An Anonymous Girl
Can 10 seconds really chance your life?
That's the question Jessica Farris ends up asking herself when she realizes she is in too deep in Dr. Shields' moral and ethics study. But is that really what Jess is doing? Could it be just a sick game that Dr. Shields is playing?
Lets back up. Let me talk about why I started reading this book. Last year, for our 5th wedding anniversary, my husband and I took a 3 hour road trip to go see the Magnolia Silos in Waco, TX. You know, the place where Chip and Joanna Gaines built. On the way up there, I took "The Wife Between Us" which is the 1st book that Hendricks and Pekkanen wrote together. And when I tell you, I couldn't put it down....YA'LL!! I couldn't put that book down!! It was soo good. My husband didn't have anyone to chat with on the road trip because I was so captivated by this book. I highly recommend that novel. So, when I was scrolling through Amazon and I saw this book that came out in 2019, I know I had to read it. Their previous work was amazing. They also released a new novel in March 2020 that I cant wait to dig into.
MY RATING :
⭐⭐⭐⭐ / 5
So, lets get to know Jessica Farris, shall we? She's a 28 year old makeup artist living in NYC. She goes to a job for these 2 college girls. The 2 girls are gossiping, talking, all that jazz, when one of them, Taylor, gets a voicemail, confirming her to do a questionnaire the next day. She doesn't want to go, but mentions that it pays $500. Jess's eyes light up. "$500 to answer some questions? I could use that for rent." Jess is a struggling artist, who initially wanted to get into theater when she moved to the big city. Taylor decides that she isn't going to go and things move along as normal. While the 2 girls are out of the room, Jess sneaks the phone and listens to the voicemail to know the details and decides to go herself.
What do you think about that? I initially thought it was wrong. Like, she invaded her privacy by going through her phone. Anyways, she goes to the questionnaire which is for 2 days then she gets Venmo'ed her $500. It doesn't go that simple. The instructions are that you have to answer each question honestly, be yourself and answer the questions with your 1st initial thought so the study could have the best results. Jess shows to have the best answers as she reveals some of her deepest, darkest secrets and Dr. Shields, the doctor running the study, over time, wants Jess to be involved more in the study. Of course, paying her more and more for each day that she does something.
The study ends up being about marriage and morality in a marriage and things like that, but why? When I tell you that this book, kept me at the edge of my seat, I'm not kidding. All kinds of twists and turns, and it honestly didn't turn out the way I thought it was going to.
Anyways, as time goes on, I am getting the sense that Dr. Shields is crazy. This woman is crazy.
OOOHHHHHH.....Dr. Shields is a woman. Did you guess that? A gorgeous, rich woman. She starts having do these crazy things. 1st she has her dress up for a evening out and has her approach a man and flirt with him. The 1st man Jess approached wasn't the man Dr. Shields had in mind. The man she had in mind was very similar , but one specific thing was different. The man Dr. Shields had in mind had a wedding ring on.
A-HA!! What is really going on with Dr. Shields??
SPOILERS AHEAD!!!!
If you haven't read this book (and I highly recommend that you do) and you still want to, STOPPPP READING!!! SPOILERS AHEAD!
So, Dr. Shields husband cheated on her last year and before fully taking him back, she wants to make sure that he is fully committed to her. This whole study is set up so that she can find a girl that resembles the other woman he was with so that she can test him to see if he will do it again. But he doesn't just cheat on her because it was a careless mistake. He cheats on her because he is trying to leave.
"You can't just leave someone like Lydia"
This bitch is crazy. Literally crazy. So, Thomas, the husband "accidently" texts her a message that is supposed to go to the mistress and when Dr. Shields caught on, he confessed the whole thing. Only the confession was a lie. Or at least the woman he said he slept with was. Through some digging, Dr. Shields finds out who the real woman is that Thomas slept with, but never tells him. Before ever having met Jess, she did another study, finding April, which is the girl that Thomas slept with. She befriends her, much like Jess. But wait...did Jess and Thomas sleep together too??
OMG....they did. There are so many twists and turns, I was at the edge of my seat the whole time. I think I've said this before. Once Jess realizes that Thomas is Dr. Shields husband, things get even more interesting. Thomas takes Jess to a garden and shows her where Dr. Shields last study subject ….get this... COMMITED SUICIDE by overdosing on pills. WTF...….
This novel is sooooo beautifully written. Let's go on. Things start falling into place for Jess, but just as she figures something out, Dr. Shields is already a step ahead of her. She is dangerous....or is Thomas the dangerous one? She cant tell. They both have been lying. Which one is telling the truth? Then...Jess goes to Dr. Shields house, per her request, because Dr. Shields basically thinks that she owns Jess. After all, she's been paying her more money than Jess has ever owned. When she gets there, Thomas is there as well. Dr. Shields is playing a dirty little game.
She confronts both of them. Thomas lies, Jess tells the truth. Then as confrontations are still taking place, Jess puts things together. Dr. Shields gave April the pills for her to overdose. She got rid of the woman who stole her husband, by making it seem like she committed suicide. How savage is that? WTF....Thomas, who is a psychiatrist himself, is disgusted with her. AHHHHH......Lydia is like psycho in love with Thomas. We have all known that type of girl. It has completely taken over her life. Lydia cant bear the fact that he will never take her back now. Who would? She killed this girl. So, what does she do? She drinks some wine, writes herself a prescription for 30 Vicodin and kills herself.
I was not expecting that. When I say I was at the edge of my seat, I really was. Now that's he 3rd time I've said. Because its soooo true. I loved this book. Like I said, it did not turn out the way I expected it too. There's so much I left out because I want you to read it and tell me what you thought. And if you have read it, what did you think? Theres not question as to why this book was a New York Times Best Seller. It was amazing. I really enjoyed it.
So, tell me...what are your true thoughts on this book? Did you enjoy it as much as I did? Tell me your thoughts in the comments below. What are you currently reading?
Until next time..... ☮
Next book:
The Guest List by Lucy Foley
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