Thriller
An Anonymous Girl
Repeat author
Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen is back at Book of the Month.
Early Release
This is an early release that's only available to our members—the rest of the world has to wait to read it.
Quick take
A manipulative therapist preys on a young patient in the latest from the authors of The Wife Between Us.
Good to know
Fast read
Psychological
Unreliable narrator
Love triangle
Synopsis
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. 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’s manipulative experiments. Caught in a web of deceit and jealousy, Jess quickly learns that some obsessions can be deadly.
Free sample
Get an early look from the first pages of An Anonymous Girl.
An Anonymous Girl
Part One
You’re Invited: Seeking women aged 18 to 32 to participate in a study on ethics and morality conducted by a preeminent NYC psychiatrist. Generous compensation. Anonymity guaranteed. Call for more details.
It’s easy to judge other people’s choices. The mother with a grocery cart full of Froot Loops and Double Stuf Oreos who yells at her child. The driver of an expensive convertible who cuts off a slower vehicle. The woman in the quiet coffee shop who yaks on her cell phone. The husband who cheats on his wife.
But what if you knew the mother had lost her job that day?
What if the driver had promised his son he’d make it to his school play, but his boss had insisted he attend a last-minute meeting?
What if the woman in the coffee shop had just received a phone call from the love of her life, a man who’d broken her heart?
And what if the cheater’s wife habitually turned her back on his touch?
Perhaps you would also make a snap judgment about a woman who decides to reveal her innermost secrets to a stranger for money. But suspend your assumptions, at least for now.
We all have reasons for our actions. Even if we hide the reason from those who think they know us best. Even if the reasons are so deeply buried we can’t recognize them ourselves.
Why I love it
Riley Sager
Author, The House Across the Lake
Growing up, my favorite board game was Mouse Trap. I loved watching as the trap’s gadgets and gizmos clicked into place, knowing that at any moment a turn of the crank could send the whole contraption crashing down. I got that same anticipatory shiver while reading An Anonymous Girl.
From the moment struggling makeup artist Jessica Farris sweet-talks her way into a psychological study for cash, it’s obvious she’s walking into a trap. Run by a mysterious and enigmatic shrink, the electronic questionnaire very quickly morphs into a series of real-life tests that pertain to everything from Jess’s clothes—hand-selected by Dr. Shields, of course—to who she meets and where she goes. It’s an atypical psychological study, and I soon found myself wondering how—or if—Jessica could ever escape.
This is one of those cancel-your-plans-and-turn-off-your-phone reads. Don’t be surprised if, like me, you devour it in a day. Because the book itself is a trap—one that’s brilliantly conceived and intricately constructed. Simply reading the first page turns the crank that sets the whole thing in motion. Before you know it, you’re caught in its grip, unable to escape until the last page has been turned.
Member ratings (11,499)
Natalie W.
Paducah, KY
This book wasn’t what I expected reading the synopsis, it WAS BETTER! Women doing what they need to do to protect their own. Story flowed so well I didn’t know had 2 authors until the “end credits.”
Jessica S.
Belleville, NJ
This book had me hooked from the beginning. The way it was written was just extremely enticing. If you enjoyed the Netflix series “You” I definitely recommend this book to you! It gave me those vibes.
Kellen H.
Mingo Junction , OH
This book was full of surprises and twist! I couldn’t stop reading it! The ending was shocking and nothing was predictable! Very mysterious characters and couldn’t assume anything about the storyline!
Tara D.
Plainfield, IL
Oh my goodness! What an edge of your seat read! Twisty and sultry! Psychological thrillers always suck me in! I couldn’t wait to get to the next page. So well written and the characters were relatable
Lauren W.
Hanover, PA
SO GOOD! I loved the twists and turns and character development. This is the first book that didn’t have a single part that bored me. I was sucked in from page 1 and stayed hooked till the end!!! A+++