My Rating ~ Three stars

3-gold-stars copy 2

RELEASE DATE: 27 December 2018

Publisher: Macmillan

Format: Trade Paperback

Pages: 375

RRP: $29.99

Blurb

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’ manipulative experiments. Caught in a web of deceit and jealousy, Jess quickly learns that some obsessions can be deadly.

Review

Thank you to Macmillan Australia for providing me with a copy of An Anonymous Girl in exchange for an honest review.

Jessica is living pay check to pay check when an opportunity lands in her lap to be paid a nice sum of money for participating in a morality and ethics survey. Even after she continues to return each day to answer more in depth questions, it seems like easy money. Then she meets the therapist conducting the survey, Dr Shields, and it seems she’s set to make even more money helping her with ‘real life’ scenarios to further the study. As time goes on, Jess starts to wonder what is and isn’t part of the tests and suspects that not everyone is being completely honest. But neither is Jess, so how does she work out who is telling the biggest lies, and whether they’re a danger to her or not?

An Anonymous Girl is told in two points of view – from Jess and Dr Shields. I found the book to be an easy read, and I liked it fine, it’s just that my favourite parts about psychological thrillers are the gasp out loud twists or creeping dread (the type that keeps you thinking about the scenarios long after you finish the book). An Anonymous Girl just didn’t really have that for me. There were some minor twists, but nothing that really rocked me and although Dr Shields narrative was disturbing, it wasn’t quite creepy enough. Dr Shield’s husband, Thomas, just came across as weak and a little pathetic to me too. I mean, (without spoilers) he’s done something he’s supposed to be terrified of anyone finding out and is doing all sorts of things to cover up, but he then does a similar thing on a whim anyway?

Overall, I thought this was a good story, it was fairly original and entertaining, I just wish there was a little more ‘thrill’ in the psychological thriller aspect.