An Anonymous Girl: A Novel

How Would YOU Respond if Your Ethics Were Questioned? Here’s a Frightening Example…It is nearly impossible to describe this book without revealing essential pieces of the plot, key elements that will be much more exciting if you are allowed to discover them on your own. It will be far easier to explain, if you are a lover of suspense/thriller talfes, why you must read this book.The story is told in first person present. I am not normally a fan of this POV and tense, but in this story, the choices work. What makes it special is that there are two narrators, swapping back and forth, chapter to chapter. Even though the POV puts us inside each narrator’s head, everything is not always revealed to the reader. Instead, it is portioned out in slow measure, driving the suspense higher as you progress further into the book. Even right up to the end, the true motives of all the characters are not fully revealed, which enables the authors to weave feelings of danger throughout the pages, leaving us to wonder if the heroine will survive until the end.The writing is impeccable, and there are no plot holes that could have damaged the integrity of the story. Even with all her faults, the main protagonist Jessica is likeable, and I soon found myself identifying with her questions and fears. Once I began reading it was hard to stop, and most of the book was completed in one sitting.Bottom line: This is a tight, psychological suspense story that will periodically have you on the edge of your seat. The scariness is primarily generated by the fears (perceived and real) in Jessica’s mind, aided by the information from the second narrator. The story also examines morality and ethics, as “What would you do if…” questions quickly merge with a frightening reality. Can’t recommend this one enough. Five stars.

I loved the other book by this author, it was one of my favorites, but this one...it was so boring, I had to force myself to finish it. I feel like nothing happened! The psychiatrist (psychologist?) Dr. Fields in the book was a very one dimensional shallow character (the writing was stilted and it was almost like she was a robot). The other narrator, Jessica wasn't likable at all (another one dimensional character). The idea was good (a stalker type doctor) but she wasn't even as crazy as she could have been. Honestly, I can't even remember what the BIG twist was at the end. Very boring.

I have finally made it to Chapter 29. Page 156. It has taken me forever to get this far. Normally, I devour books and read a couple a week. I can barely read five pages a night. The only reason I’m not giving up is because I paid for it in hardback and I am stubborn when I have spent that amount of money. . It is incredibly boring. So far there is zero point to this book. I don’t know where it’s going and I don’t care. I have no idea why there are so many great reviews. No idea!

I have several issues with this book. I suppose if you want a simple book which pretends to be a thriller, and pretends to be psychological at that, one which requires no thought, no depth, and no intelligence from the reader, this is it! If you want a book written by someone who clearly only knows a very small part of Manhattan (someone who probably moved here as an adult, and somehow still maintains a veryyyyy narrow, sheltered view/experience of this city), but which somehow has the nerve to take place in Manhattan, this is it. If you want a book written by middle aged women desperately trying to - and failing at - sounding young, this is it. If you want a book about entirely lily white characters, this is it. (Btw, how does your main character live in Manhattan, a poor part neighboring Chinatown, and interacts with not a single non-white person? Get real.) If you want a book which is supposed to be written in relatable, first person language, but then says "that's the cost of a rag&bone sweater" or "I picked up my MacBook and noticed my maroon Chanel nail polish was chipped" (no one speaks this way), this is it. If you a want book where the seemingly astute, perceptive main character, within the first 50 pages, is inexplicably obsessed with, and controlled by a therapist with whom she has had no real interaction, with whom she has established no report (a therapist who has neither asked nor done anything even remotely remarkable) then I suppose, this is the book for you. If you want a book where every "twist" and "turn" is utterly predictable, this is it. If you want a book where the overly poised, overly cooled therapist very obviously turns out to the crazy one, this is it.I suppose I'm just used to books with soul, depth, with a measure of intelligence. This book, is not that. Definitely returning this book. Huge disappointment. Back to James Baldwin it is!

I am trying to come up with three words that will best describe this book. If I really had to choose, it would be creepy, haunting, and disturbing.Creepy. This whole book gave me the creeps. From the morality test, to Dr. Shields, to the plot. It all gave off a creepy vibe. More than once during this book, my skin crawled. I felt like I, too, was being tested. Am I sane? Am I moral? How far would I go to find the truth?Haunting. Again, Dr. Shields. That woman is one messed up woman. I wasn't sure if she was genius or evil. I am still not so sure. Her character definitely would give any person nightmares if she existed in real life.Disturbing. You guessed it. Dr. Shields. Are you seeing a trend? I just can't get over her. Her willingness to go as far as she does is highly disturbing. If I am honest, the whole book is disturbing. I am sure there are individuals like her in the world, and that scares the crap out of me.This book is twisted, have no doubts. Did it shock me? Not really. However, that is not to say it won't shock many. I read so many of these kinds of books, it seems to be hard to shock me these days. I will say, the first half of the book is slow. I almost gave up. But I kept it moving, and it really picked up in the second half. It was worth it.Now after reading two books by this new writing duo, I am looking forward to what they will bring us next.

Having enjoyed an excellent previous book by these authors, The Wife Between Us, I was very much looking forward to reading this and although I found the story intelligent and well written I was disappointed by such poor editing. Some books are written in a very sloppy manner and so it's hardly surprising to come across lots of typos that haven't been picked up by good editors/proof readers. It's unfortunately far more noticeable and unacceptable when you are reading a well written story, it just doesn't sit well, you expect better; it's purely down to lazy and incompetent editing in this case and very annoying for a reader to have attention taken away from the narrative when you keep noticing such basic errors ('off' instead of 'of' on quite a few occasions, other spelling errors, the first cheque Jessica received was written as $60 - made me raise my eyebrows! - instead of $600, lots of missing words throughout the book). I'm surprised that other reviewers have not mentioned this and would strongly suggest the authors get someone with a fresh eye to do a further edit so an updated version can be made available as it really does reflect badly on an otherwise great book.

Absolutely love this genre and read at least two books a week. This one has a great story, very gripping but one huge negative point for me is the number of spelling mistakes. The author doesn't know the difference between of/off for example. Sometimes words are spelt incorrectly and other times the name of the wrong character is even used. It feels like there was no editing done or even a proof read. It's a real shame as the story itself is strong.

I very rarely give a novel a five star review but this novel was excellent. I’ve read quite a few psychological thrillers recently but the one thing they’ve all had in common is that they’re predictable. This book, however, wasn’t predictable and I was kept guessing all the way up to the last page as to who was the real ‘bad guy’ of the story. A lot of the questions asked of the main character were very thought-provoking and really made you wonder how you would’ve answered. I guess there is no right or wrong answer in those sort of situations and you can’t really predict how you would react until you experience that dilemma.

After reading The Wife Between Us I went into this one with high expectations.Sneaking into a study on morality, Jess opens up about her inner secrets putting her in a position she never expected. Once again I was kept intrigued and on edge whilst reading, unsure of which characters to trust and how the story might turn up. To be fair, my mind had come up with so many different resolutions that perhaps the real ending was a little anti-climactic, but overall a fabulous read.This duo have definitely mastered the art of building suspense. highly recommend.4.5 Stars

Well written, addictive book, I couldnt put it down and flew through it all too quickly. I found it an interesting but exciting read and highly recommend it.