Read The Perfect Child Lucinda Berry Books
Read The Perfect Child Lucinda Berry Books
Download As PDF : The Perfect Child Lucinda Berry Books
A Washington Post and Charts bestseller.
A page-turning debut of suspense about a young couple desperate to have a child of their own—and the unsettling consequences of getting what they always wanted.
Christopher and Hannah are a happily married surgeon and nurse with picture-perfect lives. All that’s missing is a child. When Janie, an abandoned six-year-old, turns up at their hospital, Christopher forms an instant connection with her, and he convinces Hannah they should take her home as their own.
But Janie is no ordinary child, and her damaged psyche proves to be more than her new parents were expecting. Janie is fiercely devoted to Christopher, but she acts out in increasingly disturbing ways, directing all her rage at Hannah. Unable to bond with Janie, Hannah is drowning under the pressure, and Christopher refuses to see Janie’s true nature.
Hannah knows that Janie is manipulating Christopher and isolating him from her, despite Hannah’s attempts to bring them all together. But as Janie’s behavior threatens to tear Christopher and Hannah apart, the truth behind Janie’s past may be enough to push them all over the edge.
Read The Perfect Child Lucinda Berry Books
"I'm not sure I've ever read such a crazy, intense, non-stop, haunting, anxiety producing novel...but only in the best and most desirable way. I didn't want it to end.
Once this book has you in it's grips, it won't let go. I started it this morning and literally could not put it down. My poor husband probably feels deprived.
Having received The Perfect Child free as a Kindle First February option, I honestly didn't have high expectations. These freebie books are hit or miss for me. Sometimes they're decent, sometimes they absolutely stink, and sometimes, they slowly mesmerize you with their intensity and unparalleled chaos.
The Perfect Child was like that...it gripped me from the start and didn't let me go. The characters, particularly Hannah, were so beautifully tragic...she felt very real to me. I could relate so very much to her feelings, her anxieties...virtually everything. Having said that, at times I also felt frustrated, primarily with Christopher. His choices and actions were questionable, even during the best of times. But the character who had my jaw-dropping at virtually every turn of the page was Janie. HOLY COW! I don't want to say much for fear of giving anything away, but Janie may be the best "villain" I've read in years. Little girl was beyond vile!
Is the story a bit predictable? I'd say yes, which is why I didn't give it a full 5 stars. One of the main threads was incredibly obvious to me, but that took nothing away from the story-line. And there were a couple twists which shocked me...not necessarily because they were unexpected, but because of how they actually occurred. There is also some animal torture/death, which is another deduction for me. I HATE animal torture in any book. Fair warning.
I can't end this review without making the obvious comparisons to Baby Teeth. Clearly, Lucinda Berry was somewhat inspired by the Zoje Stage novel. There are many similar threads throughout...but the stories diverge enough to make them each incredibly readable in their own ways.
I'm a fan, fellow readers. I haven't checked to see if this is Ms. Berry's first novel or not, but she has definitely become a must read author in my eyes. I'll be thinking about this novel for a long, long time."
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Tags : The Perfect Child (9781542040549) Lucinda Berry Books,Lucinda Berry,The Perfect Child,Thomas Mercer,154204054X,AMERICAN MYSTERY SUSPENSE FICTION,Adopted children,Audiobook; Audio; Book; CD; Thriller; Action; Adventure; Suspense; Killer; Murder; Mystery,FICTION / Psychological,FICTION / Thrillers / Domestic,FICTION / Thrillers / Suspense,Fiction,Fiction-Psychological,Fiction/Thrillers - Domestic,Fiction/Thrillers - Suspense,GENERAL,General Adult,Married people,Novels,Nurses,Surgeons,Thrillers (Fiction),United States,FICTION / Crime,FICTION / Mystery Detective / Police Procedural
The Perfect Child Lucinda Berry Books Reviews :
The Perfect Child Lucinda Berry Books Reviews
- I just can’t recommend this book. It was highly disturbing. I feel as if the killing of the cat and sister just took it too far.
- I wish I had never chosen this as my First Read. I should have gone with my first instinct that it was too dark and unpleasant but after reading the sample I liked the writing style and the social worker Piper. If you make that same mistake this book is very different than the sample would lead you to believe. The story is told in alternating perspectives, mostly from husband Christopher and Wife Hannah, with interspersed chapters of the police interview with the social worker Piper. We see the happy couple, although I found it odd that they chose to work alternating schedules if they were so happy, and their introduction to Janie.
The majority of the story is the day to day struggle that Hannah has with Janie everyday. This is told in excruciating detail and it’s a lot to take. You feel for Hannah but as a reader it was too much. I wasn’t surprised at what was supposed to be revealed towards the end of the book because I thought from the beginning that was what had happened. It’s hard to see Hannah left in such dire straights by her husband. The ending is abrupt and a lot is left unresolved.
The author mentions in the acknowledgments that she had to have someone tell her to tone down the dark that most people can take. I think it should have been turned down way more. I have nothing but the utmost respect for what the author must deal with in her profession but this book is too dark and disturbing. She can write well but got lost too much in the minutiae of the story. All mothers remember well the newborn days and feedings but I can’t say I wanted to read all the detail that went into the depiction here.
I like books that are suspenseful and surprising but that’s not this book. There’s no satisfying mystery solved. It’s just sad and dark. - Contains violence against animals. So sick and disturbing, I wish there were a zero stars category. Will never buy another book from this author again.
- I'm not sure I've ever read such a crazy, intense, non-stop, haunting, anxiety producing novel...but only in the best and most desirable way. I didn't want it to end.
Once this book has you in it's grips, it won't let go. I started it this morning and literally could not put it down. My poor husband probably feels deprived.
Having received The Perfect Child free as a First February option, I honestly didn't have high expectations. These freebie books are hit or miss for me. Sometimes they're decent, sometimes they absolutely stink, and sometimes, they slowly mesmerize you with their intensity and unparalleled chaos.
The Perfect Child was like that...it gripped me from the start and didn't let me go. The characters, particularly Hannah, were so beautifully tragic...she felt very real to me. I could relate so very much to her feelings, her anxieties...virtually everything. Having said that, at times I also felt frustrated, primarily with Christopher. His choices and actions were questionable, even during the best of times. But the character who had my jaw-dropping at virtually every turn of the page was Janie. HOLY COW! I don't want to say much for fear of giving anything away, but Janie may be the best "villain" I've read in years. Little girl was beyond vile!
Is the story a bit predictable? I'd say yes, which is why I didn't give it a full 5 stars. One of the main threads was incredibly obvious to me, but that took nothing away from the story-line. And there were a couple twists which shocked me...not necessarily because they were unexpected, but because of how they actually occurred. There is also some animal torture/death, which is another deduction for me. I HATE animal torture in any book. Fair warning.
I can't end this review without making the obvious comparisons to Baby Teeth. Clearly, Lucinda Berry was somewhat inspired by the Zoje Stage novel. There are many similar threads throughout...but the stories diverge enough to make them each incredibly readable in their own ways.
I'm a fan, fellow readers. I haven't checked to see if this is Ms. Berry's first novel or not, but she has definitely become a must read author in my eyes. I'll be thinking about this novel for a long, long time. - Me and this book were like a bad blind date. Nothing worked.
Be aware that there is a lot of vivid detail regarding child abuse, and there is also animal abuse. I'm not squeamish in the least, but, for me, the author went way overboard on this aspect. There are scenes I wish I hadn't read that I'd like to get out of my mind. Readers, in general, don't need to be assaulted with descriptive abuse in order to understand it.
I could have, maybe not enjoyed, but appreciated the story despite the abundance of detail, if I'd liked the main characters. I didn't. The couple seems almost childish and naive, especially considering they are at the top of their medical fields. They don't communicate well. They take on a severely traumatized child without really understanding what they're getting into. And then they try to hide how bad things are.
The writing style didn't engage me. So, as I said, a bad blind date. - I wish I could give this 0 stars. This book could be a horrible experience for people who have a problem reading graphic descriptions of child abuse, a cat being hurt and later deliberately killed with details of how and how the animal tried to fight back and live. Pregnant women and moms of infants will also find scenes hard to handle. I’m appalled and disgusted these were included and think others will be, also.
If for some reason you finish the book, you’ll be rewarded with two twists, at least one of which you’ve probably already figured out and an ending that feels like pages were missing.
I’m sorry I chose this for my February First read as a Prime Member and even asked for anothe pick, they said no and to write a review instead so here it is.
Please stay far, far away!
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