Review: An Anonymous Girl by Greer Hendricks & Sarah Pekkanen

Author: Greer Hendricks & Sarah Pekkanen
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Date of publicaiton: January 2019

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.

I really enjoyed The Wife Between Us last year.  The twist at the end was a surprise and gave me high hopes for An Anonymous Girl.  Unfortunately, I was fairly disappointed in the book.  The story told through Jessica's POV and through Dr. Shields diary installments.  Jessica lies her way into a psych study to make some extra money.  As the study goes on, she finds herself doing and saying things that are questionable.

There are a few things that  I didn't like about this book.  It was really slow.  The pacing alone made me almost DNF it.  I was bored for a lot of the book.  I kept waiting for something exciting or surprising to happen.  It was too predictable.  All of the twists I called  fairly early on, even the one toward the end. If you pay attention, you will as well.

 None of the characters were likable, especially Jessica.  She kept making dumb decisions.  She never asks enough questions about what Dr. Shields wants from her.  In any type of study, you have to sign an informed consent.    It lays out what will be required of you and what will happen to the data.  She never asks for any of this information until she is in way too deep.  And in the end, she was exactly as she was in the beginning.  She didn't grow at all from the experience.  I never felt like she was in any real danger throughout the entire book. 

I'm not really sure I would call this one a thriller.  I'll probably check out the next book by this duo.  This one has received a lot of good reviews, so try it and decide for yourself.