when I saw that they wrote another book, I knew I needed to read it. An Anonymous Girl is about a makeup artist who answers an ad looking for a woman to participate in a morality and ethics research study. Jessica needs extra money and this seems like a simple way to earn it. But when the demands become far too complex, Jess wants out. But it’s not that simple. This book started slow, but once it got going, I couldn’t put it down.

Fantastic read! I can see this playing out on the silver screen.📽

"Seeking women ages 18–32 to participate in a study on ethics and morality. Generous compensation. Anonymity guaranteed."

Jessica Farris is a struggling make up artist, always looking for her lucky break. When she catches wind of the highly paid ethics and morality study, she sneaks her way in and soon becomes Subject 52.

Dr Shields, the executor of this study, takes a liking to Jessica's answers to her questions. She soon places her focus on Subject 52, even expanding her participation for higher compensation.

What transpires between these two soon becomes an intense cat and mouse game that is told from both POV's, leading to a final confrontation that far exceeded my expectations!

Compulsive, entertaining, and a page turner I had a hard time putting down.

Another successful collaboration, looking forward to seeing what they come up with next!

ARC provided by NetGalley

This book puts the psychology in psychological thriller. I love the intense pace. The story grabs you from the beginning without being graphic, gory or outlandish. The writers really capture realistic interpersonal relationships and subtle details. I love the way these authors put their books into three parts always revealing more details with each section. There is a simple urgency throughout that kept me coming back for more.