An Anonymous Girl by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen – Review

Summary:

The next novel of psychological suspense and obsession from the authors of the blockbuster bestseller The Wife Between Us.

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

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.

Question #1: Could you tell a lie without feeling guilt?

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.

Question #2: Have you ever deeply hurt someone you care about?

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.

Question #3: Should a punishment always fit the crime?

From the authors of the blockbuster bestseller The Wife Between Us comes an electrifying new novel about doubt, passion, and just how much you can trust someone.

Review: 4 Stars

An Anonymous Girl was a psychological thriller that really caught my attention. Written by the same authors who wrote The Wife Between Us, this book promised to be clever and compulsively readable. An Anonymous Girl really got me thinking about morals, ethics and the psychology behind our actions. I love psychological books whether they have psychological twists, like Believe Me by JP Delaney and Jar of Hearts by Jennifer Hillier, or psychology is used throughout the story like The Naturals or The Fixer by Jennifer Lynn Barnes. I think there is something fascinating about how body language can convey so much or how it’s easy to spot a lie if you understand tells. This book was full of those kinds of things, but it was also filled with a really manipulative character who used her knowledge of psychology to get what she wanted. It really made me think.

This book focused on Jessica and Dr. Linda Shields and was written in alternating chapters focusing on each character and written by two different authors. The voices of the characters were so distinct that I found myself wondering if one author wrote one character and the other author another. Dr. Shields studied morals and ethics yet she was an extremely manipulative character herself. I love the way she was written. She was extremely calculating and noticed subtle changes in people to be able to figure out what they were thinking or feeling.

Jessica was very honest with Dr. Shields in the beginning, slowly divulging her secrets to this extremely manipulative woman. I could very easily see myself in the shoes of Jessica though, as I would be no match for someone that manipulative. I think it’s important to be able to see yourself in the protagonist in a book like this because it really increased the thrill of reading.

The pacing wasn’t fast, yet I found this book really hard to set down. It had me thinking and reflecting on manipulation and morals and ethics in my own life. I wanted to read this book slowly, so I could pick up on all the little details or psychological clues. At several times I had found myself looking back, just to make sure that I noticed everything that was going on. The plot kept me attentive and looking for hints. For all the attention I paid to this book, I still did not predict how this story would end.

An Anonymous Girl puts the psychological in psychological thriller. Dr. Shields was an extremely well written character and Jessica was relatable as a protagonist. This book made me think a lot, even long after I had set it down. I can understand why The Wife Between Us was a hit, because this duo of authors can deliver a story that really commands your attention. I would recommend this book to fans of psychological thrillers. I really want to check out The Wife Between Us after reading this book.