An Anonymous Girl: A Novel

I just didn’t find this suspenseful or very interesting and am tired of female psychiatrists and therapists being described in movies and books as these strange twisted creatures while male therapists are calm and smart. I’m not sure what the point was of this novel, well written and structured tho it was.

Jessica, the main character of this book, starts off working as a makeup artist around town for money. Due to events that unfold in the book the reader learns she does this and later much more to help her family. However, like most thrillers the reader learns nothing is as it seems. Jessica stumbles across something that could change her family’s circumstances for the better, but the thing is she steals from someone else to do it. She lives in one of the most high-cost states in the U.S. and is struggling to make it work. The author alludes to a situation in which forces Jessica to reconsider in her path in the makeup industry, but though she seems to have become a stronger character because of it, the author somehow reverts her back to a more naive and stupid version of herself as the book moves on. Nobody who has the foresight to do what Jessica does at the beginning of the book would turn into a people pleaser once they interact with someone like the character of Dr. Shields. It started with a questionnaire and turned into a nightmare. I don't see how Jessica didn't understand that something was wrong though. "What is she planning to do with all the private information I've given her? I was the one who signed a confidentiality agreement; she didn't." (19%). HELLO! For someone who was written to sound so street smart...I felt like I lost some brain cells reading Jessica become dumber with each chapter. By the end I wasn't sure who I hated more, Thomas or Lydia (Dr. Shields). I didn't particularly like Jessica either, but I can say she was the innocent victim in this despite what brought her there in the first place. The more I look over my notes from this book the more I realize that the characters were dull and the story itself, while intriguing at first, became so cliche and almost repetitive. I understand the characters were not written to be reliable. They were not written to be liked. However, I would like to believe the author wrote them in a way to make us want to understand them and worry for Jessica since this was a thriller. It was fast paced certainly and thrilling at times, but by the end I no longer cared what happened to any of them than I did at the beginning. Yes, I wanted Jessica to find a way to move forward from certain events, but other than that I was glad when the book was over. I'm not saying this author is a bad writer because they aren't. Otherwise, I wouldn't have read this book. However, I believe this book was not for me and I'm not sure I could recommend it to others because of how I perceived the characters and story overall. If my review doesn't make sense to you then I'll just say this: your confusion about my review is how I felt about this book.

Very manipulative book. Your emotions will be on a roller coaster but never wanting to get off