4 Stars!

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“ We all have reasons for our actions. Even if we hide the reason from those who think they know us best. Even if the reasons are so deeply buried we can’t recognize them ourselves.” - An Anonymous Girl.

SYNOPSIS: 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.

Question #1: Could you tell a lie without feeling guilt?

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.

Question #2: Have you ever deeply hurt someone you care about?

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.

Question #3: Should a punishment always fit the crime?” - An Anonymous Girl.

REVIEW: This is the second book that I have read from this author duo, and I actually prefer it to the first one I read (You Are Not Alone). Overall, this book was so thrilling, smart, and good. I loved the plot in this book and it kept me guessing as to what was going to happen next, and how it would all end. In addition, since I am in the profession of therapy, I loved reading about these dark, twisted aspects of therapy and psychiatry. It is the ultimate example of what not to do as a therapist. There were many other themes that I enjoyed in this book, however I think it is best going into this book as blind as you can be, so I will not mention them here.

I enjoyed the characters in this book, I felt that they all played off one-another quite well and appreciated the fact that they were all a little flawed in their own ways. They each had a lot of secrets and different cards that they played at the right moment. I was really interested in their backstories and how that played into their character and their personalities.

Overall, personally I really liked this book and it is making me excited to read their other novels. I also think that this would be a good book to either buddy read or read in a book-club because of all the discussion that could come from it, especially around the choices of morality. I could definitely see myself and my girl-friends getting into some wild conversations about this one.