A dark, gripping tale of morality - the opening chapters had me answering the questions right along side Jess, and it forced me to think of how I judge people on just the surface without knowing more of the story.I was consumed with finding out the answers while hating each of the main characters. The ending disturbed me - I almost felt a little dirty upon its completion but still an excellently written story.

Jessie was supposed to be a number in a university study. It was supposed to be an easy way to make extra money. After seven years in New York City, Jess was struggling, her dream of becoming a make-up artist on Broadway slipping from her hands. So when she sees an opportunity for extra cash, which she knows her family back home desperately needs, she blatantly lies to get into the study.

The study is about morality and choices. Jess is uncomfortable revealing decisions she regrets, but her answers bring her to the attention of Dr. Shields.

Dr. Shields draws Jessie into her confidence, asking her to take the study beyond questionnaires in an empty room and into real-life situations that push Jessie out of her comfort zone. And then Jessie learns about a previous study volunteer who died and discovers Dr. Shields isn't telling the truth.

The story is narrated in two voices, Jessie and Dr. Shields. There are twists and complications in the plot, filling Jessie with doubt about who she can trust.

Having the villain a psychologist is brilliant, a built-in reason for her to understand Jessie with greater insight and thereby easily manipulate Jessie. Jessie is needy but self-reliant and savvy enough to fight back.

An Anonymous Girl is a clever page-turner, a fun ride that keeps readers guessing. Be warned, don't read this before bedtime. It will interfere with your sleep schedule.

I received a free book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.

The laptop is opened, a website pulled up. Filled with literary cover images and reviews, you scroll lazily through them all. Until you find the one.

Shall we begin?

It's been awhile since I've picked up a suspenseful thriller where I had to set aside my Kindle for a moment and text my bookish friend "I'm getting spooked and I'm only halfway through!" We meet a regular young woman (Jessica) who learns of a financial opportunity that seems easy enough - answer a few ethical and morality questions for a Psych professor and be done. However, she becomes entangled in the psychiatrist's own world and motives. With it's two writing styles written from both the psychiatrist's and Jessica's point of view, I was on the edge of my seat for most of the book.

Thank you so much to St. Martin's Press for this ARC in exchange for a very honest review.

Did not care for the book...just didn't snag me even after several chapters. I thought it was trying to hard to be "deeper" than it was.

When Jessica lies to get her way into a study group she isn't quite sure what it's all about. When she is accepted the challenges begin, they seem strange to her but she needs the extra money, this begins a series of tests she must pass. She thinks she has become friends with the therapist but begins to question the doctors motives.
The tension in this book was nail biting, you could feel the desperation Jessica begins to feel and you wonder what is going to happen next and the build is to the conclusion is exciting until it the end happens and it leaves you feeling letdown by the whole story.

This one was quite the page turner . . . and it will definitely make me think twice about participating in a research study. After Jess participates in a study for $500, she doesn't know it, but the psychiatrist takes a special interest in her. The book goes between Jess's POV and the therapist's. I kept turning the page because I wanted to know what would happen and what the therapist's motives were. Her true motives become clear a little at a time, but it's clear there are secrets between her and her husband. As Jess goes deeper and deeper into the world of Dr. Shields, it's hard to know who to trust. There were a couple of surprises towards the end, but I have to say that all in all, I thought the ending was a little anticlimactic. Don't get me wrong, I was pretty satisfied with the ending. I just thought there would be a bigger explosion. Still a great read.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for an electronic ARC. I truly enjoyed this story. It was a mind game from start to finish, that had me continually trying to figure out what was going on. My mind was going in so many different directions.

WOW - this book caught me right away. What a psychological thriller this book is. It kept me guessing throughout the book. Jessie is barely hanging on financially. She abandoned her dream of becoming a makeup artist for the Theatre. She had to be able to survive in New York. She began working for a makeup company called BeautyBuzz, as a makeup artist. The job entailed her spending her days going from home to home or apartment and applying makeup to individuals who wanted this service for special events. Sometimes she would get a tip and other times nothing, only a “thank you.” During one of her appointments, two college girls started talking about an appointment to do a survey at the university (NYU). It paid $500. Of course the girls, both said it was too early in the morning for them, they would be partying until early morning hours. Jessie was so curious, that while the girls were checking out their new makeup in the bathroom, she took the contact info off of Taylor’s phone. The next morning, she decided to check it out. What could it hurt, right? She told the Administrator, that Taylor couldn’t make the appointment, and that she would take the survey for her. The Administrator left for a moment to see if this was possible. He returned and said that she could take the survey. They proceeded down the hall to Room 214. The survey was to be taken on a laptop, in a room where she was by herself. It was timed. The questions were on morality and ethics and were very detailed. After she finished, she was required to come back for the second day. She completed the second day, and was asked to visit Dr. Shields at her office. These meetings became regular meetings, where Jessica shared very intimate details regarding her life and her family. After each meeting, Dr. Shields would hand her a check for her time. The money would definitely help pay for the sessions to help her disabled and challenged younger sister. Then Dr. Shields informed her that she be required to do things for her, and she would be paid more money. Some of the events that she would be required to do, would be to travel to a museum and look for a specific individual. However, an accident in front of the museum, prevented her from finding this person. Another event she was required to go to was to flirt with a man in a bar. Jessica couldn’t understand what these events had to do with the study Dr. Shields was working on. Why would Jessica be encouraged to look for this specific person? What did this person have to do with Dr. Shields? Did Dr. Shields have something to do with another woman’s death, who was also involved in her study? How was Jessica chosen to work on this study? If you like intrigue and a great psychological thriller, that keeps you guessing until the every end, this book is definitely one to read. I thoroughly enjoyed the constant evolving plot, along with the character development in this book. I am looking forward to the next book!!

Having read and enjoyed The Wife Between Us, I was really excited when An Anonymous Girl was announced. I couldn't wait to see what this duo could come up with next.

As with their previous book, I really enjoyed this one as well. Most of the first half moves slowly but I was so intrigued with the plot, I didn't want to stop reading. Then the twists started to come in, the book picks up immensely and I really couldn't put it down until I discovered what was going on with these characters. You never knew who to trust.

I already look forward to their next book. I would definitely recommend this one to all my book friends.


Thank you St. Martin Press and NetGalley for the advanced copy.

As a preface for this review, I want to thank NetGalley and St.Martins Press for the ARC of An Anonymous Girl in exchange for an honest review.

Surprisingly and regrettably, In being honest, I must give this book a low rating. Surprisingly because I devoured and thoroughly enjoyed the authors’ first book, The Wife Between Us. I was anticipating this second novel to be of the same caliber: a psychological thriller with an interesting plot and unpredictable twists. It is not. Regrettably because I dislike giving such a low rating to proven accomplished authors and also because I am so disappointed- I was so looking forward to a great book.

The two POV were excruciatingly annoying and, at first, terribly confusing. Two unlikeable characters were not interesting and I wasn’t invested in either and ended up not caring for either. The plot was interesting enough to grab my attention at first, but then it became ludicrous and unbelievable if not boring. The pacing - SLOOOOW.

In summary, I simply could not connect with the lackluster and unsatisfying plot and cast. Meh.

An Anonymous Girl is an engrossing, mesmerizing read. My eyes were glued to the pages so I didn't miss one single detail. Readers will inhale this latest psychological mind teaser by Hendricks and Pekkanen. Combined, these two author's are a lethal weapon. The narrative Involves, trust, manipulation, deceit, lies, mind games, matching wits, and sinister deeds. Make up artist Jessica signs up for a study in hopes of making fast money. She's chosen to be the puppet of conniving Dr. Shields, to use for her own selfish devices. Once the reader reaches a certain juncture in the story, you'll hold your breath as you anxiously read to see who will come out on top: Jess, the doctor, or the other players in this twisted, warped game of masterminds. Bravo!!!

First admission: I devoured this book in one day.

Second admission: Psychological thrillers are my absolute favorite.

Now that we have that out of the way, let's review. An Anonymous Girl is wonderfully written and will have you balancing precariously on the edge of your seat. Multiple times I tried to put this book down, but I simply could not. The authors know just how to keep you absolutely captivated and hooked to where you must keep reading. Both main characters were incredibly well written. Each had a sordid past that they could not escape from. Bouncing between there perspectives gave you a really good insight to how each of their minds worked. How each main character was trying to get ahead of the other towards the end. Not to mention, the supporting characters were amazing. Each character added an important element to the overall story. The pace was incredible. Just enough was given that you felt that you must know what happened next. There was plenty of detail to allow you to paint a clear picture of the scene, but you also had some leeway.

Overall, I was thoroughly impressed with this book. I am more than hopeful to read another by these authors!

Twisted. Psychological. Philosophical. It was difficult for me to want to put it down and return to reality. I'm still thinking about the story.

I don’t like to give summaries in book reviews. Instead I like my reviews to focus on what I thought and felt when I was reading. This book was suspenseful, but not scary. There was some romance, but not over the top. I enjoyed reading this book. I found myself picking up the ARC every chance I got. It was hard to put down. I’m really glad I read the book. I highly recommend it. You won’t be disappointed.

Thank you to Netgalley and the author for providing me with this ebook in exchange for my honest review.

I received The Wife Between Us for review last year and it became easily one of my favorite thrillers, so when I saw they were coming out with another, I knew I wanted to get my hands on it.

An Anonymous Girl follows make up artist Jessica Farris who participates in a psychological study by a psychologist money she desperately needs. But the questions evolve into tasks and soon Jess doesn't know what in her life she can trust and as the tasks get stranger, she realizes she doesn't know who she can trust either.

Plot
Just like their first thriller, this one had several twists and had a plot that kept evolving until the very end. The twists were incredibly well done and the reveals were excellently timed. The plot had really great pacing and ended up being a fairly quick read despite being a decent sized thriller. There weren't any "unbelievable" events that happened and it still ended up being an insane and intense trip.

Characters/Character Development
The characters were well rounded and three dimensional, even the side characters had pretty great personalities and developments. Jess and Dr. Shields had a interesting dynamic that was well written and kept you questioning the entire time, they both were complex characters and their developments were impressive by the end of the book.


Diversity/Representation
There was very little diversity in this book, though Jess has a mentally disabled sister. This book does mention some mental illness, however, and it wasn't the best. (i.e. characters were never challenged when they called a suicidal person "crazy, troubled, unstable" all in derogatory ways.

Writing
These authors are incredible writers, they really know how to draw you in with their writing style. Something that made me love this one is the way they chose to do both POVs and their "person" choice. It was so unique and really made the plot and one character more menacing.

*This book DOES contain mental illness and suicide *nonspoiler* so if you have a hard time with those topics be careful, it's mentioned more frequently towards end. No suicide take place in the book though, the suicide happens before the book's timeline of events.*

These authors just know how to create the most insane and intense thrillers and I'll always be amazed at how much I loved them when I finish their books. They're easily becoming my favorite thriller authors. I highly recommend this book if you enjoy psychological thrillers!

This book was wild. It really kept me guessing until the end. These authors are extremely talented - the writing was just brilliant. I loved the psychological an philosophical musings that were present throughout the book. The characters were layers and nuanced and relatable. I loved that as a reader, you could connect and empathize even with characters who might be in the wrong. Amazing. This is my second book by these author and no less brilliant than the first. Perhaps even better!.

This book is about a women who worked as a make-up artist until one day when she took a client's appointment for a study regarding human behavior. The book addresses the universal question as to human behavior in different situations. The questions go beyond nature vs nurture. It is had to describe how this book engaged me on different levels such as; mental illness, open ended questions, about doing the right thing before you judge another person. This is a real interesting book and I would recommend it to anyone.

Wow... this is a fantastic read. I haven't read a book this good in almost a year. Engaging and thrilling from the start, I didn't want to put it down. The characters are very well developed and the author gives the reader just the right amount of information. The flow is seamless and perfect! Very clever!

An Anonymous Girl is a well written, twisted, psychological thriller. I was engrossed after the first chapter and had a difficult time putting the book down. I have also read Hendrick's other book and was more intrigued and impressed with this one! 4.5 stars!

I was provided a pre-release copy of this book, and enjoyed it very much. The authors really kept you guessing about exactly what was happening throughout the entire story. An Anonymous Girl is written in an interesting manner of two different people ... and it was done well. This book will keep you involved & on edge until the end. If you want a thriller that keeps you guessing, I recommend this book!