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3.65 AVERAGE
3.65 AVERAGE
“Welcome back, Subject 52.”
I have read a lot of mystery and thriller/suspense novels over the years. I’ve read no less than 30 in the previous year. So it’s fair to say, I’m experienced in the genre. I am rarely surprised by a thriller book anymore. And while the ending isn’t the “WTF!” moment, I tend to look for in a mystery/thriller/suspense (whatever you want to call it). I found it to be fully satisfying. The authors’ left such a beautiful, deceptive breadcrumb trail to follow to find out what the hell is going on.
An Anonymous Girl starts with Jessica Farris sneaking her way in to a psychological study on morality conducted by the mysterious Dr. Shields. The questions become more invasive and the sessions transition from questions to manipulative outings. Jessica starts to wonder if she can trust anything in her life let alone the secretive doctor and what obsessions she’s withholding.
My favorite part of An Anonymous Girl was the juxtaposition between the two narratives. Jessica is a 28 year old makeup artist struggling to survive in the city. Jessica is sweet, a little naïve, but she has some dark secrets in her past that leads to some self-destructive tendencies. Tendencies that lead her right in to the cold and calculating arms of Dr. Shields. Dr. Shield’s perspective reads like case notes on her study.
But is anyone as they seem? Hardly ever.
Full of unreliable narrators, a realistic story of how wrong an obsession can go, this book is perfectly paced to keep your eating up every word until you read the end.
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
I have read a lot of mystery and thriller/suspense novels over the years. I’ve read no less than 30 in the previous year. So it’s fair to say, I’m experienced in the genre. I am rarely surprised by a thriller book anymore. And while the ending isn’t the “WTF!” moment, I tend to look for in a mystery/thriller/suspense (whatever you want to call it). I found it to be fully satisfying. The authors’ left such a beautiful, deceptive breadcrumb trail to follow to find out what the hell is going on.
An Anonymous Girl starts with Jessica Farris sneaking her way in to a psychological study on morality conducted by the mysterious Dr. Shields. The questions become more invasive and the sessions transition from questions to manipulative outings. Jessica starts to wonder if she can trust anything in her life let alone the secretive doctor and what obsessions she’s withholding.
My favorite part of An Anonymous Girl was the juxtaposition between the two narratives. Jessica is a 28 year old makeup artist struggling to survive in the city. Jessica is sweet, a little naïve, but she has some dark secrets in her past that leads to some self-destructive tendencies. Tendencies that lead her right in to the cold and calculating arms of Dr. Shields. Dr. Shield’s perspective reads like case notes on her study.
But is anyone as they seem? Hardly ever.
Full of unreliable narrators, a realistic story of how wrong an obsession can go, this book is perfectly paced to keep your eating up every word until you read the end.
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Meh this wasn’t it. But at least it’s off my shelves now.
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was my first ebook I've ever checked out from a library (which was super cool by the way- it's way more convenient, especially during a pandemic). Idk if there was something wrong with my ebook though because about halfway through it would randomly skip to the very last page and pop up the "marked as read" goodreads thing. It happened like 3 times, no big deal just kind of annoying.
Anyways, the review:
Dr. Shields should have just gotten a divorce. It would have been way easier for everyone and no one would have died.
Anyways, the review:
Dr. Shields should have just gotten a divorce. It would have been way easier for everyone and no one would have died.
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
this was at first a very thrilling and amazing book it made me excited to read but the ending was a bit dull for m they showed Lydia as a powerful and well-calculated woman but in the end sh just... idk but it was a good book just the ending sucked
7.5/10
Pros:
- Very interesting premise surrounding a psychological study, which I haven't encountered much before especially in the thriller genre.
- 2 different POVs, in which one is told in *second person point of view*. It sets a creepy tone well and makes it an engaging read.
- Vulnerability and actions of the main character are surprisingly believable due to well explained backstory.
- Even though the cat and mouse game (or power struggle) seemed a bit too one-sided at times, the writers still found a way balance it by hiding certain information from one character in a way that wasn't too contrived. It was entertaining dramatic irony. And you're never sure whether there are 2 or more players in this game.
Cons:
- A certain side character seemed unnecessary; felt like they were just added in the story to later bring more pain to another character. And the way it was done was one of the worst parts of the book because it was just too over the top and unbelievable.
- Ending/resolution to the cat and mouse game was overall very underwhelming. It didn't feel "earned" and just felt unsatisfying.
- Logic of the main character was sometimes questionable or confusing. When a "clue" or new information is presented, the main character ended up with an entirely different assumption from me/the reader. A couple instances where the MC connected two things together, it felt contrived for sake of plot and didn't feel like it was due to the intelligence of the MC.
Pros:
- Very interesting premise surrounding a psychological study, which I haven't encountered much before especially in the thriller genre.
- 2 different POVs, in which one is told in *second person point of view*. It sets a creepy tone well and makes it an engaging read.
- Vulnerability and actions of the main character are surprisingly believable due to well explained backstory.
- Even though the cat and mouse game (or power struggle) seemed a bit too one-sided at times, the writers still found a way balance it by hiding certain information from one character in a way that wasn't too contrived. It was entertaining dramatic irony. And you're never sure whether there are 2 or more players in this game.
Cons:
- A certain side character seemed unnecessary; felt like they were just added in the story to later bring more pain to another character. And the way it was done was one of the worst parts of the book because it was just too over the top and unbelievable.
- Ending/resolution to the cat and mouse game was overall very underwhelming. It didn't feel "earned" and just felt unsatisfying.
- Logic of the main character was sometimes questionable or confusing. When a "clue" or new information is presented, the main character ended up with an entirely different assumption from me/the reader. A couple instances where the MC connected two things together, it felt contrived for sake of plot and didn't feel like it was due to the intelligence of the MC.