An Anonymous Girl: A Novel

Ok, so I’m in a weird headspace, I’m kind of in a reading slump of sorts.

I ended up giving this book three stars because of how intrigued in the story I was and the interesting psychology element.

When it comes to the storyline, I can’t tell if I would’ve loved it or not, had I not been in a slump and felt forced to read.

So here are som random feelings I had toward the book.

At about half way through the story, I started to get bored of the dual perspective. I did find this to be an interesting psychological thriller, but idk of the storyline of an obsessive relationship is enough for me.

When it comes to April, I found her story line to be pretty straight forward and predictable.

I enjoyed how Dr. Shields’ character slowly start to become more and more obsessive as time went on. It was really ducked up when she purposely put two nuts in her husband’s desert, knowing he’s allergic. Even if she knew he wouldn’t die, she was still playing with his life.

Overall, I enjoyed this book - a quick ride but ultimately predictable for me. Maybe I've read too many thrillers...?

I do love an enchanting villainess but Dr. Shields' motives almost bore me when I realize what's unraveling. Surely she could devote her obvious genius manipulations and skills of perception to something other than an unfaithful husband? I did appreciate the added layer of "who REALLY is the bad guy here?" and was pleasantly shocked once or twice.

Conclusion: Decent writing, predictable but fun anyway.

Enjoyed the creepy mind-effing resulting in Jess's second-guessing everything. Easily distracted, and a non-rapid reader lends to ability to overlook, or lose sight of potentially significant - or telling - details. Thus, also easily able to second-guess, in turn enjoy the read!

This is another great suspensful novel by the writing team of Hendricks & Pekkanen. I don't know how they co-author a novel together and I don't care! It is a clever, intense, twisted fast paced story. Jessica, a freelance makeup artist in NY, manages to get herself into a psychology study to earn some extra cash. How hard could it be to answer a few questions? But it quickly escalates into so much more. Referred to as subject #52, Jess is asked to answer a series of morality/ethical questions. The questions grow more & more invasive & Jess finds herself revealing things about herself to a complete stranger. After just a few "sessions", Jess is no longer going to an empty classroom at NYU but is dressing a certain way to meet/interact with others outside of the classroom as part of the "study". Jess becomes paranoid and has suspicions about the study and Dr. Shields but continues because she needs the money and is in too deep to stop now. As things start to unravel for Dr. Shields, Jess becomes caught in a web of lies and deceit. How much can you really trust anyone? Every day we make decisions that have consequences. Some are small, others are life altering. "We all carry the weight of secret regrets". The ending felt a little rushed to me and that's why I gave 4 stars but still a great read.

This book was really hard to get into until about page 200 and kept me engaged the whole time. At first it was confusing that they were from two different perspectives and that the doctor talked in third person about herself. But in the end it wasn’t too bad.