It took a while for me to get into this book.
As it’s written from the perspective of 2 people it took a bit of getting used to as the way the Dr’s part is written is kind of odd.
On the whole it was eventually a very gripping read.

Once again, I am furious with these pair of 'authors'. I am angry at their lazy writing, I am angry at their use of typical thriller tropes to try and appeal to mass audiences, and I am especially angry about their cavalier attitudes towards mental health and particularly, suicide.

'An Anonymous Girl', like every other thriller written after 2012, is trying to be Gone Girl. But no one can be Gone Girl, because all of these books lack the intelligence and excellent writing that made that book so brilliant in the first place. This novel pretty much uses the standard format for writing women in a psychological thriller: the crazy woman who doesn't quite have a grasp on reality, the scorned woman avenging a previous wrongdoing. Endlessly pitting these women against each other until you get a mess of misogynistic pages strung together by big twists. It's trope-y and, oftentimes, confusing. The plot is basic, but is shrouded in so many alternative thoughts and avenues that you struggle to find a core to it at all.

There's a sincere lack of motivation through both of the main characters. We're supposed to believe that someone's love for their partner would push them to do horrific things, even though that partner is interchangeable, depending on the timeline. I'm trying not to give away spoilers, but it feels like a bad Bond villain became a psychiatrist in this book and started preying on young women. A good villain needs a strong story behind them- and this had nothing. This endless cat and mouse becomes boring after 200 pages and I think this book is in serious need of a sharp edit.

Now to talk about my personal pet peeve- suicide. Personally, I am very sensitive towards mentions of suicide and mental health, and to have it used as an out just to wrap up your book? Get the fuck out. TWICE is suicide used as a plot point, and twice is it done by toxic influences. You read about a girl overdosing because one of the main characters gave her the drugs to do it. And then, in a throwaway sentence, the same character orders herself the drugs to kill herself. I am sick and tired of suicide being the answer to all of this, a way to finish things up easily.

It's lazy writing. Shame on you, Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen.

This book has just made me angry and I never want to read one of these mass-audience thrillers again. Good luck to it.

Dr Lydia Shields is constructing an experiment on morals and ethics. Jess is her test subject. Dr Shields wants to test her husband's fidelity. She knows he's already cheated so there is no need for her to do this experiment because even when she finds out that he sleeps with Jess as well, she forgives him and blames Jess. This book didn't gel with me. I found the book to be repetitive, the story went around in circles and the characters irritated me. Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for letting me review this book.

I absolutely loved this book. It starts off innocently enough, but very quickly you start to feel suspicious about where the story is leading and you have no idea who to trust or believe. It was one of those books where the suspense was so great that although I wanted to keep reading, I also felt the need to stop occasionally to absorb what was happening and to ease the feeling of dread. If you enjoy thrillers you certainly won’t be disappointed. This has to be one of the best books I have read in a long time and I am looking forward to reading more from these authors in the future.

An excellent psychological thriller, impossible to put down. Read in one sitting and thoroughly enjoyed it. It’s creepy!

Having heard a lot about The Wife Between Us I was interested to read this book. The summary sounded different and interesting. - certainly not the usual thriller and I must say this definitely falls into the category of psychological thriller. I must say I think this would make an excellent film with the right actors.
Okay the actual review - as usual difficult to say too much without giving everything away. I will say that about 30% into the book I was wondering where it was going (don't get me wrong this was not bad but it seemed to be heading in the same direction). then the twist happens and the book really takes off. It became a race to finish it to see what happens and you really do end up wondering how it will be resolved and hating certain characters.
This is one of my must read books and if it is not turned into a film I will be amazed.

I read this in just less than 48 hours , from the very first page I was hooked , this is the first title I have read by these author’s and it won’t be the last ! If your a fan of the girl before then you will love this . Make up artist Jess works long hours to try and make ends meet , after her dreams of working in the theatre are shattered after something happens that she’s never told anyone about ,So when she tricks her way onto a study on ethics and morality to make some money being run by a renowned Dr Sheilds it seems to good to be true , guaranteed anonymity, 500$ to answer some honest questions she jumps at the chance. As the rewards grow so do the tasks she asked to , what has Jess got herself mixed up in..... This is a story of jealousy, manipulation, temptation , greed , lust with frightening consequences . If you like twists and tension then this psychological thriller is for you , I promise you you you won’t e able to put it down!
Thanks to @Greer Hendricks and @Sarah Pekkanen and Pan Macmillan for giving me 48 hours of bliss xx
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I really enjoyed The Wife Between Us, so was highly anticipating this scintillating read.
This follows Jess - in her late 20s, living in New York where she works as a freelance make-up artist for a company, after failing in her dreams to be a makeup artist for the theatre, trying to make ends meet - who overhears a client, an university student, talking about cancelling a psychology study she’s participating in that pays several hundred bucks. This is money that would take Jess almost a day’s worth of work earn so she jumps at the chance and appears at the study pretending to be the student. It starts off as an innocuous experiment on morality/ethics, but slowly starts to creep into Jess’s life and takes over.
The book is narrated from 2 POVs: one is Jess, who I personally found very relatable and her voice was easy to get into; and the other is the manipulative and mysterious Dr Shields, who is watching Jess throughout the story and her narration is in second-person, adding menace and tension to the story.
This was a quick and absorbing read that had me turning the pages anxious but compelled to read on. I did, however, find the ending a bit disappointing and lacklustre, which is why I’m giving it 4*, nevertheless overall a gripping and pacy read that gets under your skin..

This is the second novel by Hendricks and Pekkanen I have read and it didn’t fail to captivate me just as much as The Wife Between Us had.

Jessica the main character is in need of funds and embarks on a survey run by a college professor focusing on morality and ethics.

What starts as a straight forward computer survey soon turns into something a lot more sinister. The twisty suspense builds up throughout the novel and I was guessing who was telling the truth right until the last page.

Obsession, morality , mental health, trust , love and anger are explored wonderfully in this dark suspenseful novel.

An Anonymous Girl had me hooked from page one, and I was page turning well past bedtime. A unique storyline with excellent characters and fantastic writing means I throughly recommend checking out this amazing novel .

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for my chance to read this twisty thriller.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, it started off a bit slow paced but soon all the action kicked in and it was full of twists and turns and kept us guessing. The characters were well written with plenty of backstory.

A page turner right from the start. I could not put this book down. The characters draw you in their lives and you have to find out what finally happens. Fabulous read!

An unputdownable, intriguing psychological novel where relationships are under scrutiny. Lydia the psychologist appears to believe love conquers all and
undertakes a study involving deep seated questioning of her client Jessica.

A psychological study on morality turns into a game of cat and mouse. Who will come out on top: the subject of the study, or the doctor who is playing much more than a game?

When Jessica Farris signs up for a psychology study conducted by the mysterious Dr. Shields, she thinks all she’ll have to do is answer a few questions, collect her money, and leave. But as the questions grow more and more intense and invasive, and the sessions become outings where Jess is told what to wear and how to act, she begins to feel as though Dr. Shields may know what she’s thinking… and what she’s hiding.

As Jess’s paranoia grows, it becomes clear that she can no longer trust what in her life is real, and what is one of Dr. Shields’ manipulative experiments. Caught in a web of deceit and jealousy, Jess quickly learns that some obsessions can be deadly.

This is one of those novels where the less you know beforehand, the better. So that's all I'm going to say about the plot.

Having read and enjoyed the authors' previous novel, The Wife Between Us, I had high hopes for their second offering and I'm pleased to say I wasn't disappointed. Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen write well together and, in my humble opinion, An Anonymous Girl is even better than their debut!

I found the questions asked of Jessica during the initial ethics and morality study rather thought-provoking and I couldn't help but pause to think how I may answer the same questions if they were put to me. Likewise, at several points in the novel, as Jessica's asked to act unquestioningly, I tried to put myself in her shoes.

With chapters that alternate between Jessica and Dr. Shields, we're privvy to both sides of the story, if you'll pardon the cliche. You know Dr. Shields has an end game but aren't quite sure what that'll be or how the characters will get there. What you can be sure of, is that the authors will make it a compelling ride.

There were a couple of times when belief had to be suspended, but overall I found An Anonymous Girl to be a perfectly-paced, wonderfully dark and suspenseful novel about love, anger, betrayal, morality and obssession. If you're a fan of psychological thrillers, this one should be on your list to read when it's released in the new year.

This was a compelling read - twisty and turny. I really wasn't sure who was the baddie. The premise is good: Jess agrees to complete a personality survey and is sucked into a much darker test of ethics. She soon finds herself unable to escape, or who is really running the test.

This book is a work of genius, a devilishly clever psychological thriller. I couldn't put it down and read it in one sitting. A brilliantly twisted plot that had me switching opinion on just who the villain was throughout the entire book. Convoluted characters with complicated backgrounds add beautifully to the mystery of the plot and kept me guessing right to the end. Well written and easy to read, flowing seamlessly between characters and scenes. This one should be at the top of your list, don't miss it! If I could give it ten stars I would.

This book had me hooked from the start. It was my first book by this collaboration (Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen) but I’ll definitely be reading their first novel ‘The Wife Between Us’ now.

This is the story of Jessica, a heroine carrying the guilt of something that happened in the past who seized the opportunity to make some cash by taking part in a psychological study. It doesn’t take long for the psychologist to unravel Jessica’s mind and use it to her own advantage and so begins a series of gripping twists and turns.

A must read for fans if Gone Girl and The Girl on The Train.

I received an ARC of The Anonymous Girl in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley, Pan Macmillan and the authors for the chance to read this fantastic book.

Jessica Farris needs money that much is true, but how far will she go to get it? Jess signs up for a psychology study conducted by Dr Shields; she thinks all she needs to do is answer a few questions, receive her money, and leave. But Jess soon realises this is not a normal study, and as things grow more intense and invasive, soon Jess realises that she may not be in control of her own life anymore. Things become more complicated when Jess realises she is not the first subject of this study, and that sometimes, obsessions can be deadly.

I haven't read the authors previous book but heard good things about it so thought i'd give this one a go, and i'm glad I did. This book really gets under your skin, and is actually quite psychologically thrilling; it's the first one i've read in a while that has actually gripped me in such a way. I'm not going to say too much so that I don't ruin any of the plot; it is most definitely best to go into this blind. There's plenty of twists and turns in this books, and you are continuously guessing where the plot is going, only to be turned in another direction. At times I did find Jess to be too clueless in places, and it did frustrate me, but I managed to get past this as a whole. The pacing was well done, and kept moving throughout the book. I would be interested in reading The Wife Between Us.

Thanks NetGalley and St Martin's Press for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Hmm, not quite sure what to say about this really.

Jessica is a make up artist with a secret about her past. Struggling to help make up for her mistakes she overhears a conversation between two girls about a Psychological study that is paying $600 for a couple of hours work. Knowing that the girls aren't interested in the study Jessica decides to slip herself in instead of them....and this path changes her life. During the study she meets, and becomes involved with, Dr Shields - but just what is the study really hoping to find and how does Jessica fit into things?

It is a book with twists and turns and you are often wondering how it is going to play out in the end. The narrative flicks back and forth so we get both Jessica and Dr Shield's point of views but this neither distracts from nor really adds anything to what is happening as the events are relayed and discussed twice.

It's not a bad book but it isn't a favourite either however, it is worth a read if you like things a little dark and twisty.

Thanks to Netgalley and the Publishers for the preview copy in exchange for an honest review.

I was so excited about reading this book that I got started on it the second I downloaded it and it did not disappoint.

Ostensibly, this is a book about a psychological study into human behaviour, but it quickly transpires there's far more going on beneath the surface, as people's motives and honesty are called into question. You know there's a bad guy in here somewhere, but who is it and what do they want?

A refreshingly different thriller, this book reinvigorated the genre for me and got me excited about thrillers again.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC without obligation.

This is a gripping psychological thriller which is refreshingly different.
Jess takes part in a study about morality as she is in need of some extra cash. It seems easy at first until Dr Shields asks to meet her.
Jess is asked if she’s willing to take on some more research, for more money, and with family medical bills waiting to be paid, she agrees.
It is clear that Dr Shields has her own agenda but how far will Jess get drawn in?
Jess is asked to do some things which confuse her but she goes along with it as she trusts Dr Shields.
Soon though things get out of control and Jess finds herself in a difficult situation.
I’ve been careful what I’ve said in my review as I don’t want to spoil it for you but I can say this is a brilliant story and one that will have you on the edge of your seat.
Thanks to Pan Macmillan and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.