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The perfect child by Lucinda Berry
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The perfect child (edition 2019)

by Lucinda Berry

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4081962,726 (3.79)2
"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."--Back cover.… (more)
Member:mb22
Title:The perfect child
Authors:Lucinda Berry
Info:Seattle : Thomas & Mercer, [2019]
Collections:Your library
Rating:*****
Tags:None

Work Information

The Perfect Child by Lucinda Berry

  1. 00
    A Child Called "It" by Dave Pelzer (JenniferRobb)
    JenniferRobb: Berry's book is fictional while Pelzer's is his true story, but many aspects of the abuse the child suffers is similar. Thanfully, Pelzer's story turns out better than the fictional one does.
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» See also 2 mentions

Showing 1-5 of 19 (next | show all)
Oh man, I went through this book in spurts. Because once I started reading it, I couldn't put it down. I adore psychological thrillers, and this book made me think of the movie Orphan, except Janie actually is a little girl. Chapters were short so felt like the story moved quickly.

My God, Janie creeped me out! I don't think I've ever been as disturbed by a villain child as much as her. I even hated her toward the middle/end of the story, once her layers were revealed little by little. Really sympathized with Hannah and I could put myself in her shoes. Didn't like Christopher as much but I did understand how he felt.

Just took off one star because...the ending. It felt like it was the end of a chapter and I was looking forward to reading what happened afterward. And then nothing. Also, wasn't a fan of the animal abuse, however briefly it was described. Animal abuse never sits well with me.

Otherwise, well done and I would definitely be looking out for Ms. Berry's other works! ( )
  galian84 | Dec 1, 2023 |
the last 30-40% got way too ridiculous and messy for my liking. it was as if the author just threw stuff on the wall hoping for it to stick ( )
  chardenlover | Jun 14, 2023 |
Gripping! My favourite from this author so far. ( )
  nannyofoz | May 2, 2023 |
Okay so I'm mad for a couple of reasons:
1) No ending. Yeah. Everyone is mad about that.
2) I read it in one sitting and, in turn, did not sleep at all. I am so tired.
People saying it is unrealistic unfortunately don't know kids with RAD. I have a few friends who have been in this family's exact shoes pretty much, and while something does feel off to me about having a thriller completely surrounding mental illness and a very real situation, I can't deny that it had me at the edge of my seat.
Overall, it's definitely riveting, but I have some ethical qualms and I'm not sure how I feel about the story as a whole. ( )
  ninagl | Jan 7, 2023 |
i really didn't like the start of this book but i was stuck at work having already finished the book i'd brought along and this was free on the kindle app. but the story ended up really engrossing me and i HAD to know what was going to happen. i haven't devoured a book this quickly in a long, long time. partly out of anxiety and partly out of rage- christopher bauer for worst husband of the year award anyone?? god fuck him i'm so mad still. but.........lucinda, ms berry, we need to talk about that ending. you know that final paragraph was trash. i thought my ebook just cut off. ( )
  changgukah | Aug 22, 2022 |
Showing 1-5 of 19 (next | show all)
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To my readers, who have been with me since the beginning.
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'Is this your first homicide case?"
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"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."--Back cover.

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