I was super excited to read an advanced reader copy through Netgalley for review purposes. I bought The Wife Between Us for my Book of the Month last December and gave it 4 stars because I enjoyed the twists and the ending was satisfying. An Anonymous Girl was told present day from mid-November to Christmas in two alternating POVs: Jessica, the anonymous girl, and Dr. Shields, a professor conducting an ethics and morality study. Jess has a long time secret that she is literally making regular payments for which leads her to con herself into a study to make some quick cash. Dr. Shields' chapters are her musings directed towards or about Jessica. Since we know from the beginning a morality study is underway Jess' observations and doubts go well with adding a psychological element to the story. The study started off as a questionnaire being told there are no right or wrong answers, she just needs to be completely open and honest. The questions are personal and trigger emotional responses. Jess' candid responses makes her the perfect subject for continuing the study in a real life scenario project which offers a lot more money.

Knowing there is an ethics and morality study adds to the suspense of the project. What is real and what is actually the study, and how is this information being used? A lot of the questions were thought provoking which made me sit down the book and consider my own responses.

Either the foreshadowing was too blatant or I've read too many suspense thrillers lately but there weren't any twists in the book I didn't see coming or already predicting. I would rather watch this as a movie because much of the dialogue would be left unsaid lending more to the mystery I think the book is lacking.

All things considered the book is ok. If you are new to suspense thrillers, sure pick it up. If its a regular genre you frequent, you will be disappointed in how predictable it is.

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

Jessica Farris is a make-up artist. Not a lucrative job when you are just starting out. But her fate changes the day she goes to make up a girl named Taylor. Taylor has signed up for a study. That pays a lot! When she can't be bothered to show up, Jess takes advantage and slides her way into the study.

Morals and Ethics questions force her to face some of her past behavior and then it's over. Until the psychiatrist running the study decides to offer her a job testing the fidelity of men basically. The money is great but  something isn't adding up and she is starting to feel that this could end badly.

This is one of those books that you need to read yourself. It jumped to the top of my list as soon as it landed in my inbox!  If you are a fan of The Wife Between Us by these authors you will really enjoy this one. 

Never has the phrase Not What I Signed Up For been more appropriate! But this was manipulation at its finest!

Well Done!    Netgalley/January 8th 2019 by St. Martin's Press

I could NOT put this book down -- I devoured it. There are so many twists and turns, it kept me on my toes the whole book! Just when you think you have a character figured out, something changes. I NEEDED to find out how it ended. A must read!

This book hooked me in from the beginning. This was a fast paced and compelling suspense book revolving around Jess, who signs up to be part of a psychology study and the psychiatrist running the study. While I was engaged and hooked throughout, I did find a few parts predictable and the main character not entirely likeable. But I will definitely be reading more from these two!

Jessica Farris finds herself entering a psychology study on ethics and morality conducted by Dr. Shields that promises generous compensation as a reward for participation. But, upon advancing beyond the INTENSE questionnaire portion she begins to wonder how far she is willing to go. Is the manipulative nature of her tasks too much? What are the ethical and moral issues Dr. Shields is working to uncover?

When a duo of authors such as Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen combine to create a book like the masterpiece that was The Wife Between Us one can’t help but assume “maybe it was a one hit wonder.” But then, you find yourself engrossed in their upcoming An Anonymous Girl and you can’t help but KNOW you may have stumbled upon a pair of super heroes better than even Batman and Robin. These two are clearly unstoppable as they create another sure hit in this one!

*Disclaimer: A review copy of this book was provided by the NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I read the first book by these authors and loved it. Now I’ve had the chance to read this one, and I wasn’t disappointed. An Anonymous Girl keeps you on the edge of your seat and guessing the whole time. Every time I thought I knew what was going to happen, I was surprised. I can’t wait for more!

A study on ethics and morality that will pay $500 for answering some questions, sounds too good to be true, doesn't it?

Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanan have crafted a suspenseful story between Jessica, a struggling makeup artist in NYC, and Dr. Shields, a sophisticated psychiatrist who is running the study.

While I enjoyed this book, it wasn't my favorite book of the summer. I typically love back and forth perspectives but this one left me wanting slightly more. It's definitely worth a read. I'm giving it 4 stars but I'd like to give 3.5.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

#ananonymousgirl

5 stars for An Anonymous Girl by Greer Hendricks, Sarah Pekkanen!

This is a MUST READ!!! I was hooked from page one. This book has everything - great characters, a compelling story, and a fun setting in NYC. Add this to your TBR shelf now - you want to read this one! I devoured it in one day on vacation!

Many thanks to the publisher who gifted an ebook version in exchange for an honest review.

If you’re looking for a suspenseful thriller that will grab ahold of you until the very end, this story is for you! This was an extremely addictive read full of obsession and betrayal. Jess is a makeup artist who needs some extra cash, so she sneaks into a psychological study about morality. Things start to spiral quickly and she’s not sure who she can trust. You feel like you’re right there experiencing it all with her, and every twist and turn makes you want to keep coming back for more. Great story.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Absolutely captivating! This tantalizing story will grab and hook you from the very beginning. The use of different points of view will provide additional insight into the characters.

Jessica Farris is a traveling makeup artist for BeautyBuzz. With the lure of a few hundred bucks, she falsely misrepresents herself in order to participate in a two-day compensated morality and ethics research study being conducted by Dr. Lydia Shields, a psychiatrist and author of THE MORALITY OF MARRIAGE, Can you appreciate the irony here?

As Subject 52, Jessica is bound by a confidentiality agreement. There are no right or wrong answers, and participants are encouraged to be honest and provide complete, first instinctive answers. Her answers are contemporaneously monitored because as she proceeds, instructions appear on the monitor to dig deeper and explain her answers in more detail. A sampling of the questions are as follows: Could you tell a lie without feeling guilt? Describe a time in your life when you cheated. Would you cancel plans with a friend for a better offer? Would you read a spouse's/significant other's text messages? Have you ever deeply hurt someone you care about?

Based upon Jessica's disclosures, uniqueness, and because she is the only other participant besides Subject 5 to directly address the questioner, Dr. Shields decides to continue the study with just her. From here things get very interesting as Dr. Shields uses her to test the fidelity of her husband.

Written by the authors of THE WIFE BETWEEN US, this book will be another best-seller, perhaps even surpassing its predecessor. I highly recommend this read!

Thank you to Greer Hendricks, Sarah Pekkanen and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review..

My, oh my. I thought "The Wife Between Us" was an amazing book, but "An Anonymous Girl" was even better! I devoured this book in two days; I couldn't put it down! I loved the story, loved the premise, and loved the ending. Jess was a bit annoying at times, but I liked how the book ended for her.

This book will definitely be another hit for these amazing authors when it hits the shelves next year.

This book captivated me.
While there was no crazy twist, I was not at all bored.
While I may have known what was going to happen, I still wanted to hear it from the author.

I enjoyed the back and forth chapters between Lydia and Jess, how their internal thoughts were so drastically different that you knew right away who was speaking.

Lydia (the human version of the colour taupe) manicured from head to toe, the kind of woman whose wealth and class emanates from their skin, terrified me.
She would be the movie villain walking behind you while you desperately run for your life. No matter how fast you run, she is always right behind you.
Messy haired Jess is the "every-woman". Tries to do the right thing, but makes mistakes she doesn't always want to own up to. Carries secrets to avoid hurting others, but also to absolve herself from any wrongdoing.
In so many ways Jess needed Lydia and there "therapy" sessions. From Lydia telling Jess that what happened to her was assault, to forcing Jess to question her own morality. If you walk around thinking that everything is a test, thinking that someone is watching you to make sure you do the right thing chances are you start making better decisions.

I think that most people who pick this book up, (like myself) won't put it down until they're done.

Fill in a survey, get a few hundred bucks. What's not to like? Jessica is in need of a little cash and when a way to get hold of it falls into her lap, she's going to take it. Even if the questions on that simple survey are a little probing, even if the survey becomes a study, and that study starts to take over her life. The tension quickly ramps up, Is everything as it seems? You'll have to read to find out!

My review for An Anonymous Girl is much shorter than normal as, quite simply, there isn't so much to say. This book felt perfect. I don't really want to spoil it for anyone by giving the game away, so all I can say is: read it! You won't regret it (it's not like the study Jessica joins, promise....)

Thank you to Netgalley, St Martin's Press, Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen for the opportunity to read this magnificent novel. As per the approval preferences I won't be posting my review for a long while, until closer to publication, but I have shared this book in a Waiting on Wednesday post on my blog as I loved it.

LONG....but NO SPOILERS......

Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen are on their way to becoming co-author psychological thriller legends. They had a break-out sensation hit with “The Wife Between Us”, last year in 2017.
“An Anonymous Girl”, will be released in January, 2019.

Greer and Sarah are an exciting team. There is something very appealing about two skillful stunning women holding us captive - as awed spectators -waiting to see who we can trust - who to believe- who’s the stalker -and who’s the prey.
In “The Wife Between Us”, we never knew the complete truth until the end. New secrets were revealed...and we were still wondering who was manipulating who up to the final chapter.
In “An Anonymous Girl”, once again - if you are sure you know what’s happening in a scene, think again. There are many layers to peel back as we turn the pages. I purposely slowed down my reading. I had no interest to race through this book. I thoroughly enjoyed thinking about issues and questions presented.

Like panning for gold.... when searching for INTELLIGENT- PSYCHOLOGICAL THRILLERS .....( cream of the crops) ..... “An Anonymous Girl”, synonymous with Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen, and “The Wife Between Us”, ......
these two books make the cut!!!

....... “An Anonymous Girl”.......
.....”Ethics and Morality” is a ‘hot topic’. It’s at least worthy of a few lifetime discussions. I found it exciting and refreshing to center a psychological suspense novel around a study of this inquiry.
.....The first few chapters ARE SERIOUSLY PAGE TURNERS!!! We follow the set-up story between Dr. Shields, adjunct professor at NYU, psychiatrist, and Jessica Farris, 28 year old makeup artist.
Jessica works for a company called ‘BeautyBuzz.
She goes to clients homes and gives them a makeover for events like Proms, Bar Mitzvahs, birthdays, and anniversaries. ( she misses working in Theater).
Jessica lives alone with her dog Leo. We get back story about Jessica’s parents and younger sister Becky. Becky is a few years younger than Jessica, but
lives with her parents and requires special needs.

Jessica becomes a paid participant in the study on Ethics and Morality. Right off the bat, Jessica lied her way into the study.
Jessica- *Subject 52*, agreed to be bound by confidentiality. She wasn’t allowed to discuss what she was doing with ‘anybody’.
While answering questions that pop up - one at a time - on a computer screen - we can imagine sitting in a private room - in a sterile setting ( in Jessica’s chair), wanting to shy away from feelings of vulnerability- but Jessica is asked to surrender to the process completely- answer the questions honestly- for the process to be successful. We sense Jessica wants to put her entire heart into the study. Even when uncomfortable- we sense she wants to please Dr. Sheila’s. Dr. Sheila’s notices. A trust begins to grow.
The Rules are simple and clear. “Be truthful - avoid pivoting away from embarrassment or pain that the questions provoke”.
Intimacy begins to grow between Jessica and Dr. Shields. Proper boundaries are questionable.

The questions - themselves - in the study were intriguing: “Could you tell a lie without feeling guilt?”,
“Describe a time in your life when you cheated?”......
AND MANY MORE......
Over weeks- Jessica will be digging deeper - going beyond the superficial....
EVENTUALLY......
The original study falls off an honorable grid. Dr. Shields prepares an unorthodox experiment. Jessica Farris, becomes a pawn for Dr. Shields own purposes.

.....It wasn’t until about half way into this novel - or a little more- when I felt a genuine thriller edge elevate. I ENJOYED BOTH HALVES OF THIS NOVEL.....yet - we feel a change.
As Jessica’s anxiety grows into anger —I started noticing more tension building in my own physical body.....( YET WITH GREAT RESPECT & DIGNITY FROM OUR AUTHORS- THERE ARE NO GRAPHIC DISTURBING SCENES).....I really love these women authors!!!! THEY ARE SETTING AN EXAMPLE OF WHAT I HOPE TO SEE MORE OF when writing novels in this genre.

I started thinking about those one or two times when my entire life changed in less than 5 minutes. If we are honest - each of us have moments like this.
Jessica did too.
“Only six weeks ago, Jessica worried about how she would pay for her
sister, Becky’s occupational therapy and hoping her makeup business with BeautyBuzz would align so she wouldn’t have to lug her makeup case too far. Her life was quiet, her problems ordinary. Then came an impulsive moment - all of 10 seconds that changed her life”. A simple innocent - cheating lie - changed the course of her life.

Jessica isn’t the only person in this story who cheated - and lied .....
But ‘who’ is most dangerous? ALL the characters are memorable- supporting ones too. You’ll meet many more. I haven’t SPOILED ANYTHING!

Disasters and consequences - warnings — who’s in control - doubts - how do you know if you can really trust someone - the tone of a text message - are thoughts to chew on.

“Every family generates it’s own particular dysfunction. Many people believe that once they cross the threshold into adulthood, legacy can be shed. But the maladjusted dynamics that have been imprinted upon us, often since childhood are tenacious”.

This is a serious psychological mind bender about a Psychologist performing a study surrounding morality. It is mind boggling. It starts out so slow, and in such a confusing manner that one could lose interest right away. I pushed through, and the more that I read, the more I wanted to know what was really going on.

The main characters (I won't spoil anything by telling you who and how many there are), each singly and together create so much confusion, that the reader can't figure out what is going on. Is this a suspense? Is this a story concerning research or some clinical discovery? Read on my friends. You need to see where this leads, as it seriously messes with the mind of the reader.

The end is unexpected. You will not guess at it, no matter what you think, and you will not truly be happy until you reach the end.

The author could pick up the pace a bit, as the story does drag on for quite some time, otherwise, some readers who otherwise would enjoy the story will be lost.

Oh my, this book was original and kept you thinking up until the last page. The characters were very unique and beautiful in the complexity. I truly believe that this will be one of the best books I'll read for the year.

I did not think it possible for these two writers to top their debut novel, The Wife Between Us. How wrong I was! As good as The Wife Between Us was, An Anonymous Girl is even better! I really love complex novels that twist and turn. It was impossible to see where the plot was going. Even when I thought I had an idea, another plot twist revealed how lacking my imagination is! My only complaint was that I couldn't put it down, no matter how tired I was! This is one book I will definitely be recommending to friends and family!

I feel obligated to start by saying I loved The Wife Between Us! I'm sorry, I have to mention it because that is the reason why I was super excited to receive this ARC and I'm happy to say that An Anonymous Girl lived up to my super high expectations.

Jessica is a twenty-eight year old make up artist living check to check in New York City away from her family. She hears about a psychological study where she can make some extra money and decides to do it - being unaware of all it entails. After she joins the study, she finds herself deep in the middle of situations she can't easily escape from.

The story in told from two perspectives, Jessica's and her therapist's, Dr. Shields. Jessica was so relatable and i found it very easy to empathize with her. The therapist on the other hand.... reading from her perspective was dark and villainous but I loved it. There was kind of a good vs evil feel to this book even though Dr. Shields had her reasons and even though Jessica surely wasn't innocent.

Let me just say there are books that don't deserve to be categorized as thrillers and then there are books like this one that give the word "thriller" meaning. The suspense in this novel was killing me, forcing me to keep turning pages. The build up to every single twist made this book so unputdownable(Yes, I'm making that a word).

Now..... I'm going to make one comparison to The Wife Between Us and its going to be.............. the endings. I wish this ending had more an OH MY GOSH moment like The Wife Between Us. I wanted to be caught off guard like that again. But I guess you can't have it all all the time and that's why i held back one star. Luckily, the rest of the novel makes up for it big time.

Five stars is just not enough for this book. It is breathtaking, memorizing, riveting. Certainly the most unusual story I have ever encountered, and behind it is incredible writing and characters that you can relate to. What more can I say? Anyone who doesn't read this book is missing out on the experience of a lifetime!

Wow this is a great psychological thriller. I could not stop reading and the final twist at the end...amazing. Read it, you won't be sorry