A review by lydiavsbooks
An Anonymous Girl by Greer Hendricks, Sarah Pekkanen
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Ehh this just wasn't it for me
The premise was very intriguing, a psychology study that turns sinister is a cool idea, but I just didn't like the direction it took - so much could have been done with that concept and it just felt like a waste.
The whole tone of the book was so overdramatic for what was actually going on. The main character was constantly referred to as having these 'deep dark' secrets that just turned out to be basically nothing. The whole motive behind the experiment was just eye roll worthy (Mild spoiler:
The main character was so ignorant, overly trusting and just stupid that I found it very difficult to have any sympathy for her. If you overlook that many red flags then you kinda have it coming.
Reading a not psychologist trying to write the pov of a psychologist is always a lil eye-rolly, but it was clear an effort was made so fair doos. Although the random summaries of famous psych experiments thrown in came across a lil too much like 'look I did my research, see' and just felt a lil forced.
I didn't hate this by any means, the pace was quick, it was intriguing, kept you reading and was a fun time (if you suspend your disbelief).
The premise was very intriguing, a psychology study that turns sinister is a cool idea, but I just didn't like the direction it took - so much could have been done with that concept and it just felt like a waste.
The whole tone of the book was so overdramatic for what was actually going on. The main character was constantly referred to as having these 'deep dark' secrets that just turned out to be basically nothing. The whole motive behind the experiment was just eye roll worthy (Mild spoiler:
Spoiler
turns out the entire motive behind the whole thing was the psychologist character trying to find out if and why her husband cheated...big let down of a revealSpoiler
), as was the dramatic second person Dr Sheilds chapters. Dr Sheilds was spoken about as if they were some kind of evil genius who was 'always one step ahead' but they just did not live up to that, they were kinda dumb tbh: petty, stupid, and every time they were a 'step ahead' was just due to a fluke or the stupidity of the main character.The main character was so ignorant, overly trusting and just stupid that I found it very difficult to have any sympathy for her. If you overlook that many red flags then you kinda have it coming.
Reading a not psychologist trying to write the pov of a psychologist is always a lil eye-rolly, but it was clear an effort was made so fair doos. Although the random summaries of famous psych experiments thrown in came across a lil too much like 'look I did my research, see' and just felt a lil forced.
I didn't hate this by any means, the pace was quick, it was intriguing, kept you reading and was a fun time (if you suspend your disbelief).
Content Warnings
Minor: Toxic friendship, Suicide, and Sexual assault